s/o....Is homeschooling high school all or nothing where you live?

[creekland]

Yes here in PA.  I specifically asked if my guys could just pass tests from the school to get credits and was told no, that was not sufficient.  (We didn't want that, I was just curious before I started.)

 

Even my tippy top ACT scoring cc A grade student would need to take 9th grade courses to get the required credits needed, esp for courses like English (one of his maxed ACT scores).

 

Fortunately, his Top 30 college didn't see it that way.  ;)

[LisaKinVA]

In Virginia it is all or nothing.  To graduate from a public school, students must have certain credits.  But those credits must be SOL-certified AND the students must pass the SOL tests for each of those courses.

 

No, the credits don't have to be "SOL Certified" -- they just have to pass the SOL exams.  There isn't an "SOL" certification other than the exam.  We've been down this path in Stafford County, and we do have a friend who moved both a junior and a sophomore into the high school, both graduate on-time.  The process was not simple or easy.  grades did not transfer in, but the credits did.

 

The SOL exams are also required for 8th graders taking advanced courses (in order to receive credit) and moving into high school.  

 

SIDE NOTE: 

FWIW, none of the schools I transferred in and out of took the grades of my former courses and added them into my GPA.  And, the same kinds of things happen to military kids who transfer in and out of school systems.  

 

Two kids just moved here from the midwest.  They were both held back a grade, due to courses not being accepted.

Two kids moved from the east coast to AUS, because of how the school year ran, they had to enroll in a grade they had just completed in the states.  THEN, they moved to Italy to the DODEA school, and even though they had just completed 7th and 9th grade in AUS, because the DODEA school was mid-year, they had to repeat 7th and 9th here. 3 years of school to complete 2 grades according to each area standard.  

 

Some areas are more flexible, some areas are not. 

[FriedClams]

I find it so ironic that Harvard will take an SAT and my transcript, but the local PS won't.

 

For those above who say, "just test in", what about special cases? So the public schools can choose to only take smart home schools kids, but not ones who've struggled or have an LD? What about for accelerated kids - my dd took algebra 1 in seventh grade, so she should have to retest material that old if she tried to transfer in 4 years later? In our district to test in you must get a 90% or above on the midterm, final, and state tests. Not pass - 90%. Some kids get a C in algebra. That's average. That's the best done can do. and in the big picture, that's fine. In or district, that's not enough to transfer in. I'm 100% certain that not every kid who took algebra 1 in 8th grade in our district and was moved up in 9th got above 90s on all the tests. Double standard much? Penalize kids much?

 

I GET accountability. I GET taking responsibility. I GET appropriate placement. It benefits everyone. But locally it feels like kids are being punished for decisions parents make. It really seems like the public school administration does not care about the kids and helping then assimilate. They want to shut down the parents and exercise control. Period. It's so sad to me because I know some great kids who would really benefit from being in the public school and the schools would benefit from having those families, but really, the administration send to really care more about politics and control than the education of the kids.

[FriedClams]

Alg in 7th doesnt require an exam to proceed here. It requires showing that the course was equivalent or better to the state standards...and that determination is up to the Principal. An alternative exam such as Sat is used instead of Regents, per state regs, to satisfy diploma reqts. There are cases from time to time in the news regarding accel students who grad early with diploma.

 

THe standard in my district (no honors) to move on to the next math class is an 85 or better, without extensive tutoring, on both the class final score and the Regents Exam. A neighboring district that offers 7th algebra wants to see a 90 in the course without struggling, if not they move to nonhonors. 65 to 84 puts the student into a remedial class, then they go on in the Regents sequence.

My sister teaches in N.Y.and I like the consistency there. Regents are so standard. I live in the DEEP South, which is a slightly different world. I GET that as homeschoolers we choose our path and consequences. I get that. Really, I do. I just get frustrated when I see families being dismissed and kids not being welcomed. School should be a good thing. It should be a safe place. I'm not saying we get a pass because we homeschool, I'm just wishing administrations would seek to make the transfer process productive rather than punitive. (Especially when we're talking what, 3-5 kids a year? It's not like it's a flood of homeschool juniors clamoring to transfer.)

[scbusf]

No, the credits don't have to be "SOL Certified" -- they just have to pass the SOL exams.  There isn't an "SOL" certification other than the exam.  We've been down this path in Stafford County, and we do have a friend who moved both a junior and a sophomore into the high school, both graduate on-time.  The process was not simple or easy.  grades did not transfer in, but the credits did.

 

The SOL exams are also required for 8th graders taking advanced courses (in order to receive credit) and moving into high school.  

 

SIDE NOTE: 

FWIW, none of the schools I transferred in and out of took the grades of my former courses and added them into my GPA.  And, the same kinds of things happen to military kids who transfer in and out of school systems.  

 

Two kids just moved here from the midwest.  They were both held back a grade, due to courses not being accepted.

Two kids moved from the east coast to AUS, because of how the school year ran, they had to enroll in a grade they had just completed in the states.  THEN, they moved to Italy to the DODEA school, and even though they had just completed 7th and 9th grade in AUS, because the DODEA school was mid-year, they had to repeat 7th and 9th here. 3 years of school to complete 2 grades according to each area standard.  

 

Some areas are more flexible, some areas are not. 

 

I used to teach in a VA high school, so that is where my SOL-certified term came from - sorry if it's not a publicly used thing.  It just means that the credit has to be a certain course - students have to pass the course AND pass the test.

 

In the area I live in (not No. VA), I have never heard of a school district allowing homeschooled credits for high school. That doesn't mean it's never happened, but the school districts in my area are not homeschool-friendly at all.

 

So my original reply should have said that in VA, it's pretty much all or nothing.  Depends on the school district.

[mschickie]

Its not all or nothing in my part of NY. NYSED considers a homeschooler moving to public school a transfer student. If they enter in 11th or 12th some REs can be waived. Transfer credit can be awarded per the regs and that is the Principal's decision after conferring with relevent faculty. Alternative exams can be used in lieu of some Regents, and FL can be satisfied by exam.

That is interesting, the districts around here do not really look at homeschoolers as transfers and I have never heard of one waiving a regents requirement from a former homeschooled student.

 

As another poster said Science is the biggest hang up in NYS.  Most district that I know of will not accept homeschooler labs no matter how well the lab is written up.  If the school will not accept the labs then the student cannot take the regents exam.  Now depending on the school and the scheduling a student could take multiple labs in a year in order to take the regents but that is very tricky to do with scheduling.  Some private schools who do not use the regents exam will take homeschoolers and give credit for the labs.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Not necessarily.  I can't speak for other districts in IL, but ours seems pretty friendly.  If you enroll after starting homeschooling and want a diploma from the high school, you would have to have all classes not taken at the high school approved and still meet the school's graduation policy.  Not sure how difficult that would be since we haven't gone that route.  I made the decision to issue dd's diploma even if she decides to attend high school on a more full-time basis.  That means she is still using them as academic content and I am still in charge of her schooling.  (Dd so far has decided not to go that route at this time, preferring to take some classes at the local college instead of the AP rat race.) 

[G5052]

For our particular public high school, it's all or nothing.

 

The Director of Guidance has a nasty attitude towards homeschooling, and basically throws out anything you did unless it was from an accredited school. If you come in say ready for Algebra II, he'll put you in that, but you still have to get 4 math credits to get the pre-college diploma from that school. Prior homeschool credits don't count even though you proved achievement.

 

I got into an argument with him about this once, and he said that he'd even throw out the credits of a student with a "5" who couldn't back it up with a class from an accredited school.

 

Part-time enrollment is an option, but the school decides if they have room or not on a class-by-class basis. They don't seem eager to do it.

 

Locally families who find that they can't keep homeschooling high school themselves usually go to paid classes, part-time enrollment at a private school, or dual enrollment. There are restrictions on dual enrollment as to how many hours you can take and which classes at first, so some families just graduate them at 15 or 16 and put them into community college as regular students. As a professor there, I can tell you that this is usually a mistake, but there are a handful of success stories too. Not something I'd do that early with mine. One graduated at 18 with a mix of dual enrollment and paid classes, and the other will graduate at 17 with the same.

[Julie Smith]

To my knowledge, yes. If you start later you have to jump through so many hoops it isn't worth it.