Home school to High school?

[Amy loves Bud]

My upcoming 8th grade son wants to come back home to homeschool high school. I have a call in to our high school's counselor, but I wondered if you all have any experience transferring to public high school midstream. How do they evaluate homeschool work for credit?

 

I am emphasizing to my son that if he does come home at this point, it really needs to be with the intention to complete high school at home. Nevertheless, I want to approach our work in a way that would allow him to transfer into high school should that become a necessity. I want to keep all the doors open for as long as possible. The breeze is nice. :)

[Jann in TX]

It can be a pain to transfer from homeschool into PS once the high school years have started.

 

The school that grants the 'degree' has to be able to certify that all courses were completed to THEIR specifications.

 

Most school districts in Texas (and most other states) do not accept/grant credit for homeschooled courses. If you go through some private accredited agency or online 'school' it might help--but the PS does not have to accept those credits not from another PS (accredited by State of Texas)

 

Hope is not lost! Texas Tech offers courses through its distance high school program that earn FULL PS credit-- because the school is an "official" Texas public school. The offer credit by exam too (no gpa points only pass/fail).

If your son begins homeschool for high school and decides to enter PS in 10th grade, you can have him 'test' out of his earned credits then provide the Texas Tech transcript that the PS has to honor...

 

Occasionally you can ask the school superintendent to grant credits-- be prepared to present a solid case (portfolio). Our school district/superintendent has a NO CREDIT policy... they are upset about loosing tax money when students living in the district choose to attend a private or home school (state takes any tax money from that family and gives it to another district!). Our district is really suffering from the unfair 'Robin Hood' tax program.

[Mom22ns]

Most school districts in Texas (and most other states) do not accept/grant credit for homeschooled courses.

 

I don't know about "most other states", but I know here it is no problem to go from homeschooling into public high school. You present a transcript, very much like you would for college. Course descriptions and curriculum used may be asked for or placement tests given. You can check what your local hoops are when you talk to the counselor, but this definitely varies by state and probably even by school district in some states.

 

Also, private schools in this area are very welcoming of homeschoolers, so if PS won't take him back, you can check with private schools.

[Amy loves Bud]

Thank you, Jann. I just got off the phone with the counselor and she basically said in math, for example, if he went to school as a sophomore, they would place him in Algebra 1 where he would have to sit until he could test for proficiency in Algebra 1 and Geometry. Then they would put him in Algebra 2 after testing. But that would be mid year, therefore he would be behind.

 

Idiotic.

 

I'm not too concerned. I just wanted to be able to let Luke know that this is the scenario and he really should be prepared to homeschool for the duration at this point.

 

I will look into what Texas Tech offers and see how that would line up with what we are planning to do. I really appreciate the information.

[Amy loves Bud]

I don't know about "most other states", but I know here it is no problem to go from homeschooling into public high school. You present a transcript, very much like you would for college. Course descriptions and curriculum used may be asked for or placement tests given. You can check what your local hoops are when you talk to the counselor, but this definitely varies by state and probably even by school district in some states.

 

Also, private schools in this area are very welcoming of homeschoolers, so if PS won't take him back, you can check with private schools.

 

Thanks for the feedback. There is one private school that we would consider, but they probably wouldn't be to keen on a mid-high school entry based on what I know about their program. The other private schools in the area don't impress me much and they cost a lot, and we wouldn't be able to sign their statement of faith in good conscience.

 

At this point, Luke just has to decide what it is he really wants. I'm okay with either option, so he has to be able to look down the road and see the big picture. That's a lot to ask of a 13 year old!

[Trilliums]

Our school district policy sounds similar to how Jann describes the situation in TX. In our state though, it is up to individual school districts to decide. At this point, even if my 9th grader went to ps full time, he would not get an accredited diploma unless he somehow met all their graduation requirements. But, he can attend ps part time and take classes at his level without doing the prerequisites at the school. You might be able to push this point with the counselor IF he wanted to take classes at the high school Jr or Sr year, but not get an accredited diploma.

[fiddle]

We've just started out on our homeschool journey, but my oldest is 7th grade and we're going to homeschool for middle school, but not sure yet about high school. There are disadvantages to switching between hs and ps in the high school years, and in our district they hardly take any hs credits.

 

One crafty veteran homeschooling mom here put 1 of her 3 sons in ps high school for his jr and most of sr yr so that he could compete in athletics. He had to test for placement for math, etc. Since the school wouldn't take his hs credits, the mom promptly pulled him OUT of ps in the weeks before the end of his sr. yr and just graduated him out of the hs:D That kid (and her 2 others) all got some scholarship & financial aid to the various colleges that they now attend. So, I guess where there is a will, there is a way.

 

Best of luck.

Paula

[BarbaraL in OK]

I wondered if you all have any experience transferring to public high school midstream. How do they evaluate homeschool work for credit? ... I want to approach our work in a way that would allow him to transfer into high school should that become a necessity.

... if he went to school as a sophomore, they would place him in Algebra 1 where he would have to sit until he could test for proficiency...

 

My 16yo son has given me the opportunity to research this for Oklahoma and our school district in particular, since he told us two weeks ago that he'd really like to go to the public high school for his last two years!

 

The counselor at the high school said my son would have to take a test for each course he wanted credit for having done as a homeschooler (and pass with 60%), and they offer eight such tests. To enter as a junior, he needs at least 10 credits and can make up the 11th his first year to catch up.

 

In our case, my son is also finishing his second year of German Online through Oklahoma State University, so he could actually reach 10 credits.

 

Here in Oklahoma they have responded to No Child Left Behind at the high school level with a battery of tests, with proficiency (60%) required for graduation. These tests are most of the tests they can offer my son: algebra 1 & 2, geometry, English 2 & 3, U.S. history, and biology 1. The counselor also mentioned a test for physical science.

 

After talking with the counselor, I spent an intense evening recently scouring the websites and online documentation of the state department of education, the local school district, the local school board, and the high school. This was VERY helpful.

 

It turns out that in the language of the applicable Oklahoma law AND in the rules and guidelines issued by the Oklahoma dept of education, students entering high school from a non-accredited school or home school can provide alternate test results that are specifically allowed to substitute for the above tests. One of the options is the PSAT, and my son's PSAT math and verbal scores meet the modest standards, so he should be able to skip all of the math and English tests. It remains to be seen whether he will also receive credit for that coursework; the law and the state guidelines say so, but the less-recent district and school policies are less clear.

 

My advice: do the research, and find out what the law is, as well as the statewide guidelines and the local district and school policies. Also, don't assume the high school counselor has much experience with homeschoolers wanting to attend high school.

 

One tip: search for accreditation guidelines issued by the state department of education. That's where I found the most specific information for students entering from non-accredited situations such as homeschooling.

 

It's funny, we're only pursuing the credits so he can enter as a junior. Neither my son nor I really care whether he graduates from the high school and receives a diploma; we're fine with college applications that include a two-year transcript from me and a two-year transcript from the high school.

 

Wish me luck. After school is out in May, I will meet with the counselor and be my son's advocate, presenting our case and seeking the best situation for him as he enters the public school system. After we sort out the tests & credits thing, I would love to see the state law applied so that he can test (or provide scores) and receive credit for other coursework he's done at home: definitely English 1, U.S. government, and world history. Hey, if we can get the system to acknowledge more of the work he's done at home, without undue stress on my son, I'm okay with that.