s/o What is the WORST state to be a homeschooler?

[kubiac]

Are there still states with onerous restrictions on homeschooling? What requirements are the most challenging?

[Farrar]

Well, the ones you hear the most often are Pennsylvania and New York, but I haven't lived in either, so I can't say. Maryland isn't great either.

[Tarreymere]

I often hear that Pennsylvania is the worst state, but I live in Pennsylvania and it is New York that scares ME.

[snowbeltmom]

If you have a child that wants to play his sport in college, I would say New York is the worst state to homeschool. Due to NY's homeschooling laws, the NCAA requires homeschoolers from NY to take the GED - no other homeschooler from any other state has this ridiculous requirement.

[shinyhappypeople]

North Dakota - their standardized tests results matter. Score low enough and the school district gets itself in your business in a big way.

[I talk to the trees]

I find NY regulations to be irritating, but once you have your template for the notice, ihip, quarter report, and final report, it's not so bad. And so far, we have only had to put the superintendent in her place once. (She got a bit uppity, and thought she had the right to interpret the law, not just enforce it.) Some of the ps teachers are openly hostile, but I think you'll find a little bit of that everywhere.

 

Dh is (still) looking for that perfect professor position somewhere, and I have told him that if he lands a position in PA, dd and I are going to live with family in VA.

[I talk to the trees]

Actually I think you have it worse. :tongue_smilie:

 

Here in NY we submit:

 

Notice of intent - just one line that we are homeschooling for the year

 

Individualized Home Instruction Plan- basically a list of books or topics and subjects we will cover

 

4 quarterly reports - basically a summary of topics covered, a statement we spent x amount of hours on school, and one line about progress

 

End of the year assessment or test score - some years we can do a narrative and some we have to do a test. So far I've only done narratives and usually they are about a paragraph long. The standardized test score needs to be 33% or better or show one year's growth. If not, that's still not instant grounds for not being able to homeschool.

 

That sounds like a lot, but honestly it's mostly busy work. The district cannot reject books you have selected, for example. The only fuzzy and annoying part of the regs is who can do the annual assessment or test. Some districts allow the parent to do it and some don't. Many people just go ahead and do it themselves and hope their district doesn't scoff at it. So far I've been able to do my own assessments. Otherwise, I'd have to find a mutually agreed upon person to do it. That could potentially be a pain.

 

Nobody is allowed to come to your house to check up on you. They cannot insist you meet with them. Even if you end up on probation for low test scores, again, that doesn't mean you cannot homeschool anymore. You don't have to show them samples of work.

 

It's mostly fake busywork. Truth be told I can tell them whatever BS I want.

 

:iagree: and especially the bold bit! :tongue_smilie:

[snowbeltmom]

Ok, that part is annoying. But there is nothing that says you have to go to college in NY.

 

This requirement has nothing to do with where the college is located. In order for a NY homeschooler to meet the NCAA Clearinghouse requirments, he has to take the GED. I don't know the specifics, but this requirement has something to do with the fact that the state of NY does not officially recognize a homeschooler's diploma.

[dancer67]

Mass.

 

If we got rid of the "approval" issue then it would be great. But the burden of proof is on the school. But still, it is just one more hassle if they decide they just don't feel like approving you.

And because we have case law, each district seems to interpret those laws differently.

 

EX: 3 methods of evaluation. Testing, progress report or work samples.

 

Problem with last two. Some districts will ask for one progress report, some will ask for two. Some will say not enough work samples, another may not even look and file them away.

 

Some towns never send out an approval letter, others will and also send out their own "homeschool policy" and will pitch a fit if you don't fill it out.(it is not required, but they can try and make trouble)

 

I have been homeschooling 8 years, 4 superintendents, and have only had trouble with one. The guy actually wanted to know WHO was going to fill out a progress report for my child. Well, me of course. He actually laughed and said that was ridiculous that it needs to be done by a teacher. I ever so "nicely" told him that it was my right to do so, and the law did not state it had to be done by a teacher. I actually had to give him a website that explained MA homeschool laws. Guy didn't have a clue.

[redsquirrel]

Actually I think you have it worse. :tongue_smilie:

 

Here in NY we submit:

 

Notice of intent - just one line that we are homeschooling for the year

 

Individualized Home Instruction Plan- basically a list of books or topics and subjects we will cover

 

4 quarterly reports - basically a summary of topics covered, a statement we spent x amount of hours on school, and one line about progress

 

End of the year assessment or test score - some years we can do a narrative and some we have to do a test. So far I've only done narratives and usually they are about a paragraph long. The standardized test score needs to be 33% or better or show one year's growth. If not, that's still not instant grounds for not being able to homeschool.

 

That sounds like a lot, but honestly it's mostly busy work. The district cannot reject books you have selected, for example. The only fuzzy and annoying part of the regs is who can do the annual assessment or test. Some districts allow the parent to do it and some don't. Many people just go ahead and do it themselves and hope their district doesn't scoff at it. So far I've been able to do my own assessments. Otherwise, I'd have to find a mutually agreed upon person to do it. That could potentially be a pain.

 

Nobody is allowed to come to your house to check up on you. They cannot insist you meet with them. Even if you end up on probation for low test scores, again, that doesn't mean you cannot homeschool anymore.

 

It's mostly fake busywork. Truth be told I can tell them whatever BS I want.

 

:iagree:

 

I live in NY and it isn't a problem. I am actually kind of glad of the record keeping. I've been told I will have an easier time when it comes to keeping records for high school transcripts. The record keeping takes me about...30 mins a couple times a year. That includes the time it takes to get the books off the shelves.

 

I don't take it for granted. I have been told by older homeschooling parents that it was much harder 20 years ago. All the hard work they did has really made it much easier for many of us.

 

Sometimes you hear about a particular district where someone isn't educated about the state regs and decides to make their own. I have one friend who could have won a huge law suite against her district, but decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

 

It has been great being in NY with a kid who needs special ed services through the ps system. My son gets speech therapy, OT, and PT. He gets as much as he would get if he were enrolled in the public school. He got full evaluations. The school has been very easy to work with. When I read here about what other parents of special needs kids in other states go through I feel lucky to live in NY.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Quebec is the worst place in all of North America.

[Zoo Keeper]

Quebec is the worst place in all of North America.

 

 

Why? :bigear:

[FO4UR]

MO is considered an easy state, but I think tracking the *hours* spent schooling is a waste of precious time.

[Matryoshka]

IMO MA sounds like a horrible place as well. My friend had a nasty fight there. (My inlaws live there as well).

 

It's usually super super easy to homeschool here. People who have problems have usually run into petty tyrants in individual towns who think they have power that they don't. If you know the case law and quote them chapter and verse, most will back down because they really didn't know what they were talking about and were just blowing hot air.

 

We don't have mandatory testing or any kind of in-person evaluation by and "expert" that many of the high-reg states have. I've always just sent in one envelope a year for all three kids saying "I'm homeschooling these kids/these are the subjects I'm covering/here's a quick summary of how last year went." All done.

[I talk to the trees]

And then there was that case of that family that didn't submit anything for years (remember that in the news?). In the end they just told them to submit their stuff and they did and as far as I know that was the end of that.

 

Ha! Funny, we were quoting each other at the same time.

 

Oh, yes, I remember them. That was one of the reasons I finally left my LEAH group. LEAH leadership was saying "Oh, these poor people... charged with neglect. All they did was what they had always done..." And I wanted to say, "Well if they had KNOWN the law and FOLLOWED the law from the beginning, it wouldn't have happened." Ya' know? Just because one superintendent didn't question the family when they didn't submit the proper paperwork, doesn't mean that it's fine to just ignore the law, even if you totally disagree with it. People like that make those of us who do know and obey the regulations look bad, *and* they make trouble for us, since it is assumed that all homeschoolers are like that. (ooh....sorry.....rant over....:leaving:)

[Carrie12345]

PA is easy, just annoying!

 

I submit my "I'm going to homeschool", my objectives ("Will continue to improve math skills, etc."), and a medical exept page (because I have a philosophical objection to their having that info :tongue_smilie:). I edit the year on the pages and print out every June. i do pay $5 to have someone notorize it every year, which annoys me.

 

My end of year portfolios are vague and handwritten, and I throw some samples in. I do have to pay for an independent evaluation, which also annoys me, but it's about an hour (for two kids) out of my life. They give me a paper, I stick it in the portfolio, and drop it off with the district. I pick it up a couple of days later.

 

A couple of days in June to do that and testimg at home in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. No contact for the rest of the year.

 

Sure, I'd rather be in Jersey, but PA doesn't control my kids' education in any way. They don't even *really* know how we're doing based on the flimsy paperwork.

[snowbeltmom]

But there are many states that do not recognize a HS diploma. So that really is some weirdness and seems to me to be an NCAA thing.

:iagree:

There are other states that don't recognize a homeschooler's diploma. I don't know the specifics of why only NY homeschoolers have to take the GED, but it has something to do with the verbiage in the NY homeschooling regulations.

[Mrs.Gregg]

Actually I think you have it worse. :tongue_smilie:

 

Here in NY we submit:

 

Notice of intent - just one line that we are homeschooling for the year

 

Individualized Home Instruction Plan- basically a list of books or topics and subjects we will cover

 

4 quarterly reports - basically a summary of topics covered, a statement we spent x amount of hours on school, and one line about progress

 

End of the year assessment or test score - some years we can do a narrative and some we have to do a test. So far I've only done narratives and usually they are about a paragraph long. The standardized test score needs to be 33% or better or show one year's growth. If not, that's still not instant grounds for not being able to homeschool.

 

That sounds like a lot, but honestly it's mostly busy work. The district cannot reject books you have selected, for example. The only fuzzy and annoying part of the regs is who can do the annual assessment or test. Some districts allow the parent to do it and some don't. Many people just go ahead and do it themselves and hope their district doesn't scoff at it. So far I've been able to do my own assessments. Otherwise, I'd have to find a mutually agreed upon person to do it. That could potentially be a pain.

 

Nobody is allowed to come to your house to check up on you. They cannot insist you meet with them. Even if you end up on probation for low test scores, again, that doesn't mean you cannot homeschool anymore. You don't have to show them samples of work.

 

It's mostly fake busywork. Truth be told I can tell them whatever BS I want.

 

This is about what I do utilizing a ALE through Washington State. This gives me some relief as a possible move to Upstate NY may be in our future in the next 5 yrs.

[LibraryLover]

Districts have various requirements. One does have to submit a Letter of Intent. In some towns, hsers can participate in music, theater, sports etc. Hsers do not have to take the MCAS. Some towns only allow sports but not the arts. I know some areas like to see a progress report at the end, but not in my town. People know their rights these days, so it doesn't take much to present a principal or superindentent a printout of the law if they try to overstep.

 

We have a large hs website of folks from many towns and cities, and it's rare to hear of any issues (which is not to say they do not exist, but in the past few years, issues have cooled) at least in our corner.

 

It's town by town here. Some require only the LoI and some more. Yet they can't demand more than the allow allows. Some districts don't always have a clear understanding of the law, but there is enough networking of information so that issues can be worked out pretty quickly. The Frammingham issue was an anomaly

Edited July 4, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Ellie]

Pennsylvania looks rilly, rilly bad.

 

NY's law has lots of words, but when you read it carefully, you can see it isn't all that hard.

 

I wouldn't want to hs in North Dakota. Vermont and Massachuesetts are approval states; I don't want to get approval to teach my own children in my own home.:glare:

[LibraryLover]

My friend was in Framingham. The petty tyrant issue required massive legal intervention.

 

 

Was this recent? I've noticed a huge backing off in the last decade or so. Sometimes the school dept doesn't know the law, but one look at it, and they don't want to deal with challenging it.

[LibraryLover]

Pennsylvania looks rilly, rilly bad.

 

NY's law has lots of words, but when you read it carefully, you can see it isn't all that hard.

 

I wouldn't want to hs in North Dakota. Vermont and Massachuesetts are approval states; I don't want to get approval to teach my own children in my own home.:glare:

 

 

It's not so much that you need true 'approval'...I mean, I guess that's the technical term, but it's not an actual issue. There are many unschoolers regestered here (MA) , and they aren't putting in textbook/curricula plans. You submit a Letter of Intent. And by calling it 'Intent', there is no expectation that you are doing/have done all you might have 'intended' to do. Once the letter is recieved, you're sent a preprinted form saying basically, "We've recieved your letter of intent. You're now registered as a hser". They do want you registered as a hser, that's true. I've never, ever heard of anyone being denied. Some people don't file, and are under the radar. I always file, as I want that paper trail. It's also why my kids go to the pedi each year for a checkup.

Edited July 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[kitten18]

North Dakota is really bad. If you don't have at least a bachelors degree, then you are subjected to a WEEKLY visit by the public school officials when they spend an hour with your first child and a half hour for each subsequent child going over everything they learned that week. They also go over your lesson plans and curriculum, and approve it. Each year you have to file with the public school district and submit all that required paperwork. Additionally, the kids have to score well on the mandatory bi annual standardized testing. If they don't score high enough, then you are put on probation for two years and are subjected to the weekly visitation rigmarole, regardless of whether or not you have a college degree.

 

Imagine my homeschooling culture shock moving from Texas (the only place i've ever homeschooled) to North Dakota. Thank goodness we had to endure that for only two years. Happy to be homeschooling in Texas again!

 

(typing on my phone. sorry for typos)

:svengo:

[snowbeltmom]

North Dakota is really bad. If you don't have at least a bachelors degree, then you are subjected to a WEEKLY visit by the public school officials when they spend an hour with your first child and a half hour for each subsequent child going over everything they learned that week. They also go over your lesson plans and curriculum, and approve it. Each year you have to file with the public school district and submit all that required paperwork. Additionally, the kids have to score well on the mandatory bi annual standardized testing. If they don't score high enough, then you are put on probation for two years and are subjected to the weekly visitation rigmarole, regardless of whether or not you have a college degree.

 

 

Wow. How many families are homeschooling in North Dakota? I can't even imagine our state providing the funding to pay for a weekly visit to all of the homeschooling families in the state that don't have a Bachelors degree.:confused:

 

What does North Dakota do with the public schooled kids that don't meet the testing requirement? Are they required to repeat the grade, or do the p.s. kids not have to jump through this testing hoop?

[LibraryLover]

Wow. How many families are homeschooling in North Dakota? I can't even imagine our state providing the funding to pay for a weekly visit to all of the homeschooling families in the state that don't have a Bachelors degree.:confused:

 

What does North Dakota do with the public schooled kids that don't meet the testing requirement? Are they required to repeat the grade, or do the p.s. kids not have to jump through this testing hoop?

 

 

Yikes! What a lot of work for them! What's the population of ND? I know it's kind of cold there ;), but surely there are too many hsers for them to go to this sort of trouble?

Edited July 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[dancer67]

My friend was in Framingham. The petty tyrant issue required massive legal intervention.

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

HSLDA had to come out to a town next to me, and there was a massive legal battle. The school would not approve the family unless they agreed to meet with the public schools social worker. It made the news, and everyone this side of the state attended. It was SRO.

 

Of course, the homeschoolers won. But not without a huge legal battle.

 

So no, MA is not "super easy". The law here is not cut and dry. We need to get rid of the approval issue.

[Candid]

Wow. How many families are homeschooling in North Dakota? I can't even imagine our state providing the funding to pay for a weekly visit to all of the homeschooling families in the state that don't have a Bachelors degree.:confused:

 

What does North Dakota do with the public schooled kids that don't meet the testing requirement? Are they required to repeat the grade, or do the p.s. kids not have to jump through this testing hoop?

 

My thoughts exactly! No matter what the population this costs $$$$.

[amydavis]

Wow. How many families are homeschooling in North Dakota? I can't even imagine our state providing the funding to pay for a weekly visit to all of the homeschooling families in the state that don't have a Bachelors degree.:confused:

 

What does North Dakota do with the public schooled kids that don't meet the testing requirement? Are they required to repeat the grade, or do the p.s. kids not have to jump through this testing hoop?

 

I know it was mentioned in the thread that North Dakota supervised anyone without a bachelor's degree, but when I followed the link that Ellie posted, it stated that they supervised anyone without a high school diploma or GED. Any other North Dakota folks care to chime in?

[Teachin'Mine]

Quebec is the worst place in all of North America.

 

From what you've shared, you're absolutely right. :grouphug:

[LibraryLover]

:iagree::iagree:

 

HSLDA had to come out to a town next to me, and there was a massive legal battle. The school would not approve the family unless they agreed to meet with the public schools social worker. It made the news, and everyone this side of the state attended. It was SRO.

 

Of course, the homeschoolers won. But not without a huge legal battle.

 

So no, MA is not "super easy". The law here is not cut and dry. We need to get rid of the approval issue.

 

 

Was the Frammingham issue the one is 2003, with the special needs child? That was almost a decade ago. I know HSLDA mentions this particular case frequently, but it wasn't as clear cut to the special ed folks in Frammingham. (Unless I am thinking of the wrong case.)

 

That was a long time ago, and in that same year, other Frammingham parents had no issues with their LoI. Not that it wasn't miserable for the family. I understand it was terribly challenging for them.

Edited July 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[happypamama]

PA is easy, just annoying!

 

A couple of days in June to do that and testimg at home in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. No contact for the rest of the year.

 

Sure, I'd rather be in Jersey, but PA doesn't control my kids' education in any way. They don't even *really* know how we're doing based on the flimsy paperwork.

 

:iagree: Yes, this.

 

Pennsylvania looks rilly, rilly bad.

 

At the risk of being rude, I feel I need to comment, as I know you have said this before. I know that compared to TX, yes, PA is bad, no question. I would much rather live where I didn't have to report anything to anyone. But it really isn't horrible or extremely difficult to homeschool here. I know there are individual districts that make it difficult, but the majority of those of us who live and homeschool here find it merely hoops that take a little extra time to jump through, not terribly difficult. Day to day, the law really does not affect how we teach or what we do. The law itself is ridiculously vague and leaves a lot of leeway. I would definitely not keep from living in PA because of the homeschool laws.

 

Also, I looked into West Virginia's law once, and despite it being listed as easier than PA, I found a lot of comments on message boards about people having a lot of trouble finding a teacher to evaluate their portfolios. In contrast, I have had zero trouble finding an evaluator here in PA who suits my family's needs just fine.

[Momof3littles]

We just moved back to PA from NC, and I am not thrilled to be back. I've followed the HSing laws here for some time, knowing there was a chance we'd be back here by the time my eldest turned 8 (which is when you become "official" in PA in terms of paperwork).

 

We moved to a district that had historically been quite HSing friendly, only to find out that this past year there was a personnel change and they started making extra-legal requests. For example, yes, we have to submit a port, but there's no definition of what a port must look like (accordion file vs. a binder vs. a banker's box vs. a pocket folder). THe district started telling HSers last year they had to submit their port in a 3 inch binder labeled in a specific format, etc. They want everyone to use *their* evaluator form, which asks about things that are beyond the law. I know of one HSer who pushed back gently and they basically made it seem like they were doing her a favor and she'd be expected to comply this year. We'll see what happens. We just filed our affidavit and objectives, so we haven't had to submit a port and evaluator letter yet. I will be curious to see how things shake out this year. Oh, and they also weren't happy that she didn't have samples of *every* subject, even though in PA in the elementary grades you don't have to teach every single subject every year, other than fire safety ;)

 

In many ways, it is just a lot of hoop jumping. You would think that even those in favor of tight regulation of HSing would realize the redundancy and ridiculousness of having the step of going to an evaluator, getting the letter, and then having to submit the whole port and evaluator to the district anyway. It just seems silly to set up all of these hoops, particularly the ones that are redundant.

 

It is frustrating that a district that has been historically "easy to work with" can become not so easy to work with based on just one personnel change. THe law is the law, yet districts can and do overstep. I know the majority of folks don't have a problem, but as someone who just moved into a district where I thought things would go pretty smoothly based on past reports, I find it very frustrated to have to possibly deal with confrontation. We'll see if the new person is receptive to the push back and education from a few folks in the district this year. I'll be waiting to hear more, because we'll be submitting our port and evaluator letter this coming year.

 

I understand why PA residents don't feel it is that bad in reality, but I do think it can be intimidating or overwhelming if you aren't comfortable pushing back when the district oversteps. Sometimes they get it when someone submits the actual text of the law or pushes back gently, but what happened in my district was a "we'll let it slide *this* year, but expect compliance *next* year" when they are the ones overstepping the law. That is frustrating.

 

North Dakota and NY sound worse to me, by far, FWIW.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Momof3littles

[Paula in PA]

I often hear that Pennsylvania is the worst state, but I live in Pennsylvania and it is New York that scares ME.

 

:iagree: Though I'm not exactly crazy about the law here, either.

[Carrie12345]

We just moved back to PA from NC, and I am not thrilled to be back. I've followed the HSing laws here for some time, knowing there was a chance we'd be back here by the time my eldest turned 8 (which is when you become "official" in PA in terms of paperwork).

 

We moved to a district that had historically been quite HSing friendly, only to find out that this past year there was a personnel change and they started making extra-legal requests. For example, yes, we have to submit a port, but there's no definition of what a port must look like (accordion file vs. a binder vs. a banker's box vs. a pocket folder). THe district started telling HSers last year they had to submit their port in a 3 inch binder labeled in a specific format, etc. They want everyone to use *their* evaluator form, which asks about things that are beyond the law. I know of one HSer who pushed back gently and they basically made it seem like they were doing her a favor and she'd be expected to comply this year. We'll see what happens. We just filed our affidavit and objectives, so we haven't had to submit a port and evaluator letter yet. I will be curious to see how things shake out this year. Oh, and they also weren't happy that she didn't have samples of *every* subject, even though in PA in the elementary grades you don't have to teach every single subject every year, other than fire safety ;)

 

In many ways, it is just a lot of hoop jumping. You would think that even those in favor of tight regulation of HSing would realize the redundancy and ridiculousness of having the step of going to an evaluator, getting the letter, and then having to submit the whole port and evaluator to the district anyway. It just seems silly to set up all of these hoops, particularly the ones that are redundant.

 

It is frustrating that a district that has been historically "easy to work with" can become not so easy to work with based on just one personnel change. THe law is the law, yet districts can and do overstep. I know the majority of folks don't have a problem, but as someone who just moved into a district where I thought things would go pretty smoothly based on past reports, I find it very frustrated to have to possibly deal with confrontation. We'll see if the new person is receptive to the push back and education from a few folks in the district this year. I'll be waiting to hear more, because we'll be submitting our port and evaluator letter this coming year.

 

I understand why PA residents don't feel it is that bad in reality, but I do think it can be intimidating or overwhelming if you aren't comfortable pushing back when the district oversteps. Sometimes they get it when someone submits the actual text of the law or pushes back gently, but what happened in my district was a "we'll let it slide *this* year, but expect compliance *next* year" when they are the ones overstepping the law. That is frustrating.

 

North Dakota and NY sound worse to me, by far, FWIW.

 

This is true. My second filing year, the poor girl in the office... :lol: She insisted on knowing my kids' grade placement. I tortured her with law and semantics before saying "Third and seventh, if you really feel a need to write something."

 

My superintendent does send out "approval" letters, but she doesn't have that legal power.

[Momof3littles]

 

My superintendent does send out "approval" letters, but she doesn't have that legal power.

I haven't heard about our district doing that, but I know others do. That one gets my hackles up immediately :glare:

 

I realize you have to balance having a relationship with the district vs. being "right" and educating them on the law, but I am going to have to figure that balance out I guess. I haven't had to do it personally yet, but when I read about other issues in our district or even what people experience in other districts, it makes my blood pressure rise. I need to find a way to not let that happen. :tongue_smilie:

 

I know things almost always work out just fine, even if you have to push back. I know it in my mind, but I need to figure out how to not let it bug me anyway, you know?

 

Thankfully PA homeschoolers are very supportive of one another on the yahoo groups I've joined, and they are really wonderful at giving advice on handling sticky situations with SDs. I couldn't live without the advice! I've been reading it for years even though we weren't reporting yet.

[elegantlion]

 

I haven't kept up with the homeschooling laws in ND since we left there. (I'd rather forget it altogether. LOL) Hopefully someone who is currently homeschooling in ND can give the low-down on the law change. But I know for 100% certain that while I lived there the parent had to have a college degree to be exempt from the monitoring, not just a diploma.

 

UGH! Sounds like a good experience to block from your memory. As someone who homeschools without a degree and a deep resentment for hoop jumping, I am glad dh abhors the cold enough to never consider ND. That sounds like educational harassment to me. :glare:

[Once]

Kinsa, you are right in you r information from a few years ago. Historically, ND has been a very difficult state but the last few years changes have been made. Monitoring is not very common but required even less now. There is one bery powerful person in legislature that hates homeschooling in general. He has a pretty firm hold on decisions but I personally have the sense that that power is slowly lessening.

I have homeschooled here in GF for years and now that I know my legal responsibilities to the local school district I don't feel it is too bad. Statement of Intent, bi yeary standardized normed testing and if you want something from the school district (like sports, music or speech) then you must state that at the right time of the year....otherwise you are out of luck.

Mostly my strategy is to keep off their radar and it is easy enough to do. :-) Finding a great homeschooling group is my worst nightmare but that is another story.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Why? :bigear:

 

The law in Quebec isn't so bad for homeschoolers, but the implementation of it is problematic.

First school boards think they have the power to turn down families who want to homeschool. So you need their permission, otherwise they turn you over to CPS. Second, the government wants ALL children in the province to follow the exact same curriculum. Books have to be approved by the ministry. If you don't follow that, the school board will turn you down. Now, our curriculum has been revamped about 10 years ago, and puts a lot of emphasis on team work, which you can't do easily at home. Therefore, you can't show enough team work for the school board to say you're following the curriculum. Hence they turn you down. (if they haven't done so already).

Portfolios are not accepted, the kids have to pass evaluations at the school (usually 3 to 5 days). If they don't pass, school becomes mandatory, regardless of the reason for not passing. Oh, and if your child has a health issue, school is mandatory (one child was taken away from his family for having diabetes, and forced to attend school, another one also taken away for having hearing issues. :confused: )

Thankfully, some people in some school boards are fine with homeschooling, and will evaluate portfolios, and understand that group work at home is done in a different way than group work at school. It's not bad all over the province, but you're at the mercy of changing personnel, and good school boards can become nightmarish over night.

[Mommamia]

I often hear that Pennsylvania is the worst state, but I live in Pennsylvania and it is New York that scares ME.

 

NY is actually not bad at all

[Violet Crown]

North Dakota is really bad. If you don't have at least a bachelors degree, then you are subjected to a WEEKLY visit by the public school officials when they spend an hour with your first child and a half hour for each subsequent child going over everything they learned that week. They also go over your lesson plans and curriculum, and approve it. Each year you have to file with the public school district and submit all that required paperwork. Additionally, the kids have to score well on the mandatory bi annual standardized testing. If they don't score high enough, then you are put on probation for two years and are subjected to the weekly visitation rigmarole, regardless of whether or not you have a college degree.

 

Imagine my homeschooling culture shock moving from Texas (the only place i've ever homeschooled) to North Dakota. Thank goodness we had to endure that for only two years. Happy to be homeschooling in Texas again!

 

(typing on my phone. sorry for typos)

 

Did you have any temptation to just not comply? Speaking as a fellow Texan with those none-of-the-gummint's-dang-business instincts.

 

This is the sort of thing that makes Texas homeschoolers not want perks or privileges from the public schools, no matter how nice it may sound. We keep our hands off their tax money, they keep their hands off our curriculum.

[Oakblossoms]

I may end up in North Dakota next year. We will still homeschool and the laws scare me. I have a delayed 9yo who is progressing but does awful with yearly testing. I was considering holding him back so maybe I can avoid involvement.

[Once]

I may end up in North Dakota next year. We will still homeschool and the laws scare me. I have a delayed 9yo who is progressing but does awful with yearly testing. I was considering holding him back so maybe I can avoid involvement.

 

 

I think he would have to be below the 30th percentile across the board in all core subjects to require monitoring at this point. It is worth checking out closer to when you move here. Testing is required 4th, 6th, 8th and, I think, 10th grade. The school district takes the eCat here in GF (so it should be OK in the rest of the state) which is less stressful in my opinion.

HTH

[Sahamamama]

The law in Quebec isn't so bad for homeschoolers, but the implementation of it is problematic.

First school boards think they have the power to turn down families who want to homeschool. So you need their permission, otherwise they turn you over to CPS. Second, the government wants ALL children in the province to follow the exact same curriculum. Books have to be approved by the ministry. If you don't follow that, the school board will turn you down. Now, our curriculum has been revamped about 10 years ago, and puts a lot of emphasis on team work, which you can't do easily at home. Therefore, you can't show enough team work for the school board to say you're following the curriculum. Hence they turn you down. (if they haven't done so already).

Portfolios are not accepted, the kids have to pass evaluations at the school (usually 3 to 5 days). If they don't pass, school becomes mandatory, regardless of the reason for not passing. Oh, and if your child has a health issue, school is mandatory (one child was taken away from his family for having diabetes, and forced to attend school, another one also taken away for having hearing issues. :confused: )

Thankfully, some people in some school boards are fine with homeschooling, and will evaluate portfolios, and understand that group work at home is done in a different way than group work at school. It's not bad all over the province, but you're at the mercy of changing personnel, and good school boards can become nightmarish over night.

 

So do a lot of homeschoolers in Quebec fly under the radar (unregistered)? That seems like the safest way to me.

[Mimm]

MO is considered an easy state, but I think tracking the *hours* spent schooling is a waste of precious time.

 

:iagree:

 

I'm rather frustrated by it. I know it's not as bad as what other people have to do but we have to do 1000 hours which is just ridiculous in the early grades. It's fine for my kids' grades, but it's still annoying.

[FO4UR]

:iagree:

 

I'm rather frustrated by it. I know it's not as bad as what other people have to do but we have to do 1000 hours which is just ridiculous in the early grades. It's fine for my kids' grades, but it's still annoying.

 

 

1000 hours = 5hrs per day x 200 days

 

 

If you break down the ps calendar and the ps daily routine, I dare say that you will not find a single classroom that meets the time-on-task requirements expected of the HSers.

 

 

We read a great deal together anyway, and I count that as literature/history/science as applicable. I am counting PE hours and Fine Arts hours that I never ever tracked before. We are getting the hours in, but the 1000 hour requirement must have been written specifically to burn out the HS parent with busy/paperwork.

 

 

That said, after reading the thread I will not complain too loudly.

[Barb_]

I lived in PA until 5 years ago (see login name). I thought I never wanted to leave. Dh transferred to AZ and it took me a year to join him. I loved PA so much and begged him to look for another job on the East Coast where he could commute. After a year I went under duress, but now I'd never move back. In hindsight, I really, really hated living under that kind of scrutiny.

[Starr]

NY is not horrible but there are papers to fill out. My dd went to a private college program for her senior year in high school. Geneseo, a state school, said they don't even worry about GEDs after a year of credits in college. Other State Colleges do not interpret the laws the same way.

[AngelaNYC]

NY may have more regulations than most states, but it doesn't bother me in the least. My district is not strict. Living in NYC and homeschooling is the most incredible thing- they even give my kids free bus/train passes. I would gladly send in paperwork every week if they wanted, just to be able to live and homeschool here. And since my kids opt to go to the public high school of their choice, the records kept by the Central Office of Homeschooling and the homeschoolers' guidance counselor are extremely helpful. My paperwork takes less than an hour per year and testing is done in 5th & 7th grades only (every yr in the high school grades). No biggie.

[redsquirrel]

NY is not horrible but there are papers to fill out. My dd went to a private college program for her senior year in high school. Geneseo, a state school, said they don't even worry about GEDs after a year of credits in college. Other State Colleges do not interpret the laws the same way.

 

I have heard so many negative stories about SUNY and NY homeschooers that I have pretty much written SUNY off as an option . I am glad to hear a positive one.

[regentrude]

MO is considered an easy state, but I think tracking the *hours* spent schooling is a waste of precious time.

 

 

I found that this takes about two minutes each day per kid. Surely, I am wasting more precious time reading this forum.

 

 

 

I'm rather frustrated by it. I know it's not as bad as what other people have to do but we have to do 1000 hours which is just ridiculous in the early grades. It's fine for my kids' grades, but it's still annoying.

 

With 365 days, the 1,000 hour requirement comes to less than 3 hours of educational activities per day. I do not consider this a burden, even for elementary age, because nobody says it has to be all seat work, worksheets, textbooks. For younger students, read alouds, nature walks, PE, arts activities, learning to prepare food, going to museums.... is all educational. I can't imagine a day when we did not have several hours of educational experiences for the kids, even on weekends - what would we do all day?

 

I really think we have it very easy in MO.