Transitioning from homeschool to high school..x posted on high school board

[Stacy in NJ]

Hello all,

 

I'm hoping for some sound advice on how you've managed the transition from homeschool to highschool. Ds will remain home this year for 8th grade but will attend our local high school beginning in 9th. I'm wondering what type of information I need to supply the school to get him appropriately placed academically. NJ requires no standardized testing for homeschoolers, and we haven't tested in some years. Would a transcript or portfolio be a good idea? I'm wondering how involved I should get.

 

Any advice is appreciated, particularly if you're in NJ.

 

Thanks, Stacy

[Wheres Toto]

My daughter changed school districts for high school and they had an open house for new students before school started her freshman year (this school has a fair number of out-of-district tuition students as well as those coming in from Private schools or Homeschool). There were quite a few students there who were homeschooled up till then. One of them is very good friends with my daughter and is somewhere in the middle (age wise) of 9 children so they had a lot of experience with kids entering high school after homeschooling. I did talk to the mom about it and basically the experience for her children was the same as mine with dd - they could submit transcripts/portfolios, etc. but unless remedial classes were requested, they would be put in the regular freshman college-prep track. If they wished to take Honors level or skip classes, a test was offered for this option (which my dd did not take). DD does go to school with another girl who was homeschooled and tested into taking mostly Sophomore and Junior level courses as a Freshman.

 

This is in NJ but I think this school district is fairly unique with the number of "new" students it gets at the high school each year.

[Stacy in NJ]

My daughter changed school districts for high school and they had an open house for new students before school started her freshman year (this school has a fair number of out-of-district tuition students as well as those coming in from Private schools or Homeschool). There were quite a few students there who were homeschooled up till then. One of them is very good friends with my daughter and is somewhere in the middle (age wise) of 9 children so they had a lot of experience with kids entering high school after homeschooling. I did talk to the mom about it and basically the experience for her children was the same as mine with dd - they could submit transcripts/portfolios, etc. but unless remedial classes were requested, they would be put in the regular freshman college-prep track. If they wished to take Honors level or skip classes, a test was offered for this option (which my dd did not take). DD does go to school with another girl who was homeschooled and tested into taking mostly Sophomore and Junior level courses as a Freshman.

 

This is in NJ but I think this school district is fairly unique with the number of "new" students it gets at the high school each year.

 

Hmmm, I was looking at the courses offered at the PS and they seem to have several tracks: honors, A level, B level, and remedial. This is a very large school with a large student body. I'm just wondering how they determine placement.

 

I sounds like I'm going to need to contact the school well in advance of the fall and find out what they'd like to see.

 

Thanks for your response.