Homeschooling in MO?

[Um_2_4]

So my awesome neighbor who homeschools through a charter here in CA is moving. :sad: Her daughter is in 5th this year. STEM oriented. They are moving to a small town, so she knows that some resources will be lacking. She will miss the $$ from the charter school :tongue_smilie: . 

 

They are moving back to MO, but while she found "laws" about homeschooling in MO online, she can't find details about what exact does that mean.....You know what does it actually look like?? I thought someone in the Hive might help out here.

I see you need to keep records, does anyone ask for these? It seems that home school diplomas are not recognized or there are issues with getting them recognized in MO?? How about college admissions? 

Since daughter has never been in public school there, it looks like there are no papers to file or letters to send?

Is something like DORA and ADAM enough each year for the assessments or do people usually do other online standardized tests? If so which ones are accepted?

 

Thanks for any info I can pass along.

[Jyhwkmama]

She should reach out the the KC LEARN group on facebook. I am on the Kansas side, but many people are in MO and would be happy to answer her questions.

[Jyhwkmama]

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/286065201501525/

[MrsRobinson]

I can answer a few of your questions.

 

The only time anyone would want to look at your records is if a truancy officer came by due to complaint. I have never heard of this happening. Lived here my whole life. Grew up with 4 homeschooling families. Surrounded by family and friends that homeschool now. Just be open with neighbors, doctors, dentists, anyone you see on a regular basis that you homeschool and your friend should be perfectly fine.

 

There is nothing for them to file or register since she has not been in the public system here. Can't get any easier.

 

I am far from high school stage so I really can't answer about diplomas. All my family and friends with high schoolers have been using accredited virtual schools for high school so maybe there is an issue they are hoping to avoid. I am curious now. Haha!

 

And standardized testing is not required here either so I'm not sure what info you are needing regarding those tests you mentioned. If you're referring to the "record of evaluation of the student's progress" I am pretty sure that's just tests and quizzes that come across naturally in their curriculum. It doesn't outline anything about standardized tests, which one are allowed, how they are to be administered, etc.

 

Hope that helps a little!

[Um_2_4]

Thanks ! I will pass this on!

[BarbecueMom]

I'm only four years into this homeschool thing and still feel like a n00b, but I can try to answer some of these. Someone who has gone through high school already may have better tips.

 

We have to track hours (1000 a year, starting the year after they turn seven), but they don't have to be shown to anyone. The general understanding is that it has only come up in divorce/custody disputes.

 

The state sets diploma requirements for public schools. I don't think they have anything to do with private school diplomas (could be wrong though), and definitely not home schools. I went to college (state university here in MO) with many homeschool grads, and know of some in college now, no problems with getting accepted with a homeschool diploma/transcript and ACT scores. We don't have access to the cheap/free CC dual enrollment that some states have, and homeschoolers cannot play varsity public school sports.

 

No filing or registration. Our school district doesn't even know we exist. Just like the kids down the street in Catholic schools.

 

No testing required.

 

Depending on which area of the state the small town is, the closest larger city should have a group where she can ask questions if needed! If she is anywhere close to a university, she should look into STEM extracurricular options for her DD there. My college was somewhat rural, and I know there were a few programs offered to area kids. Good luck to her and her family!

[regentrude]

MO is totally easy. You need to school 1,000 hours per year, 600 of those in the core subjects. Keep a portfolio of child's work and a log of time spent.

The logs will not be inspected, unless somebody notifies authorities that you commit educational neglect. Most people never have to show any documentation.

 

I issue my kids high school diplomas because I am the school.

Kids get into college just fine. Check the yearly acceptance thread - homeschoolers without charter and umbrella schools get into all kinds of universities, even the top tier ones, with parent issues documentation plus standardized test scores.

[elegantlion]

I homeschooled most of the years in MO, very easy to homeschool, it's a very accepted practice in the areas I've been in. Ds got into college with an ACT score and an official transcript which I issued. 

 

The 1,000 hour issue is something no one looks at unless, as stated above, there is a complaint. I've never met anyone who was required to show a log. There was some debate when we started schooling about whether "hours" is defined as actual hours or what some see as classroom hours - more like 1 subject equals an hour. Because I'm very literal about following rules, I used an hour to mean an actual hour and logged those. Partially it was my own experiment to see how many hours we actually did. It can be a pain sometimes, but not everyone tracked them in the detail in which I did. All that to say, don't let the 1,000 hour thing be a challenge, but know there is some debate  (at least there used to be). 

 

I haven't looked at state law in a few years, but the school year runs July 1 to June 30, so technically you have 12 months to accrue those 1,000 hours.  

 

You're also supposed to keep a portfolio and I just made a binder of his work each year. We did not do standardized testing

 

I've found Missouri an easy state to homeschool in. In the larger cities you will find active groups, both secular and christian. In the outlying areas there are more christian groups. 

 

There is no notification. Ds was in private school for prek and K and we did give the school a letter saying we wouldn't be returning because we were going to homeschool. It was not required, however, and when we moved back to MO after being gone a few years, we didn't notify anyone. 

 

There is definitely an attitude of acceptance with homeschoolers in most of the places I've been in MO. We have some homeschooling parents on faculty at my college.