Any parents of dyslexic students at Crestmont School?

Hi GabyG!

My child is a middle schooler at Crestmont and has both dyslexia and dyscalculia. Crestmont has been an outstanding environment for him for 3 years now. Throughout the course of his schooling, we've tried 2 other independent schools and -- briefly and disastrously -- 1 public school. As common as dyslexia is, and as well understood as best practices are for teaching dyslexic kids, not one of these environments could support him. I wish we had found our way to Crestmont earlier, but our 3 years have been wonderful.

What works for him at Crestmont:

Seasoned teachers with deep experience of all types of learners, but who also have the humility and confidence to partner with the parent and the kid to hear what works -- to learn more. The small class sizes make it possible for the teachers to approach each child's needs with flexibility and creativity. There is a knowledgeable and kind resource teacher on staff who really knows my kid. The communication is fantastic amongst all of these folks.

While you're right that an independent school can't officially do an IEP, we meet regularly as a team to discuss, craft, and adapt our planning for my child.

The only downside has been that the school doesn't have the resourcing to build and apply a separate academic track for him, which may be what he needs, or to give him the extensive 1:1 help he needs. But neither did the public school, that's for sure, nor any of the independent schools we tried. And Crestmont comes a long way toward it, often lovingly creating individualized homework packets for him.

Crestmont belives in the beauty and dignity of every human, and this carries into their attitude toward learning differences as well. This place actually walks its talk. When we interviewed and I mentioned dyslexia, his future teacher said, "That's not a problem. I've worked with many dyslexic kids and every one of them was brilliant." This let me know that she understood dyslexia is not a flawed way of learning, but a different way, with its own strengths.

Finally, Crestmont finds a way for every kid to shine. They helped mine deepen and show to the community his mechanical, creative, and social strengths. They helped him feel proud and confident.

Obviously, I'm a fan, so I had to respond. Very best of luck to you. And BTW if you haven't read The Dyslexic Advantage, I highly recommend that too!

My son has dyslexia and is in his third year at Crestmont (transferred in for 2nd grade, currently in 4/5 class). Crestmont does an excellent job at supporting him. He has an IEP from the school district which served as a starting point for accommodations. However, at the beginning, middle and end of the school year his entire team (teacher, learning specialist, head of school, private educational therapist) meet with us to discuss how he can best be supported based on what they are observing. He has several accommodations in place and I’ve always found that everyone wants to support him and find the best way to work with him so that he can be successful. For example, last year when the only session his private educational therapist had was to drop-in on campus during the school day, they worked with us to find ways to make that happen. 

There is a wonderful learning specialist on staff that is available to support all students. It’s not a replacement for the type of intensive and specialized work my son needs with a private educational therapist, but it does supplement those efforts. 

The classes are small so the teachers really know the students and the project based learning is engaging. I encourage you to reach out to Admissions and learn more.