Will a public or private school count our homeschool credits?

[WaterLily]

We are seriously considering putting our oldest ds in school. He wants to go, and we had a very rough start to his freshman year so we are considering it at this point. We've made some curriculum changes which have helped quite a bit but we're still looking at our options. I've looked at Christian schools in the area and there are a couple possibilities - but they are so $$$$$!!! (I know... no surprise.) I don't know if I could really consider a public school. I think the ones in our area are really pretty good but I don't know. Anyway, I wish I would've looked into this over the summer but I had no idea we'd be in this position now. I had no idea we'd be considering it. If we do end up putting him in school at some point, I can't help but wish I would've done it at the beginning of high school because it seems like it would be easier to do it that way. Does anyone have experience with this? Also, as my title states, do I need to be concerned about a high school accepting our credits if my ds enters school in his sophomore year, for example?

 

I'm sorry if this post seems inappropriate b/c I'm asking about "school" but I feel like this is the best place to get help/information. Thank you! :)

[K-FL]

The only one who can answer that is someone at the particular schools. Just like colleges, they're all different.

[Brenda in MA]

Rebecca,

 

I don't have experience with trying to put a child into high school in the middle, but I did want to say that in my experience now with two boys, 9th grade was a very tough year. Boys at this age are still maturing pretty rapidly, so they've got hormone surges going on, they are growing like crazy, needing to sleep and eat more -- and all of this comes when high school hits and the school work load picks up substantially.

 

I'm just saying this because if your son is otherwise happy and has good access to peers through coops and/or extracurricular activities, that you might just want to wait out this year and hope things improve. You just might see him begin to gain some more long-term perspective once he hits 15 to 15.5 yo.

 

The other thing you might want to consider (if you haven't already) is to find an outside course or two for your son to take. Being accountable to someone other than you can really help motivation. There are on-line course options, and some places have local coops. I also know some families who are able to send their high schooler to a local public or private school for one or two courses and/or extracurricular activities, but some schools don't allow this. You'd just have to explore your options.

 

I don't think anyone here could answer your specific question about whether your son's 9th grades credits will be accepted. That seems to vary greatly by school district and state. You should probably ask around locally to see if you can find anyone who has put a homeschooled child into school. Also, call the schools you are considering and ask them directly.

 

Best wishes at a tough time!

Brenda

[Lucy the Valiant]

Before having my own children, I taught high school English at a private Christian school. It's true that they are all different, but at my school, the kids took a placement exam, and unless things were RADICALLY different, we went with the grade the parents said the kid was in (i.e., we transferred in their home school credits, no problem).

 

Sometimes there were some gaps to fill, but - yes, they did count.

 

Another thing to consider is the adjustment period - quite often, my formerly-home-schooled kids' grades took a nosedive as the kids adjusted to the different schedule / expectations of school. It's not unusual, and not something to be overly concerned about, as long as those grades start to level out / come back up.

[higginszoo]

They're all different, so the only way you're going to get an accurate answer is to ask the particular public and private schools your child may attend.

 

Some public schools don't allow any homeschool credits, some require testing, some are more accommodating. I would guess that private schools would be much the same way, except they may have more flexibility while public schools usually have some kind of local law that they have to use as a guideline.

[Jann in TX]

Our local district does NOT accept homeschool credits. No exceptions.

 

My sister homeschooled her oldest dds until high school when they moved to a new district in a small town. The girls expressed a desire to attend PS and my sister set up an 'interview' with the administration. The administration was very impressed with my nieces-- they did have the girls take a Math placement test-- and at first they accepted 'most' of their homeschool high school credits (one was going in as a Sophomore and the other as a Senior)-- by the end of the first semester the school informed my sister that they would accept ALL of their home school credits (because the girls were model students and definitely proved they had really 'earned the credits').

The girls ended up having a wonderful experience at their local PS.

[RootAnn]

I can tell you only of two families locally who have put their kids in public/private schools nearby.

 

One family put their #2 child into a local, homeschool-friendly school after he completed 9th grade at home. The school recommended that he "redo" 9th grade because that way there would be no transfer credit issues & hopefully the work would be easier for a better transition. Thus, he is a slightly older sophomore this year.

 

Another family send their #2 child to a different (horrid), local non-homeschool friendly school for her junior & senior years. They originally said they would accept most of her homeschool credits. They went back on this & the girl ended up over-scheduled her senior year to make them up. When the family decided send their #3 child to school, the family sent him to a private school about 20 minutes away from their house. The private school recommended that he repeat 9th grade (like the public school did to the first family) & so he did. He transferred to a 3rd public school (same town as the private school) for 11th & 12th grade, so no issues with transfer of homeschool credits.

 

The advice to check with the local schools you are considering is great. And, if you decide to send him, get the agreement on the transfer of credits in writing so you don't get blind-sided later. It is horrible to be told your kid might not graduate because the school decided at the last minute (anytime during the last year of HS) not to accept credits they originally said they would. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Rhonda in TX]

They're all different, so the only way you're going to get an accurate answer is to ask the particular public and private schools your child may attend.

 

Some public schools don't allow any homeschool credits, some require testing, some are more accommodating. I would guess that private schools would be much the same way, except they may have more flexibility while public schools usually have some kind of local law that they have to use as a guideline.

 

This is very true. Even local school districts around here vary in their policies. One accepts hs credits with very few problems. Another requires testing with homeschoolers having to make a higher grade than private school kids transferring in. You're going to need to contact the local schools and find out.

[hsbeth]

You've been given great advice. This varies greatly. Locally here our high schools will not accept any credits or grades from homeschoolers once they hit high school. Through the end of 8th they will give kids a math and reading placement test before enrolling them. Many homeschoolers have had their children place ahead one year upon enrollment.

 

Transferring in once high school has started is much more difficult. The children are required to take a state content exam or final exam (which one depends on the course) to receive credit for it and this test grade becomes THE grade listed on their transcript. I know of someone who had to enroll her 12th grader this year and it has been a disaster for his transcript. For instance, he had taken Biology as a 9th grader through a co-op and received an A. He didn't prepare thoroughly enough for the state Bio. exam he needed to receive credit at the public school and now has a low 70 on his transcript. During one week in August he had to take 3 English exams, 3 Math exams, 2 History exams, and 2 Science exams. He has received credit, but his new transcript is not at all impressive.

[creekland]

Yes, you need to check with the school. My high school won't accept any credits. Even my high stat ACT kid wouldn't have any of his credits count if he were to go back to ps. I'm not even sure they'd give him credit for Stats and he got a 5 on the AP test.

 

We had my youngest (who wanted to go to ps) start in 9th for that reason. They took my word on where to place him in math (but that's mainly because I substitute teach there in the math classes and they took my word on it). He had to do a writing placement test to get into upper level English classes. They allowed him to go into Bio instead of Physical Science on my word, but, of course, he doesn't have credit for Physical Science (our school also doesn't allow ANY credits from middle school courses from ps - even Alg 1 or Geometry).

 

He had absolutely no "technical" difficulties with ps, but he had been in ps up through 4th grade, so he sort of knew what to expect. He's not "the" top student there, but he is "a" top student. Since that's not saying much (at my school), we're still supplementing outside of school in order to get the academic level I want. He's happier overall.

[WaterLily]

As usual, you all have been so very helpful! My son has asked to go to school off and on for years now. It's solely because he's extremely social and felt he was missing out a bit. We've never really considered it until this year. We've had many conversations about it recently and he's still interested but has said that he's not "sure" what he wants to do. (By no means is it totally up to him, but we're interested in what he wants to do.) We've talked about the differences in the "school" part of it and he's a little apprehensive about the work load and that kind of thing. I keep trying to reassure him that if he stays home, we'll do our best to meet his needs socially if that's the only reason he wants to go to school. He's in a great youth group (and plays drums for their worship band) but if he had his way, he'd see his friends EVERY day. He grows tired of being stuck at home with mom and younger siblings all the time. I've tried to encourage him that it won't be too terribly long before he'll be driving and able to come and go and see friends more easily and frequently.

 

Anyway, as far as my questions about credits, I can see by the replies that it really does vary quite a bit. The school requirements vary as well as each individual's experience. Certainly I'd have to contact the schools to get that info - great advice. I think my fears have somewhat been confirmed though - for various reasons it could be difficult to put him in school after the start of high school. I kind of feel the pressure of "now or never" but I don't want to rush into anything. This is so tough. I know I don't plan to do everything myself all the way through. We'll do some kind of co-op classes and/or community college classes at some point. I looked into a co-op for this year but it was kind of pricey. It's not looking so expensive now that I've looked at private schools though lol! We do meet with friends a couple times a month to do Biology labs but we're on our own other than that. If he's still home next year we'll probably outsource more.

 

Well I'm tired and rambling so I'll stop. :) I can't thank you all enough for your thoughts. Oh, and Brenda, thanks for the encouragment on 14 yo boys! Knowing that it's generally just a tough time, and that it's not just us (me!), helps a lot. :)