pgr Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 We're currently in NY, but moving to Pittsburgh this summer. This fall will be our first year HS'ing our eldest, who will be in first grade. Looking at the PA laws - yikes! Of course, NY laws are rather scary as well... As far as I understand, we don't have to report until she's 8. Regardless, I'm more worried about finding curricula that will have her up to speed when it comes times to test than I would be living in a relaxed state. It would be great to hear from others! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 :seeya: There's many people from PA here, all spread out across the state. I'm in the middle, near Harrisburg. The PA laws have a large, fierce bark, but really aren't that bad. Good thing is, you will have time to get acclimated here before having to worry about any of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 :seeya: There's many people from PA here, all spread out across the state. I'm in the middle, near Harrisburg.The PA laws have a large, fierce bark, but really aren't that bad. Good thing is, you will have time to get acclimated here before having to worry about any of it. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Hi, We are a couple hours north of Pitt. Don't let the laws scare you, the testing in 3, 5, and 8 grades is also mandated for all of the kids in the state not just homeschoolers. I have an adult son who has some learning issues and he never did well on those tests and it was never a problem. The annual evaluations have become sort of a cottage industry for homeschooling moms with a teaching degree so it is very homeschool friendly and inexpensive. The portfolio, well I just throw everything in a box and at some point I will pull out some things to put in a folder. The biggest 'problem' is the dreaded log. The easiest thing for me is to just keep a desk calendar and jot down what happens in a day and what books are used - that meets the state's requirements. The state doesn't ask us to include hours on the log, just the books used. Weird, but whatever. I am always tempted to include the strangest books I can find, but so far I have't dared to actually do it! There is a very active homeschool community in Pitt that I am quite jealous of. You will have a great time and a lot of activities to choose from. Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Thank you for the welcome! Embarking on this journey is scary enough without the worry of whether I'll do it well enough according to some standards the state puts forward. *Sigh*...why don't they have to be accountable to the parents if a child is in school? I agree that it's nuts they just want a list of the books - though I'm grateful they don't want minutes spent on each resource. Do they want page numbers also or just names of books? :confused: Nuts. Thank you for the reassurance as well - I'm very thankful I have a year or so for a dress rehearsal! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 You probably have 2 years for dress rehearsal. If your child turns 8 during 2nd grade school year, you're off the hook until 3rd grade starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie_homeschool_mama Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 My husband will be in his 3rd year at RPTS(Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary) in Pittsburgh. My daughter is 4 and we'll be starting full swing homeschooling in the fall. Right now we're just doing Phonics and some handwriting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie_homeschool_mama Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 What's bringing you to Pittsburgh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I am in Pittsburgh :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi, We are a couple hours north of Pitt. Don't let the laws scare you, the testing in 3, 5, and 8 grades is also mandated for all of the kids in the state not just homeschoolers. I have an adult son who has some learning issues and he never did well on those tests and it was never a problem. The annual evaluations have become sort of a cottage industry for homeschooling moms with a teaching degree so it is very homeschool friendly and inexpensive. The portfolio, well I just throw everything in a box and at some point I will pull out some things to put in a folder. The biggest 'problem' is the dreaded log. The easiest thing for me is to just keep a desk calendar and jot down what happens in a day and what books are used - that meets the state's requirements. The state doesn't ask us to include hours on the log, just the books used. Weird, but whatever. I am always tempted to include the strangest books I can find, but so far I have't dared to actually do it! There is a very active homeschool community in Pitt that I am quite jealous of. You will have a great time and a lot of activities to choose from. Welcome! I havent found a hsing community yet and I have been here a year. But, welcome to Pitt, at least you will acclamated to the snow, not anything like coming from San Diego. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I'm 60 miles south of the city now, but I am there weekly for co-op and field trips. I haven't hit the reporting stage yet, so no words of advice there. Aside from the weather, I mostly have good things to say about the city and the region in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 :seeya: Nice to see there are others out there who will either be braving the PA laws soon or have already survived them :tongue_smilie:! I'm sure they're not nearly as noxious as they sound... The clock is ticking loudly around here - we've got a contract on our home here in NY, and are madly looking for a place to live in PA. We'll be on our way to PA in late June! :) It's nice to feel like I already "know" some folks over there! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I'm in PA but I think Pittsburgh is at least 3 hours from where I live! (I'm originally from NY too- Long Island. But I've lived in PA for the past almost 10 years). The PA law looks intimidating/overwhelming at first glance. But all you have to do is take a deep breath, break it down into steps, get through it one time, and then you realize- Oh, that wasn't so bad. :) If you haven't yet visited Pauline's website, definitely do: http://www.askpauline.com The first step is the affidavit- and she's got printable affidavits right there on her site. You can either mail it (certified, return receipt requested) or drop it off in person. Many people like to mail it because then they don't have to talk to anybody at the school in person. I like to drop it off because I can type up a quick itemized list saying that my packet includes this, this, and that, and I ask somebody to sign saying they received those things specifically, and then they can never say I didn't give them what I was supposed to. (Yes a return receipt in the mail says they got something from you but it doesn't say WHAT exactly). Along with the affidavit, you will have to provide a list of "Educational Objectives." Again, Pauline has many examples of these on her site, and you can just use those and tweak a bit if you want. It's good to keep these GENERAL and more on the vague side. I also have examples of the ones I used on my blog if you want to take a peek: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/122810.html You are not held to these, they can't use these against you in any way, they're really no big deal. Then you just go about your business of homeschooling, but here and there throw some samples from each "required subject" aside to be used in your portfolio (I never give originals, only photocopies). Some people 'over comply' and give them everything they've done. I prefer to do the minimum the law says I have to, and it says "samples," not "everything." I give 3-5 samples per subject. If a district complains about this, you can always give them just a couple more, but likely they won't complain (and you would not get in trouble, especially as a first time reporter in PA. You've got ignorance on your side! :D) Some people who give a more minimalist portfolio like to also include a Summary, just something summing up what they did for each required subject to sort of round out the portfolio. This is NOT required. But here's the most recent one I submitted: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/138004.html At the end of the year you need to hire an evaluator (this should cost like 30 or 40 bucks, maybe?) who will look over your portfolio, chat briefly with you and your child/ren, and sign a form/letter which you will then need to submit, with your portfolio, to your school district. Pauline's site also has a list of different evaluators. It is not hard at all to find one that has no problem with YOUR style of homeschooling... even if you were an unschooler, which I know you are not. They are there for you, not for the district, and you should have no problem with your evaluator. Mine's very nice, very friendly, does not "interrogate" my child, it's painless. You then submit your portfolio, and your evaluator's letter to your district. Again, you can do this by mail, or in person. If your child is in grades 3, 5, or 8, you have to give them a standardized test and include those results- but please, don't stress over these. You do not need to submit a perfect score- remember that many of these schools are below state average in THEIR standardized test results (especially by where I live!) You don't have to prove that your kid can ace a standardized test. All you have to do is show from year to year that overall, sustained "progress" is being made in your home education program. The last thing which is kind of an area of debate around here is the reading log. Some people think the "log" has to be a dated thing showing what you've done on a daily basis and that that has to be submitted in conjunction with your list of reading materials. Others interpret it to say that the log IS the list of reading materials. I'm in that camp. So I just submit a list of reading materials, undated, by title only. I've never had a problem. And again, it is way better to do the minimum you think you can get away with, especially your first year when you can say "I'm new! I didn't know!"- and if they accept it without question- which they probably will! You're good! If they ask for more, you can always say "Oh, okay, sorry!" and give them a little more. But once you start off "over complying," they will always expect that from you. Anyway, I keep my "log" by keeping a wordpad document on my computer- whenever we read a book together or my kid reads one individually or we use one for reference/resource material etc, I go add the title to my wordpad file, and at the end of the year, I can print it out and include it with the portfolio. I think the last thing is the "attendance calendar"- stupid concept for homeschoolers if you ask me, but, again, Pauline has examples of what you can use on her site and they're really very easy. Some people print out a calendar and x off 180 boxes. I like to submit a statement just saying that we more than met the 180 day requirement since we believe life and learning are inextricable blah blah blah. It's never been questioned. I THINK I just touched on everything. Again, see Pauline's site, and you might see some useful things on the sidebar of my blog, and if you have any other questions I'd be happy to help if I can. Nance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Oh my gosh- after all of that, I just looked at your signature line and see that your kids are only going into 1st grade and K- so this won't even be an issue for you for a few years yet. You don't have to do anything until the school year when they turn 8 years of age by your district's cutoff date! That's when compulsory school age starts here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Oh my gosh- after all of that, I just looked at your signature line and see that your kids are only going into 1st grade and K- so this won't even be an issue for you for a few years yet. You don't have to do anything until the school year when they turn 8 years of age by your district's cutoff date! That's when compulsory school age starts here. :) Thank you SO much for taking the time to type all that out - I'm going to print it for future reference ;)... It was all information that I'd come across before in one form or another in my research of PA laws, but I found it terribly helpful to see it all in one place, broken down into user friendly steps :). I know compulsory education starts at age 8 - I want to use those first years as a dress rehearsal so I'm not just looking at it all for the first time when I actually have to do it. You've been incredibly helpful - I really appreciate your post! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 No problem. Good luck with everything, I'm sure it will all work out. It really isn't as bad as it seems at first glance. Some districts are easier going than others (I've heard there are even a few in the bigger areas with lots of homeschoolers that have gone so far as to tell their homeschoolers NOT to submit portfolios... that must be nice lol). Others try to ask for a little more than what they are entitled to but will back off if you politely stand your ground. And still others will just take whatever you give them and half the time you have to wonder if they ever even look at it. Hopefully you'll end up in an easy going district. :) Also, there is a yahoo email list for PA homeschoolers that you might want to consider joining, the people there are very helpful and you can lurk or join in as desired: PA-HomeEducators@yahoogroups.com It seems to kind of go through spurts of seeming inactive for a while but whenever somebody writes to the list with a question, it always gets some helpful replies. Nance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senorita Tuna Fish Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 That was really all I had to say! You can contact us when you get here! We will be happy to show you around and things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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