TwoEdgedSword Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 We're exploring the possibility of phasing our teens into public high school. For one of the kids, it would be half of junior year and senior year only. How do PSs do diplomas when the student hasn't been there all four years? Are they only "signing off" on when the student was attending? Does the incoming student need to show the entire homeschool record prior to entering PS? Lastly, what extra-curricular classes could a sophmore and junior take together? Thanks for your help. Obviously, I have lots of questions! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 It really depends on where you live. Some places require accreditation for any classes the student claims to have taken, and may offer End of Course exams if you cannot prove it. Some, like here, will have no problem starting a child at the beginning of the high school sequence to make sure they have the proper credits. You need to talk to your school system to find out exactly what is needed. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I think it's all going to depend on your state's laws. Here the admittance or re-admittance of a homeschooled student of any age/grade into public school is completely up to that school's principal. So experiences can vary a LOT. It may be quite a battle to get the high school credits your kids have already earned accepted by the school. Hopefully not, but I'd be prepared for it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 Thanks, not Texas, thankfully I guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Here in CA (because of a-g) it's pretty much impossible to get those credits granted. With a student in their junior year, I would recommend looking into community college rather than trying to enroll in public high school. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 It depends on where you live. If you live in Texas, forget about it. It won't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 It depends on where you live. If you live in Texas, forget about it. It won't happen. Not necessarily. The student just has to put in more work. They have to make sure to take the STARR EOCs. They can arrange with a TEA accredited online program to do EOCs for credit and/or turbo through an online class for credit. It is just harder and requires more planning. The school can accept students as part-time, too, while they catch up on their own. Or, if all else fails, a student can take dual enrollment classes through a public school and still have home issue a diploma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) dp. sorry! Edited January 1, 2016 by Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 This can vary widely depending on state, school district, or even individual school. You should contact the school you are considering and ask these questions directly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 It does vary greatly by state, even by district. Here, it isn't very easy to get back into public high school after 9th grade. It is completely up to the school as to what grade they are placed in, and what credits they will allow to transfer. There are also placement tests to be taken. It is far easier to dual enroll at the local community college as a junior/senior. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lispy Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Around here homeschooling high school is considered all or nothing once you hit 9th grade. It is not *impossible* to get in after that, but there are so many hoops that for all but the most extenuating circumstances it's just not worth the trouble. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 This is one reason why I'm considering using an accedited program, though I'd really rather not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) We're exploring the possibility of phasing our teens into public high school. For one of the kids, it would be half of junior year and senior year only. How do PSs do diplomas when the student hasn't been there all four years? Are they only "signing off" on when the student was attending? Does the incoming student need to show the entire homeschool record prior to entering PS? Lastly, what extra-curricular classes could a sophmore and junior take together? Thanks for your help. Obviously, I have lots of questions! Agreeing with everyone above -- you really have to speak directly with the specific high school to know what their policy is. Some may only need a homeschool transcript. Some may want a portfolio of work and some SAT Subject scores to prove high school level of work. But many require that you take their end-of-year test for each and every course the student took in your homeschool high school in order to grant credit -- for your oldest student that would mean tests for every class of 9th, 10th and 11th grades. Lastly, what extra-curricular classes could a sophmore and junior take together? First -- just a teeny quibble on semantics here ;): do you mean extracurricular ACTIVITIES or do you mean ELECTIVE classes/credits?? For extracurricular activities, there are loads of groups and community things to get involved in; check out these past threads for ideas: Low income people and extracurriculars Finding extra-curricular What extracurricular activities for the high school years? What kinds of extra activities for high schoolers? DS is so, so lonely "Once your child hits middle school, does this mean all the "fun" stuff stops?" For Elective credits, again, there are all kinds of things students could do together -- what are their specific interests? I'd probably start there and build a class around their interests. Ideas: - PE - Health - Bible / Religious Studies / Worldview - Logic / Philosophy - Electronics - Robotics - Horticulture - Jewelry Making / Photography / Filmmaking / etc. (or could count towards a Fine Arts credit) - Creative Writing / Journalism (or could count towards an English credit) - Vocational-Tech courses from local community college (Welding, Early Childhood Development, etc.) - course built around a unique interest (Boat Building, Horses, Blacksmithing, etc.) Edited January 1, 2016 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 From many threads I have read on WTM, that will depend upon what state you live in, and, on your local school district and possibly the individual school involved.. My belief is that most people either go with 4 years of Home Schooling or 4 years of Public High School. Mixing the 2 is apparently extremely difficult, especially trying to go from Home School to Public School. My guess is that it would be easier for a student to go from Public School to Home School and then be issued a Home School Diploma, that trying to go from Home School to Public School and have them accept credits from the Home School. There would probably be A LOT of testing required, to gain credits in the Public School. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 Lori D, I did mean extracurricular classes. So thanks for answering with that in mind also. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) The community college option is also being considered. In our area, the local public school will pay for it, if they enroll through the high school, so that might be a possibility. Edited January 2, 2016 by TwoEdgedSword Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 We're exploring the possibility of phasing our teens into public high school. For one of the kids, it would be half of junior year and senior year only. How do PSs do diplomas when the student hasn't been there all four years? Are they only "signing off" on when the student was attending? Does the incoming student need to show the entire homeschool record prior to entering PS? Lastly, what extra-curricular classes could a sophmore and junior take together? Thanks for your help. Obviously, I have lots of questions! Are you thinking of having them go into a high school mid junior year? I think that would pose a lot of problems, because not only are you trying to get them to recognize the work that you did in high school, but also permit the junior to join year long classes mid-stream. If I may ask, what is it that you are trying to accomplish by putting them into the public school? Is homeschooling not working and you are looking for alternatives? Are you trying to access sports? Have they moved beyond what you are comfortable supervising? When my kids were juniors, I started them off at the community college doing dual enrollment for math (pre-calculus). Senior year DS1 did 3 courses (chemistry, calculus and English composition) first semester and two courses (chemistry and statistics) second semester. We did German and history here at home. This has been a pretty good mix for him. He had really great math teachers and a full chemistry lab (that I didn't have to set up or clean up), plus teachers to write recommendations. In our state, the public schools don't give credit for any homeschool coursework. Students going from homeschool to public school enter as 9th graders. A couple ideas for squaring the circle would involve doing outside classes, but still issuing a homeschool diploma. You might be able to do a part time enrollment at the public high school. They would not issue a diploma, but might let your kids enroll at whatever levels they place into. You might do dual enrollment at a community college. (Sometimes called something else like Running Start, Early Admission or High School Special.) Again, you would issue the high school diploma, but you would incorporate the college classes into the transcript and have them count as both college and high school credits. (It is up to other colleges to decide if they will accept those college credits as transfer credits or not. Policies vary greatly, both by school and by student goals.) You might find a home study charter school. Charter schools are public schools that operate under a government charter. Each state and school set up is different. They are more or less flexible depending on the charter. Some will give a stipend to cover curriculum. You might even see if a local private school would enroll your kids. They would be in a position to evaluate and place them, putting credits onto their transcript. That might be something you could take after a year to the public school and have them recognize it there. If you are part of any homeschool Facebook groups in your local area, I'd ask around there. Also ask for contacts to other families who've had homeschooled kids enter the public school. I know I've had a couple neighbors who've put their kids into high school around 9th grade as a matter of family policy (in other words, homeschool only k-8). You might find some good local leads into what is possible and likely for your situation. I hope you get some good ideas and support. Unfortunately, this is one that is hard to help with unless people are familiar with the specific state laws and local practices. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 This is one reason why I'm considering using an accredited program, though I'd really rather not. I promise you that most of the time, it will not matter that a child was enrolled in an accredited distance-learning school. Before you take that step, I strongly encourage you to go to the schools your dc might attend and talk to someone there. And not just the person at the front desk. The principal, or the administrator, or someone with authority. If he tells you that your dc's credits will be accepted, get that in writing. Really. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 Sebastian, Thank you for all of your helpful input. We're considering this only because of sports. Our kids have played in the public school sports teams as high as they can in our system and coaches at the higher levels were really encouraging us and telling us certain kids would make Varsity and JV teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 ...We're considering this only because of sports. Our kids have played in the public school sports teams as high as they can in our system and coaches at the higher levels were really encouraging us and telling us certain kids would make Varsity and JV teams. Do check in to the high school Varsity sports eligibility rules for your area to see if this would even be possible for your 11th grader. A homeschool friend in my area had a son who went from homeschool to public school in order to play Varsity basketball, but had to sit out one year because they had played as homeschoolers with a private high school. In our area, any time you transfer to a new school/district after having played for another high school, you have to sit out a year -- it is to prevent recruiting of students from one school or district into playing for another. That meant my friend's son attended high school for 11th and 12th grades, but was only able to play Varsity ball for 12th grade, and could not play with any team, even homeschool league, during 11th grade. Also, depending on the sport, you might look into club teams rather than public high school teams, and consider meeting NCAA regulations with your homeschooling so your students would be eligible to play college sports AND be eligible for sports scholarships. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 Lori, are you saying for eligibility, he couldn't even play on a homeschool team that was not affiliated with the private school? That's rough if so, because usually the homeschool teams aren't subect to the state high school athletic associations. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 (edited) Lori, are you saying for eligibility, he couldn't even play on a homeschool team that was not affiliated with the private school? That's rough if so, because usually the homeschool teams aren't subect to the state high school athletic associations. :-( As I recall, this young man homeschooled in 9th and 10th grades and played Varsity basketball as part of a private high school's team; he paid the sports fee and followed all the regulations just as all the other students did, as the private school accepted homeschoolers onto their sports teams at that time. However, parents of students who attended the private school complained that homeschoolers were taking too many spots on the team, so the school changed their policy to no homeschoolers allowed to play on the school's sports teams -- only students who attended the school. This left the young man with the choice of limited homeschool/charter school play (a total of about 4-5 teams in the entire area), or to attend either the private high school or a public high school in order to be able to play the much more competitive Varsity ball. His family couldn't afford the private high school, and the student decided to attend public high school for 11th grade. Because of the switch in school teams, he had to sit out playing Varsity basketball for 11th grade to regain eligibility. And, since he was now attending public high school he was no longer eligible to play with the homeschool league teams (only open to homeschool students and charter school students) -- my understanding is that eligibility is dictated by the homeschool group associations and the charter schools, NOT the state athletic association. But the upshot was: no team sports for a year in order to be eligible to play Varsity basketball for 12th grade. However, the school policies in your area are most likely very different, so best to find out for sure what the situation is for your area! Hopefully, less stringent! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited January 3, 2016 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Thanks Lori! Very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Sports eligibility is an area to double and triple check and to try to get written copies of policies. We have had people tell us that homeschoolers could play with the local high school teams. Only true in that area if the student was part of a local charter (ie, public) school. Other places wouldn't even let homeschoolers compete against public school teams (ran into this in VA, although the law was recently changed, I think). On the other hand, we have friends whose son was able to be a full participant on the local high school soccer team (in a third state). It really depends on the area and the school and even the sport. With USA Swimming, for example, a swimmer who changes teams has to wait for 120 days before competing for the new team and also has to be released by the old team. (Usually this is just a matter of getting a signature that there are no outstanding payments due.) This is for club swimming, not high school level. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Sebastian you're on a roll tonight in helping me! Thanks. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HootyTooty Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Sports eligibility is an area to double and triple check and to try to get written copies of policies. We have had people tell us that homeschoolers could play with the local high school teams. Only true in that area if the student was part of a local charter (ie, public) school. Other places wouldn't even let homeschoolers compete against public school teams (ran into this in VA, although the law was recently changed, I think). On the other hand, we have friends whose son was able to be a full participant on the local high school soccer team (in a third state). It really depends on the area and the school and even the sport. With USA Swimming, for example, a swimmer who changes teams has to wait for 120 days before competing for the new team and also has to be released by the old team. (Usually this is just a matter of getting a signature that there are no outstanding payments due.) This is for club swimming, not high school level. Yes and no. A swimmer can change teams, and can compete. They will be considered unattached to their new team for 120 days from the last time they competed with their old team at a sanctioned meet. The transferred swimmer will just not be able to compete in relays or earn points for their new team at competitions were points are earned, but they can participate in individual events and earn individual points. (return to lurkdom). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Yes and no. A swimmer can change teams, and can compete. They will be considered unattached to their new team for 120 days from the last time they competed with their old team at a sanctioned meet. The transferred swimmer will just not be able to compete in relays or earn points for their new team at competitions were points are earned, but they can participate in individual events and earn individual points. (return to lurkdom). I think we are saying the same thing different ways. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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