We're moving from NY to MN in a month... Normally, when I send in our 4th quarterly reports, I include a note that we intend to homeschool our kids the following year, and they'll be in such & such grades, etc. Getting those reports ready to send off this week, and now I'm wondering: Is it enough to NOT include the "intent" (just send in our 4th quarterly report, and then drop off the face of the map as far as NYC is concerned)... Or do I need to officially inform the DOE that we're leaving? I didn't see anything on the Office of Home Schooling website. Any help is appreciated. :)

New possible homeschooler mom and I was wondering how to annual assessment works? I have a teenager in the 10th grade. I saw somewhere that you can take it online but I wasn’t sure if that was allowed or even actually accredited. And if I need a certified teacher, where do you find one to administer the test?

I currently have a 16 year old daughter that has missed over 40 days of school due to medical reasons. Because of this she has pushed for online school. Unfortunately I’m lost and concerned. We live in New York which has high homeschooling laws/regulations and I’m not sure how to fulfill them if my daughter decides to do online school. So I’m wondering if there are any other moms that have a online student in New York? I would personally love your help on how to write an IHIP for an online student or if things are done differently for children going to online school. Sincerely, A lost mother ：）

DD wants to do special effects makeup for an elective course this year. I am just wondering how to go about creating this course ourselves? I found a really great book on Amazon "Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen: Making and Applying Prosthetics" and I thought I would have her work through this book while creating a portfolio of the work she does. Would this work? Has anyone done anything similar and any suggestions are appreciated! We are in New York and I am trying to type up her IHIP so I wanted to double check on how to do this. Thank you!

Just a quick question... When sending in your 4th quarter report for the year what do you include? My plan was to include the regular report that I have been doing for 9th grade. A copy of the scores from her CAT test. A copy of a transcript that includes actual end of year grade. ( Have not yet put this together, not quite sure of format yet) Also I know some of you mentioned keeping a list of course descriptions for the future but isn't keeping the IHIP enough for this? or do you do a more formal description of the courses for your records.? Thank you! :hurray: We have almost made it through our first year of high school at home!! :hurray: :hurray:

Mid year is quickly approaching and so far I feel we are doing okay for first year of high school. However I know we have to test at the end and I am a little confused. My question is what tests do you all do for this level? I'm not sure I understand how those state mandated test results are going to show what we learned. How do you all determine which test to administer? I know there are several to pick from but how do they align with what we are teaching if we choose curriculum ? or are they just basic knowledge for the grade level? I am trying to sort this out before I have to let the district know which test we will do. Thank you in advance for any advice and info on this topic.

Here's my situation: My homeschooled son is 11 and in 6th grade. The only subject he's behind in is Spelling and he's VERY behind. I determined that he is spelling on a beginning of 2nd grade level (4 grade levels behind). I've tried AAS, Spelling Workout, Sequential Spelling, and a couple other programs. He is trying but has made very little progress in spelling and makes classic dyslexic mistakes like leaving out vowels and whole syllables, and spelling super phonetically, but not correctly. Dysgraphia is also a big issue. He does have reading issues (mainly new words, names, pronunciations, and skipping small words/inaccurate reading), but these pale in comparison to his abysmal spelling that never improves. I'm at the point where I NEED to do something drastic to help his spelling... something VERY different than anything we've ever done. I had my heart set on Barton (I love Susan Barton and her website as it really helped me identify what was going on and learn more about dyslexia). But I was sad to realize that I cannot afford it. I looked for it used and still couldn't find it. So now I'm considering whether I should seek services from the public school. I have no experience with dealing with schools other than sending in my homeschool paperwork. Now what?? My questions are: 1) Are there any other highly recommended OG methods like Barton that ARE affordable? Do tell!! 2) What about the more "alternative" methods like rainbow writing, sculpting words with play-dough, or associating words with pictures? I'll try anything! lol Are these worth a try for a kid who struggles a LOT in spelling (not mildly dyslexic)? 3) Should I tell the school district about my son's dyslexia? If so, how? 4) Am I *legally required* to inform the district about a diagnosed or suspected learning disability? 5) If I do tell them, what are the possible repercussions for my homeschool, or for my son's "record"? 6) I know that public schools are legally required to provide services to those who request it, but are they generally even equipped to provide remediation for dyslexic kids? (One of my fears is making it "public", it going on his record, getting involved with the school, getting an IEP, and THEN finding out that all they do is work with him on spelling once a week or so and aren't even trained in dyslexia remediation or use an appropriate method... since that's the whole point. 7) If I did get him an IEP would he then have an IEP for the rest of his school career? 8) It's very obvious that he is dyslexic as he has MANY classic signs, but is a diagnosis required in order to get an IEP? I think I read that diagnosis isn't required, but a "need" is required. Is that right? For example, my understanding is that the school does not diagnose, but the school is required to assess whether a child is *eligible* for services. So doesn't that mean that I don't need to go through the whole diagnosis process prior to getting an IEP if we went that route? 9) If I didn't get an IEP but instead got private tutoring or tutored him myself, am I still legally required to tell the school district about his learning disability?? Anything else I should know? Any other options I'm not thinking of? I really need to get on a "road" and I'm so confused about which one to take at this point!! I'm reading books about dyslexia and how to deal with schools, but they never talk about how it relates to homeschooling so I feel like there's a big gap in my understanding about where to go from here. Even HSLDA doesn't seem to provide much info. Thanks in advance!! Tara

My friend is considering homeschooling her daughter who is currently in public school (New York State) with a 504 Plan. She receives speech therapy, etc. Her mother would still want her to receive these services while homeschooling. Is that possible?? How does a 504 Plan affect homeschooling? I would love to hear from anyone who has experience with this. Also, any links are appreciated! (X posted on the Learning Challenges board) TIA!

My friend has a daughter in public school (New York State) who has a 504 Plan. She receives some services like speech therapy, etc, through the school. My friend is considering homeschooling her daughter but she still wants to receive those services through the school. Is that possible?? She says her daughter does not have an IEP. I'm confused because everything I read about 504 is that it makes sure kids receive extra care they need like wheelchair assistance, nursing care like diabetes help, administering meds, etc. Of course, none of these would be an issue with homeschooling. So does a 504 affect homeschooling at all?? I'm so confused. Please answer if it applies to *New York State*. Links are appreciated as well! TIA

Hi all! My name is Kathryn. I live in a small town outside of Albany, NY. I have 7 children (9 and under), yes, I had one set of twins! I homeschooled my children up until this current school year. For various reasons we had to put our children in public school. :*( I'm praying that next year we'll be able to resume our homeschooling again. I'm wanting to start up a Classical Conversations group in Albany, NY area. If you know of anyone interested, please let me know!! The more the merrier! Thanks!! Kathryn

Hi all! I have been a member of this board for a while and even posted once or twice, but I have never introduced myself lol. I understand most of the acronyms used here but please forgive me if I am not exactly fluent. I guess once I post more and more, I will grow more accustomed to using the acronyms in my own posts. I am a proud mama and here's a little about our family: My daughter is 8 and loves technology, music, dolls, and stories. She is a severe dyslexic and has been held back a year in school prior to being diagnosed. She had an outside OG tutor who taught her to read and write. Her school uses Wilson fundations but the staff knows NOTHING about dyslexia. This is her second school and I am looking to homeschool her because her little spirit has been crushed by the whole schooling experience. She gets speech in school for articulation. My son is 6 and loves art, photography, baseball, and cracking jokes. He appears to have dyslexia and ADHD but is only in kindergarten, so I can't say for sure. He was having an even tougher time in school and was going to have to repeat kindergarten because of his behavior and reading trouble, but I objected. We are working on getting him diagnosed but I am also looking for another school for him. Or I may homeschool him as well if I can find the right fit for him. He also has some articulation issues and will start speech therapy outside the school this summer. I teach adult ESL and have a lot of Orton-Gillingham training. We live in a billingual - English & Spanish - household but the kids only read & write in English.

My name is Holly. I am currently homeschooling in Georgia. We will be moving to Jamestown, NY (or Bemus Point) Within the year, so I wanted to go ahead and start this year off with New York standards. I have found a couple sites with the laws for NY. Where do you have to submit your Letter of Intent and your IHIP form? All of the websites are saying to submit to NY, NY or Buffalo. I am just confused at where all these forms need to go, also... What are the correct sites for Laws in NY? It seems they all say something different. I realize I do not need to turn these in until we move, but I want to make sure I am already in the habit since NY seems much more strict than Georgia.

I'm gearing up to homeschool next year and am feeling a bit overwhelmed! Do you have suggestions on where to begin? I have a 5th and 3rd grader. I would LOVE to find other homeschoolers in Westchester, NY. Is anybody out there?