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New Homeschool Law in Pennsylvania


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Governor Corbett signed into law revisions to the PA Home Education Program Law.

Here are highlights of the changes.

 

High School Diplomas:

·      High school diplomas awarded by the supervisor (parent) or by a state recognized diploma program have all of the rights and privileges of a Commonwealth diploma.

 

End of school year:

·      By June 30, the supervisor must submit the student’s evaluation certification to the school district superintendent. The evaluator’s certification must be accepted. Portfolios, containing your log, samples and standardized test results (in 3rd, 5th or 8th grades) are NOT submitted for superintendent review.

 

During the school year:

·      If at anytime during the school year, the superintendent has reasonable belief that appropriate education is not occurring, he may send a certified, return receipt requested, letter, including the basis for the reasonable belief, requesting an evaluation. The evaluation certification that appropriate education is occurring must be submitted within 30 days. The evaluation must be accepted.

·      If the superintendent has a reasonable belief that any other provision of the home education program is out of compliance, he may send a letter, certified, return receipt requested, detailing the basis for his reasonable belief. The supervisor has 30 days to respond.

 

 

It is advised that everyone read the law and become familiar with all of its provisions and requirements. Direct knowledge of the law is each person's responsibility.

(http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/BillInfo.cfm?syear=2013&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1013)

 

If you have questions, please feel free to contact PHEA.

 

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I am especially happy about the portfolio thing.  My school district has always been very friendly toward us (and they leave us nice little encouraging post-it notes on the portfolios, like "great story" or "Keep up the good reading!"), but it'll be nice not to have to make a trip to pick up the portfolios (I suppose we'll still have to make a trip to drop off the upcoming year paperwork).

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IMO, the best thing is the declaration about homeschool diplomas.  This should put to rest the nonsense the state universities were toying with in "needing" accredited transcripts IMO.  It was never an issue with middle son getting accepted to Pitt and getting offered nice merit aid, but it sure put a WTH couple of weeks in there and negated a LOT of our positive feelings about the place - making it easy to choose U Rochester instead, esp when they came back within a thousand dollars of each other in final costs.

 

The portfolios still are needed for the evaluator (at least technically).  For those in yucky districts which are annoying, I can see this being a plus, but our district certainly wasn't like that.  

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My district loses paperwork regularly, and I know HSers in our (large) SD who have had their port lost, had a signature, and the SD still expected them to recreate it.  The one woman I know who experienced this was also then told she didn't have "enough" samples included, since on round two she really simplified (for ex providing a history essay and saying it indicated language arts and history content, kwim?).  They've lost my affidavit, although it wasn't really a problem, but I called because I hadn't received their normal "we've gotten your paperwork" letter.  So that said, I'm happy to not have to hand off a port to them because they have a history of losing track of various paperwork, and then expecting HSers to resubmit, even when there were signatures, etc.

 

I am very happy about the changes to diplomas as well.

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IMO, the best thing is the declaration about homeschool diplomas. This should put to rest the nonsense the state universities were toying with in "needing" accredited transcripts IMO. It was never an issue with middle son getting accepted to Pitt and getting offered nice merit aid, but it sure put a WTH couple of weeks in there and negated a LOT of our positive feelings about the place - making it easy to choose U Rochester instead, esp when they came back within a thousand dollars of each other in final costs.

 

 

Yes, I need to know more about this. Our support group has a number of kids in the middle school range, and as I'm a board member, I'm hearing a lot of concern and questions about college, prep, etc. I've looked at the nice college up the road, and they seem to "get" homeschoolers; they even have a dedicated admissions counselor for homeschooled applicants. In contrast, I looked at my alma mater's site (Penn State), because of any small possibility of legacy admission to their honors program, and while they say they welcome homeschoolers, they still require the same stuff as for public schooled students. Is this new law saying that if I make my own transcript for my students that it will automatically be received in the same way as a transcript from the local public school, or not exactly? I guess I'm still a little unclear as to what will actually look different in practice, but I'll admit to not knowing exactly how it all works yet since my oldest is only in seventh. I guess we'd still need to go through one of the diploma programs in order for our students to have a more objective comparison for colleges? Slightly confused between what the law says and what colleges will actually want to see.

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I guess we'd still need to go through one of the diploma programs in order for our students to have a more objective comparison for colleges? Slightly confused between what the law says and what colleges will actually want to see.

 

You never actually needed to go through one of the diploma programs.  That's just what one of the diploma programs wanted homeschoolers to THINK so they would get more business.

 

As I put in my first post, my guy was accepted and given merit aid by Pitt with just my diploma and transcript (and a couple of DE classes + AP scores).  He also had a very high ACT.  

 

The letter they sent just proved to us that they didn't really know what they were doing/asking for.   :glare:

 

I'm hopeful the new law and experience with homeschoolers like my guy have paved the way better for those coming afterward.  Considering how superbly my guy is doing as a junior now at URoc, Pitt really did lose out.  I've no idea if they would have been his #1 choice in the end if they hadn't put that bad taste in his mouth because he really does love URoc and has since his first visit, but they really had no chance after they soured him.  The only way he would have ended up there after that experience is if URoc had been out financially.  They weren't.

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I am especially happy about the portfolio thing.  My school district has always been very friendly toward us (and they leave us nice little encouraging post-it notes on the portfolios, like "great story" or "Keep up the good reading!"), but it'll be nice not to have to make a trip to pick up the portfolios (I suppose we'll still have to make a trip to drop off the upcoming year paperwork).

 

I almost always just mail in my beginning-of-the-year paperwork.  It's just one affidvatit total for all children, and the objectives for each student- a single page of general objectives for each.  Samples here: http://phea.net/pa-home-education-objectives/

 

The cost of the stamp is way less than the gas to drop it off and return home. :coolgleamA:

 

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Yes, I need to know more about this. Our support group has a number of kids in the middle school range, and as I'm a board member, I'm hearing a lot of concern and questions about college, prep, etc. I've looked at the nice college up the road, and they seem to "get" homeschoolers; they even have a dedicated admissions counselor for homeschooled applicants. In contrast, I looked at my alma mater's site (Penn State), because of any small possibility of legacy admission to their honors program, and while they say they welcome homeschoolers, they still require the same stuff as for public schooled students. Is this new law saying that if I make my own transcript for my students that it will automatically be received in the same way as a transcript from the local public school, or not exactly? I guess I'm still a little unclear as to what will actually look different in practice, but I'll admit to not knowing exactly how it all works yet since my oldest is only in seventh. I guess we'd still need to go through one of the diploma programs in order for our students to have a more objective comparison for colleges? Slightly confused between what the law says and what colleges will actually want to see.

 

:confused1:  How does a paid diploma program make a more objective comparison?

 

And colleges may actually want to see certian things, but that doesn't mean they're helpfull or possible. For example, the PA colleges that have extra requirements for homeschoolers- many of these are impossible ("An official high school transcript issued by the school district or agency approving the curriculum" is a crazy one- school districts don't issue transcripts unless you are a cyber-student of the school district, and then you are technically not a homeschooler under thew law, and there is no curriculum approval agency), especially for an out-of-stae homeschooler who doesn't have any requirements like PA does.

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I almost always just mail in my beginning-of-the-year paperwork. It's just one affidvatit total for all children, and the objectives for each student- a single page of general objectives for each. Samples here: http://phea.net/pa-home-education-objectives/

 

The cost of the stamp is way less than the gas to drop it off and return home. :coolgleamA:

 

They lost one page one year, so now I get a receipt. I may just try mailing it next year.

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:confused1: How does a paid diploma program make a more objective comparison?

 

 

I don't necessarily know that it does, but I could see how maybe it could streamline something for the college. Like, if Program X requires certain things (like certain number of books, or whatever), they've already vetted the student's list and decided that it meets their standards, and if the college already knows that program's standards, they can tell that a student from that program has met a certain level of requirements. But for a student without a diploma program, the college has to take the time to go through the transcript, booklists, etc. to see if the student has met a minimum level that is in line with the college's standards. Does that make sense? I just figured we would need a diploma program to look better to colleges, but I'm glad to hear we do not. So what's the benefit of using the diploma program? And what advantage does this new law give us, regarding diplomas, that the old one did not? That's where I'm still confused.

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You never actually needed to go through one of the diploma programs.  That's just what one of the diploma programs wanted homeschoolers to THINK so they would get more business.

 

 

Amen.  The state "recognized" diploma programs are pretty much snake oil.  No one needs a non-accredited, state recognized homeschool diploma to go to college. (My kids are proof, as well as creek land's...and thousands more).

 

The "eliminate the superintendent review" part of the bill has been around as HB 505 of 2005, SB 1023 of 2005, HB 1273 of 2007, HB 1217 of 2009, HB 2317 of 2012, and finally HB 1013 of 2013.  I added the diploma language into HB1217, 1) because I was sick of writing letters to some PA colleges pointing out their discriminating application processes, 2) PHEAA (state aid for colleges) issues -  if the superintendents would not be reviewing portfolios, then they could no longer really sign off on the PHEAA forms (I'm not so sure they could anyway, but that's a dead conversation now), and anyone applying for PHEAA would then need to buy a diploma.  There is something fundamentally wrong when a law forces people to buy a product in order to apply for state aid!!  (my mantra for almost 15 years) So, I had a legislator (Rep Rock) add diploma language. It has been amended since then to include duties of PDE.

 

btw- creekland.  I had one of the students that I evaluate get into Pitt this past year without buying a diploma.  They have changed some of their application policies for homeschoolers, but I don't think that the changes are apparent on their website info. yea!

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Amen. The state "recognized" diploma programs are pretty much snake oil. No one needs a non-accredited, state recognized homeschool diploma to go to college. (My kids are proof, as well as creek land's...and thousands more).

 

The "eliminate the superintendent review" part of the bill has been around as HB 505 of 2005, SB 1023 of 2005, HB 1273 of 2007, HB 1217 of 2009, HB 2317 of 2012, and finally HB 1013 of 2013. I added the diploma language into HB1217, 1) because I was sick of writing letters to some PA colleges pointing out their discriminating application processes, 2) PHEAA (state aid for colleges) issues - if the superintendents would not be reviewing portfolios, then they could no longer really sign off on the PHEAA forms (I'm not so sure they could anyway, but that's a dead conversation now), and anyone applying for PHEAA would then need to buy a diploma. There is something fundamentally wrong when a law forces people to buy a product in order to apply for state aid!! (my mantra for almost 15 years) So, I had a legislator (Rep Rock) add diploma language. It has been amended since then to include duties of PDE.

 

btw- creekland. I had one of the students that I evaluate get into Pitt this past year without buying a diploma. They have changed some of their application policies for homeschoolers, but I don't think that the changes are apparent on their website info. yea!

Thank you for your hard work there!

 

So before the law change, the diploma programs made it easier (possible?) to apply for state aid? I'm sorry; I'm really not trying to be obtuse here. I'm just confused. I knew you didn't *need* a diploma program to go to college, but I guess I assumed that it looked better to colleges than a parent-issued diploma or something.

 

I guess my question is this: if the parent issued diploma now carries the same rights and privileges as a Commonwealth diploma, what exactly ARE those rights and privileges that it did not carry before? The ability to apply for state aid? Anything else? I just want to make sure I'm passing accurate info along to my support group members.

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I don't necessarily know that it does, but I could see how maybe it could streamline something for the college. Like, if Program X requires certain things (like certain number of books, or whatever), they've already vetted the student's list and decided that it meets their standards, and if the college already knows that program's standards, they can tell that a student from that program has met a certain level of requirements. But for a student without a diploma program, the college has to take the time to go through the transcript, booklists, etc. to see if the student has met a minimum level that is in line with the college's standards. Does that make sense? I just figured we would need a diploma program to look better to colleges, but I'm glad to hear we do not. So what's the benefit of using the diploma program? And what advantage does this new law give us, regarding diplomas, that the old one did not? That's where I'm still confused.

 

It makes it clear that they are equal.  No 'agency' can send letters to PA colleges saying that students with a particular program diploma are more qualified, more legal, or whatever than a parent-issued diploma.

 

Think a little bit about public or private schools: There are thousands of them. I doubt most colleges know which school has their students read which books or how many books each year, so I don't see how that's relevent to a homeschool diploma. Sure- to get a Particular Homeschooler Program Diploma you're supposed to do certain things, but that can be faked or ignored as easily as it could in any school- public or private. And the student whose school (public/private/home) doesn;t require a secific number of books might well read dozens more than their peers- or simply take a particular interest and study one book in tremendous depth. So an agency name on a diploma is no more of a guarantee that a student is prepared, smart, accomplished, etc. than any other diploma.

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Thank you for your hard work there!

 

So before the law change, the diploma programs made it easier (possible?) to apply for state aid? I'm sorry; I'm really not trying to be obtuse here. I'm just confused. I knew you didn't *need* a diploma program to go to college, but I guess I assumed that it looked better to colleges than a parent-issued diploma or something.

 

I guess my question is this: if the parent issued diploma now carries the same rights and privileges as a Commonwealth diploma, what exactly ARE those rights and privileges that it did not carry before? The ability to apply for state aid? Anything else? I just want to make sure I'm passing accurate info along to my support group members.

 

Per PHEAA, a homeschooler applying for state aid could previously 1) buy a non-accredited diploma, 2) get their superintendent to sign a form, or 3) take the GED. I never knew of a superintendent who did not sign a form when asked. I was also told by PHEAA and PDE, that IF a super would not sign that they had ways around.

 

What are rights of a high school diploma?  To say that you are a high school graduate; to not have to jump through extra hoops for scholarships/aid/applications because you are a homeschooler...so many things.

 

I had 5 graduates, 5 go to college, 2 go to graduate school/law school and 3 still in college.  NO ONE ever asked for their high school diploma. The PA diploma programs have NO extrinsic value. They make people feel good, but the diplomas do not open doors for our children. Our children open the doors because they are talented, passionate, individuals.

 

maryalice

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Driving the extra 2 blocks to the school would be cheaper than the return receipt mail... BUT our district looks at us like we have 4 heads when we ask for a receipt for anything we drop off.  It will be nice to be able to just mail an envelope size package to them once a year instead of anything bigger. 

 

 

ETA: As far as the diplomas, some of our kids will NEED to be able to get state grants to go to college.  I'm so relieved that I will not have to use some diploma program just because it has some name on it in order for my kids to qualify.  I still plan on printing out our own home brewed diploma... but knowing I can have our evaluator sign one that will let my kids go to school it a huge blessing for me.

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I know, right? Maybe now HSLDA can upgrade us to orange instead of red!

 

I was thinking the same thing! I think at least we can be upgraded away from "most restrictive homeschool state" because, uh, we definitely fit that criteria before this change :) New York or whoever can take over our spot, haha!

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Driving the extra 2 blocks to the school would be cheaper than the return receipt mail... BUT our district looks at us like we have 4 heads when we ask for a receipt for anything we drop off.  It will be nice to be able to just mail an envelope size package to them once a year instead of anything bigger. 

 

 

ETA: As far as the diplomas, some of our kids will NEED to be able to get state grants to go to college.  I'm so relieved that I will not have to use some diploma program just because it has some name on it in order for my kids to qualify.  I still plan on printing out our own home brewed diploma... but knowing I can have our evaluator sign one that will let my kids go to school it a huge blessing for me.

 

Not that it matters anymore with the new law, but we NEVER needed the paid-diploma programs to qualify for state grant money. Did/do people really believe that?

 

Diamond needed grant money, and work-study financial aid even to go to Community College. Our local school district signed the form, no problem. We never even considered a paid-diploma program, and we made our own official transcripts and printed our own diploma.

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Not all districts will sign the forms for us.  Sad, but true.  You are just lucky to live in a district that doesn't give homeschoolers a hard time.  

Are you saying that you know for certain that there is a superintendent who would not sign the PHEAA form?  Or are you just saying that you think that there are superintendents who won't sign?  Are you saying that there are superintendents who give homeschoolers a *hard time* and assume that they won't sign a PHEAA form?

 

I'm sorry, but I would like proof on this.  I have advocated and talked to many superintendents (or homeschool liaisons) with homeschoolers with issues.  I personally do around 100 evaluations each year, coordinate a ministry that does over 600 free evaluations each year.  I handle all of the  issues that come up.  I only found 1 super, before 1999, with an issue signing a PHEAA form and he is long gone.  I had personal conversations with PHEAA and PDE and legislators about this.  I am a factual person and I believe that this is an urban myth, unless I get a superintendent's name and school district. (I am not calling anyone a liar, just citing over 20 years of listening to PA homeschool urban myths.)

 

Even still, there were ways around the signature of your super, IF he wouldn't sign.

 

maryalice

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I know there are some that won't sign them.  The super who used to be in our district when we started 9 years ago was anti homeschool.  He would not have signed them and told us that when he insisted we had to come in for an interview before he would allow us to homeschool (we didn't know the laws back then so we didn't know he was overstepping his boundaries).  Our current super is very pro educational choice, and has even opened a virtual academy in the district that has a whole building full of lab rooms that we are welcome to take advantage of (but we would have to enroll in their virtual... therefor becoming PS students).

 

I'm sure our district is not the only one who has (or in our case had) a super who was not supportive of homeschoolers.

 

It's a mute point now anyway, so no sense stressing over it ;)

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I know there are some that won't sign them.  The super who used to be in our district when we started 9 years ago was anti homeschool.  He would not have signed them and told us that when he insisted we had to come in for an interview before he would allow us to homeschool (we didn't know the laws back then so we didn't know he was overstepping his boundaries).  Our current super is very pro educational choice, and has even opened a virtual academy in the district that has a whole building full of lab rooms that we are welcome to take advantage of (but we would have to enroll in their virtual... therefor becoming PS students).

 

I'm sure our district is not the only one who has (or in our case had) a super who was not supportive of homeschoolers.

 

It's a mute point now anyway, so no sense stressing over it ;)

"would not have signed"  

says who?
Did someone, a person who has a name, actually ask and not get him to sign? What did they do about it, if this was the fact?
 
I chased down these myths for the last 20 years and only 1 time in 1999 found it to be true.  The PDE tells them that they had to sign (pre-new law).  The PDE website:
"Graduation and the PHEAA Form
The home education law defines what is required for a homeschooled student to graduate from a home education program. The superintendent must comply with verifying to PHEAA that the student has completed the home education law’s requirements."
 
It says - must comply
 
PHEAA tells them that they have to sign.
Legislators, who were on the PHEAA board, said that they had to sign.
 
So, this is why I don't believe in the urban legends that have controlled PA homeschoolers.  Out of fear, many homeschoolers bought non-accredited diplomas.
 
But...as you said, it is moot since the new law. :-)
(and it is good to know the law.)
 
blessings on your journey
may we all seek truth
 
maryalice
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Here are the words of the law:

(i)  In the case of a diploma awarded by a supervisor the following shall apply:

(A)  The student receiving the diploma shall have completed all the requirements in subsection (d) while enrolled in a home education program that is in compliance with this section.
(B ) The diploma shall be awarded to the student on a standardized form to be developed by the department and which shall be made available on the department's publicly accessible Internet website.
(C )  The diploma shall be signed by the student's twelfth grade evaluator in confirmation of the student's suitability for graduation.
 
 
As far as what is requested by PHEAA, they could just go the way of Federal Aid (and 49 other states).  A simple check in the space indicating that the student is a high school graduate.  We will find out how PHEAA and PDE will satisfy the legal requirements in time.
 
ma
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As far as what is requested by PHEAA, they could just go the way of Federal Aid (and 49 other states).  A simple check in the space indicating that the student is a high school graduate.  We will find out how PHEAA and PDE will satisfy the legal requirements in time.
 
ma

 

Now, that would be nice!  

 

I can't wait to see how this all plays out in the end.  

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Here are the words of the law:

(i)  In the case of a diploma awarded by a supervisor the following shall apply:

(A)  The student receiving the diploma shall have completed all the requirements in subsection (d) while enrolled in a home education program that is in compliance with this section.
(B ) The diploma shall be awarded to the student on a standardized form to be developed by the department and which shall be made available on the department's publicly accessible Internet website.
(C )  The diploma shall be signed by the student's twelfth grade evaluator in confirmation of the student's suitability for graduation.
 
 
As far as what is requested by PHEAA, they could just go the way of Federal Aid (and 49 other states).  A simple check in the space indicating that the student is a high school graduate.  We will find out how PHEAA and PDE will satisfy the legal requirements in time.
 
ma

 

 

About number "B" above...

 

OK, so I know this is a tremendous victory for homeschoolers...  but does this now mean I have to print out a "standardized" diploma from the state?  RATS!  We designed a gorgeous diploma for Diamond...  and I want matching ones for SweetChild & BabyBaby!

 

But don't worry- my name is "Rebel" here for a reason...  :coolgleamA:  we'll print the legal diploma AND make our own. The diploma is really just a grad party decoration anyway.  No one has ever asked to see her diploma, other than curious friends and fellow homeschoolers.

 

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About number "B" above...

 

OK, so I know this is a tremendous victory for homeschoolers...  but does this now mean I have to print out a "standardized" diploma from the state?  RATS!  We designed a gorgeous diploma for Diamond...  and I want matching ones for SweetChild & BabyBaby!

 

But don't worry- my name is "Rebel" here for a reason...  :coolgleamA:  we'll print the legal diploma AND make our own. The diploma is really just a grad party decoration anyway.  No one has ever asked to see her diploma, other than curious friends and fellow homeschoolers.

 

 

This is my plans too.  

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About number "B" above...

 

OK, so I know this is a tremendous victory for homeschoolers...  but does this now mean I have to print out a "standardized" diploma from the state?  RATS!  We designed a gorgeous diploma for Diamond...  and I want matching ones for SweetChild & BabyBaby!

 

But don't worry- my name is "Rebel" here for a reason...  :coolgleamA:  we'll print the legal diploma AND make our own. The diploma is really just a grad party decoration anyway.  No one has ever asked to see her diploma, other than curious friends and fellow homeschoolers.

 

It's not really about a "piece of paper." It is about the rights and privileges. :-)

 

ma

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Maryalice, another question arose tonight between some friends and me.

 

My friend wondered if we still need an actual portfolio, ie a binder full of samples.  She wanted to know if she could now just bring her workbooks and such and have the evaluator glance through any of them, rather than going to the extra trouble of copying/tearing pages out/organizing/etc.  It won't change anything for me personally, because I like having the keepsake, and also, I travel pretty far, rather than having my evaluator come to my house, and I don't want to lug everything, but it might make a difference for some of my friends.  It also might change how we run our annual portfolio share.

 

What say the rest of you?  I think the law still requires a portfolio to be created and shown to the evaluator, but just not turned into the school district.

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My friend wondered if we still need an actual portfolio, ie a binder full of samples.  She wanted to know if she could now just bring her workbooks and such and have the evaluator glance through any of them, rather than going to the extra trouble of copying/tearing pages out/organizing/etc.  ...

What say the rest of you?  I think the law still requires a portfolio to be created and shown to the evaluator, but just not turned into the school district.

 

My two cents:
 
The parts of the law regarding the portfolio have not changed.  The law says:
 
(e) In order to demonstrate that appropriate education is occurring, the supervisor of the home education program shall provide and maintain on file the following documentation for each student enrolled in the home education program:
 
(1) A portfolio of records and materials. 
The portfolio shall consist of 
  • a log, made contemporaneously with the instruction, which designates by title the reading materials used, 
  • samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials used or developed by the student 
  • and in grades three, five and eight results of nationally normed standardized achievement tests in reading/language arts and mathematics or the results of Statewide tests administered in these grade levels. 
...
(2) An annual written evaluation of the student's educational progress ...
The evaluation shall also be based on an interview of the child and a review of the portfolio required in clause (1)
and shall certify whether or not an appropriate education is occurring. 
 
The law has never specified the format of the portfolio.  A binder has never been required.  How people have presented their log, samples, and test results to the evaluator has varied widely.  

Ultimately, people need to read the law themselves, and decide what it requires of them, and hire an evaluator who interprets the law in a way that is compatible with their own interpretation.  

 
 
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My two cents:
 
The parts of the law regarding the portfolio have not changed.  The law says:
 
(e) In order to demonstrate that appropriate education is occurring, the supervisor of the home education program shall provide and maintain on file the following documentation for each student enrolled in the home education program:
 
(1) A portfolio of records and materials. 
The portfolio shall consist of 
  • a log, made contemporaneously with the instruction, which designates by title the reading materials used, 
  • samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials used or developed by the student 
  • and in grades three, five and eight results of nationally normed standardized achievement tests in reading/language arts and mathematics or the results of Statewide tests administered in these grade levels. 
...
(2) An annual written evaluation of the student's educational progress ...

The evaluation shall also be based on an interview of the child and a review of the portfolio required in clause (1)

and shall certify whether or not an appropriate education is occurring. 

 
The law has never specified the format of the portfolio.  A binder has never been required.  How people have presented their log, samples, and test results to the evaluator has varied widely.  

 

Ultimately, people need to read the law themselves, and decide what it requires of them, and hire an evaluator who interprets the law in a way that is compatible with their own interpretation.  

 

 

This makes good sense.  I expect we will still hold our usual portfolio share, with the same air of "this is how some people choose to create portfolios, but these are not the only ways, so interpret it for yourself" that we have always done.

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Maryalice, another question arose tonight between some friends and me.

 

My friend wondered if we still need an actual portfolio, ie a binder full of samples.  She wanted to know if she could now just bring her workbooks and such and have the evaluator glance through any of them, rather than going to the extra trouble of copying/tearing pages out/organizing/etc.  It won't change anything for me personally, because I like having the keepsake, and also, I travel pretty far, rather than having my evaluator come to my house, and I don't want to lug everything, but it might make a difference for some of my friends.  It also might change how we run our annual portfolio share.

 

What say the rest of you?  I think the law still requires a portfolio to be created and shown to the evaluator, but just not turned into the school district.

 

I have almost always had 3 different 'portfolios.' Not because I like extra work, but because.... well....  read on...

 

Portfolio #1 is what went to the evaluation. These are usually the original papers, tests, full research papers, photos of projects or performances. I often incuded my weekly planner page in case I forgot samples from a subject. I would include the entire workbook, since it is usually still in use and I don't like missing pages. Rarely did I get them in a nice binder form, last year I stuffed a bunch of papers in a totebag and God bless the FE-Net evaluator who did our evaluations. :001_tt1:  The reason this is not my 'final' or school district portfolio is because I am a massive procrastinator and the evaluations were usually about 2 months before the deadline for turning in the portfolios to the school district.

 

Portfolio #2 was what actually went to the school district. This was most of the items in the Evaluator's portfolio, but always black/white photocopies on ink-saver setting. Maybe 1-2 pages of a 10-page research paper. NEVER any planner pages, NEVER any photos. I usually included a page from the table of Contents for most textbooks. This also included any copies of certificates of attendance or grades given by other teachers at co-op. I fit each child's portfolio in a single standard staple, even for high school. I have saved these after they were returned. No reason- I just stuck them in a box and forgot about them.

 

Portfolio #3 is my "Keepsakes." These are the special, personal papers/projects and memories that I/the student truly care about and want to save. Items may or may not be included in the portfolio for evaluations, and few were shown to the school district- this is the truly personal stuff, photos, etc. Amost zero worksheets or tests. Not every subject is represented- hello, fire safety? :glare:

 

So now I can eliminate Portfolio #2, and Portfolio #1 will now be closer to my Portfolio #3 or Keepsakes. :party:

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Maryalice, another question arose tonight between some friends and me.

 

My friend wondered if we still need an actual portfolio, ie a binder full of samples.  She wanted to know if she could now just bring her workbooks and such and have the evaluator glance through any of them, rather than going to the extra trouble of copying/tearing pages out/organizing/etc.  It won't change anything for me personally, because I like having the keepsake, and also, I travel pretty far, rather than having my evaluator come to my house, and I don't want to lug everything, but it might make a difference for some of my friends.  It also might change how we run our annual portfolio share.

 

What say the rest of you?  I think the law still requires a portfolio to be created and shown to the evaluator, but just not turned into the school district.

I actually spoke to a HSLDA lawyer about this.  You do not need to put the samples into an organized binder. If your evaluator is oK with seeing your child, samples from whatever, that is fine.

 

Btw- 15 years ago, our local support group had its annual portfolio share.  I brought in 5 pages stapled together (my son's portfolio) and they would not let me share it.  The bigger, the prettier, the better, was their perspective. That perspective is burdensome to parents and makes the mom feel that she is being evaluated on "her" portfolio.

 

ma

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God bless the FE-Net evaluator who did our evaluations. :001_tt1:  

I just wanted to let people know what FE-Net ministries is.  Freedom-Evaluators Network Ministries is something I started over 10 years ago. We do free evaluations, to the letter of the law and nothing more.  We do the evaluations in various locations in the spring, Western PA (because that's where I live). The evaluations take less than 10-15 minutes and usually done in a park or somewhere convenient.  FE-Net has about a dozen credentialed volunteer evaluators, who respect the authority of the parents.  For the last 5 years or so, we have done over 600 evaluations each year.

 

Maryalice Newborn

Coordinator of FE-Net Ministries

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I actually spoke to a HSLDA lawyer about this.  You do not need to put the samples into an organized binder. If your evaluator is oK with seeing your child, samples from whatever, that is fine.

 

Btw- 15 years ago, our local support group had its annual portfolio share.  I brought in 5 pages stapled together (my son's portfolio) and they would not let me share it.  The bigger, the prettier, the better, was their perspective. That perspective is burdensome to parents and makes the mom feel that she is being evaluated on "her" portfolio.

 

ma

Wow, that is sad!  I'm in charge of our annual portfolio share, and while many of us do the pretty binder with photos and all, I would absolutely welcome your 5 page portfolio.  You would be reassuring to new homeschoolers who need to see that the full, fancy portfolios are absolutely not necessary.  (I do somewhere in the middle -- photos and accompanying notes for trips, sports, etc., but not a totally scrapbooked album like some I've seen.)

 

I'm wondering if this will change how I look at my own portfolio.  I hope it will not; I would not get around to doing the whole keepsake thing if I didn't have to, but I really like having it as a record of our year.  I hope I will still make the effort to do that, for my kids' sake, if not the school district's.

 

I love that you have a group to do free evaluations -- what a huge blessing to families!  We have some evaluators who charge $35-50 per child, and that gets expensive quickly if you have several children.  (Thankfully, we also have people who do them for a donation, which is nicer.)

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I actually spoke to a HSLDA lawyer about this.  You do not need to put the samples into an organized binder. If your evaluator is oK with seeing your child, samples from whatever, that is fine.

 

Btw- 15 years ago, our local support group had its annual portfolio share.  I brought in 5 pages stapled together (my son's portfolio) and they would not let me share it.  The bigger, the prettier, the better, was their perspective. That perspective is burdensome to parents and makes the mom feel that she is being evaluated on "her" portfolio.

 

ma

 

:iagree:  I remember that meeting. :glare:  Finding out I did *NOT* have to produce an annual 4-volume detailed Extravaganza for a portfolio really did give me the courage to continue. I never got around to a baby book, photo album, or scrapboook- I thought there was no way I could homeschool if I had to publish an encyclopedia set of our entire year at the end.

 

Now I'm just happy that I don't have to watse time & money photocopying everything. REMINDER to those following along: that was never the schools district's request, but my preference, since I didn't trust that I would receive all original materials back. Now I can just take my original items to the evaluator and be done. :hurray:

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:iagree: I remember that meeting. :glare: Finding out I did *NOT* have to produce an annual 4-volume detailed Extravaganza for a portfolio really did give me the courage to continue. I never got around to a baby book, photo album, or scrapboook- I thought there was no way I could homeschool if I had to publish an encyclopedia set of our entire year at the end.

 

I love hearing from you veteran moms! I have one of the oldest kids at co-op this year (and actually, the oldest girl), so I feel like a lot of the moms are looking to me for some guidance. I'm really glad to have y'all before me!

 

Now I'm just happy that I don't have to watse time & money photocopying everything. REMINDER to those following along: that was never the schools district's request, but my preference, since I didn't trust that I would receive all original materials back. Now I can just take my original items to the evaluator and be done. :hurray:

I was very nervous about that myself, the SD losing something. I think the only things that were irreplaceable were the map collections that the kids had done, and that would have been disappointing to lose, but it would have been okay (especially since it wasn't for high school). My best trick to the photos is to throw them all into Picasa and have Picasa make collages. Then I add a caption, print, and done. Voila, instant scrapbook without the effort, and if I need another copy, it's easy to print another.

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Not that it is an issue anymore, but I counseled all FE-Net evaluators to tell families NOT to include photos of their children to anything to the school district. Would you EVER give photos, name, and address of your kids to strangers? What makes you think that a school district can be trusted (and yes, I am talking stranger danger). You do not know who sees your portfolio. One teacher told me that they pass them around the teacher's lounge and laugh at them and make fun of things. One school district has "volunteer" high school students go through the portfolios and pull information.  How many times do you see news articles of educators being charged with terrible behavior. Yes, they go through clearances. Yes, in general they can be trusted, but can they all be trusted?

 

Again, not an issue any longer, and so glad of that.

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I will talk to PDE next week to see how they wish to handle this.  There is still an option to get a parent issued diploma without the PDE involved.  After 30 college credits, you can get a Commonwealth diploma as well.  

 

The main issue was that when we cut the superintendent out of the loop, he could not likely sign off on PHEAA forms anymore.  So that would have forced anyone who wished to apply to PHEAA to BUY a diploma from one of the non-accredited diploma associations.  So, to get past this problem, why not make parent issued diplomas the same value?  So we did.  

 

So, if these kids are already years out, they already should have gotten the super sign off for PHEAA or not need it.

 

Make sense?

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I will talk to PDE next week to see how they wish to handle this. There is still an option to get a parent issued diploma without the PDE involved. After 30 college credits, you can get a Commonwealth diploma as well.

 

The main issue was that when we cut the superintendent out of the loop, he could not likely sign off on PHEAA forms anymore. So that would have forced anyone who wished to apply to PHEAA to BUY a diploma from one of the non-accredited diploma associations. So, to get past this problem, why not make parent issued diplomas the same value? So we did.

 

So, if these kids are already years out, they already should have gotten the super sign off for PHEAA or not need it.

 

Make sense?

It does, but I think this student did not intend to go to college and so didn't pursue PHEAA, but is now maybe considering looking for aid for college? But this student could now have the parent sign off on the PHEAA forms for aid?

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Can the student be enrolled in a home ed program this year? Even for a short time? Then they could ignore the previous parent-issued diploma, have an eval, show the evaluator that the student has completed all the graduation requirements while enrolled in a home ed program that is in compliance with the home ed law, and have the evaluator sign the state's diploma form in confirmation of the student's suitability for graduation. Something to consider, as the student would then have a state-recognized high school diploma, which might come in handy even if (or especially if) the student does not go to college.

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Can the student be enrolled in a home ed program this year? Even for a short time? Then they could ignore the previous parent-issued diploma, have an eval, show the evaluator that the student has completed all the graduation requirements while enrolled in a home ed program that is in compliance with the home ed law, and have the evaluator sign the state's diploma form in confirmation of the student's suitability for graduation. Something to consider, as the student would then have a state-recognized high school diploma, which might come in handy even if (or especially if) the student does not go to college.

That's an interesting idea; I will pass it along. Thanks!

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