How to guide student with extremely low scores

<p>I am a mentor to a high school sophomore who is a wonderful kid. He is honest, hard working, law abiding, kind and earnest. I am not sure how to correctly classify this, but he is challenged and his PSAT scores are extremely low....probably among the lowest one can get. His dream is to attend a military academy and I am at a loss for how to guide/help him. Any suggestions?</p>

<p>Be honest with him and tell him that he will never be admitted to a military academy. He'll be upset but to allow him to hold on to the hope that he will attend a military academy is just cruel. Research options with him--trade schools, internships, community college, etc. Guide him on an appropriate and realistic path for his future.</p>

<p>I agree with nysmile that if this student is as you describe, he has no chance at an appointment to a service academy. But if he's interested in a military career, what about... enlisting in the military after high school? It sounds like a military recruiter would jump for joy talking to this kid.</p>

<p>What about a school like Norwich University, seems the 25% SATs are in the 400s. Know of any other private military or military hybrid schools that would accomodate learning disabilities and the like? On the NU website it seems such services are available.</p>

<p>Hardworking is noble but is he succeeding on an academic level. Norwich as well as all military schools emphasize a rigorous academic curriculum. Can he handle college academics? Can he pass high school math through pre-calculus? Please, be realistic with his academic abilities and put him on a realistic and appropriate path for his future. It's difficult to be the one to tell him that his current dream will never be realized but he needs someone to help him create a new and more appropriate dream for him to work towards.</p>

<p>Since I started this post, this young man has come around to recognizing that the military academies are not in his future. I wonder if anyone knows of a job training program in Florida that I could explore with him. I will explore CC as well. Thanks for any insights.</p>

<p>There are 28 community colleges in Florida. Some offer law enforcement or correctional officer training, which might appeal to your student. It looks like some even offer programs aimed at high school students.</p>

<p>Thank you for the information. I am very intrigued by the philosophy of Dynamy, but am concerned that the profiles of the interns are higher academically than this young man. He is a challenge. He will not accept the accomodations offered him due to his learning disabilities b/c he says it is a lazy man's out. B/c he is not very high scoring to begin with, this will be a problem for him. Thank you for any suggestions you have. MM</p>

<p>Sally Shaywitz's book about dyslexia offers a clear two-page explanation of why accomodations are both fair and necessary for students with learning disabilities. He doesn't need to read the whole book, but it might be helpful for him to just read that chapter.
Since the student in question is a sophomore, he could be spared a lot of needless frustration if he used the accomodations he needs.
He is lucky to have you advocating for him.</p>