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has anyone else had this happen?

 

Son is going into 10th grade. He was home this year, though took math with a certified math tutor, Latin online, history with a history teacher, and science, grammar, literature, and religion through a homeschool program which is accredited.

 

To make the long story short, he was accepted through our school choice program here into the neighboring school district, which is supposed to be better than the one in our home town. I went today to talk to them and was greeted with "Oh we don't accept homeschool credits. So even though he could be placed say in geometry or algebra 2, they won't give him credit for taking algebra I at home.. or any other homeschool class.. So they say, I don't see how he could graduate in 3 years.. and then say well he could take our courses, but not get our diploma, since we wouldn't acknowledge his first year at home.

 

I am wondering if this is legal or if it is bullying... It was a very UNPLEASANT encounter... and I don't think I will be sending him... because their attitude towards homeschoolers was less than welcoming... There were other issues as well.. but will leave those for another post...

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That's very typical in our area. When we were deciding whether to continue homeschooling we knew that we had to make the decision before 9th grade because once we started high school at home we eliminated ourselves from sending him to public school.

 

We did send him to school and it has been a great fit.

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Unless you plan to go the Community College route, or sign up for an ISP, high school homeschooling is an all or nothing proposition.

 

And there is no way I'm homeschooling high school.

 

I am currently debating whether to give DD a gap year before high school, and if so, whether or not to make it an in school gap year.

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It's that way here too. I have heard of people fighting the school board and getting their credits accepted though.

 

What does your son want to do?

 

It sounds like he very possibly had a well instructed, well taught 9th grade. Do you think the ps could do better? I would suggest sitting in on a class, but since it's summer that's not possible. Would they let you look at the texts they use? That may help you decide if it's worth the sacrifice.

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Unless you plan to go the Community College route, or sign up for an ISP, high school homeschooling is an all or nothing proposition.

FYI, Calif is the only state that has "ISPs." Some states, such as Florida and Tennessee, have *similar* programs (although better, because it's actually part of the homeschool statutes), but they are not called ISPs. :-)

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Sure it's legal, and pretty common, for a public school to refuse to grant credit for studies done at home (or even at another non-accredited institution).

 

Curious...what are your reasons for wanting to go the ps route rather than finishing high school at home? I'm sorry your encounter with the school was so unpleasant.

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That is how it is here also. I've had friends go through it. I've even gone so far as to write a note to help a parent (I had been her daughter's co-op teacher for Biology), but the school was adamant. The private school where she took Spanish I and II was accredited but because they closed, the public schools in CO and TX wouldn't accept those credits either.

 

Do they offer testing out of certain classes that he's finished?

 

Of course, other options would be to use a school like American school to get those credits. You can test out or test through their courses (not for Latin though). Night school is another option one friend's daughter used.

 

Also, it IS possible to get enough credits in 3 years. You can get a few credits through something like American School or use college programs or use the summer school options. Where there is a will, there is a way :)

 

But generally, it is ALWAYS better to make the final decision in regards to homeschooling before 9th grade begins. Things might change, of course, but it's just plain trouble in the majority of places to put a kid back in school later than 9th grade.

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For math, he could assess with ALEKS, and if he scores 70%, he can receive college credit through ACE (American Council of Education). Credit can be received for:

 

ACE Credit-Recommended ALEKS Courses:

 

* Beginning Algebra

* Intermediate Algebra

* College Algebra

* Trigonometry

* College Algebra with Trigonometry

* PreCalculus

* Introduction to Statistics

* Business Statistics

* Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

 

 

 

just and idea:001_smile:

susan

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I'd ask that he be allowed to take the state test associated with each course, if there is one. Or, be allowed to take the final exam (after you see the text used, to see if your classes have been similar enough for him to have had the same content).

If not, why not just continue what you've been doing?

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That is why we sit each of our children down in eighth grade and discuss high school. If they are homeschooled, we say, it is for the entire high school. We never know where we will be stationed and enrolling in school can be difficult if not impossible. By the time they are in eighth grade, they should be able to make this choice. In many other countries, they are choosing career paths at 11 or 12. This is just a high school choice so I think that can easily be made.

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We're considering ps in Michigan--so that my son could play highschool hockey. He'd have to take three courses, which he could count as electives, and we could still keep him at Clonlara, which is an accredited school with NCAA course listings. He's completed 9 credits his freshman year; Clonlara requires 27 to graduate. They would probably accept "strength and conditioning" taught by the highschool, for example, or "symphony," which would be a second course option for us (ds plays classical viola as well as hockey).

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There is no good reason for them to do this. Did you tell them that the school which he took the classes from is accredited? I would contact the superintendent of schools, set up a meeting with him/her, and take in the transcript, etc. from the school where he took his ninth grade classes, as well as all other documentation.

 

It's not as if you're trying to claim you did the work at home with no corroboration. He did the work through multiple outside agents, with, I'm assuming, appropriate testing, etc.

 

Get a letter and grade report from the tutor; documentation from the online Latin programming; a letter and grade report from the history instructor; and a transcript from the accredited homeschool agency.

 

If the superintendent seems uncooperative and you want your child to enter the program for next year, I'd contact my state representative, providing them with the same information.

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to everyone who responded.

 

I am taking the weekend to pray about what exactly we will do next year.

 

I don't have it all sorted out, but feel calmer. I was really freaking out yesterday.

 

REASON WE WERE THINKING ABOUT SCHOOL FOR NEXT YEAR

He's not a self learner. He may have ADD; he may not have ADD. He is 15.

He needs sports.

He needs other boys.

He needs direction from someone other than me.

I am in over my head with high school curriculum This makes me really anxious and makes me feel that I am failing my child by not sending him to school.

He is 15 and does everything halfway... his room, his music, his school work. This situation is one where I am after him for every little thing. I feel like the respsonsibility for stuff getting done has to move from me to him.. This was not getting done at home, so I thought school might be a good motivator.

Since he homeschooled the first 7 years of his life, and he went to a private school for eighth, he really liked being home this year.. but my husband and I both felt he regressed socially. If I had a bunch of kids, it might have been different. As teens, they need oore responsibility rather than less.

 

SCHOOL CHOICE came up as an option because this particular school district was recommended by a few friends whose opinions I respect. And it's free.

 

I need to give them an answer before Tuesday morning before the guidance counselor leaves on vacation.

 

What our meeting alerted me to is that if he goes in there, we go in fighting.. fighting to get our credits recognized, fighting for my son to go to the conservatory one afternoon a week to see his college level teacher there, fighting to get him out of sex ed class. It's basically a culture war... to be blunt... We are not on their side. that was made evident to me the second the guidance counselor opened her mouth. I just am not sure I want my kid who is gifted and sensitive to have to deal with this. I am kind of kicking myself for not applying to the school last year so I would not have to deal with the credit thing.. but on the other hand I am just not sure that I want to deal with official bureaucrats all the time..

 

My husband feels my son needs to get out of the house. He is supposed to be doing 3 hours of piano practicing a day, and I don't see how you can do that out of the house.. He is currently doing between 1-2 hours a day. It is summer. He is going towards a career in music, so we are looking for the minimum requirements to get into a conservatory.

 

through our current homeschool program, we have a lot of flexibility.. I just feel personally that I need someone other than me to be responsible for teaching him. Plus I just got offered a per diem job at the local hospital and we desparately need the money.. The local private school my kids went to in eighth grade has accepted my daughter back. It is really expensive and kind of an academic disaster for my son.

 

I just don't know right now what to do. that's basically why I posted. I actually do think homeschool with part time classes outside the house would be the best option for him. I have a great math teacher for him at home, a great Latin teacher, and a writing teacher. I just need religion (may have a priest willing to do this twice a week) and literature and history and biology.

 

So that's where we stand now. It just has been very tense around here since that meeting.

 

thank you for listening.

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Just some thoughts for you to consider!

 

REASON WE WERE THINKING ABOUT SCHOOL FOR NEXT YEAR

He's not a self learner. He just might not have matured yet. He is just now coming to the end of the puberty/hormonal situation everyone has been complaining about with their 13-15 yr olds (check those threads). If he can't handle the responsibility at home with just the 2 of you how will he at school with all of the distractions of friends, girls, homework, social pressure, electives, sports, social events, etc.?

 

He may have ADD; he may not have ADD. He is 15. The school district you live in is required to provide services to everyone. So whether or not he goes to ps they are required to test him and provide services for free (my best friend is a school psychologist for k-12).

 

He needs sports. Why can't you sign him up for community sports yourself? It would get him out of the house like your husband wants and provide socialization.

 

He needs other boys. See above. Also what about volunteering, clubs, etc.? My son is going to volunteer at the library, join their teen club (they design and implement teen programs such as book club, video game tournaments, etc.), and join the teen book club.

 

He needs direction from someone other than me. Are you sure about this? He may be feeling your anxiety about home schooling high school. Therefore he may be giving you what you want...ps.

 

I am in over my head with high school curriculum This makes me really anxious and makes me feel that I am failing my child by not sending him to school. Take a couple of deep breaths and relax!! You are not failing your son!! No one and I mean no one, outside of your husband, loves your son or even knows him like you do. That is why no one can provide the kind of education you can. You have to remember that ps is set up for the average person so if your child is high achieving or low achieving they will struggle.

 

He is 15 and does everything halfway... his room, his music, his school work. This situation is one where I am after him for every little thing. I feel like the respsonsibility for stuff getting done has to move from me to him.. This was not getting done at home, so I thought school might be a good motivator. I honestly believe this is due to his age and maturity level not anything you are doing wrong with school. So until he matures more he is going to continue this whether at home or at school. I have been doing lots of reading on this myself because I was ready to pull out my hair, have a stroke, or a heart attack.

 

Since he homeschooled the first 7 years of his life, and he went to a private school for eighth, he really liked being home this year.. but my husband and I both felt he regressed socially. If I had a bunch of kids, it might have been different. As teens, they need oore responsibility rather than less. I'm sure he loved being at home. Did you give him a chance to deschool? He might have needed time to adjust to being home, having more freedom, and more responsibility. Remember in ps the teacher tells you everything to do, asks you questions, and guides you in the right direction...basically do a lot of thinking for you. When he got home and you assigned him work he might not have known how to cope with completing it since a teacher wasn't guiding him every step of the way. This has nothing to do with his intelligence just learning style. Boy did I learn this one the hard way!!!

 

As far as regressing socially this also happens during the deschooling period and the teen years. My son didn't want to make new friends, he barely saw his old ones, and I couldn't even suggest he join some type of activity. After 7 months he's starting to come around but only because I figured out what it was about...self image! We are dealing with this together through discussions, books, journaling, and talking to his Uncle.

 

I don't think having siblings makes this phase any better after reading what others had to say on this board. Noah is my only child and I run a daycare in my home during the day. He used to come down and play with the kids and do activities with them. He turned into a teenage and now avoids them like they have the plague!

 

SCHOOL CHOICE came up as an option because this particular school district was recommended by a few friends whose opinions I respect. And it's free. What does your son say about going? Does he want to? Why? Really dig to see what his motivation is. It could be you sending him subconscious messages, girls, missing friends, etc. Then way that with all the other issues when making a decision. It turns out my son wanted to go back to school because he missed his friends. Once I pointed out that he only got to hang with his friends 3 min passing between periods and 35 min for lunch but he would still have to deal with all the other issues of school that he did not like he decided to stay at home and see his friends after school.

 

I need to give them an answer before Tuesday morning before the guidance counselor leaves on vacation. Don't feel pressured. She has to come back from vacation!

 

What our meeting alerted me to is that if he goes in there, we go in fighting.. fighting to get our credits recognized, fighting for my son to go to the conservatory one afternoon a week to see his college level teacher there, fighting to get him out of sex ed class. It's basically a culture war... to be blunt... We are not on their side. that was made evident to me the second the guidance counselor opened her mouth. I just am not sure I want my kid who is gifted and sensitive to have to deal with this. I am kind of kicking myself for not applying to the school last year so I would not have to deal with the credit thing.. but on the other hand I am just not sure that I want to deal with official bureaucrats all the time.. This should be a major factor in your decision. Remember what I said about ps being setup for the avg person.

 

These were just ideas and suggestions that came off the top of my head when reading your msg. Ultimately the decision is yours to make just make sure you get input from your son because this directly affects his life and he has to follow through on the decision made. You don't want to fight with him and the school if you go that route!

 

Jennifer

Mother to Noah Age 13

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Son is going into 10th grade. He was home this year, though took math with a certified math tutor, Latin online, history with a history teacher, and science, grammar, literature, and religion through a homeschool program which is accredited.

 

Wow. I caught that you were in MA. One thing we actually have on our side in this scenario vs. most of the rest of the country is that we are an approval state - although with it not being your town you're trying to get into, it might be a harder sell.

 

I know just last year or so there was a big brouhaha in Worcester about this very issue. They finally got the school committee to agree to accept homeschool credits - since after all each year they approve the homeschool plan as being "equal in thoroughness" to the education they'd be getting at ps. Bring your approval letter, and quote Charles.

 

It might help to give them examples like this that other towns do accept homeschool credits. You might want to post on the Masshomelearning Yahoo group - there's lots of people there who have btdt.

 

After hearing about the Worcester situation, I've decided that if my kids have even the slightest interest in perhaps attending high school, I'm going to have a sit-down with the school and ask about their policy (although their policy is not necessarily the "final answer" since a lot of them make it up out of thin air and frequently it isn't even in agreement with case law. But it would be good to know what they think). Honestly if I ever did send them at all I'd love it to be not till 11th grade, but I'd want to make sure I knew up-front if that was going to be a big issue.

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I actually do think homeschool with part time classes outside the house would be the best option for him. I have a great math teacher for him at home, a great Latin teacher, and a writing teacher. I just need religion (may have a priest willing to do this twice a week) and literature and history and biology.

 

 

Is there a coop nearby that you could join? Or take classes at a cc? Can he take sports with your local ps (even if not a student - some districts allow this) or community-based sports?

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to everyone who responded.

 

I am taking the weekend to pray about what exactly we will do next year.

 

I don't have it all sorted out, but feel calmer. I was really freaking out yesterday.

 

REASON WE WERE THINKING ABOUT SCHOOL FOR NEXT YEAR

He's not a self learner. He may have ADD; he may not have ADD. He is 15.

He needs sports.

He needs other boys.

He needs direction from someone other than me.

I am in over my head with high school curriculum This makes me really anxious and makes me feel that I am failing my child by not sending him to school.

He is 15 and does everything halfway... his room, his music, his school work. This situation is one where I am after him for every little thing. I feel like the respsonsibility for stuff getting done has to move from me to him.. This was not getting done at home, so I thought school might be a good motivator.

Since he homeschooled the first 7 years of his life, and he went to a private school for eighth, he really liked being home this year.. but my husband and I both felt he regressed socially. If I had a bunch of kids, it might have been different. As teens, they need oore responsibility rather than less.

 

SCHOOL CHOICE came up as an option because this particular school district was recommended by a few friends whose opinions I respect. And it's free.

 

I need to give them an answer before Tuesday morning before the guidance counselor leaves on vacation.

 

What our meeting alerted me to is that if he goes in there, we go in fighting.. fighting to get our credits recognized, fighting for my son to go to the conservatory one afternoon a week to see his college level teacher there, fighting to get him out of sex ed class. It's basically a culture war... to be blunt... We are not on their side. that was made evident to me the second the guidance counselor opened her mouth. I just am not sure I want my kid who is gifted and sensitive to have to deal with this. I am kind of kicking myself for not applying to the school last year so I would not have to deal with the credit thing.. but on the other hand I am just not sure that I want to deal with official bureaucrats all the time..

 

My husband feels my son needs to get out of the house. He is supposed to be doing 3 hours of piano practicing a day, and I don't see how you can do that out of the house.. He is currently doing between 1-2 hours a day. It is summer. He is going towards a career in music, so we are looking for the minimum requirements to get into a conservatory.

 

through our current homeschool program, we have a lot of flexibility.. I just feel personally that I need someone other than me to be responsible for teaching him. Plus I just got offered a per diem job at the local hospital and we desparately need the money.. The local private school my kids went to in eighth grade has accepted my daughter back. It is really expensive and kind of an academic disaster for my son.

 

I just don't know right now what to do. that's basically why I posted. I actually do think homeschool with part time classes outside the house would be the best option for him. I have a great math teacher for him at home, a great Latin teacher, and a writing teacher. I just need religion (may have a priest willing to do this twice a week) and literature and history and biology.

 

So that's where we stand now. It just has been very tense around here since that meeting.

 

thank you for listening.

 

 

Ame,

 

The reasons I bolded were some of the biggest reasons we are sending my ds to a private all boys Catholic school next year. I really believe that some boys NEED to be with other boys. My son is one of them. (My dh & my brother are the same way. My brother went into 2 very male dominated professions after college [professional sports team & firefighting.] My dh did too [military & trauma ER]). If you don't have a son who thrives with other boys, you wouldn't understand this.

 

As to sports: My ds is a very good athlete. As kids get older, sports attendance drops considerably. By the early teen years, very few kids are playing sports who don't excel at them. Around here, most of the community/rec levels sports end at about 14 b/c kids who are serious athletes play in high school. My ds would have severly limited opportunities to play sports if he didn't go to high school. I know this is diff. in diff. parts of the country but here, that is how it is.

 

When I described my angst about my ds to the admissions director at his soon-to-be high school, the admission director said that I was describing most of the freshman class. It's a boy thing. :) He said I wouldn't believe how many boys show up with only 1 sneaker for gym class.

 

I hope you find a way to work this out. I am so sad about my ds going to high school but at the same time, I am confident it is what he needs.

 

I still have my dd at home who is in high school & my ds who is in grade school so we are 2 months away from being in both worlds.

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I have 5 sons. I will probably be putting the twins into all boy high school so that they can play lacrosse, one brother made all state. This was a big factor in not doing Singapore Math or Saxon for algebra. They are in 7th grade and high school decisions affects curriculum choices in middle school. Also, if something happened to me, they would go to traditional schools. So I think it is wise, to always have this exit route considered.

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Called the guidance counselor today who was not at her desk to tell her he would not be going there. Maybe she took an early vacation. I am mad, disgusted, and relieved. The whole controlling manipulative communication was repulsive to me. They set the whole thing up as confrontation versus partnership with the parents. Even though some of the academics might be better there than at home, the hassles outweighed the benefits.

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I am sending my daughters back to school in September. One is going into

10th grade, and one into 8th.

 

The school couldn't be more flexible about giving us what we need/want. They usually don't allow 10th graders to take AP's, but my daughter can take whatever class she wants, regardless of the level. They put her into French II with no problem, and basically said yes to anything we asked. She had taken two online courses with A averages and had two letters of recommendation, so that helped with her credibility, but for courses like math and science that she did on her own they just took our word for it.

 

My 8th grader is technically going into 7th grade, but I knew she would be bored so I asked to have her bumped to 8th grade. Again, absolutely no problem.

 

I think it depends on your guidance counselors/administration. If my school sytem gave me push back on things I really wanted I would go to the school board. They are made up of volunteers and the administration has to answer to them.

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So they say, I don't see how he could graduate in 3 years.. and then say well he could take our courses, but not get our diploma, since we wouldn't acknowledge his first year at homeschool...

 

I wouldn't think it's bullying. It's standard operating procedure in our local districts also. It's just policy, nothing personal.

 

It comes down to whether you want the classes from that school.

Lots of homeschool families do, say, 11th and 12th coursework, but don't get a PS diploma. If you are in a state where you can award your own diploma, the diploma itself may not be an issue.

 

The day after the last day of PS, enroll him in your school for one day, award the diploma, graduate him, and use a hybrid transcript if you need a transcript.

 

But, yeah, it's standard policy here too, even from other schools, accredited or not. It is after all up to the diploma granting institution what credits/courses/prerequisites it will accept as transfering in.

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My son went to public school for 10th. The policy had changed to not accept home school credits right before he enrolled. They did let him take 10th gr classes and gave him 4.5 9th gr credits for doing well in 10th. He took a class in summer school to make up the .5 credit he needed to be at the right grade level.

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I have a two-step plan if we ever feel the need to transition from homeschool to public during high school (I'm in CA and currently privately homeschooling via R-4):

 

1. Enroll student in a homeschool charter school, which will be much more flexible about accepting my homemade transcript.

2. Then enroll in the public high school which will accept the charter school transcript.

 

[i'm actually going to be meeting w/a charter school teacher/counselor next week to see how they will evaluate my son's 9th & 10th grade transcript to possibly join... although not for the purpose of transferrring to ps... and will edit this if it turns out to be a bust!]

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Howdy,

I was at a party yesterday with a number of home schooled families and heard one mom say she doesn't know what the state's requirements are for each grade. I wasn't asked my opinion, but frankly that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

 

There should always be an exit strategy in place. I have been to too many funerals and have sat at too many bedsides of young families in crisis due to disease or accidents or debt to think otherwise.

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Howdy,

I was at a party yesterday with a number of home schooled families and heard one mom say she doesn't know what the state's requirements are for each grade. I wasn't asked my opinion, but frankly that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

 

There should always be an exit strategy in place. I have been to too many funerals and have sat at too many bedsides of young families in crisis due to disease or accidents or debt to think otherwise.

 

What are the consequences of not knowing the state's requirements? It's that the state might put them in a lower level, or not accept credits, correct?

 

Those consequences aren't great enough to change my educational plan to fall in line with the state's. It is possible to have contingency plans that do not include public schooling. My only "exit strategy" is graduation, or the student's choice to attend hs. Other than that, there are so many ways homeschooling can continue, especially in the teen years, that we are focusing our plans around that.

 

I'm editing to clarify: I'm not saying that it's not smart to keep an eye on those requirements. I just don't think that not keeping an eye on them is necessarily a recipe for disaster.

Edited by Mama Lynx
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That's why I have my son at Clonlara...he may have to take 1 to 4 courses (the registrar is researching it for us) at TC West so that he can play hockey...but, next year, or the year after, if he plays Juniors, he needs to be back at Clonlara full time...if I keep him at Clonlara, he winds up with a highschool diploma from an accredited school with NCAA-approved courses...a big issue for us.

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I think an exit strategy should always be considered. One of the reasons we were so hesitant to adopt home schooling was the dismal preparation of some home schooled students entering into the system as seen by educators having to somehow make it work for them. Just last week, talking to a child psychologist, she had a very sad case of where parents were oblivious to educational standards, seeing her for therapy to manage their poor choices. As we will probably transition our sons into high school, I talked to the current math chair. She too had seen students with serious math gaps from spiralling curriculum trying to place into more discreet studies. This guided us away from Singapore and Saxon and towards LOF and Dulciani. Now if the school, OP wants to attend uses Saxon, then LOF may not be her best fit. This is why it is impt to know the options in ones own particular situation.

 

OP is very wise to be thinking this process. Sad when one doesn't.

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My oldest went to public school for the first time in 10th grade, and they tested her on the subject matter we were claiming credits for, so it was a pretty easy process. They were a whole lot more homeschool-friendly after seeing her test scores, that's for sure.

 

You could ask if there are any end-of-course exams, such as the teacher would give in a classroom, that your son could take. That's what my daughter took - it was nothing standardized, or across-the-board (she took those, too, but more for placement, not credits). It seems like it would be difficult to pass a teacher-made exam written specifically for a particular class, but it really wasn't.

 

Good luck.

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"One of the reasons we were so hesitant to adopt home schooling was the dismal preparation of some home schooled students entering into the system as seen by educators having to somehow make it work for them. Just last week, talking to a child psychologist, she had a very sad case of where parents were oblivious to educational standards, seeing her for therapy to manage their poor choices. As we will probably transition our sons into high school, I talked to the current math chair. She too had seen students with serious math gaps from spiralling curriculum trying to place into more discreet studies"

 

How curious! One of the reasons we chose to homeschool was the the poor preparation of public school students. Parents often are totally oblivious to what their children are actually learning, they are only concerned that they are in school and will eventually have a diploma. Too bad more guidance counselors aren't attending to their own charges. On the whole, home educators are more attuned to the problems.

 

My favorite remark from relatives, who actually complained in writing to the school their children attend because they were required to enforce homework, was that I was obviously uninterested in education since I was homeschooling my children. Yup. I spend hours working up curriucula, teaching, buying resources because have no interest in education. :lol:

 

Don't accept the "bad apple " scenario as the truth. Unless you have a motive.

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We haven't gone the ps route only private schools. And in the private schools we have choosen, parents are very much involved, curricula and otherwise. And prehaps the teachers could keep up with the academic resposiblities if they weren't so loaded up with other chores proper to parents. Whenever, I say I home school I am always quick to point out it is not because of ps teachers. They are asked to do an impossible job and are to me unsung heroes.

 

The point of my remark is that one should have an exit strategy as the OP is considering. Taking a generality to a specific example is always a tricky business. Regardless of how home schoolers are on the norm, I am getting to know more of them who are just as ill prepared as the ps you mentioned and so do the professionals who have to deal with them. A contigency plan is the buzz word. And what does a home school contigency plan look like is the question? I do not want to hijack the thread so if there are other remarks, we should start a new thread.

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In Virginia, it simply wouldn't matter if my children were ill prepared (they are not), or over-prepared. It would not matter if we had used the school's curriculum.

 

In Virginia, they simply do not accept homeschooled classes for high school. The only "exit strategy" I could possibly have would be to stop schooling them myself, and enroll them in all-accredited courses. Otherwise, my local PS would simply blow off all of our work, no matter how excellent, and start the kids over in 9th grade.

 

You are fortunate to have more options in Texas.

 

It does sound like you're saying that those of us who are not researching the public schools and schooling in line with them will have ill-prepared children with educational gaps. I'm simply striving for an excellent education, regardless.

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In Virginia, it simply wouldn't matter if my children were ill prepared (they are not), or over-prepared. It would not matter if we had used the school's curriculum.

 

In Virginia, they simply do not accept homeschooled classes for high school. The only "exit strategy" I could possibly have would be to stop schooling them myself, and enroll them in all-accredited courses. Otherwise, my local PS would simply blow off all of our work, no matter how excellent, and start the kids over in 9th grade.

 

You are fortunate to have more options in Texas.

 

It does sound like you're saying that those of us who are not researching the public schools and schooling in line with them will have ill-prepared children with educational gaps. I'm simply striving for an excellent education, regardless.

 

Interesting because this has not been the experience of others I know who have done this in Virginia. In a few cases they have had the student take a placement test (for math as an example) to show competence in level claimed but other than that - they are accepted at grade level.

 

Heather

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Hmmm. Perhaps it's more regional, then? This is how it was explained to me both on a local HSer's list, and by my local public hs. They said it's very rare, and highly unlikely, that a nonaccredited course would be counted, and that we should not count on it.

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Howdy,

Perhaps a personal example would help. I am home schooling twin 7th grade boys for the next 2 years and a 2nd grade daughter in TX. Twin boys are probably going to the boy's high school. So I called the Math chair to see what her experience had been for success through the years at the high school. She gave me input which I used for determining my math curricula. Some math programs for this high school were a very poor fit. I will also be talking to the high school registrar for any possible shafnus. I also think because of these problems, there will be more hoops for me to jump through that before. HSers tend to migrate to this school. So this is contingency plan for the future.

 

Additionally, I showed a teacher widely regarded for her gifted programs who knew the twins and dd what I was doing for the twins this summer and the next 2 yeras and she said it was better than the school I was withdrawing them which has a strong academic reputation.

 

If God forbid, I could not teach them, they would be enrolled in our parochial Catholic School. I have talked to the parachocial school board president who oversees the curricula and we talked about educational standards. Our "problem" would be that some of the children are at least 2 years ahead on some courses and closer to 4 in others) compared to the grade they would be entering. I have had to make peace with that realizing if they entered traditional school, there would be a lot of emotional baggage to deal. So a breather in academics would allow them the space necessary to heal in other ways. The big draw for home schooling to me is the excellence. This is the trade off DH &I have made with our current decision.

 

The true problem is when the home schooled kids are woefully under prepared or that the curricula used would leave them with gaps that a school system is't prepared to fill. They then have both the transition of traditional school setting coupled with academic struggles. The child psychologist I spoke to experienced this is one of her patients. And some of these kids are under prepared because the parent didn't take the time to find out what to teach minimally required standards, hence my admonition to find out what local requirements are. Then home schoolers use euphemisms to explain away their poor planning. This is when I cringe.

 

This situation is where the angst that the professionals in CC, private high schools, private school board members in personal settings have shared with me. One board member, public school OR, said in his experience with home schooled children my attitudes/plans were a minority opinion. He said my children would do well if needed to cycle back in where others he saw struggled mightily. This experience caused him to push more requirements on to home schoolers whenever possible. Being from TX, I really don't like more gov. regulations and so I hope raising this topic from time to time might stop the ps from further regulations because it isn't needed.

 

Contingency plans aren't something some home schoolers consider to their children's detriment and the school's buden. I am treasurer for our home school group so I am hearing & seeing quite a bit first hand what is passing for education in other homes.

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