Repeat 9th grade?

Our son is a freshman. He is on IEP since elementary school and has some learning challenges - can’t focus, lacks executive and time management skills. He is clearly on track to fail multiple subjects this year. I’m thinking about what options would be the best in this situation. We can try to repeat 9th grade in the same school district, but our school is not at all excited about that idea. We also can move him out of the district, or to a private school to repeat the same grade (it’s not preferable for financial reasons but possible). We can also try homeschooling but we have no experience with that so far.

We are not from the US originally and one of the problems we have now is that he seems to be too young for 9th grade. When we came to the US 7 years ago, he was classified as 3th grader, although he didn’t go to a school in our home country at all (because of age mismatch between school systems and the fact that his birthday is in late Fall). We should have held him a year while in elementary or middle school, but he had satisfactory progress and we were afraid it would hurt him emotionally. But now we don’t have a choice it seems. One of the more exotic options we have is to send him to our home country for a year, where he can go to a local public or private school, then send him back to 10th grade. It can give him a break and could let him mature a bit. But it has downsides as well. Also, it seems we will have a problem with our school district, they said they won’t allow him to have a “gap year” like that.

I’m curious if anybody had similar experiences and can give any advice in this situation?

Thank you!

You say the school isn’t keen on keeping him back. What do they suggest?

How can they stop you from having a gap year? If he’s not in the country, he can’t attend school at your local district; when he returns and is living in the district, they must accept him at whatever grade level he is in. So, if he repeats 9th grade in your home country, when he returns, he enters 10th grade.

I know someone that did that with her kid (but it wasn’t to a “home country;” it was to a boarding school in France. Worked out beautifully.

Since your son has had an IEP, you have the right to know what his academic goals are by class, what teachers did to help him reach those goals and what did they do when he was not meeting goals. What was his behavior in the classroom and how did it change over time. What are his current academic skills and whether there was any growth with time and instruction? What is the school’s plan to get him through school. He won’t graduate without credits for 9th grade.

At this point, I would request/demand a psycho-educational evaluation to clarify his eligibility, how is it specifically manifested now and changed, when, how did the school respond. Take time to gather former evaluations, examples of schoolwork, report cards and teacher communication, past IEPs and educational testing. Think about your son’s developmental history.

Please make a copy of IDEA 2008, Section B, to clarify evaluation, communication eligibility, IEPs, requesting evaluation. Know both your and the school’s responsibilities and right. I don’t see how you could think going to his home country could improve his situation. You have a right for your son to be educated in his own district. This situation is unsettling and very vague. Look at the government website for information about you and your son’s expectation for a free, appropriate public education. Hope you get the information and assistance you son needs.

I don’t have any experience other than my own - my daughter also had a LD / ADD diagnosis from 2nd grade. Here’s my opinion (and understand that’s all it is) - if something isn’t working, “more of the same” isn’t the solution. And change of scenery really isn’t the answer either. You need to figure out what environment he needs in order to succeed; whether that’s homeschool, online school or just a different form of education. I feel like nothing succeeds like success - I would try to find ways in which he can refocus his academic career towards his own form of success. If that means extra time, so be it but that’s probably not ALL that’s required. What does he say about school? Does he know what about the school isn’t working for him? In my case, I took my daughter out of traditional education in 3rd grade and had her in a Montessori type environment plus did Lindamood-Bell enrichment. It was an expensive and difficult time but it paid off - by 6th grade she was at grade level and ready to go back to “regular” school. Your son is much older so the solution will be different but I would urge you to think outside the box on his education, talk to him about what he needs and wants and really emphasize that you want to build on his strengths - many times LD kids are really creative and expressive - then find someplace for him where those traits are valued. I think if you don’t see it as “he’s failing school” but recognize that school has failed him it’ll help you to focus on what counts - not getting him “through school” but getting him a chance to succeed in life.