California homeschoolers/Pros and cons of umbrella schools

[Juliegmom]

Can you tell me why I should or shouldn't use an umbrella school for record keeping and transcripts? I'm a little uneasy about doing this independently and am not sure the services justify the cost. The first year would cost almost $600 which includes two students and a required membership to HSLD. After the first year, the cost would be about $350 per year. I'm on the fence. We live over seas and wouldn't be able to take advantage of all of the PSP's resources. They would provide curriculum guidance and record keeping for attendance, report cards, transcripts and diploma. I would already be doing a good portion of the work by submitting the required course descriptions and information. Please help me decide! This is brand new territory and honestly I find it a bit intimidating.

[Juliegmom]

Laurel, we still have a home in California so we are considered "residence." We did file an affadavit for our youngest this year. It just seems like high school isn't as simple and I don't want to make any huge errors. I'm probably overthinking it. Fear of the unknown is definitely a big factor.

[susankhan]

If you lived in Florida there are FREE ones. You can even take FLVS courses for FREE. Wish I had more info on Cali. but I do not. Florida is a GREAT state to homeschool in..

[Juliegmom]

I wouldn't hesitate to join a PSP if the cost wasn't an issue. I'm also searching for California PSPs that offer discounted or free services for missionaries.

[Joan in GE]

If there's any possibility that your dc will go to university overseas, it might be helpful to have a diploma from an accredited school....

[Joan in GE]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365103447' post='4877399']
I wouldn't hesitate to join a PSP if the cost wasn't an issue. I'm also searching for California PSPs that offer discounted or free services for missionaries.
[/quote]

I don't know if ACE/School of Tomorrow is registered in CA but I know someone from CA who got it for free when HE'g over here as a missionary...and her kids later went to uni in CA (Masters College).

[Juliegmom]

Thanks, Joan! I will check into ACE. I'm not planning to use their curriculum, but maybe we can still take part in some of their services.

[daijobu]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365090476' post='4876789']
Can you tell me why I should or shouldn't use an umbrella school for record keeping and transcripts? I'm a little uneasy about doing this independently and am not sure the services justify the cost. The first year would cost almost $600 which includes two students and a required membership to HSLD. After the first year, the cost would be about $350 per year.

[/quote]

I'm not sure if we're comparing apples and oranges, but we homeschool in California via a public charter, and THEY pay ME. That is, they provide me with a budget that I can use to spend on classes and textbooks and other educational materials. If you are in the Bay Area, you should check out Ocean Grove Charter; very popular among homeschoolers here.

[Ellie]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365160123' post='4878818']
Thanks, Joan! I will check into ACE. I'm not planning to use their curriculum, but maybe we can still take part in some of their services.
[/quote]

ACE is a publisher; I don't know that it has any "services." If you want to enroll a student in an accredited school, you'd have to enroll in Lighthouse Christian Academy, and then you'd have to use all ACE.

[Ellie]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365090476' post='4876789']
Can you tell me why I should or shouldn't use an umbrella school for record keeping and transcripts? I'm a little uneasy about doing this independently and am not sure the services justify the cost. The first year would cost almost $600 which includes two students and a required membership to HSLD. After the first year, the cost would be about $350 per year. I'm on the fence. We live over seas and wouldn't be able to take advantage of all of the PSP's resources. They would provide curriculum guidance and record keeping for attendance, report cards, transcripts and diploma. I would already be doing a good portion of the work by submitting the required course descriptions and information. Please help me decide! This is brand new territory and honestly I find it a bit intimidating.
[/quote]

A PSP can be a good thing; I owned/administered one for 16 years. I'm just not sure it would be worth it for you since you are not living in the U.S. Something like CLASS (Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools) might be better.

FTR, although many PSPs require their families to provide attendance "records," the law doesn't actually require it (private schools are supposed to keep track of when their students are *absent,* not when they are *present.* Homeschooled children are always present; you get up every day and there they are.) The law also doesn't require course descriptions; private schools are supposed to keep on file the courses offered by the school. I required my parents to provide a "proposed course of study" each year, which included the subjects they were teaching and the instructional materials they were using, partly because I was surprised by the number of parents who couldn't tell me the actual titles of the texts they were using, and it seemed to me that if they were going to be "persons capable of teaching" (the only requirement for teachers in private schools in California) they should be able to at least know that textbooks had actual names and not just "Rod and Staff" or "Apologia." There was a court case a number of years ago in San Mateo County where the homeschooling parent was found guilty of allowing her children to be truant because she couldn't tell the judge what she had done to cover the core curriculum. I wanted to be sure my parents could at least do that!

Anyway, I think HSLDA membership is a good thing, and if you were living in the California I'd be a little more inclined to say that a PSP was a good thing, but really, I don't know how much benefit you'd get by enrolling your dc in the PSP.

[garddwr]

Independent homeschooling in California is easy, I never felt a need to use an umbrella school. I would so much rather set up my own school.

[Ellie]

[quote name='thegardener' timestamp='1365256668' post='4881591']
Independent homeschooling in California is easy, I never felt a need to use an umbrella school. I would so much rather set up my own school.
[/quote]


ITA. The first five years we hsed I filed my own affidavit.

I started my PSP because when my dd was 12 (1986), I started thinking that maybe it would be helpful to know someone who knew more than I about high school learning and transcripts and whatnot. All of the PSPs in my area were *extremely* Just Like School. One had mandatory weekly meetings. One required students to log 130 hours for each subject in order to get an A. One required all sorts of evaluations/paperwork. All of them required standardized testing. ::facepalm:: so I started my own PSP, the alternative one. Enroll in my school, call me once a month and tell me what you did, provide a "proposed course of study" each year for each child. Graduate the dc when you, the dc, and I think the dc has learned as much at home as he's gonna. :-) Turned out that most of my parents were conscientious such that I rarely had to tell them they needed to do more, and had wonderful stories to tell me when they called monthly (I required them to call me so that I had some idea of what was happening in their homes, so that just in case I was ever contacted by school officials--which did happen a few times--I would know if there were any issues and I could sound intelligent, lol).

[Juliegmom]

Wouldn't it be best to stick with a PSP that is based in California? We are living out of country, but do still have a home in California. I definitely don't want to pay out of state tuition fees for my dd who will be returning to California for college. Would a PSP like CLASS raise questions about our residency?

[Ellie]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365258469' post='4881639']
Wouldn't it be best to stick with a PSP that is based in California? We are living out of country, but do still have a home in California. I definitely don't want to pay out of state tuition fees for my dd who will be returning to California for college. Would a PSP like CLASS raise questions about our residency?
[/quote]

CLASS is not a PSP. Only schools which file affidavits in California could be considered PSPs. :-)

If you want to enroll your dd in a PSP, you could, of course, but I don't think that the physical location of the school office makes a difference as far as her enrolling in a California college. I know people who enrolled their dc in ABeka Academy, which is in Florida, and the dc attended college in California.

[Juliegmom]

Thank you, Ellie! I will be meeting with a couple veteran homeschoolers here in Albania. I believe that they both homeschool independently (I know at least one does.) and one of them is from California. I'm eager to hear their experience. This forum is such an encouragement and help to me! Thank you WTM forum and posters!

[freesia]

Just because you own a home in CA doesn't mean you have to follow the homeschool laws in CA. Unless you are DOD, you follow the laws of the country where you live. When we lived in Canada, our residence was DC, but we followed the homeschool laws in Canada. We own residences in Pennsylvania, but live in NY now and follow NY laws.

[Ellie]

[quote name='freesia' timestamp='1365263204' post='4881794']
Just because you own a home in CA doesn't mean you have to follow the homeschool laws in CA. Unless you are DOD, you follow the laws of the country where you live. When we lived in Canada, our residence was DC, but we followed the homeschool laws in Canada. We own residences in Pennsylvania, but live in NY now and follow NY laws.
[/quote]

I don't think the OP is concerned with following California's compulsory education code as it pertains to private schools (a court case decided that CA homeschoolers are the equivalent of private schools).

[freesia]

Ellie,
This was the post I was referring to. I should have quoted:
[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365093812' post='4876966']
Laurel, we still have a home in California so we are considered "residence." We did file an affadavit for our youngest this year. It just seems like high school isn't as simple and I don't want to make any huge errors. I'm probably overthinking it. Fear of the unknown is definitely a big factor.
[/quote]

[quote name='Ellie' timestamp='1365264445' post='4881837']

I don't think the OP is concerned with following California's compulsory education code as it pertains to private schools (a court case decided that CA homeschoolers are the equivalent of private schools).
[/quote]
I just wanted to let her know that she shouldn't have to file in California.

[Juliegmom]

Actually I did file an affidavit for my yougest because I thought I had to. We aren't required to do any reporting in Albania. I believe it's legal for foreigners, but not for nationals. I figured I should have to report to someone. As you can tell, I'm still learning the ropes.

[freesia]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365265481' post='4881873']
Actually I did file an affidavit for my yougest because I thought I had to. We aren't required to do any reporting in Albania. I believe it's legal for foreigners, but not for nationals. I figured I should have to report to someone. As you can tell, I'm still learning the ropes.
[/quote]
No, you shouldn't have to file.

[Ellie]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365265481' post='4881873']
Actually I did file an affidavit for my youngest because I thought I had to. We aren't required to do any reporting in Albania. I believe it's legal for foreigners, but not for nationals. I figured I should have to report to someone. As you can tell, I'm still learning the ropes.
[/quote]

Girl friend, you don't have to report to anyone unless there's a law written down somewhere that says you do. :-)

Filing an affidavit isn't even reporting, so yeah, you still have more ropes to learn, lol.

[Joan in GE]

[quote name='Juliegmom' timestamp='1365265481' post='4881873']
I figured I should have to report to someone. As you can tell, I'm still learning the ropes. [/quote]

I can understand the need to feel like your program is measuring up to some acceptable standard...but with the variety of programs I've seen in CA when I was looking at umbrella schools myself, just because it is an umbrella school doesn't mean that it will have the standards you would want....

In the process of looking around at different umbrella schools, you'll educate yourself about what is out there and start to get a feel for expectations...and you'll also get an idea from hanging out on the Hive of what you really want for your children.

We use an umbrella school but my standards are much higher than what they require and I just use it for paperwork purposes in the case of applying overseas.... Since CA has it's own regulations for university, I would see what they ask for in terms of paperwork and work backwards...

Joan

[GThomas]

Hello,

 

I know this thread is a year old but I am in a similar situation as @Juliegmom and I am wondering what she decided in the end. 

 

We are from the SF Bay Area (and still own a home there). We are living overseas for a few years and are homeschooling. We have been homeschooling for a year and a half now.

 

As we get closer to starting high school homeschooling I am starting to worry whether or not my dd will complete what she needs to get into a U.S. college (she wants to be a veterinarian). She has her sights set on U.C. Davis (but I just read yesterday on some forums that getting into UC schools as a homeschooler is pretty darn difficult...but that's another topic for a different day). 

 

I am wondering if an umbrella school would:

1. Help me to make sure I am making good choices for curriculum choices that colleges would prefer to see on applications.
2. Provide transcripts that would hold more value to a college on applications.
3. Also if we were enrolled in a private umbrella school, do she no longer "look" like a homeschooler and instead looks like someone coming from a private school?
4. And, if we come back to California in a couple of years and enroll her in public high school, are there any benefits to have been enrolled in an umbrella/psp program?

I would also like to know what PSP that Ellie used to own. 

 

Thank you so much!

 

 

 

[Joan in GE]

Hello,

 

when researching myself, thinking of starting a bilingual umbrella school, it seemed like there were a lot of options in CA in terms of umbrella schools...Hopefully you can find something that matches your needs.

 

There have been some lengthy discussions on this board about question '2' - if you look at the 'pinned' threads at the beginning of this board under transcripts, you might find some of the threads that have them...not sure if they're there and I have to run out now...

 

Joan

[Maureen]

GThomas -

 

In response to your question #4 about re-enrolling in a PS later in high school I can tell you what my experience has been.  My son has a rather muddy HS transcript so far.  He just re-enrolled in PS for the 2nd semester of his junior year.  Half of his 9th grade year was homeschooled through an umbrella school here in the Bay Area and the PS had no problem counting those grades as college prep.  He also had some classes through BYU's Independent Study program which the PS accepted without question.  Last semester, however, I did a few classes with him at home and I'm no longer with an umbrella school and instead filed as my own Private school in the fall.  The high school accepted my credits and grades but said they would not list the classes as college prep (a-g) because I was not an accredited school in their eyes. 

I'm fine with this since my son is not planning to attend college in CA but this might be a problem for your child.  I'm not sure how much SAT/ACT scores help admissions officers overlook homeschool grades in CA. 

Good luck!

[Ellie]

Hello,

 

I know this thread is a year old but I am in a similar situation as @Juliegmom and I am wondering what she decided in the end. 

 

We are from the SF Bay Area (and still own a home there). We are living overseas for a few years and are homeschooling. We have been homeschooling for a year and a half now.

 

As we get closer to starting high school homeschooling I am starting to worry whether or not my dd will complete what she needs to get into a U.S. college (she wants to be a veterinarian). She has her sights set on U.C. Davis (but I just read yesterday on some forums that getting into UC schools as a homeschooler is pretty darn difficult...but that's another topic for a different day). 

 

I am wondering if an umbrella school would:

1. Help me to make sure I am making good choices for curriculum choices that colleges would prefer to see on applications.
2. Provide transcripts that would hold more value to a college on applications.
3. Also if we were enrolled in a private umbrella school, do she no longer "look" like a homeschooler and instead looks like someone coming from a private school?
4. And, if we come back to California in a couple of years and enroll her in public high school, are there any benefits to have been enrolled in an umbrella/psp program?

I would also like to know what PSP that Ellie used to own. 

 

Thank you so much!

 

1. Some PSPs will help you with that, although remember that transcripts only show grades and credits, not the instructional materials that were used for the courses. Those would show up in course descriptions, which you may or may not need.

 

2. Most PSPs will provide transcripts (I had an intense conversation with a PSP owner in the Bay area who did not do transcripts.  :huh: Be sure to ask.) Those transcripts may or may not hold more value to a college.

 

3. Yes, if the transcript is properly prepared, it looks as if your dd is enrolled in a campus-based private school, although legally, even if you file your own affidavit, your dd is still enrolled n a private school.

 

4. There are *no guarantees* that a public school will accept any credits earned at a private school, whether there is a campus or not, but if you enroll your dd in the public school and have the PSP send records, it is much more probable that all of her credits will be accepted. None of the students who transferred from my private school to any other school, public or private, had any problems whatsoever.

 

My PSP was Plantation Christian School, established 1988, making it the oldest in the Bay Area and one of the oldest in California. :-)

[Ellie]

Hello,

 

when researching myself, thinking of starting a bilingual umbrella school, it seemed like there were a lot of options in CA in terms of umbrella schools...Hopefully you can find something that matches your needs.

 

There have been some lengthy discussions on this board about question '2' - if you look at the 'pinned' threads at the beginning of this board under transcripts, you might find some of the threads that have them...not sure if they're there and I have to run out now...

 

Joan

 

Actually, California has one option (that is, an alternative to public school enrollment): to enroll the children in a private school. The private school might or might not have a campus, but in either case, on paper, it's still...a private school.

A Private School Satellite program is a private school which is either a campus-based private school which has students who attend on campus daily and also students who are at home with their parents, or a non-campus-based private which only enrolls homeschooled students. On paper, both are still...private schools. They both file the same affidavit. There is nothing on the affidavit which indicates campus or non-campus students.

 

There are, of course, home-based public charter schools and independent study programs (ISP). Neither of those is an "umbrella school," as the students are legally public school students.
 

[Cheryl in CA]

1. Some PSPs will help you with that, although remember that transcripts only show grades and credits, not the instructional materials that were used for the courses. Those would show up in course descriptions, which you may or may not need.

 

2. Most PSPs will provide transcripts (I had an intense conversation with a PSP owner in the Bay area who did not do transcripts.  :huh: Be sure to ask.) Those transcripts may or may not hold more value to a college.

 

3. Yes, if the transcript is properly prepared, it looks as if your dd is enrolled in a campus-based private school, although legally, even if you file your own affidavit, your dd is still enrolled n a private school.

 

4. There are *no guarantees* that a public school will accept any credits earned at a private school, whether there is a campus or not, but if you enroll your dd in the public school and have the PSP send records, it is much more probable that all of her credits will be accepted. None of the students who transferred from my private school to any other school, public or private, had any problems whatsoever.

 

My PSP was Plantation Christian School, established 1988, making it the oldest in the Bay Area and one of the oldest in California. :-)

 

Regarding #4, I think what happens can vary greatly!  In my area, there have been several students (that I know of) who tried to transfer from a very reputable ISP (it's an ISP because it's part of a private school that has a campus) into public school during high school.  The public schools (I think it was 2 different districts but am not 100% sure) would not accept any of the credits the students had and wanted to place them in 9th grade with no credits.  This ISP required annual standardized testing and the public schools wouldn't even take those scores into consideration when deciding whether or not accept any high school credits.  I think this is very much a worse case scenario and probably not the norm but I think something a parent needs to be aware of if they are considering placing their children in public school during high school.

[Cheryl in CA]

Actually, California has one option (that is, an alternative to public school enrollment): to enroll the children in a private school. The private school might or might not have a campus, but in either case, on paper, it's still...a private school.

A Private School Satellite program is a private school which is either a campus-based private school which has students who attend on campus daily and also students who are at home with their parents, or a non-campus-based private which only enrolls homeschooled students. On paper, both are still...private schools. They both file the same affidavit. There is nothing on the affidavit which indicates campus or non-campus students.

 

There are, of course, home-based public charter schools and independent study programs (ISP). Neither of those is an "umbrella school," as the students are legally public school students.
 

 

I don't know if this is a muddy area or something that has changed, but the ISP to which I used to belong is associated with a campus-based private school and is considered an ISP by HSLDA.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Just based on the couple of conversations I had with middle college program reps and cc outreach offices there is more willingness to accept a student coming from a public charter with a home study option than an independent homeschooler.

We have just moved to CA. Where we homeschooled before didn't have the at home charter options or the private school umbrellas. Even if you were using a fee based group for classes the transcripts were generally done by the family.

The cc rep I spoke to was especially challenging. He was looking for pieces of documentation that are mutually exclusive depending on the method of homeschooling. But he's willing to take just one document if it's from a public charter.

Really left me feeling like they were saying they would take homeschoolers but only if they had oversight from a public school teacher. Which in myo d shifts the work to the family but not the control.

Having high scoring kids who are well and ready to do cc work I found it especially galling. We may have to petition the dean of students in order to gain access. (What a difference from VA where I didn't have to beg for AP test access or PSAT seats or cc access. )

It really felt like the folks on the phone had rarely encountered an independent homeschooler (one using a PSA) and didn't think much of them. I have never felt that charter school families should be excluded from homeschool activities. But it sure felt like we were being found wanting for not having the public school seal of approval.

[stephinsocal]

If you're thinking at all about a public charter, IEM is a company that runs them in different regions of CA.  Generally they require a monthly face-to-face meeting--I don't know if you could do that by Skype, but it might be worth looking into.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I should add that this doesn't make me long for charter school enrollment. It does make me seriously consider using our Johns Hopkins CTY eligibility and not bothering to apply to CA public colleges.

[Ellie]

I don't know if this is a muddy area or something that has changed, but the ISP to which I used to belong is associated with a campus-based private school and is considered an ISP by HSLDA.

 

"ISP" is an old term, used in the 80s and into the 90s, when Family Protection Ministries and HSLDA began encouraging people to just say "private school." :-)

 

The preferred term since the court case a few years ago is PSP (Private School Satellite).

 

The main reason that FPM and HSLDA began to move away from "ISP" is that the Education Code specifies that public schools can establish "independent study programs," or ISPs, for their students, and there was some confusion between homeschoolers and public school officials when homeschoolers used "ISP."

[Ellie]

Just based on the couple of conversations I had with middle college program reps and cc outreach offices there is more willingness to accept a student coming from a public charter with a home study option than an independent homeschooler.

We have just moved to CA. Where we homeschooled before didn't have the at home charter options or the private school umbrellas. Even if you were using a fee based group for classes the transcripts were generally done by the family.

The cc rep I spoke to was especially challenging. He was looking for pieces of documentation that are mutually exclusive depending on the method of homeschooling. But he's willing to take just one document if it's from a public charter.

Really left me feeling like they were saying they would take homeschoolers but only if they had oversight from a public school teacher. Which in myo d shifts the work to the family but not the control.

Having high scoring kids who are well and ready to do cc work I found it especially galling. We may have to petition the dean of students in order to gain access. (What a difference from VA where I didn't have to beg for AP test access or PSAT seats or cc access. )

It really felt like the folks on the phone had rarely encountered an independent homeschooler (one using a PSA) and didn't think much of them. I have never felt that charter school families should be excluded from homeschool activities. But it sure felt like we were being found wanting for not having the public school seal of approval.

 

...in which case they are legally public school students, not private school students (homeschoolers are the equivalent of private schools in California). They are not "homeschoolers" who have oversight from public school teachers.

 

Private school students, aka homeschoolers, have been taking classes at the c.c. for many, many years. My older dd first enrolled in 1989 in San Jose, and there was almost an avalanche of them in the years following. C.c. officials who seem to be unaware of private homeschoolers attending c.c. must be new employees or determined to be ignorant. :glare:

[quark]

Just based on the couple of conversations I had with middle college program reps and cc outreach offices there is more willingness to accept a student coming from a public charter with a home study option than an independent homeschooler.

[...]

Really left me feeling like they were saying they would take homeschoolers but only if they had oversight from a public school teacher. Which in myo d shifts the work to the family but not the control.

 

This is the opposite of my experience and that of some of the local homeschoolers I know in Nor. CA whose younger teens are in community college. Their parents pulled them out, signed the PSA (or had done PSA/ R4 all along), had the kids do the CHSPE and found CC admission so much more smoother vs going through a charter school. I spoke to two different cc officials and both were unaware of public charter schools but very aware of the PSA (they called it the R4 so my guess is they have dealt with PSA-ers for a few years). It was this (amongst other things like silly portfolio practices) that prompted me to pull out of our IEM charter this year.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

...in which case they are legally public school students, not private school students (homeschoolers are the equivalent of private schools in California). They are not "homeschoolers" who have oversight from public school teachers.

Private school students, aka homeschoolers, have been taking classes at the c.c. for many, many years. My older dd first enrolled in 1989 in San Jose, and there was almost an avalanche of them in the years following. C.c. officials who seem to be unaware of private homeschoolers attending c.c. must be new employees or determined to be ignorant. :glare:

I would say determined fit in the one case. Even when he agreed that a student would not have all three documents he insisted on needing all three except from students using a public school program.

The whole conversation irked me.

[Cheryl in CA]

"ISP" is an old term, used in the 80s and into the 90s, when Family Protection Ministries and HSLDA began encouraging people to just say "private school." :-)

 

The preferred term since the court case a few years ago is PSP (Private School Satellite).

 

The main reason that FPM and HSLDA began to move away from "ISP" is that the Education Code specifies that public schools can establish "independent study programs," or ISPs, for their students, and there was some confusion between homeschoolers and public school officials when homeschoolers used "ISP."

 

When others were changing from ISP's to PSP's after the Rachel L case several years ago they said they were told they could keep the "ISP" because of the private day school, and they still use "ISP."  Maybe they just didn't want to give up the name "ISP." ;)

[Ellie]

When others were changing from ISP's to PSP's after the Rachel L case several years ago they said they were told they could keep the "ISP" because of the private day school, and they still use "ISP."  Maybe they just didn't want to give up the name "ISP." ;)

 

I'm thinking they just didn't want to give up "ISP." :D

 

There's no rule about it, you understand. In the beginning of the whole ISP thing (and I have a theory about how that even started), people used ISP because of a constitutional thingie or other: since public schools are allowed to establish ISPs with or without a campus, then private schools can do the same thing. However, it became apparent to people who saw the big picture that public officials were confused when homeschoolers said their children were enrolled in ISPs, because as far as they knew, only public schools did that. See? So it was in, oh, about the mid-90s when Roy Hanson first wrote an article recommending that people begin to say that their children were enrolled in private schools, which they are, and that parents teach their children to say that they are enrolled in private schools.

 

So there isn't really a *law* that says schools must say PSP instead of ISP; it's only that over time, it became apparent that ISP was a less-accurate name than private school in general, and then the court came up with PSP, and so that is preferred, regardless of whether there is a campus or not.

 

I have to say that if there is a campus-based day school involved, then there will be some...things....that may be...different. I can't explain it. I just know that over the years, the campus-based day schools which enrolled homeschooled children had some policies and whatnot that made me...uncomfortable; the administration and teachers cannot help themselves, KWIM? Attendance records and annual standardized testing and whatnot...

[Cheryl in CA]

I'm thinking they just didn't want to give up "ISP." :D

 

There's no rule about it, you understand. In the beginning of the whole ISP thing (and I have a theory about how that even started), people used ISP because of a constitutional thingie or other: since public schools are allowed to establish ISPs with or without a campus, then private schools can do the same thing. However, it became apparent to people who saw the big picture that public officials were confused when homeschoolers said their children were enrolled in ISPs, because as far as they knew, only public schools did that. See? So it was in, oh, about the mid-90s when Roy Hanson first wrote an article recommending that people begin to say that their children were enrolled in private schools, which they are, and that parents teach their children to say that they are enrolled in private schools.

 

So there isn't really a *law* that says schools must say PSP instead of ISP; it's only that over time, it became apparent that ISP was a less-accurate name than private school in general, and then the court came up with PSP, and so that is preferred, regardless of whether there is a campus or not.

 

I have to say that if there is a campus-based day school involved, then there will be some...things....that may be...different. I can't explain it. I just know that over the years, the campus-based day schools which enrolled homeschooled children had some policies and whatnot that made me...uncomfortable; the administration and teachers cannot help themselves, KWIM? Attendance records and annual standardized testing and whatnot...

 

I know exactly what you mean, which is why we are no longer with them ;)

[Kinspired]

Hello,

I know this thread is a year old but I am in a similar situation as @Juliegmom and I am wondering what she decided in the end.

We are from the SF Bay Area (and still own a home there). We are living overseas for a few years and are homeschooling. We have been homeschooling for a year and a half now.

As we get closer to starting high school homeschooling I am starting to worry whether or not my dd will complete what she needs to get into a U.S. college (she wants to be a veterinarian). She has her sights set on U.C. Davis (but I just read yesterday on some forums that getting into UC schools as a homeschooler is pretty darn difficult...but that's another topic for a different day).

I am wondering if an umbrella school would:

• Help me to make sure I am making good choices for curriculum choices that colleges would prefer to see on applications.
• Provide transcripts that would hold more value to a college on applications.
• Also if we were enrolled in a private umbrella school, do she no longer "look" like a homeschooler and instead looks like someone coming from a private school?
• And, if we come back to California in a couple of years and enroll her in public high school, are there any benefits to have been enrolled in an umbrella/psp program?

I would also like to know what PSP that Ellie used to own.

Thank you so much!

In terms of the UC schools, one of the benefits of using a charter school is that they offer UC-approved a-g courses. Your dd could also satisfy those courses through community college courses, which is more efficient, as one semester = one year of high school credit. Here's a website with more info on the a-g requirements: http://www.ucop.edu/agguide/a-g-requirements/index.html

We like the flexibility of doing our own thing so we decided against a charter. But for some of our friends, those a-g courses are worth the loss of some flexibility.

[Laura in CA]

 

As we get closer to starting high school homeschooling I am starting to worry whether or not my dd will complete what she needs to get into a U.S. college (she wants to be a veterinarian). She has her sights set on U.C. Davis (but I just read yesterday on some forums that getting into UC schools as a homeschooler is pretty darn difficult...but that's another topic for a different day). 

 

I am wondering if an umbrella school would:

1. Help me to make sure I am making good choices for curriculum choices that colleges would prefer to see on applications.
2. Provide transcripts that would hold more value to a college on applications.
3. Also if we were enrolled in a private umbrella school, do she no longer "look" like a homeschooler and instead looks like someone coming from a private school?
4. And, if we come back to California in a couple of years and enroll her in public high school, are there any benefits to have been enrolled in an umbrella/psp program? would also like to know what PSP that Ellie used to own. 

 

 

There is a recent/current thread about a-g requirements for UC entrance that I've been meaning to post in. I'll go dig that up. It may be useful to you, especially if your daughter continues to be interested in Davis.

 

(I'm very curious which forums were talking about UC admissions for homeschoolers -- were they on College Confidential?)

 

I may be able to answer some of your questions, although my kids were enrolled in a public charter school, not an umbrella school:

 

1. Perhaps. We withdrew from an IEM charter when my younger son (who is likely headed to UC Berkeley this fall) was in junior high.

 

4. On the other hand, it was extremely useful that we had been in a public charter school (I'm less familiar with PSPs) when my older son decided to enter b&m public school in 10th grade -- the high school took all of his 9th-grade (charter school) coursework. We had elected not to jump through the charter school's silly hoops to get his classes a-g certified, however, so they were also not listed as a-g on his b&m public-school transcript.

 

2. Our personal conviction was that having my son's transcript be through this charter school (which had a mediocre reputation) would be a definite disadvantage for college admissions. Since my younger son is high-scoring, I felt confident going the PSA/R-4 route with him for all of high school. He was admitted to all four UCs to which he applied for freshman admission (UC Berkeley -- Regents candidate; UCLA -- gave him a lot of $$$; UCSD; and UCI).

 

 

eta:  we're in Northern CA and have had no trouble enrolling (for dual/concurrent enrollment) my son in community college and at a Cal State. We know homeschoolers who have enrolled at various community colleges in our area. Perhaps Sebastian is having trouble b/c they are less used to hs'ers down there? I know that when I called UCSD to ask about transcript submission as an independent homeschooler, the admissions officer told me that even though UCSD received 90,000 (!) applications this year, last year they did not have a single independent (PSA/R-4) homeschooler enroll. Yowza.

[Enjoyinglife365]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Elfknitter.#]

In terms of the UC schools, one of the benefits of using a charter school is that they offer UC-approved a-g courses. Your dd could also satisfy those courses through community college courses, which is more efficient, as one semester = one year of high school credit. Here's a website with more info on the a-g requirements: http://www.ucop.edu/agguide/a-g-requirements/index.html

We like the flexibility of doing our own thing so we decided against a charter. But for some of our friends, those a-g courses are worth the loss of some flexibility.

If a student who resides in CA opts for the CC route to satisfy a-g courses, does that mean their high school diploma comes from a "private school"? I assume their parents would still file an R4 until their completion from high school?

[Kinspired]

If a student who resides in CA opts for the CC route to satisfy a-g courses, does that mean their high school diploma comes from a "private school"? I assume their parents would still file an R4 until their completion from high school?

A student taking a-g courses could be from a private homeschool (filed PSA), yes. Some traditional high schoolers do concurrently enroll in cc, as well.

[Ellie]

[Edited: I just saw that this thread is a year old, and I answered the first poster's  question. I will leave my answer since part is applicable to the second poster's questions].

 

Regarding using an umbrella school for record keeping and transcripts, I do not recommend it for that purpose at all. The time it takes to learn is significantly less than the time it takes to do all the "stuff” the PSP requires.  It is really very simple and easy. I just went to a couple workshops, bought a couple books, and got copies of someone’s public school transcripts to use as a guide.

 

However, when it comes to college applications... If I could do it again, I would use an accredited umbrella school as opposed to filing a private school affidavit. (Don't waste your time or money with anything not accredited.) If your school is not accredited, or if you file a PSA, the hoops your child needs to jump through are #%@##. And if you have a child that doesn't like to write, forget it. Without accreditation you are restricted to homeschool friendly colleges, but you still need extra essays, high SAT scores, and portfolios. And every college wants something different.  If you plan to do community college, you can get away with doing it on your own. But... life changes and if the opportunity arises that your child is able financially to go straight to a university...

 

Oh, and you might want to double check on the residency requirement. I could be remembering wrong, but I seem to recall a question being, "did your parents live out of the state" not, "what is their permanent residence".

 

What, exactly, do you mean by "accredited umbrella school"? There are few California-based private school PSPs that are accredited.