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May have to put my son in public high school


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He will be a 9th grader this fall. The high school is one of the best in our state. But, I'm not sure my son can handle it. Will he be tested for placement? What if he isn't up to speed for a standard 9th grader?

He's in Pre-Algebra right now and is above average in math. He basically hates all of his subjects and is poor at writing. I plan on working on that with him.

 

 

He'll be entering high school as a very average student. He's not use to tests and quizzes, but I'm doing that with him this spring. Should I have a tutor evaluate him or just let the school work it out?

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can you check around with other hsers that may know?

 

I had a friend that put her child in.

the system was very accomadating gave him lots of credit for his work, since they had used Abeka.

 

I don't know how others have done it though.

 

I have heard of others that had major issues.

 

the good thing usually they are better if it is at the start of high school though.

 

and don't worry there will be kids of all levels at the high school

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I wouldn't let the school do testing. I'd have him take a standardized test (ITBS, CAT5, etc.), and go into the school with test scores and immunization records; I might also have some sort of report card (yes, you can come up with one, even if you haven't been doing them. Look for one on Donna Young's site), and a grade record for 7th and 8th (it usually isn't a "transcript" until it's high school). I'd look 'em right in the eye and say that you're enrolling him in 9th grade.

 

I have no doubt that your ds is at least as prepared as any student enrolling from the local public middle school, so don't go into the school office with your hat in your hands hoping your poor ds can squeeze in there. :)

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He was a very average homeschooled student. Not up to WTM standards by a long-shot.

 

I had to sign him up via the middle school counselor; middle school counselors deal with rising 9th graders in spring before they enter high school. She must of thought he was above average so she had me signed him up for Honor's World History, Honor's Earth Science, Honor's English, Geometry, PE, French 2 & 3, and Art. (Block system, so 8 credits per year).

 

So far, the only class that required writing anywhere near the WTM-level was his history and he ended up with a C in that class. He is making As and Bs in all the other classes.

 

I know this may be counter-intuitive, but I never told any of his teacher's that he was home schooled. The only person in the school that knows he was home schooled are the counselors. I have teacher friends and know that there is a presumptions that home schoolers are either dumb or way above average. I didn't want my son judged either.

 

He struggle at first with homework. However, the honor's world history teacher was known to be very, very tough and a lot of students ended up dropping his class.

 

His honor's english class is learning diagramming (subject/predicate!), simple essay skills (writing a thesis), and literary terms. Not WTM-level at all.

 

At first I checked his grades online and made sure he was completing his work and managing his time. I met with his teachers when needed to see if there was anything we needed to do at home, etc. Over time, I have stepped back and he is doing well on his own. I'm really proud of him (and I'm sleeping much better!).

 

I would recommend that your child learn how to work a combination lock, pack a backpack, write his name on the upper right of notebook paper, and get up in the morning! He might want to learn to type too. My kid's history teacher and english teacher require lots and lots of typed papers.

 

hth,

K

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I wouldn't let the school do testing. I'd have him take a standardized test (ITBS, CAT5, etc.), and go into the school with test scores and immunization records; I might also have some sort of report card (yes, you can come up with one, even if you haven't been doing them. Look for one on Donna Young's site), and a grade record for 7th and 8th (it usually isn't a "transcript" until it's high school). I'd look 'em right in the eye and say that you're enrolling him in 9th grade.

 

I have no doubt that your ds is at least as prepared as any student enrolling from the local public middle school, so don't go into the school office with your hat in your hands hoping your poor ds can squeeze in there. :)

 

totally agree with this

 

but do be prepared for them to do thier own testing depending on the attitude. but totally agree with walking in that he is as prepared as any other student.

 

I worked in a middle school. Trust me if you have put forth some effort he is going to do fine.

 

and agree with the mundane things, the locker, name on paper, changing classes and preping for that too.

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  • 1 month later...
I wouldn't let the school do testing. I'd have him take a standardized test (ITBS, CAT5, etc.), and go into the school with test scores and immunization records; I might also have some sort of report card (yes, you can come up with one, even if you haven't been doing them. Look for one on Donna Young's site), and a grade record for 7th and 8th (it usually isn't a "transcript" until it's high school). I'd look 'em right in the eye and say that you're enrolling him in 9th grade.

 

I have no doubt that your ds is at least as prepared as any student enrolling from the local public middle school, so don't go into the school office with your hat in your hands hoping your poor ds can squeeze in there. :)

 

Be careful and investigate; a standardized generic test might not suffice. In our state there are End of Grade tests for certain subjects. You can probably create your own and use it with your son (in our state at least those aren't shared and aren't available except in that one moment of testing state wide). I've had friends do just this. Some schools will be sticklers for something like that and a basic test like CAT5 won't work.

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