Public school will not enroll my son

[48820592]

I'm furious right now.  My son wanted to enroll in ps for his senior year and was told "he would make the school look bad" because he would not graduate from the school, therefore, he could not enroll as a senior.  He could only enroll as a freshman.  He has had Spanish 1 and 2, Latin 1 and 2, Biology, Honors Chem, Anatomy and Phys, AP English Lang, all the math, etc.  Ridiculous!

[Janeway]

That is the policy here. They won't give credit for anything from anywhere except in state accredited schools.

[Jean in Newcastle]

That is standard in many states for high school. My children knew from the start that if they made the decision to homeschool high school that it had to be for all four years (or two plus dual enrollment).

 

 

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[48820592]

I'm not looking for a diploma from the ps, we can get one of those easily enough with his transcripts.  He wants to go because of sports.

[matrips]

That's how I understand our high schools to be as well.

[Jean in Newcastle]

What is state law?

 

 

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[yvonne]

I'm not looking for a diploma from the ps, we can get one of those easily enough with his transcripts.  He wants to go because of sports.

 

Could he enroll as a "freshman" but take classes at his level?  For example, if he's already done AP Eng. and earned a 4 or 5, I can't imagine making him take Eng 9. Wouldn't they let him take an upper level Eng course?

 

And for math, wouldn't he just take whatever math course he places into?

If you're not going to graduate him from the public school or ask for a diploma from the school, maybe it doesn't matter if he's on their books as a "freshman"? 

 

(I really don't know. Just asking. Not suggesting that you do it unless you've checked it out! I'm in CA where there's a similar policy-though not always enforced-and I've wondered about doing something like that. Just use the public school classes like any other outsourced classes except that the child is fully enrolled at the school. Include the classes on my own transcript, with all the other outsourced classes.)

 

Good luck.  Dealing with the public schools is so bogged down in red tape. They can't venture beyond their official process, no matter how ridiculous they may be or seem. It's frustrating.

Edited September 4, 2017 by yvonne

[lispy]

We have the same deal here. All or nothing. But even if that were not the case, in our state he would not be able to play sports even if he transferred from a private school or public school within so many miles. There is a one year "sit out" period. It's to keep people from changing school districts just for sports. Sports is a super big deal here and is highly regulated by the ......whatever the sports authority is called. (We are not a big sports family, but I know many who have had this issue).

Edited September 4, 2017 by lispy

[yvonne]

With all the trouble homeschoolers have getting access to sports, you'd think that someone or some organization would have arisen to fill that need, kind of like there are debate leagues for home school speech & debate students. And they're quality leagues, not just some recreational or dabbling organizations.

 

Is it because there aren't enough really good home school athletes in any given sport, in a close enough area, to make it competitive enough to appeal to the few that are?  Home schoolng is pretty big in Silicon Valley, and in other areas of Florida and Texas, maybe elsewhere. I'd think there'd be enough home school kids who wanted to play some sport to be able to form a team.

 

Or maybe there isn't the same money in it that there is at public schools?  (Our local public school doesn't have great academics, but they just tore out their football field and put in a new one.) 

 

Or maybe there aren't good coaches available to home school teams?

 

Not a sports family here, so maybe there's some obvious reason.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2017 by yvonne

[Ellie]

I'm not looking for a diploma from the ps, we can get one of those easily enough with his transcripts.  He wants to go because of sports.

 

It doesn't matter whether you want a diploma or not. Because the school will not accept any credits earned at home, he will have to enroll as a freshman. This is pretty much the norm. It is why we routinely tell people that homeschooling high school is an all or nothing deal, and they need to make the decision when their dc are 14ish (9th grade age).

[Frances]

The graduation stats are serious business here, too. My state has one of the worst rates in the country and there is a great emphasis on increasing it. However, homeschooled students here can do just sports or music or speech/debate or even take just one or two classes, so it wouldn't be an issue.

[Roadrunner]

It doesn't matter whether you want a diploma or not. Because the school will not accept any credits earned at home, he will have to enroll as a freshman. This is pretty much the norm. It is why we routinely tell people that homeschooling high school is an all or nothing deal, and they need to make the decision when their dc are 14ish (9th grade age).

So this was also my understanding, but I ran into a Homeschooler last year who told me something interesting. Now this is anectodal, so I wouldn't take this as fact, but according to this person, if you take California high school exit exam and pass (whatever that is called can't remember), and you happen to be under 18, PS has to take you even though you have "graduated" high school and as long as you are full time, you can take whatever you want. So this got me thinking. Is it possible to say attend PS just for a year or two to benefit for all the wonderful clubs and teams they have, but do two years at home and get a diploma from home? Say just go to PS during freshman and sophomore years only? I think this is worth investigating in CA at least.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Roadrunner

[Frances]

So this was also my understanding, but I ran into a Homeschooler last year who told me something interesting. Now this is anectodal, so I wouldn't take this as fact, but according to this person, if you take California high school exit exam and pass (whatever that is called can't remember), and you happen to be under 18, PS has to take you even though you have "graduated" high school and as long as you are full time, you can take whatever you want. So this got me thinking. Is it possible to say attend PS just for a year or two to benefit for all the wonderful clubs and teams they have, but do two years at home and get a diploma from home? Say just go to PS during freshman and sophomore years only? I think this is worth investigating in CA at least.

I believe you can start public high anywhere and then leave and finish at home. I think the issue in many states is starting hs at home and then trying to finish in fewer than four years at a public high school.

[Roadrunner]

I believe you can start public high anywhere and then leave and finish at home. I think the issue in many states is starting hs at home and then trying to finish in fewer than four years at a public high school.

I know, but this woman claimed they entered it as junior and her kid wasn't forced into freshman level courses because her kid had complete high school exit exam. Although if I remember correctly, she wasn't going to officially graduate from them, but just attend for two years.

[Frances]

I know, but this woman claimed they entered it as junior and her kid wasn't forced into freshman level courses because her kid had complete high school exit exam. Although if I remember correctly, she wasn't going to officially graduate from them, but just attend for two years.

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were suggesting to do freshman and sophomore years at public hs and then homeschool junior and senior years.

[Roadrunner]

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were suggesting to do freshman and sophomore years at public hs and then homeschool junior and senior years.

I am still very skeptical, but if this is a possibility (enter a sophomore year or junior year) and not be forced to take freshman classes, a kid could just go in for a bunch of free AP courses for a year or two, attend clubs, and then come home. I am going to explore this possibility when time comes.

[yvonne]

I am still very skeptical, but if this is a possibility (enter a sophomore year or junior year) and not be forced to take freshman classes, a kid could just go in for a bunch of free AP courses for a year or two, attend clubs, and then come home. I am going to explore this possibility when time comes.

 

I've wondered about this, too.

 

Here's another anecdotal data point for you......  I know a family whose daughter home schooled freshman and sophomore years and then entered her local brick and mortar public high school as a junior. They accepted all of her 9th and 10th grade credits. Most were from home-based courses.

 

Her experience was completely contrary to EVERYthing I'd heard about home schooling high school in CA being an all-or-nothing thing. However, it is purely anecdotal and I would never make plans based on a single person's experience with the public system.  (They ended up pulling the dd out for senior year bec the social experiences which she had wanted to go to public school for turned out not to be the positive experience they'd hoped for.)

 

I hesitate to mention the story because I wouldn't want to raise anyone's hopes. OTOH, perhaps there are other stories/experiences in CA like this one.

 

I still think the best advice for home schooling high school in CA is to assume it's all-or-nothing!

Edited September 4, 2017 by yvonne

[Corraleno]

OP, are you in Michigan? If so, these are the relevant laws (according to HSLDA):
 

The Michigan Department of Education states that in order to participate in extracurricular activities at the public school, the student “should be enrolled part-time in the public school.†(See Nonpublic and Home School Information.) http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_6569_35175---,00.html

 

However, the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s eligibility rules require a student to be "on the school records for at least 66% of full credit load potential for a full time student" in order to play sports for a member school. http://www.mhsaa.com/Portals/0/Documents/AD%20Forms/eligibility%20summary.pdf

 

Homeschool students have a right to take elective courses (i.e., courses that the Michigan statutes do not require homeschool programs to teach) at their local public school. This is based on a Michigan Supreme Court case, Snyder v. Charlotte Pub. Sch. Dist., 365 N.W. 2d 151 (Mich. 1984). Also see Michigan Department of Education statements at http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_6569_35175--- ,00.html

 

 

 

According to the above rules, your son should have the right to enroll in elective courses as a part-time student. Four electives would equal "66% of a full credit load," which would theoretically make him eligible to play sports. I don't know if there are enough interesting electives to make that worth his while, but at least it may be an option to look into.

If you are not in MI, you can check the rules for other states in the HSDLA document I linked above.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Each state has their own laws. I don't know if it might depend on the district in some states or not. I know in our state and district that they will not accept any non-state accredited grades or coursework. When I was researching this, I asked about taking exams to prove knowledge (for example in math) but they were equally adamant that no courses could be tested out of . I know if one local homeschooling friend who tried to appeal this policy. She was unsuccessful.

 

 

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Edited September 4, 2017 by Jean in Newcastle

[MerryAtHope]

With all the trouble homeschoolers have getting access to sports, you'd think that someone or some organization would have arisen to fill that need, kind of like there are debate leagues for home school speech & debate students. 

 

There are some in some areas. I've heard of Basketball and Track/Cross Country in our region. It's definitely worth looking around (and especially if one is willing to travel a bit to make it happen).

[snowbeltmom]

With all the trouble homeschoolers have getting access to sports, you'd think that someone or some organization would have arisen to fill that need, kind of like there are debate leagues for home school speech & debate students. And they're quality leagues, not just some recreational or dabbling organizations.

 

Is it because there aren't enough really good home school athletes in any given sport, in a close enough area, to make it competitive enough to appeal to the few that are?  Home schoolng is pretty big in Silicon Valley, and in other areas of Florida and Texas, maybe elsewhere. I'd think there'd be enough home school kids who wanted to play some sport to be able to form a team.

 

Or maybe there isn't the same money in it that there is at public schools?  (Our local public school doesn't have great academics, but they just tore out their football field and put in a new one.) 

 

Or maybe there aren't good coaches available to home school teams?

 

Not a sports family here, so maybe there's some obvious reason.

I think there are a number of reasons why there are not homeschoolied athletic teams :  You would need to have enough athletes to form a league, not just a team, because I doubt any of the public school/private school leagues would be able/willing to add a homeschool team to its schedule.  Then, provided you could form a league, how would the league get access to facilities?  For liability reasons, I can't imagine our public school providing access to its football field.. 

 

Another reason for lack of homeschooled teams is that in many areas a homeschooler would have access to his sport outside of the public school system.  In fact, many of the top athletes don't play for their high school teams even though they are students at the high school.  Instead, they play in leagues outside of the public school where the competition is greater.  These leagues are open to everyone who is good enough to make the team - the teams don't care where you attend school.   In my area, the only exceptions would be football and basketball as there are not club teams/elite leagues for these sports.

 

 

[G5052]

Same thing would happen in my district.

 

They do allow part-time enrollment and athletic participation if you take at least two courses, but unfortunately it's tough to get the classes most homeschoolers want.

[Janeway]

I'm not looking for a diploma from the ps, we can get one of those easily enough with his transcripts.  He wants to go because of sports.

Technically, he would not be eligible for sports anyway. There is a no pass, no play rule. If he is 17/18 yrs old, and has no high school credits to date, he does not qualify to play. AND, if he were to enroll as a freshman, he might not be eligible for just any team. And, as far as academics go, he will not have the pre-requisites needed to take the classes for a senior. Also, on the AP classes, the schools have to report how many students take the classes, then how many take the test, and what their scores are. it goes in to the statistics for the school and the teacher. 

 

One option, if you would like the academics but not the additional perks such as graduation and sports, then see if he can "audit" classes. I generally do not see this in cities. The people I have known who have been allowed to do this have been in smaller towns where everyone knew each other. 

[creekland]

In our state he could play sports without attending the school.  My kids were always on the school chess team - all the way up to winning the state championship one year.  Two of the five "competition" players were homeschooled (both mine at the time).  No one minded - or if they did - they didn't openly say anything.

 

Otherwise, yes, it's all or nothing for high school here in my district (not sure about the state).  Even my mid 30 ACT scoring (meaning top 1%) junior son would have had to start with freshman English and get 4 math courses in.  There are no exceptions in my district for homeschoolers.  I was told that point blank when each boy started 9th grade at home.  My son who chose to go back to school did so in 9th grade.

[RachelGoorbarry]

Ask the school what you need to do to get your kid enrolled.  Ask someone at the school board office.  That is what we did.

Good luck!

Edited September 4, 2017 by RachelGoorbarry

[Ellie]

I know, but this woman claimed they entered it as junior and her kid wasn't forced into freshman level courses because her kid had complete high school exit exam. Although if I remember correctly, she wasn't going to officially graduate from them, but just attend for two years.

 

The CHSPE is not an "exit exam." It is a tenth grade-level test which students *may* take (they have to be 16yo or in the second semester of 10th grade); students who pass are exempt from public school attendance (if they also have their parents' permission). It is the equivalent of a high school diploma.

 

As far as your friend's experience, well, to each his own.

[MarkT]

Technically, he would not be eligible for sports anyway. There is a no pass, no play rule. If he is 17/18 yrs old, and has no high school credits to date, he does not qualify to play. AND, if he were to enroll as a freshman, he might not be eligible for just any team. And, as far as academics go, he will not have the pre-requisites needed to take the classes for a senior. Also, on the AP classes, the schools have to report how many students take the classes, then how many take the test, and what their scores are. it goes in to the statistics for the school and the teacher. 

 

One option, if you would like the academics but not the additional perks such as graduation and sports, then see if he can "audit" classes. I generally do not see this in cities. The people I have known who have been allowed to do this have been in smaller towns where everyone knew each other. 

I think above would depend on the state.

 

Would the coach "black-ball" him anyways?

Most HS coaches would probably favor the young underclassmen to the "new guy" who won't be around the following year.

[Ellie]

With all the trouble homeschoolers have getting access to sports, you'd think that someone or some organization would have arisen to fill that need, kind of like there are debate leagues for home school speech & debate students. And they're quality leagues, not just some recreational or dabbling organizations.

 

Is it because there aren't enough really good home school athletes in any given sport, in a close enough area, to make it competitive enough to appeal to the few that are?  Home schoolng is pretty big in Silicon Valley, and in other areas of Florida and Texas, maybe elsewhere. I'd think there'd be enough home school kids who wanted to play some sport to be able to form a team.

 

Or maybe there isn't the same money in it that there is at public schools?  (Our local public school doesn't have great academics, but they just tore out their football field and put in a new one.) 

 

Or maybe there aren't good coaches available to home school teams?

 

Not a sports family here, so maybe there's some obvious reason.

 

There are states that have homeschool sports leagues. I believe there are in California, and I know there are in Texas. I'm sure there are some in other states, as well.

[Paige]

In my county he could take at most 2 classes as a homeschooled child; one elective and one academic. They don't allow both to be elective or academic, although you can take 1 class only. He would not be allowed to participate in sports or clubs, however.

 

If he wanted to fully enroll in HS, he'd have to enroll as a freshman- no for credit classes taken from a non-accredited school would be accepted. He could test out of required courses, but he'd still need to take enough classes to earn a full diploma. In some cases, it's not so bad because if he exceeds the course levels the school offers, they'd have him DE at the community college and he could earn college credit for cheaper than we'd pay as an individual family. 

 

I was in the office with a parent trying to enroll her daughter who had been homeschooled a few years for illness and the school was not willing to bend at all. She had to return as a sophomore since she left as a freshman even though she'd kept up her work and should have been enrolling as a senior. 

[Alessandra]

I'm not positive about my state (NJ), but I think a child can enter school at any time. I attached something that indicates that homeschooled students should be treated like other returning students. Certainly, I know from my own district that students enter throughout high school, mostly as transfers from US or abroad. And some schools have a significant population of refugees entering as teens, but they would presumably be in school for more than one year.

 

http://www.nj.gov/education/genfo/faq/faq_homeschool.htm

 

As for sports, the NJIAA has very strict rules, designed to prevent schools bringing in 'ringers.' That would apply to sports, but not to activities like chess (mentioned by Creekland).

[TN Mama]

With all the trouble homeschoolers have getting access to sports, you'd think that someone or some organization would have arisen to fill that need, kind of like there are debate leagues for home school speech & debate students. And they're quality leagues, not just some recreational or dabbling organizations.

 

Is it because there aren't enough really good home school athletes in any given sport, in a close enough area, to make it competitive enough to appeal to the few that are?  Home schoolng is pretty big in Silicon Valley, and in other areas of Florida and Texas, maybe elsewhere. I'd think there'd be enough home school kids who wanted to play some sport to be able to form a team.

 

Or maybe there isn't the same money in it that there is at public schools?  (Our local public school doesn't have great academics, but they just tore out their football field and put in a new one.) 

 

Or maybe there aren't good coaches available to home school teams?

 

Not a sports family here, so maybe there's some obvious reason.

 

There are homeschool sports leagues all over, though I imagine it is mostly in larger cities. Our local homeschool athletic league offers football, basketball, shooting, track, volleyball, tennis, cheerleading, baseball... I think that's it. We travel at the end of season to play other homeschool leagues from across the country. SO thankful for the opportunity for my kids.

[Garga]

I've wondered about this, too.

 

Here's another anecdotal data point for you...... I know a family whose daughter home schooled freshman and sophomore years and then entered her local brick and mortar public high school as a junior. They accepted all of her 9th and 10th grade credits. Most were from home-based courses.

Her experience was completely contrary to EVERYthing I'd heard about home schooling high school in CA being an all-or-nothing thing. However, it is purely anecdotal and I would never make plans based on a single person's experience with the public system. (They ended up pulling the dd out for senior year bec the social experiences which she had wanted to go to public school for turned out not to be the positive experience they'd hoped for.)

 

I hesitate to mention the story because I wouldn't want to raise anyone's hopes. OTOH, perhaps there are other stories/experiences in CA like this one.

 

I still think the best advice for home schooling high school in CA is to assume it's all-or-nothing!

Each state has their own laws. I don't know if it might depend on the district in some states or not. I know in our state and district that they will not accept any non-state accredited grades or coursework. When I was researching this, I asked about taking exams to prove knowledge (for example in math) but they were equally adamant that no courses could be tested out of . I know if one local homeschooling friend who tried to appeal this policy. She was unsuccessful.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In our state he could play sports without attending the school. My kids were always on the school chess team - all the way up to winning the state championship one year. Two of the five "competition" players were homeschooled (both mine at the time). No one minded - or if they did - they didn't openly say anything.

 

Otherwise, yes, it's all or nothing for high school here in my district (not sure about the state). Even my mid 30 ACT scoring (meaning top 1%) junior son would have had to start with freshman English and get 4 math courses in. There are no exceptions in my district for homeschoolers. I was told that point blank when each boy started 9th grade at home. My son who chose to go back to school did so in 9th grade.

I live in PA. Some districts will accept homeschool credits and some won't. Creekland is in PA in a different district from me. Her school district doesn't accept homeschool credits, but mine does. I was told that my sons could come to the high school whenever we wanted, and would be placed at grade level, but they would have to take the classes offered to that grade level. For example, if we studied Biology at home in 9th grade, but the school studies Biology in the 10th grade, if my son wanted to go to the high school in 10th grade, he'd be taking Biology again with all the other 10th graders.

 

I was also told that homeschoolers cannot be homeschooled and then pop into the high school to take a single academic/elective class in the middle of the day, but that they can join any clubs they want. Not sure about sports.

 

It varies everywhere.

 

OP, I am so sorry that this blindsided you. When I first heard that most high schools will make any incoming homeschooler start over again at 9th grade no matter what, no exceptions, I was gobsmacked. I am so sorry for you that you didn't know about this nasty little fact until 12th grade when your student wanted to attend the local high school. That has got to feel just awful.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Garga

[creekland]

As for sports, the NJIAA has very strict rules, designed to prevent schools bringing in 'ringers.' That would apply to sports, but not to activities like chess (mentioned by Creekland).

 

Chess is treated like a sport here.  One has to live in the district in which they compete if they compete at the school level.  One can even Letter in Chess (my boys all have).

[creekland]

I live in PA. Some districts will accept homeschool credits and some won't. Creekland is in PA in a different district from me. Her school district doesn't accept homeschool credits, but mine does. I was told that my sons could come to the high school whenever we wanted, and would be placed at grade level, but they would have to take the classes offered to that grade level. For example, if we studied Biology at home in 9th grade, but the school studies Biology in the 10th grade, if my son wanted to go to the high school in 10th grade, he'd be taking Biology again with all the other 10th graders.

 

Interestingly enough, when my 9th grader started he was allowed to take 10th grade courses (like Bio and Geometry) since we had already covered some 9th grade ones (like Physical Science and Alg 1).  He did not get credit for his homeschooled courses, but he was placed properly.

[Dmmetler]

With all the trouble homeschoolers have getting access to sports, you'd think that someone or some organization would have arisen to fill that need, kind of like there are debate leagues for home school speech & debate students. And they're quality leagues, not just some recreational or dabbling organizations.

 

Is it because there aren't enough really good home school athletes in any given sport, in a close enough area, to make it competitive enough to appeal to the few that are? Home schoolng is pretty big in Silicon Valley, and in other areas of Florida and Texas, maybe elsewhere. I'd think there'd be enough home school kids who wanted to play some sport to be able to form a team.

 

Or maybe there isn't the same money in it that there is at public schools? (Our local public school doesn't have great academics, but they just tore out their football field and put in a new one.)

 

Or maybe there aren't good coaches available to home school teams?

 

Not a sports family here, so maybe there's some obvious reason.

At least here, there are homeschool sports teams, but it's hard to find competitive opponents that would get a player seen by college scouts, etc, for many of the "money" sports. They can't play against PS teams, and the small private schools that will let homeschool teams compete against them are less visible. Most homeschoolers I know IRL who plan to continue their sport in college do a club sport.

[Alessandra]

Chess is treated like a sport here. One has to live in the district in which they compete if they compete at the school level. One can even Letter in Chess (my boys all have).

Wow, that is incredible. I would love to know what state you are in, if you are willing to share. My ds is an avid chess player in a good chess state, but not a good chess district.

 

As for teams, there is only one tournament I can think of where we are for which you need to be part of a 'team from one school, and that is the state chess championship at the high school level. All the other championships I are familiar with -- Nationals, SuperNationals, NJ state at K-9 -- let you play as an individual, even though there are school teams. For US Amateur Team you must be in a team, but you can put together your own team.

[creekland]

Wow, that is incredible. I would love to know what state you are in, if you are willing to share. My ds is an avid chess player in a good chess state, but not a good chess district.

 

As for teams, there is only one tournament I can think of where we are for which you need to be part of a 'team from one school, and that is the state chess championship at the high school level. All the other championships I are familiar with -- Nationals, SuperNationals, NJ state at K-9 -- let you play as an individual, even though there are school teams. For US Amateur Team you must be in a team, but you can put together your own team.

 

We're in PA and there are both individual and school options for the same tournament - at different ratings, of course.  Middle son won the individual championship his senior year too.  Our school team won their division state-wide his junior year.

 

NOT every school district has a team.  We were fortunate that ours does.  My oldest was recruited in 8th grade (while he was still in ps).  He continued while homeschooling high school and my other two followed right along.

 

The state chess championship is the one I was mainly referring to with school success.  Their other competitions were against other schools with a program - not all were in PA, but most were.  One was in VA if I recall correctly.  They reached out to our PA district due to not having much near them.  The last year or two they dropped out though.  

 

All competitions were run similarly with 5 to a team (5 that counted).  Others could come along and play, but their scores didn't count.  USCF provided the ratings for the individuals.  Schools could only compete at the level of their highest player.

[Alessandra]

We're in PA and there are both individual and school options for the same tournament - at different ratings, of course. Middle son won the individual championship his senior year too. Our school team won their division state-wide his junior year.

 

NOT every school district has a team. We were fortunate that ours does. My oldest was recruited in 8th grade (while he was still in ps). He continued while homeschooling high school and my other two followed right along.

 

The state chess championship is the one I was mainly referring to with school success. Their other competitions were against other schools with a program - not all were in PA, but most were. One was in VA if I recall correctly. They reached out to our PA district due to not having much near them. The last year or two they dropped out though.

 

All competitions were run similarly with 5 to a team (5 that counted). Others could come along and play, but their scores didn't count. USCF provided the ratings for the individuals. Schools could only compete at the level of their highest player.

That's interesting. in terms of school districts having active programs, NJ lags far behind NYC, where private schools, magnet schools, Title 1 schools, and everything in between have chess tournaments. They are not always listed in the USCF calendar, but the games are rated and scores reported.

 

Mostly teams are two or more players from same school in same section, with four highest scores added for the total. The NJ Open (no teams, going on now) usually has a fair number of players from PA.

 

The most fun tournament, in many people's opinion, is US Amateur Team East, held over Presidents' weekend. Not scholastic. True team chess, in that pairings are based on team scores, Teams of four, with alternates permitted. Your ds might like it.

 

Ds also likes Chess in the Park, unrated rapid chess in Central Park. Just for fun.

 

http://chessintheschools.org/resources/PDF/602-NYCP18064-Chess-in-the-Park-Flyer-2017-v2.pdf

 

But most of the chess Ds does is regular, non scholastic, individual tournaments.

[creekland]

That's interesting. in terms of school districts having active programs, NJ lags far behind NYC, where private schools, magnet schools, Title 1 schools, and everything in between have chess tournaments. They are not always listed in the USCF calendar, but the games are rated and scores reported.

 

Mostly teams are two or more players from same school in same section, with four highest scores added for the total. The NJ Open (no teams, going on now) usually has a fair number of players from PA.

 

The most fun tournament, in many people's opinion, is US Amateur Team East, held over Presidents' weekend. Not scholastic. True team chess, in that pairings are based on team scores, Teams of four, with alternates permitted. Your ds might like it.

 

Ds also likes Chess in the Park, unrated rapid chess in Central Park. Just for fun.

 

http://chessintheschools.org/resources/PDF/602-NYCP18064-Chess-in-the-Park-Flyer-2017-v2.pdf

 

But most of the chess Ds does is regular, non scholastic, individual tournaments.

 

Only youngest still plays and only on chess.com.  

 

Oldest never found "competition" at his college and those he played against there soon gave up wanting to play him.  He might still play some as an adult, but now he works for a living and uses his free time to play board games (like Terraforming Mars) with friends.

 

Middle son started off going to his college chess club, but then decided he liked dance and sign language better (sigh).  I wish he had done more as he often beat pretty highly rated people online, but it was his choice.  I also wish I had known more about "outside of school" tournaments when he was still at home because it would have been interesting to see how far he could have gone.  Until he won the state tournament, I had no idea he was THAT good TBH.  My guys just started through school on the school's team and I never investigated more deeply.

[Alessandra]

Only youngest still plays and only on chess.com.

 

Oldest never found "competition" at his college and those he played against there soon gave up wanting to play him. He might still play some as an adult, but now he works for a living and uses his free time to play board games (like Terraforming Mars) with friends.

 

Middle son started off going to his college chess club, but then decided he liked dance and sign language better (sigh). I wish he had done more as he often beat pretty highly rated people online, but it was his choice. I also wish I had known more about "outside of school" tournaments when he was still at home because it would have been interesting to see how far he could have gone. Until he won the state tournament, I had no idea he was THAT good TBH. My guys just started through school on the school's team and I never investigated more deeply.

Oh. :-(

Chess is ds's passion. We check the USCF upcoming tournaments listing religiously, ditto Continental Chess, ditto Marshall Chess Club, and lots of NYC sites in case we miss anything, lol.

 

IMO, the school coach/teacher should have been pointing your ds towards additional tournaments.

 

The National Chess Congress is in Philadelphia over Thanksgiving. That tournament tends to be quite competitive, as there are good cash prizes. But the Amateur Team East has no cash prizes, fun atmosphere.

 

Here are some PA events:

 

http://www.uschess.org/tlas/upcoming.php?STATE=PA

 

The free pizza party on National Chess Day in October sounds fun.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Alessandra

[creekland]

Oh. :-(

Chess is ds's passion. We check the USCF upcoming tournaments listing religiously, ditto Continental Chess, ditto Marshall Chess Club, and lots of NYC sites in case we miss anything, lol.

 

IMO, the school coach/teacher should have been pointing your ds towards additional tournaments.

 

The National Chess Congress is in Philadelphia over Thanksgiving. That tournament tends to be quite competitive, as there are good cash prizes. But the Amateur Team East has no cash prizes, fun atmosphere.

 

Here are some PA events:

 

http://www.uschess.org/tlas/upcoming.php?STATE=PA

 

My two older guys were passionate too, but we had no idea what was out there.

 

I don't think their high school coaches had ever even been to the state tournament before my guys' dynasty.  They hadn't won their local level before, so it never occurred to anyone to ratchet up until they won that.

[Alessandra]

My two older guys were passionate too, but we had no idea what was out there.

 

I don't think their high school coaches had ever even been to the state tournament before my guys' dynasty. They hadn't won their local level before, so it never occurred to anyone to ratchet up until they won that.

Dereliction of duty, imo. Coaches should have known to at least *tell* the kids about opportunities. PA is an excellent state for chess. You don't even have to ratchet up, as plenty of lower rated players (adults as well as kids) love the game and play regularly. That what lower sections are for.

 

ETA

Oops, I think we hijacked the thread.

Sorry, OP.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Alessandra

[creekland]

Dereliction of duty, imo. Coaches should have known to at least *tell* the kids about opportunities. PA is an excellent state for chess. You don't even have to ratchet up, as plenty of lower rated players (adults as well as kids) love the game and play regularly. That what lower sections are for.

 

ETA

Oops, I think we hijacked the thread.

Sorry, OP.

 

Not really dereliction of duty.  'Tis tough to know what one doesn't know.  They didn't get paid much to coach.  It's a "lesser" sport for sure.  I'm thankful that they agreed to do it and coordinate going to the school tournaments (something new to them when they took on the job).  Otherwise, we'd have had nothing at all like many other schools around us.

 

If middle son weren't in med school and youngest studying abroad in Jordan, I'd be suggesting the Philly tournament to them both.  Neither will be home though.  I think their chess days are mostly in their past now.  'Tis good to have these types of discussions though so anyone else reading with younger kids can be aware of what is out there - pending where they live.

 

Best wishes to your guy!

[Guest]

OP, we were going to enroll my son his junior year and were told he'd have to start as a freshman or take a whole battery of te$t$ to prove his academic worthiness. Homeschool credits don't count.

 

I think it is utterly ridiculous that it's easier to get my kids into college (public college, even) than it is to get them into high school.

 

For the record, we decided to continue homeschooling him. Ain't gonna play their silly game.

[48820592]

I think above would depend on the state.

 

Would the coach "black-ball" him anyways?

Most HS coaches would probably favor the young underclassmen to the "new guy" who won't be around the following year.

 

 

Because there is the "good 'ole boys" club at this school.  

[Hilltopmom]

Locally, we have the same problem with public schools, but one family was able to enroll a child as a senior at the private (Catholic) school.

She did not get credit for homeschool classes & the school did not give her a diploma (which was fine, she just wanted the school experience) but they did let her take all senior year classes & play sports.

[48820592]

The crazy thing is, a homeschooler from out of district enrolled her daughter as a junior.  The only problem they faced was when she wanted to be in Spanish 4 and the school wanted her in Spanish 3 because she "only" had Spanish 1 and 2 at a co-op in town.  She took Spanish 4 and aced it. This was 4 years ago.  Another student was required to take test outs to get freshman credit (he entered as a sophomore).  He never tested out of English 9 but they gave him credit for it since he passed English 10 with flying colors. Inconsistencies abound.

[Pen]

That would probably be same here. But possibly he could ask to challenge final exams for courses that fit what he has studied and get credit for them that way.

 

Are the sports he wants to be in ones that he is either very good at, or not very competitive, or ones where as many kids as want to participate can, at your local school?

 

Around here, sports already started even though classes have not, and for team sports, unless they Need more players, the teams are already chosen.  My son's sport, XC, has already had 2 meets, but will accept new participants at any time. 

[melmichigan]

OP, are you in Michigan? If so, these are the relevant laws (according to HSLDA):

 

 

 

According to the above rules, your son should have the right to enroll in elective courses as a part-time student. Four electives would equal "66% of a full credit load," which would theoretically make him eligible to play sports. I don't know if there are enough interesting electives to make that worth his while, but at least it may be an option to look into.

 

If you are not in MI, you can check the rules for other states in the HSDLA document I linked above.

That is the way it's technically written, but many school districts have gotten around this by requiring 4 core classes of all students making this impossible in practice.

Edited September 5, 2017 by melmichigan

[Lanny]

100% normal.   It is also *extremely* difficult for a High School student to move from one state to another state and not need to take a lot of tests or repeat courses.