Completely hypothetical question about bucking state requirements

[kalanamak]

I'm not opposed to standardized testing. My state requires it from age 8 on, but you don't have to show it to anyone. I suspect if you ever try to enroll a child, "they" would want to see these tests to see where kiddo is, and how s/he has been progressing. That is a guess on my part.

 

So, what if you didn't do these tests? What if, when you decide to enroll tweetiepie, you say "I don't have them" or "the dog ate them" or "huh?".

 

What could/would they do to you? Assuming everything else, including academic level, is A-OK. There doesn't seem to be much teeth in this requirement.....

[IsabelC]

Does your state have a website where you can peruse the relevant piece of legislation? The 'authorities' don't always know their law that well, so it might be safest to go straight to the source to find out what enforcement provisions there might be, in the - purely hypothetical, of course - case that you were considering not following the rules.

[Nicole M]

When I went to enroll my eldest in 10th grade biology at the local high school, they specifically asked not to see the test scores. They do not care. They will place the child where s/he would be according to age, period.

 

I did not test my youngest until he was in 4th grade, and he did a positively stellar job, and had never had so much as a spelling test before that. I would not sweat it until your son is the legal age at which you would be required to send him to school (which, presumably, would be the age at which testing would begin).

[Nicole M]

They could file educational neglect charges and from that they would probably just force you to have the child tested and life would go on.

 

 

I wish. Again, in this state, in the city where K lives, they don't care. When you file your Intent form, no one asks about test scores from the previous year. It's a little ridiculous, actually.

[kalanamak]

I wish. Again, in this state, in the city where K lives, they don't care. When you file your Intent form, no one asks about test scores from the previous year. It's a little ridiculous, actually.

 

Yes, so why the law? I can't read any teeth in it. I wonder, now that I know more about, well, not behind-the-scenes state politics, but orchestra-pit state politics, I wonder who was trying to make who happy to get their bill through.

Also, the high profile cases...seized children, HSLDA-level battles... are what we hear about. Are there just no little battles? That by the time the law is involved, its a full court press? Anyone here just get nipped at the heels?

 

(wow, this might be a personal record for mixed metaphors):)

[Jean in Newcastle]

You are right, there is no teeth in the requirement. But it is a super easy requirement to fulfill - either sign up for testing (most homeschoolers here on the Westside use SAT testing) or have a certified teacher look at a portfolio of his work and write up a little report on it. We've gone the SAT route. I have friends who have gone the portfolio route.

 

I like seeing how they do once a year on the tests. It has helped me to see a few holes in their learning - most of the time I've realized that they are holes that will be filled later naturally but a couple of times I've filled in the hole quickly and painlessly by covering the material in an afternoon. It gives my kids a "taste" of B & M school. Their absolutely favorite thing about it is to trade at lunch time! I'd rather jump through the little hoop now rather than to jeopardize the pretty easy homeschooling requirements we have in this state.

[kalanamak]

You are right, there is no teeth in the requirement. But it is a super easy requirement to fulfill .

 

I did the IBTS for K, the CAT for 1st and the CogAT for 2nd, just to shop around. I think we'll go back to the CAT for next year when it is required.

 

But I was wondering why? Fifty bucks I'd rather put towards books, the little cheapskate in the back of my mind says. What are they getting at. (And there is the pesky habit I have of trying to actually make sense of rules and regs. I once asked why my employer had a cap on their deferred compensation program. You'd have thought I'd asked if they'd stopped beating their wife. I just love it when people and departments think a sincere question is a frontal attack. Outrageously, that is a common response, which I take to mean "I don't really know, so instead of looking foolish, I'll make you look like an unreasonable jerk for merely questioning the status quo, and I will be very mean about it because I am very, very angry you put me in the position of possibly looking a fool.")

[Jean in Newcastle]

Perhaps you might be interested in this place then - you can get an assessment for $25.00. http://www.goodlifehomeschool.com/index.html Might as well jump through the hoop for as cheaply as possible.

[staceyobu]

I think the why is because people watch things like the Good Morning America segment and think "we can't have these poor children running around and possibly not getting an education! We must do something to ensure that homeschoolers are actually homeschooling!" So, then you get people who decide upon yearly standardized testing and get it made into law. But then you have the problem of what happens then. Who gets the test scores? The schools that are already over run with students? Do they get the scores for kids who don't actually attend their school? So, no one winds up with the scores.

 

I would be very interested to hear of states that have requirements to meet with someone who oversees those requirements and consequences laid out if said requirements aren't met.

 

My guess would be that you could never test your children with no consequences. The only issue would be if something strange happened. What if a neighbor calls CPS because your children are playing outside at 10am and neighbor finds that objectionable? CPS comes and asks for records, which you don't have, and problems ensue. That's my take on it.

[TandLMommy28]

I'm planning to do tests even though I don't think they are required in my state and at my daughter's age. I'd just rather be safe than sorry, ya know? I would never want to deal with explaining why I didn't do it.

 

My MIL teaches in a small Christian school (actually, I taught there as well before becoming a SAHM) and I'm planning to just send her to school with MIL when they test and get it over with. It will be exciting for her to go to school with her grandmother for the day so I figure it's not hurting anyone that way.

[DawnM]

I have wondered about this myself. I have never heard of ANY family being audited although I assume they could be.

 

Dawn

[m0mmaBuck]

I agree with staceyobu. It probably has less to do with education and more to do with CPS/legal issues.

[Nicole M]

My state is the same way. I'm saying they would, only that technically they could.

 

Oh, I get it. Worst case scenario.

 

I don't get the law, either. I was shocked at how cavalier the school was when I went to sign up my son for biology. They threw him in the Honors course (what a joke -- he finished the year with 105% in the class, because he got extra credit for everything) simply because I asked them to. It makes me wonder.

[Ellie]

Yeah, if I didn't have to show anyone, I probably wouldn't do it.

 

OTOH, if I were going to enroll dc in school, I would test, because it's only fair to give the school a heads-up on how the dc are doing academically.

[Jean in Newcastle]

By not requiring us to hand in our children's test scores, I see the govt. as putting us on the honor system for meeting the requirements. I see it as a moral integrity issue to comply with what are really easy requirements.

[Night Elf]

I'm not opposed to standardized testing. My state requires it from age 8 on, but you don't have to show it to anyone. I suspect if you ever try to enroll a child, "they" would want to see these tests to see where kiddo is, and how s/he has been progressing. That is a guess on my part.

 

My school system didn't want to see them. They weren't in the least bit interested. Instead, they tested the children on the first day to make sure they were put into the right grade.

 

What could/would they do to you?

 

I imagine that would vary by state. I've heard, but have absolutely no personal experience, that the fine in GA for not following the homeschool law is $100. That seems awful low and I truly have no idea where that idea came from. But at the same time, I've been involved in 2 school districts and they just don't seem to care about homeschoolers at all.

[milovany]

Perhaps you might be interested in this place then - you can get an assessment for $25.00. http://www.goodlifehomeschool.com/index.html Might as well jump through the hoop for as cheaply as possible.

 

Oh, goody! <clapping hands> Thank you!

[Night Elf]

Outrageously, that is a common response, which I take to mean "I don't really know, so instead of looking foolish, I'll make you look like an unreasonable jerk for merely questioning the status quo, and I will be very mean about it because I am very, very angry you put me in the position of possibly looking a fool.")

 

And ain't that just the darn skippy truth?? :tongue_smilie: