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My son is 9 and got placed in the gifted program. It has been great he is constantly is learning and challenged while enjoying it. Every year he has an amazing teacher. I also went to APS from 2 - 12th grade and took honors/AP/enchriched classes throughout and feel as though I did well with my APS education.
I know APS is a horrible district with poor test scores and low graduation rate, but I have had nothing but good experiences with it. I think the problem with APS is you can't send your kid there, pick him or her up 12 years later and expect them to be smart, graduated, and going to college, which is what the majority of parents expect and want. If you are willing to be involved in your child's education (life?) they should have a good chance excelling in APS.
You may want to look into the AIMS@UNM, the Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science, a charter high school on the UNM campus.
The son of a friend of mine attended this school, back when it was new. At the time, my former Biology IG teacher was working at the new school, though I'm sure he has retired by now. This is a selective school, meant for the brightest students in the system.
Edit: Now that I look at it, I think I am confused on the name. AIMS@UNM opened about 2006, but I'm thinking back to the mid-90s. I can't remember the name of it, but I might be thinking of La Cueva High School.
Does the graduation requirement apply to ALL HS students, or just the ones enrolled in honors/AP/career enrichment center. Am I also understanding you correctly, that they have to pay for this "dual-enrollment class"? Also, what type of dual-enrollment classes are available?
We don't have any requirements like that here, so I am a bit confused. The only thing extra our HS students have to do in order to graduate, is complete 75 hours of community service.
Thanks!
Let me clarify as my original information was not entirely correct. This is from the APS website: "Students entering as freshmen in 2009 and after must take one unit of Advance Placement, honors, dual credit or distance learning and one unit in one of the following: career cluster course, work place readiness, or a language other than English as two of the 25 credits required for graduation"
"Meeting the criteria listed does not mean that the student will be automatically admitted to the Concurrent Enrollment or Dual Credit Programs. In all cases the final admission determination will be made by the Director of Admissions.
The student must be a high school junior or senior.
The student must have the certification and unconditional recommendation of the high school as well as proof of parental consent prior to participation.
The high school must furnish the Office of Admissions with an official high school transcript.
Minimum quantitative requirement one or more of the guidelines listed below:
Cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better on a 4.00 scale for 9th, 10th, and 11th grades in subjects counted toward graduation
- or -
Class rank in top 25%, and a minimum grade point average of 2.25 on a 4.0 scale
- or -
An ACT composite score of 23 or an SAT total score of 1060 and a minimum grade point average of 2.25 on a 4.0 scale.
A student planning to enroll in English 101 must have a minimum score of 19 on the English portion of the ACT or 450 on the verbal portion of the SAT.
A student planning to enroll in any math course numbered above MATH 120 must have a minimum score of 22 on the Math portion of the ACT or 510 on the quantitative portion of the SAT.
Students who have attended a non-accredited /non-approved high school or home school may apply for Concurrent Enrollment; however, they must meet the ACT or SAT requirement to be eligible."
So, only students who qualify, can take a dual-enrollment course. If they don't qualify or choose not to go this route, they must take an honors, AP, or distance learning class. Tuition dual-enrollment courses are paid by the state of New Mex*ico, and school dis*tricts can be reim*bursed by the state for pro*vid*ing textbooks.
New Mexico also has a lottery scholarship fund that currently provides New Mexico high school graduates (who have lived in NM for at least a year) paid college tuition at an accredited 4 year college or university in New Mexico for 8 consecutive semesters. That's a great bonus for students who attend college in NM or who might not otherwise be able to afford to go to college. The fund has experienced financial difficulties the last couple of years with the downturn of the economy due to less lottery tickets being sold, but thus far, the scholarship is still available. That could change if funds dry up too much.
As far as the support for your son with Aspberger's -- support would be provided as his IEP states. If his program cannot be reciprocated (as written in the IEP) in NM, a new IEP would be written. The goal is to be able to have students be as independent as possible, so services could range from consult only between his special education and general education teachers, or a study skills type of class where he could get help with his school work, to full day support in a small-group setting. My daughter's high school (Cibola) strongly supports the full-inclusion model. I can't say specifically anything about how the autism programs work in high school since I teach in elementary school. Your best bet would be to contact someone from the APS Autism support services (505-265-3711) and start asking questions.
If you are coming from one of the top school districts in the country, you will most likely find things that you will be dissatisfied with, so just expect that. This is New Mexico which is a far cry from the burbs of Washington DC.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help & will keep all of this in mind. I also jotted down that number for future reference.
I had no idea you were a teacher. That is good to know. Do you have any input as far as what public middle schools and high schools are the best (preferably within the same vicinity of one another). When we eventually look for a place to live, I would like to find something around a good school system. I have heard people say the NE Heights is a nice area, but I don't know what schools around there are good.
Oh..and as far as the schools go here, even though they are supposed to be "top notch," I have still had issues with certain teachers etc. I am very involved in my son's schooling, so if we can at least find a good school in ABQ, I plan on keeping up with his teachers and his school work to make sure he stays on the right track.
Lobo - how are the schools with kids with special needs?
Depends on the school, depends on the needs.
If you have a principal, administrators or teachers who have some kind of "issue" with kids who are different, you will encounter some difficulties.
I honestly believe that the school principal at the elem school where my physically challenged daughter attended for a couple of months had some kind of revulsion to people who were noticeably different.
I also know of violations to ADA that occur EVERY DAY within APS but there are advocacy groups designed to assist.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help & will keep all of this in mind. I also jotted down that number for future reference.
I had no idea you were a teacher. That is good to know. Do you have any input as far as what public middle schools and high schools are the best (preferably within the same vicinity of one another). When we eventually look for a place to live, I would like to find something around a good school system. I have heard people say the NE Heights is a nice area, but I don't know what schools around there are good.
Oh..and as far as the schools go here, even though they are supposed to be "top notch," I have still had issues with certain teachers etc. I am very involved in my son's schooling, so if we can at least find a good school in ABQ, I plan on keeping up with his teachers and his school work to make sure he stays on the right track.
Thanks again!
For 3 of my 20 teaching years I worked as a resource master teacher. My job was to go out to the schools and help 1st year special ed teachers who were earning their Master's Degrees. I've been to many of the schools around the city, but not in every classroom, of course. As far as Autism programs go, Desert Ridge Middle School had an excellent autism teacher & program for high functioning students with Asperberger's. I spent approx 1 to 2 hours a week in her classroom. The students were with her for homeroom/advisory and for a social class. Then they went to gen ed classes where she and her 2 assistants would go with the students. The teacher monitored the students, modified assignments & tests, and gave the teachers input on how to meet the students' unique learning needs. A couple of the kids came back later in the day for math. The students all kept their own data (charts, graphs) of how they were doing in their gen ed classes and got help with assignments as needed. It was an excellent program. Desert Ridge feeds to La Cueva High School. I never had an intern at La Cueva, but overall it's a top school in the city.
Cibola High School promotes a very inclusive environment for the students with special needs. The special ed department there is very caring for the most part. The homecoming king last year was a student with Down Syndrome
I also spent quite a bit of time at Valley High School, but that was with the Intensive Support Program. I also spent time at Madison Middle School with an Autism program (high functioning). The teacher was brand new at the time and was still learning the ropes. Don't know who is teaching the program now.
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