homeschooling in Ohio, Texas, or Colorado (possible relocation)

[garddwr]

My husband wants me to research homeschooling regulations and opportunities in these three states--so if you live in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, or Ohio could you please let me know what homeschooling is like? Regulations, community, opportunities...what do you like or dislike? Our current state allows homeschoolers to access public school both for individual classes and for extracurricular activities--do any of these states make allowance for that? It's not something we have taken advantage of yet but I think it would be nice to have similar opportunities as my kids get older.

We've lived in Texas before, but didn't have any school-age children at the time. DH grew up in Ohio but doesn't know anything about homeschooling there. Neither of us has ever lived in Oklahoma or Colorado. These are all possibilities for a job relocation next year so we want to learn what we can now.

 

Thanks!

Sarah

Edited September 12, 2012 by thegardener

[DragonFaerie]

I used to live and homeschool in TX. It is wonderful because they have absolutely NO regulations. At all. None. Zip. Zero. Zilch. You don't even have to tell anybody that you homeschool. :-) Now, I'm not sure if they have specific subject-area requirements, but if they do, it is just the usual language arts, math, science, etc.

Edited September 11, 2012 by DragonFaerie

[higginszoo]

Yes, Texas has very few requirements and a large homeschool community. One thing that I've noticed about people who come from more regulated states is they often miss out on the extras that they could do/get with the ps. Sports/electives/books etc. ... with no regulation comes absolutely no services in most cases. No participation in most of what the ps has to offer. There are a few exceptions, like in my district, students can take the PSAT and other similar tests at the ps (well, one of the ps in the district -- it rotates from year to year).

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

This is the site I always refer to when I have questions about homeschooling in Ohio.

 

You have to notify the local school district at the start of every year, and when you send in the next year's notification, you need to include standardized test scores or a paper signed by a certified teacher that your child is progressing according to his/her abilities.

[garddwr]

Thanks for the replies! Texas sounds easy, and Ohio not too bad--although we have never had to test before to meet a state requirement. Does anyone from Oklahoma want to chime in?

[Myeightkiddies]

Thanks for the replies! Texas sounds easy, and Ohio not too bad--although we have never had to test before to meet a state requirement. Does anyone from Oklahoma want to chime in?

 

You don't have to test in Ohio. It is just an option. You can choose to have an assessment done by a certified teacher. There are plenty of them (teachers) who homeschool.

[Tee]

Chiming in from Texas. We're a "just do it" state. Nothing to file, no requirements, and nobody to inform.

 

Regarding participating in public school activities, it is up to each individual principal, but I've never heard of anyone turned down. The thing is, we have so many options here for extra-curriculars for home schoolers, I'm not sure you'd really end up being interested in the public school activities.

 

Texas has so many homeschoolers (the most in the nation), that you'll find daytime homeschool Co-ops, athletic leagues, service organizations and private classes like dance, cheer, martial arts, art, etc. in the major cities.

[Unicorn.]

Homeschooling in TX requires the following: In order to be a legitimate home school, you must have a curriculum which teaches reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship, and you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide (not a sham) manner. This curriculum may be obtained from any source and can consist of books, workbooks, other written materials, or materials on an electronic monitor, including computer or video screens, or any combination thereof. But nobody checks on you and you don't have to report to anyone or notify anyone that you are homeschooling.

 

I think Oklahoma is almost as easy as TX.

[Jpoy85]

Im in Ohio. Cincinnati.

 

Every city has good and bad. We have the Midwest Homeschool Convention here every year so it couldnt be that bad. lol.

Homeschooling here is easy. This is my first year of notifying. All I did was went to CHEO's website and printed their notification form. I filled it out and sent a list of expected curriculum. That was it. Next year Ill do an assessment rather than testing and ill send that as well. My BFF is a teacher and she will do ours for free. Other than that its easy. I dont know about sports, we arent planning on doing any. There are TONS of groups though.

C is in Girl Scouts and the whole group are homeschoolers! We got lucky on that. :)

[KidsHappen]

Thanks for the replies! Texas sounds easy, and Ohio not too bad--although we have never had to test before to meet a state requirement. Does anyone from Oklahoma want to chime in?

 

OK is just as easy as TX. The right to homeschool is written into their constitution. I don't remember there being any specific requirements. I don't rememeber a LoI and I know that there was no testing ot portfolio. It wasn't as popular as it was in TX though.

[radiobrain]

Ohio laws look scary but they aren't.

 

Some school districts are a PITA, but if you know the regs, you're fine. ;)

 

It is extremely HS friendly, most places have HS days, HS classes, etc. All around a great state to HS in, IMHO.:D

[TXMomof4]

It depends where you live in TX what you will have access to. I will be glad to be back there with no rules or regs. I have 2 that will highschool soon and I'm familiar with the community college system in several of the cities - I'm glad for that. We were in the Dallas area and there were TONS of hs groups, stores, classes etc. Almost every place that offered classes of any sort (art/museums/sports/etc.) had a hs option or would be willing to start one.

 

OK - no rules or regs either and it is written into the state constitution. Love that - doesn't make hsing better, but certainly adds a little security and protection in my mind.

 

I don't know about CO - I do know that they have some charter schools I drool over. But - by the time we get the chance to go there who knows what will be available.

 

That's all I've got! HTH!

[AnnaM]

Texas does not care how you educate your child. They have a little list of stuff like civics or patriotism, I think, but it means nothing. I never heard of a school district letting a child participate in any extra- curriculars/classes.

I think you'd find more things to do and groups to join if you live in the larger cities, otherwise you may be left with just the extremely fundamental groups who shun most but their own kind. Not always, so no one needs to get their knickers in a twist, but that is very common. Towns with universities nearby would offer the most.

 

Wow. :glare:

 

The law says we are required to teach math, language arts, science, history, and citzenship in a bonafied manner. Thankfully, the state does not regulate our freedom to homeschool so we are able to teach that in whatever manner we see fit.

 

Whether you are allowed to participate in PS activities is up to individual districts and sometimes even the individual school, but unless you live in a particularly rural area there are usually plenty of league sports and homeschool groups to choose from. I am about an hour outside of Dallas and even in my small rural area there is a co-op with several others within reasonable driving distance. We also participate in league soccer and competitive gymnastics.

 

I love the law here. I wouldn't trade getting to participate in PS sports for the freedoms that I have in Texas.

 

Good luck with the decision you are having to make!

[Ellie]

Homeschooling in TX requires the following: In order to be a legitimate home school, you must have a curriculum which teaches reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship, and you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide (not a sham) manner. This curriculum may be obtained from any source and can consist of books, workbooks, other written materials, or materials on an electronic monitor, including computer or video screens, or any combination thereof. But nobody checks on you and you don't have to report to anyone or notify anyone that you are homeschooling.

 

That those things might be "required" is irrelevant, because parents will do that anyway.

 

As far as I can tell, the only real requirement to teach your children at home is that there be, you know, children in it. :D

[ColoNative]

In Colorado, there are also numerous programs throughout Colorado Springs and Denver (I don't know about elsewhere) that offer programs, classes, etc. through the districts that are without additional cost to the homeschool families. There are a lot of different homeschool groups and sports minded homeschoolers who participate in district sports. ;)

 

Other info was posted previously...

[JenMama]

Another little bonus here in TX is that the houses are so big (shocking, having moved from NY) that it's pretty easy to have a dedicated homeschool room.

 

We're secular, so it was a little tougher for us to find a homeschool group, but we did manage to find one that accepts everyone. :001_smile:

[cin]

Thanks for the replies! Texas sounds easy, and Ohio not too bad--although we have never had to test before to meet a state requirement. Does anyone from Oklahoma want to chime in?

 

The testing is not bad. A lot of co-ops in our area have group testing. We did the CAT test from Seton, while eating lunch at Wendy's ;) I usually do the testing in early May and get my stuff sent in as soon as I get the results back. The form is easy too. I consider Ohio to be an easy state.

 

 

You can also do a portfolio assessment. Most co-ops have a few names of certified teachers who will review and sign off on it.

[bobbeym]

I love homeschooling in TX because we can teach what we want, when we want, and how we want.

 

We leave in a smallish town east of Houston and our PS district doesn't allow HS kids to participate in PS things. There are so many local HS groups and co-op opportunities available that we don't miss PS much. I just wish the majority of things my DS is interested in weren't concentrated on the opposite side of town from us. :glare:

 

One thing I do want to note is that as an ADD mom, the lack of complete regulation and oversight is sometimes not a good thing IMO. I require structure to function well and there are days when having to create my own structure doesn't work well for me. The only structure I have to compare to is PS and I'm trying very hard to break away from the schooling at home model.

[6wildhorses]

I've homeschooled in both TX and CO. TX was great because there were no regulations. Unfortunately there were also no resources through the district or at the schools. Other resources were far away, not very impressive, hard to find, expensive, or just didn't fit our needs. I ended up having to send a couple of my kids to school because I simply could not meet their needs. (This was a big deal for me, as I had never envisioned sending my kids to school.) If I had access to the resources I have now in CO, I believe that I could have made homeschooling work at that time, at least for my oldest. I much prefer homeschooling in CO. The regulations are not bad, and we are in a very homeschool-friendly district. Two of my kids go to a district-sponsored homeschool program once a week, and I get curriculum from the district. My oldest is participating in an after-school engineering program at the local charter school. Having opportunities and resources makes a big difference for my family.

 

If you're deciding between the states, I would recommend evaluating what resources you want or need in order to make homeschooling work. Different areas of the state will have different resources, so you'll need to look at the specific areas too. When we moved to CO, I specifically moved to a place that has the resources I felt were important for our family. I also like that CO has school choice and charter school options. Because of school choice I was able to hand-pick a school for my son who has special needs, and he is doing great there.

[Dewdrop]

Nevermind

Edited September 11, 2012 by Dewdrop

[SJ.]

In Colorado, there are also numerous programs throughout Colorado Springs and Denver (I don't know about elsewhere) that offer programs, classes, etc. through the districts that are without additional cost to the homeschool families. There are a lot of different homeschool groups and sports minded homeschoolers who participate in district sports. ;)

 

Other info was posted previously...

 

:iagree:

 

In Colorado Springs there are numerous school districts and charter schools that offer homeschool enrichment programs. Some of the programs are academic focused, some are project focused, while some focus on the arts. A friend of mine joined a program that partnered with the Colorado Springs Conservatory and her children received free music lessons, her oldest joined the fencing club. There are also programs for homeschoolers with Focus on the Family.

 

The requirements in CO are that you have to file a letter of intent to homeschool with any school district in the state that says you will school for 172 hours and there are certain years where your children must be evaluated through standardized testing or through an education professional.

[MrsBasil]

In many areas of Colorado there are also programs through various schools/districts where your child is considered a ps student and takes one day a week of enrichment classes, in my area they offer Lego robotics, drama, Spanish, book clubs, jewelry making, math games, hands on science, state hustory, guitar, piano, debate, and PE.

 

If you do this, you're enrolled in whatever district is offering the courses and your child is eligible for extea currcs there. A lot of private schools also offer flexible admission for clubs, sports,

 

I haven't found a lot of independent groups here in my corner of N Co, but I'm sure they exist.

[SJ.]

In many areas of Colorado there are also programs through various schools/districts where your child is considered a ps student and takes one day a week of enrichment classes, in my area they offer Lego robotics, drama, Spanish, book clubs, jewelry making, math games, hands on science, state hustory, guitar, piano, debate, and PE.

 

If you do this, you're enrolled in whatever district is offering the courses and your child is eligible for extea currcs there. A lot of private schools also offer flexible admission for clubs, sports,

 

I haven't found a lot of independent groups here in my corner of N Co, but I'm sure they exist.

 

In reference to the bolded - my boys participate in a once a week program at a local charter school but they are still considered homeschooled children, we must still file letters of intent and follow the CO homeschooling laws.

[MrsBasil]

In reference to the bolded - my boys participate in a once a week program at a local charter school but they are still considered homeschooled children, we must still file letters of intent and follow the CO homeschooling laws.

 

Thanks! The ones I have knowledge require an NOI to be filed, you have to provide the curriculum, and follow the hs law, but the school district technically considers your child a student for funding purposes.

[Singingmom]

We are moving to Texas in a couple of months, from So. CA. We will be living in a suburb North of Houston, and I have been amazed at all the co-op opportunities there are....it's like I'm landing in the Mecca of Homeschooling. I was told by one of the co-op leaders that there will be so many homeschool resources and activities to choose from, my problem will be weeding through them, and saying no to the ones we won't have time for! I love that there will be so many social and educational resources available ; and there is such freedom there to educate my children without having to jump through a bunch of regulatory hoops. But, that's just me ;) .

 

Also, the poster upthread is so right about the big homes there, all with big game rooms upstairs! I am so excited to have a dedicated homeschool space in our new house!

[garddwr]

Do many of the co-ops in Texas require statements of faith? There are often parts of those I can't agree to... Homeschool sports leagues sound like a lot of fun, I've never lived anywhere with those.

 

The public school/homeschool hybrid programs in Colorado sound interesting too, I'd like to hear more. I was particularly intrigued by the mention of an agreement with a music conservatory in C. Springs--music is important to me, and free lessons would be fabulous! I have a pretty low tolerance for outside interference in my homeschooling though, so there would have to be a lot of flexibility built in for me to consider a hybrid program.

 

Thanks for all the input, the discussion is very interesting. Homeschooling climate and opportunities make such a big difference in our lives, I want all the information I can get.

[AnnaM]

Sure- the law says it, but there is nothing to enforce it. It has its ups and downs, of course. Some may swear that's best, but it always bothered me( I homeschooled my son there for 11 years) I never fell for the good old boy attitude though, and got the heck out there as soon as I could, though it took me 50 years! Best view of my life was the Texas state line in our rear view mirror.

 

 

I love Texas. I would never live anywhere else unless I had to. Of course that is a matter of personal preference. It sounds like you had a bad experience.

 

I personally dont believe the government has any business nosing into the way I educate my children. Has nothing to do with "good ol boy", it has to do with them not butting their noses into my parental prerogative. Anyways, I am glad that you were able to go somewhere that better suited your needs (and I mean that sincerely :) )

 

And OP sorry to have hi-jacked your thread!

[AnnaM]

Do many of the co-ops in Texas require statements of faith? There are often parts of those I can't agree to... Homeschool sports leagues sound like a lot of fun, I've never lived anywhere with those.

 

This is HIGHLY dependent on where you live. Where I live there are 2 that require a statement of faith. One is SUPER strict and only accepts fundamental Christians and the other is a vague statement that is open to interpretation and to many different religions. The 3rd in our area is completely secular and you sign a code of conduct. I personally over-see a group of homeschoolers in the Kaufman County and surrounding areas, that get together for socials and field trips. I do not ask anyone to sign anything to be a part of that group and won't unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Basically my rules are play nice and play nice.

[SJ.]

Do many of the co-ops in Texas require statements of faith? There are often parts of those I can't agree to... Homeschool sports leagues sound like a lot of fun, I've never lived anywhere with those.

 

The public school/homeschool hybrid programs in Colorado sound interesting too, I'd like to hear more. I was particularly intrigued by the mention of an agreement with a music conservatory in C. Springs--music is important to me, and free lessons would be fabulous! I have a pretty low tolerance for outside interference in my homeschooling though, so there would have to be a lot of flexibility built in for me to consider a hybrid program.

 

Thanks for all the input, the discussion is very interesting. Homeschooling climate and opportunities make such a big difference in our lives, I want all the information I can get.

 

Here is the school: http://mvhsa.hsd2.org/

Mountain Vista Home School Academy, MVHSA, is a one-day per week enrichment program that is FREE for home schooling families in the Pikes Peak region.* Children in grades 1-12 attend classes with other home schooled students one day per week. Classes include Art, Math, Technology, Science, Language Arts, and History, and include recesses and lunch.

 

MVHSA partners with the Colorado Springs Conservatory (CSC) to offer 2 to 4 hours of CSC classes also at no cost to families. The following clubs are offered throughout the school year: Fencing, Kung Fu, Yearbook, and Drama with Birgitta DePree of the Manitou Arts Theater. A variety of field trips are scheduled, including visits to Chico Basin Ranch, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Academy of Childrens' Theater Plays and many more.

 

We are excited to offer parents and students access to curriulum ordering and lending library as well as an extensive student library.

 

Info about the Colorado Springs Conservatory: http://www.coloradospringsconservatory.org/

[garddwr]

Here is the school: http://mvhsa.hsd2.org/

 

 

Info about the Colorado Springs Conservatory: http://www.coloradospringsconservatory.org/

 

 

Thanks!

[6wildhorses]

I ran into statements of faith in TX, which is part of why I appreciate the district-led programs in CO. There is also a homeschool group in CO that I looked into that also has a statement of faith, so you will find them here also. It was frustrating in TX because I don't like signing that kind of thing and didn't see why it should matter. Religious homeschool groups were pretty much the only kind of groups available in my area of TX. I wanted to be a part of a homeschool group, not sign up for something that was only for people who agreed on a very narrow set of beliefs. Statements of faith give me the impression that those who can't sign such a statement are somehow not worthy to be in their group or are deemed to be a bad influence or something. It rubs me the wrong way.

 

My kids who are involved in the district homeschool program are considered homeschoolers, but they are also enrolled through the district into the homeschool program in order for the program to receive funding. There are no extra requirements or control over my homeschooling. I get curriculum from the district, but I don't have to use it. There is no homework. They just attend the program once a week. They do language arts, science, art, PE, and history with certified teachers. They will go on field trips and have things like field day. My district is experimenting with different homeschool programs. One charter school tried a hybrid program that met a couple times of week, and the kids were given homework. This program was such a new idea, and the charter school so new, that they aren't doing it again this year. I would like something like this for high school science, so I'll be interested in seeing what they come up with if/when they decide to try again. What I like is the innovation and willingness to try different things to meet homeschoolers' needs.