Going to give public school a "trial run" -- any advice?

[Jenny in GA]

I have three kids who have always been homeschooled. 

 

My husband has been saying for some time that he thinks that our youngest, an eight year old boy, would be happier in school. (Mostly because of social reasons.)

 

To make a long story shorter, this weekend we all agreed to give school a try for him for one grading period (nine weeks) and then make future decisions based on how it goes. Our local elementary school has a very very good reputation.

 

First of all, has anyone else ever done something like this?

 

Second, whether you've done school as a "trial" or just entered public school for the first time in the middle of a school year, what should I know and advice do you have? I'm so out of the loop -- my older child asked if we needed to go shopping to get him a backpack, and I was like, "Oh yeah ... I guess so!"

 

Thanks for any insight or stories.

 

 

[73349]

Look on the school or district's website for a parent handbook--a lot of schools have a dress code and other rules you may not have thought of.

[Veritaserum]

My oldest did the second semester of 8th grade and the first term (half semester) of 9th grade at public school. She did need a backpack, notebook, pencils, etc. Since your son is in elementary school, his teacher will probably have a list of needed materials. She bought school lunch using her student ID (I funded it electronically). She is super forgetful, so school lunch ensured she'd actually have something to eat. :)

 

She did do well in school. The outside pressure of other teachers was good and the class content we generally good. The social aspect was mixed. She did make some friends, but she was also bullied. The bullying issue wasn't resolved, so we pulled her out and are back homeschooling.

 

My husband would like me to put all the kids in school at some point because he thinks it would be better for my health. Our local schools aren't good, so they'd have to all get into the one charter school that has a program and culture that I like. That's not very likely to happen.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Remember that your DS will be tired.  Don't expect him to be able to do all the same chores and after school activities for awhile.  He will need time to adjust.  He will also need more sleep and will most likely be cranky for some time.  There should be a list on the schools website that give an idea of what they'll need.... different teachers have different lists.  He will need a backpack but depending on the school he won't be bringing a lot of books home with him.  He'll also probably have some trouble making friends at first, they've already gotten their "cliques" established.  Being younger that may not be as big of an issue.  

[Ellie]

When you go to enroll your ds (if you haven't already done so), you will need his immunization records; a photocopy of his original birth certificate would be good; and some sort of academic records, even if you haven't been keeping any because it isn't required in your state. Make up a report card if you need to--I'm sure you can give him a fair assessment. If you had asked me sooner, I'd have advised you to do standardized testing (even if not required by your state). :-) 

 

I would absolutely NOT let them put him back a grade. Depending on his date of birth and the cut-off in your state, he would be either second or third grade. Know which one, and go with that. Some schools are in the habit of putting homeschooled children back a grade on general principle, and that's just wrong. :glare:

[SebastianCat]

I have a friend who put her kids in school mid-year last year, and she was asked to bring a list of all of the books they read and curricula they studied.   She worked with a guidance counselor to document what she had done at home.   

 

Her kids were also required to take the state standardized tests for their grade like all of the other kids in public school, even though they started school just before the test was administered.

 

I would probably call the school and find out when they do standardized testing, if at all, and make sure your DS knows what to expect for that, if he's not done that kind of testing before.

[Tidbits of Learning]

In GA, 3rd grade is a pass/fail year for the state testing.  In case, you didn't know.  So if he is 3rd grade and did poorly on spring testing, they could hold him back a year.  3rd and 5th are pass/fail based on state testing in GA.  My oldest just went back for high school this year and I do second having test scores with you...preferably the IOWA test or sometimes called the ITBS.  They have to accept the ITBS scores if you have them.  This is actually a good time b/c of semester break to start after the holidays.  I will warn you during state testing years that pretty much after Christmas break it is all test-prep.  I would tour the school with your student prior to enrolling.  I would ask to look at books and take pictures of the books.  This is not unusual.  At open house, several parents whipped out their phones to snap pics of the books b/c you don't get to take them home at all.  We did invest in books to match the school books.  With Ebay, it isn't hard to get an at home set.  Her math curricula did not have a book at all.  Do not be shocked by no book classes.  Expect to be able to log in and have access from any computer and have to print modules.  Expect to have to reteach math.  Expect to have to learn the common core math in order to reteach it at home.  Do a different math at home as well so that your child does not lose math knowledge.  We spent this semester doing Saxon Algebra 1 Dive CD's (watching lessons only) that went with the Honors Algebra topics that dd was studying with common core math.  This was the only way that she kept her A in the class.

Expect to take the good with the bad.  It isn't going to be all good and it isn't going to be all bad.  My child needed to go back and I can see so clearly now that she should have went back 2 years ago.  I encourage you to look at your child and really feel out if this is the right move for this child.  I don't think you can go wrong if you feel that this child needs to go to school.

[LLMom]

I put 2 of my children in school after Christmas last year.  Yes, ask about supplies and read the handbook.  Are they prepared as in do they know how to take tests, study for them, etc?  9 weeks may not be enough time to adjust and make that decision, but you can take a wait and see approach.  I found it took the full semester to get in a good swing, learn all the school ropes, and adjust to learning in a classroom environment. 

[Jenny in GA]

 Expect to have to reteach math.  Expect to have to learn the common core math in order to reteach it at home.  Do a different math at home as well so that your child does not lose math knowledge.  We spent this semester doing Saxon Algebra 1 Dive CD's (watching lessons only) that went with the Honors Algebra topics that dd was studying with common core math.  This was the only way that she kept her A in the class.

 

I don't understand this. So I have to re-teach the same math lessons at home myself (why?), and then we also have to homeschool math using a different curriculum??  :confused1:

 

Please explain. Thanks.

[Jenny in GA]

Thanks for all the feedback. 

The more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm particularly concerned about writing.

My son is just starting WWE2 and he really struggles with it -- and complains about it.

 

I have no idea what kind of writing a third grade public school class does, but I'm quite sure it will be different than what we're doing.

 

Anyone know anything about typical writing expectations at that level?

[foxbridgeacademy]

When you go to enroll your ds (if you haven't already done so), you will need his immunization records; a photocopy of his original birth certificate would be good; and some sort of academic records, even if you haven't been keeping any because it isn't required in your state. Make up a report card if you need to--I'm sure you can give him a fair assessment. If you had asked me sooner, I'd have advised you to do standardized testing (even if not required by your state). :-) 

 

I would absolutely NOT let them put him back a grade. Depending on his date of birth and the cut-off in your state, he would be either second or third grade. Know which one, and go with that. Some schools are in the habit of putting homeschooled children back a grade on general principle, and that's just wrong. :glare:

:iagree: They are likely to try to hold him back, just stay firm and make it a deal breaker.You could do this test quickly.  I was going to suggest the Texas test but my link is broken and I can't find them on the TAKS website..

[Reefgazer]

Yes, to the bolded!  Don't assume your child is learning what the class intends them to learn, even if their grades are As and Bs.  I found this out the hard way when my kids came to homeschool with all As and Bs on their report card and were deficient in basic grammar, punctuation, and lacking a solid math foundation.  Make sure you verify that they understand the concepts that are taught and re-teach promptly if they don't understand something.  Bright kids get left to fend for themselves in public school so the teachers can focus on getting those under par to pass state tests. 

In GA, 3rd grade is a pass/fail year for the state testing.  In case, you didn't know.  So if he is 3rd grade and did poorly on spring testing, they could hold him back a year.  3rd and 5th are pass/fail based on state testing in GA.  My oldest just went back for high school this year and I do second having test scores with you...preferably the IOWA test or sometimes called the ITBS.  They have to accept the ITBS scores if you have them.  This is actually a good time b/c of semester break to start after the holidays.  I will warn you during state testing years that pretty much after Christmas break it is all test-prep.  I would tour the school with your student prior to enrolling.  I would ask to look at books and take pictures of the books.  This is not unusual.  At open house, several parents whipped out their phones to snap pics of the books b/c you don't get to take them home at all.  We did invest in books to match the school books.  With Ebay, it isn't hard to get an at home set.  Her math curricula did not have a book at all.  Do not be shocked by no book classes.  Expect to be able to log in and have access from any computer and have to print modules.  Expect to have to reteach math.  Expect to have to learn the common core math in order to reteach it at home.  Do a different math at home as well so that your child does not lose math knowledge.  We spent this semester doing Saxon Algebra 1 Dive CD's (watching lessons only) that went with the Honors Algebra topics that dd was studying with common core math.  This was the only way that she kept her A in the class.

Expect to take the good with the bad.  It isn't going to be all good and it isn't going to be all bad.  My child needed to go back and I can see so clearly now that she should have went back 2 years ago.  I encourage you to look at your child and really feel out if this is the right move for this child.  I don't think you can go wrong if you feel that this child needs to go to school.

 

[Reefgazer]

My DS just finished public school 3rd grade in Virginia last year and is new to homeschool 4th grade this year.  There are some things the public school does really well, and other things that are atrocious.  Unfortunately, the atrocious things tend to be in basic skills like reading, writing, and math.  What I found with DS was that he had much more writing stamina than is expected of a student in WWE3, and he could compose a well-organized paragraph without effort.  But his spelling, grammar, and punctuation were greatly lacking, which to me is foundational.  So if I were you, I would do three things.  First, ramp up the *amount* of writing you require so that he has the stamina to crank out a paragraph easily.  Perhaps have him write a 5 sentence summary of a book he read, a 5 sentence paragraph describing a place, a 5 sentence paragraph short story.  This is important because in 4th grade, they go full-bore on the 5 paragraph essay, which IMO, is a huge jump up from the paragraph.  Second, make sure he understands what a paragraph is, what a topic sentence is, and that all ideas in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.  Third, introduce him to the idea of a 5 paragraph essay and what it is trying to accomplish; maybe even have him write a simple and short essay so that if your district throws it at him at the end of 3rd grade, he won't freak out. 

Thanks for all the feedback. 

The more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm particularly concerned about writing.

My son is just starting WWE2 and he really struggles with it -- and complains about it.

 

I have no idea what kind of writing a third grade public school class does, but I'm quite sure it will be different than what we're doing.

 

Anyone know anything about typical writing expectations at that level?

 

[Reefgazer]

You'll have to re-teach for a few reasons.  First, it's all about "higher order thinking skills" and "applying math to real world situations" in public school these days.  Which is fine and dandy, but they tend to gloss over the basic underlying foundation and jump right onto the "higher order thinking skills first".  So if I were you, I'd put the foundation under your child before the almighty higher order lessons are tossed at him.  Stay one step ahead, in other words.  The result of this was pretty clear to me when DD's GT peers all went into Algebra I in 7th grade after elementary school.  I kept DD in pre-algebra at home because I didn't feel she was prepared.  Over the course of the year, I have found that every single one of her bright little friends from the GT class has a tutor for Algebra I and are struggling in the course.  What?!?!?  And no one here thinks that is odd, even though thye all are now acknowledging that the kids weren't well-prepared in elementary for Algebra.  Second, if your child is comfortably passing their classes, they will be largely ignored and other children will be tended to first, in order to get struggling kids up to passing on state tests.  So even if your kid has a question now and then, he's not going to get the attention to have the questions answered thoroughly because they know darned well that a bright kid will pass no matter what you do to them. 

 

Can you tell I'm a bit peeved by this whole scenario?  It was this math education that was one of the primary factors that drove me to homeschool.

I don't understand this. So I have to re-teach the same math lessons at home myself (why?), and then we also have to homeschool math using a different curriculum??  :confused1:

 

Please explain. Thanks.

 

[lazzaroni]

^ An emphatic yes! Everything Reefgazer mentioned has been our experience too! Right down to this is why we are homeschooling this year!

[Guest]

I sent three of our children to try out public school last year.  They were way ahead academically and did great.  One ds completely wasted the entire school year because he knew everything already.  We pulled him back out for this year.  With our oldest two, we noticed negative behavioral changes. We wanted them back out, but they still wanted to go, so we played it by ear.  We told them behavior better be how it was when they were homeschooled, or they are out.  DD got worse, so we pulled her out.  DS did okay, so we left him.  Then, his grades started slipping.  He started doing horribly in math (which had never been an issue before - he always had high grades in math and now had a low C).  There were no textbooks sent home, rarely any homework (and when there was, it was very little).  I didn't know how to help him because there was nothing for me to reference.  I didn't even know what they were working on.  There was so much going on (negative stuff in one of the highest rated school districts in our state) that I just didn't like.  DS self-esteem had dropped.  He was stressing about his grades.  He was socializing too much and concentrating on academics too little.  We pulled him out.  I just couldn't keep him with all these negatives.  

 

Not everyone has a negative experience with public school... but I just didn't care for it.  It's not for us.

 

ETA: Horrible typo.

[Guest]

When you go to enroll your ds (if you haven't already done so), you will need his immunization records; a photocopy of his original birth certificate would be good; and some sort of academic records, even if you haven't been keeping any because it isn't required in your state. Make up a report card if you need to--I'm sure you can give him a fair assessment. If you had asked me sooner, I'd have advised you to do standardized testing (even if not required by your state). :-) 

 

I would absolutely NOT let them put him back a grade. Depending on his date of birth and the cut-off in your state, he would be either second or third grade. Know which one, and go with that. Some schools are in the habit of putting homeschooled children back a grade on general principle, and that's just wrong. :glare:

 

They do that.  They tried it with me (well, the counselor did).  Then a teacher from each grade tested the kids and said no, they should not stay back a grade.  I'm glad both ds's got all A's that school year and dd got all A's and B's.  They even put one ds in the gifted program and the other was in all pre-AP courses.  

 

Oldest ds's grades only started falling the the second year (when I pulled him out he had a C in math and that was really bad for him... he always did well before that in math).  He was socializing too much and I don't think the way they taught math was effective.  He said it was confusing and he just didn't understand it.  We are now having to do a review before I put him back into Algebra 1.

[RoundAbout]

After homeschooling K and 1st we are giving public school a trial this year.  So far very happy.  This is a public gifted magnet school for kids working two grades ahead, so no complaints on the quality of the education even though they do things differently than I would at home.  He is at the top of his class in reading and math, but despises the open ended writing assignments.  

 

In terms of behavior we have seen very positive changes.  Part of the reason we put him in school is that he needed more social interaction and a chance to be with other academically motivated kids.  We live in a major city where everyone is a dual income professional family and it became almost a full time job to try to arrange playdates because they are all so extremely busy.  In school he has made several friends and other parents are motivated to get together outside of school.  My son has become much more polite at home and is learning some essential organizational skills like turning in work on time, remembering library books, and how to speak up for himself when mom is not there.  

 

So far the only downside is having to work around the school calendar - we had grown accustomed to doing things during week days when it was not busy and being able to take vacation whenever we want.  Also, as others mentioned, the tiredness.  The homework at my son's school is minimal, but by the time we get that done along with chores and play time there is not really much time to afterschool and he is wiped out just from the fullness of the school day.   I still squeeze in daily read aloud, poetry memorization, and also post math problems of the day on the fridge (they use Singapore math at school but little in the way of word problems), along with a few other tricks.  

 

If you are coming in mid year I would expect a little bit of friction.  It might be more difficult to make friends right away and the other kids will know the classroom routines while your child is just learning.  Not a deal breaker, but keep that in mind when evaluating whether public school is working.

 

 

[TranquilMind]

I sent three of our children to try out public school last year.  They were way ahead academically and did great.  One ds completely wasted the entire school year because he knew everything already.  We pulled him back out for this year.  With our oldest two, we noticed negative behavioral changes. We wanted them back out, but they still wanted to go, so we played it by ear.  We told them behavior better be how it was when they were homeschooled, or their out.  DD got worse, so we pulled her out.  DS did okay, so we left him.  Then, his grades started slipping.  He started doing horribly in math (which had never been an issue before - he always had high grades in math and now had a low C).  There were no textbooks sent home, rarely any homework (and when there was, it was very little).  I didn't know how to help him because there was nothing for me to reference.  I didn't even know what they were working on.  There was so much going on (negative stuff in one of the highest rated school districts in our state) that I just didn't like.  DS self-esteem had dropped.  He was stressing about his grades.  He was socializing too much and concentrating on academics too little.  We pulled him out.  I just couldn't keep him with all these negatives.  

 

Not everyone has a negative experience with public school... but I just didn't care for it.  It's not for us.

Similarly, I put one in a "top-rated" charter school because of its classical focus.  My kid was at the top of every class all year long with minimal effort.  They hesitated to my kid in AP classes due to a younger age, but those were a breeze too.    There were a couple of good teachers and a couple of AP classes worth taking, and this one is now happy to have all that on the transcript, because of the international direction of higher education chosen.

 

Don't even get me started on the "socialization" that happened there.  It took years to recover, and sometimes, I am not sure if we ever will.  Awful, just awful.   I still regret that, and I am a person of virtually no regrets. 

YMMV. 

[Soror]

No advice, but I wish your family well.

[Veritaserum]

There was a question about which math level to put my daughter in (8th grade), but no one at the school questioned what grade level to put her in. The school and I decided to put her in regular math and let the teacher make a recommendation based on performance. At the end of 8th grade, her teacher recommended honors for 9th grade math.

[Pawz4me]

Both of our boys chose to return to public school for high school after years of homeschooling (oldest DS was homeschooled for four years and youngest for seven years).  It was a relatively simple process for both of them, and neither school tried to hold them back at all.  Quite the contrary -- both were very eager to make sure they got proper placement.  The biggest issue we had was that youngest DS's school wanted to give him a placement test for high school math, but that idea was dropped after I took in our curriculum and test scores.  It was all done with kindness and with the boys' best interests in mind. I had no sense at all that they were being adversarial because we were homeschoolers.

 

I'd be prepared for your kids to be very tired for awhile.  That was the biggest issue both of our boys had.  They weren't used to being "on" for that long each day, and especially not being around so many people for so long.  It really wore them out.

[Laura Corin]

I would contact the school to see what kind of writing the children are doing.

 

L

[Dramorellis]

They do a lot of writing, much more so than I think is necessary or developmentally appropriate but it is what it is. That would be the first thing I would work on in preparation as well as reading fluency if that is still an issue. Getting in the habit of showing his work in math and working through his math facts at home would also be beneficial. I would also say that 9 weeks may not really be enough time to evaluate if it's working well or not. It could take AT LEAST that amount of time to find a groove. So if you are going to try it, then at least commit to it and give it some more time. 3rd grade is the year that testing gets serious. I would imagine a large amount of his time will be directed towards that end as it will be crucial for the students and the teachers to do well.

[Guest]

This is our first year homeschooling after my dd went to public school for K-3 and ds attended for K and 1st.  The creative writing output expected is very high.  If your child can't write a paragraph on command on a random topic, I would work on that.  My ds was expected to do that in 1st grade in ps.  During 3rd, my dd had to write a 3 paragraph persuasive paper.  

 

As far as math goes, my dd is well behaved and bright.  She finished her work quickly and spent a lot of time socializing or reading novels during school time.  She went from getting an equivalent  to an A on everything last year to barely making it at grade level in Math Mammoth at home.  Thus, the lesson I learned is afterschooling math is essential.

 

Any thoughts to why this happened?  I don't get it at all.  

[Farrar]

I have no experience with this per se, but I wouldn't go in combative about math assuming you must reteach... Some schools use perfectly fine programs and do a perfectly reasonable job teaching math. I'd find out what their method is and wait and see a little bit. I would be more concerned about writing, but more in a way where you should just be aware that you've been taking a different path with writing so it may feel like he's "behind." Don't judge yourself or him poorly if it takes some adjustment with writing. He's not behind, you've just been doing something different. To learn their way, he'll need a little time and maybe some extra support.

[Guest]

The school district we are in uses Everyday Math.  There is very little practice associated with that program.  It also may have something to do with the higher expectations associated with 4th grade math across the board.  Perhaps she would have struggled at ps this year too.  Hard to say.  I guess what I was trying to say with my above post is just be really aware as a parent of what your child is supposed to be learning and supplement at home if necessary.

 

I'm so curious about it because it happened to ds, too.  He was taking Algebra 1 in public school (and started doing poorly).  When I brought him home, he placed into Saxon's Algebra 1/2.  He completely bombed the test to be placed in Algebra 1.  The previous year in public school he got an A, but he said he had learned most of it already in homeschool.

[HSmomof2]

I have no experience with this per se, but I wouldn't go in combative about math assuming you must reteach... Some schools use perfectly fine programs and do a perfectly reasonable job teaching math. I'd find out what their method is and wait and see a little bit. I would be more concerned about writing, but more in a way where you should just be aware that you've been taking a different path with writing so it may feel like he's "behind." Don't judge yourself or him poorly if it takes some adjustment with writing. He's not behind, you've just been doing something different. To learn their way, he'll need a little time and maybe some extra support.

This is exactly what we're experiencing with ds(12) in sixth grade at public school. Math instruction is really very good. Writing is where he's struggling. He'd completed WWE 1-4, and we would have continued with WWS if he'd stayed home. The kids in ps have been writing a lot more, and in styles he doesn't know yet---essays, book reports, etc. (not necessarily a good quality, however. I'm appalled they overlook all spelling/grammar mistakes). I'm looking for something to afterschool with to help him catch up. Overall, I'm pretty unhappy with Lang Arts for both dd in 4th and ds in 6th. I thought it would be the math I didn't like, but it's surprisingly taught well.