Blessed with seven Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 We are considering a move to Tennessee.....from Kansas. Kansas is very low regulations in regards to homeschooling. What is TN like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I live in TN. Here is the official overview: https://www.tn.gov/education/topic/home-schooling-in-tn The overwhelming majority of Tennessee homeschoolers take the second option listed, which is to register with a church-related umbrella school. The umbrella school then sets testing and reporting requirements. We have taken the first option and are registered with our local school district (LEA) as independent homeschoolers. I file an annual notice of intent (children's names, ages, and subjects I intend to teach) along with a copy of my high school diploma and my children's vaccination records. Then at the end of the year I file a strangely formatted but substantively minimal attendance form. As independent homeschoolers, my kids will need to test in 5th, 7th and 9th. So far we have been very satisfied with this arrangement and all interactions with our local LEA have been pleasant and professional. Good luck with your decision! Do you have a particular part of the state in mind? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 We are in TN. We take the second option, under an umbrella. We use Home-Life academy, which does not require a statement of faith. It is online based, so you can use it anywhere in TN. We have to report grades twice a year, report attendance, and list what curriculum we use. This is all done online. We have no testing requirements. I have used them all the way through graduation with no issues. I've also homeschooled in TX which has no regulations, and do not find TN any harder. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Oh, and I'm in East TN if you need any info about the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessed with seven Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 This would be near Kingston, TN. So..what do you do to file under an umbrella school? I do not understand what this means? Do you still get to pick curriculum? I have never liked the idea of testing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapy Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 We homeschool under an umbrella- Sailaway. It's awesome- they do all of the state reporting and I get to pick all of the curriculum and whatnot. No testing. They're very hands off, which is what I wanted. Basically, I signed up with Sailaway and they took care of everything else. When the local school district hassled me slightly (related to a speech IEP from K), they took care of that too. All I do is keep track of attendance and grades in their online system. It's very easy-peasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 . So..what do you do to file under an umbrella school? I do not understand what this means? Do you still get to pick curriculum? I have never liked the idea of testing... I'm also with Home Life (in a different part of the state though.) highly recommend them. Yes, you get to pick your materials/curriculum. If you file with umbrella school, it all boils down to reporting of attendance and grades to a "private school" instead of the local public school district office. You enroll your student with the cover school instead of registering with your district. Around this part of the state the top reasons usually given for paying for the cover school instead of going free route of registering with public include: 1. not having to do the mandatory testings in certain grade levels. Those mandatory tests in grade 9 include the public school end of course standardized tests in certain subjects. 2. preferring "private" over "public" in philosophy 3. cover schools tend to provide some level of supports in curriculum and planning and such. Local district offers none of that. I moved here from a state with no to low regulations/requirements for filing, etc. It was really easy to homeschool in TN. People freaked me out a bit when the legal language of "you're not homeschooled, you're enrolled in a private school that permits off campus instruction." I eventually stopped freaking out on that as I realized it was legal wording, but in practice I'm still just as much a homeschooler as I was in the other state. I'm glad Home Life doesn't require testing. I like the counselor's help for all kinds of things in high school. They make it easy to report attendance and grades. They were prompt with transcripts to colleges, and request for proof of attendance to get driver's permit. They are as hands off as you want, or as much help as you need. no statement of faith -- don't worry on the legal term "church related school" when talking about TN cover schools. it's just legal term. with Home Life, you don't have to be a church person. and if you are, it's ok too. Cover schools do not necessarily provide social supports such as co ops, classes, etc... They are primarily there as a private school to legally report to so you aren't truant. here's link http://homelifeacademy.com/faq/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I had never heard of Sailaway until hearing of it from Soapy's post. here's that link, I think??? http://www.sailawaylearning.com/content/why-sailaway-home and this is info overload when moving here, but was something I panicked on when moving and truly did not need to..... so... don't worry too much on the Category 4 designation. That's just TN legal wording . The vast majority of cover schools in TN are "category 4 non public". very minor differences in "cat 2" vs "cat 4" and only seem to matter for 2 things that I've heard of: 1. if you transfer to public school, CAT 2 designations mean they transfer credit without much hassle. those in CAT 4 will take placement tests. 2. and one minor thing on one aspect of one state scholarship for college. it's not worth the mention right now. Part of why it's all confusing is that there are a lot of easy ways to homeschool in TN. lots of good options to be legal and they're rather easy to do. (and I say that coming from a state where you just didn't have to report to anyone for anything!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 This would be near Kingston, TN. So..what do you do to file under an umbrella school? I do not understand what this means? Do you still get to pick curriculum? I have never liked the idea of testing... I see someone answered this already :) The only thing I wanted to add is that registering under the umbrella with HomeLife is very easy. You pay your reg. fee, and they will walk you through everything you need to do. They have always been very good at answering any questions I have. Once you get settled in, I can give you some information on co-ops in Knoxville if you need it. There are many different groups and co-ops in the area. And an early welcome to TN! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapy Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I had never heard of Sailaway until hearing of it from Soapy's post. here's that link, I think??? http://www.sailawaylearning.com/content/why-sailaway-home and this is info overload when moving here, but was something I panicked on when moving and truly did not need to..... so... don't worry too much on the Category 4 designation. That's just TN legal wording . The vast majority of cover schools in TN are "category 4 non public". very minor differences in "cat 2" vs "cat 4" and only seem to matter for 2 things that I've heard of: 1. if you transfer to public school, CAT 2 designations mean they transfer credit without much hassle. those in CAT 4 will take placement tests. 2. and one minor thing on one aspect of one state scholarship for college. it's not worth the mention right now. Part of why it's all confusing is that there are a lot of easy ways to homeschool in TN. lots of good options to be legal and they're rather easy to do. (and I say that coming from a state where you just didn't have to report to anyone for anything!) Yup, that's it. I like the hands off nature of the program, but I know there's a lady in our co-op that has used their testing services to look into learning disabilities. They offer lots of services, but I can really only speak to the most basic, "keeps you legal" homeschool service they offer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 We use an umbrella school which is also a b&m private school. Very easy, same as others have said. They offer testing and inform about TN testing regulations, but families can sign a waiver and opt out. They offer ala carte classes at the middle and high school levels (private school tutition rates, though), a one day a week tutorial, as well as extra curricular clubs and sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I'm in mid-TN and have used Home Life for 4+ years. Not a single problem. I like that I don't have to test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaBlue Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 We've registered with the district since we moved here in 2013. No problems so far, but my eldest is a 4th grader, so we haven't had to deal with testing yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessed with seven Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 Thank you for all the information. My husband is not sure he wants to accept the position.....I GREATLY appreciate this so if we do I won't feel lost..ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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