Having trouble getting our state virtual academy to place ds in the right grade

[A home for their hearts]

I decided to try our state virtual academy which uses K12 to place my ds7 in first grade. I decided to wait and start formal schooling with him until this past summer. He is just know learning to read and doing simple addition and subtraction. Because of his age they want him to be in 2nd grade, but I placed him in first when I applied. I've been getting the run around about it all week. My older two children have already been accepted and their materials are on there way. What is the big deal about me wanting my son to be in the grade that I think would be most beneficial for him? The man I talked to today ask me to send in his standardized test results. When I said he doesn't take standardized tests, he said, "well the law is homeschoolers have to take standardized tests once a year blah blah blah...." When I told him that wasn't true, that we have two options he started asking me to send in my sons porfolio. Good grief! It's not like I'm wanting him to be placed in kindergarten or 3rd grade! What's the big deal with me asking them to start him at grade I know, as his teacher, to be the grade level for him?

 

Has anyone else had any trouble with grade placement and your state virtual academy? I'm about ready to say forget it and just homeschool him the old fashioned way!

[Hen]

I haven't used K12...so hopefully someone who has will chime in, but I do use a homeschool charter for my kids- just not an online one.

 

I have heard that the virtual charters are more picky about which grade you are in and/or working above or behind a grade...which for homeschoolers is not a strange thing- our kids are often in different levels for different subjects, but they seem to have a hard time with this.

 

I would try to talk to someone else, if you already have an ES (a teacher you will be checking in with each month) try talking to that person instead of a person at the main office. If they will not budge, you might consider keeping your older children in- if you like the program and want to see how it goes, but don't enroll your youngest until next year when you have an established grade for him...or not at all. I don't know what State you are in, but you could also look for a charter that is more willing to work with grade levels and scope & sequence...I am with a charter more willing to work with me on all of that.

 

Some charters are run more like your normal brick school.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Hen Jen
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[Ellie]

I feel your pain, but is what it is when you enroll your dc in a public school, even one which has its "campus" in your kitchen.

 

And I wouldn't expect anyone at the school to know what the homeschool laws are. They don't need to know that.

[linguistmama]

Like the PP said, do you have a teacher or someone assigned to your family that you could talk with? We used a K12 state charter last year. Our teacher contact sent me a demo K12 password so that I could look through the subjects to decide which level would be best for dd. For example, art K level, math 1st grade etc. If the charter won't budge then I would probably not enroll him.

[littlebug42]

K12 places your child in the grade level they would be in by age in brick and mortar public schools. They tend to not deviate from that. Once upon a time they would do placement tests but not any more. This is a big sticking point for me and one of the reasons why I will not go back to our k12 virtual academy.

 

ETA: I did not end up going with them but Connections Academy was much more willing to work with me on grade placement and between placement tests and a discussion with me about where they were in our homeschool/curriculum used, they were willing to place the girls in the grades I wanted them in. OHVA (the K12 school) would not even consider it.

Edited September 1, 2011 by littlebug42