Washington State families who use ALE/PPP and RunningStart

[dereksurfs]

Hello,

We are planning a move to Washington State and I have been trying to understand the various educational options.

We currently homeschool our three teenagers. Our oldest is a high school senior and attending CC almost exclusively this year (free via DE) with the exception of one online course. We also go through a public charter called Ocean Grove for our middle dd which is technically public school 'at home.' They provide a credentialed teacher we meet with regularly who reviews our curriculum along with work samples. Though we are given a lot of freedom with regards to curriculum selection from an extensive list of approved vendors. The curriculum cannot be religious and must be reviewed first. We can still use religious content on our own if we wish. The program provides ~$3000 per student per year for books, materials, online classes, music lessons, PE, etc...

It sounds like WA may have similar options only they go by different names following their own state laws/regulations. The thing I don't really see is a 1 to 1 equivalency for the public charters we have here. I've read a bit about Alternative Learning Programs (ALE) / Parent Partnership Programs (PPP) which have 'some' similarities. Though it appears there are also some significant differences as well. This is what I've noticed so far and please correct me if I'm missing something. There seems to be two primary ALE/PPP options:

1. ALE/PPP through the local school district which is basically an extension of that district but at home - like distance learning. However, there is also a physical campus where students take certain classes. This may vary a bit by district.

2. An online 'for profit' accredited school, the largest are through K12 Inc. such as Washington Virtual Academy. These have been getting some very mixed reviews showing sub-par outcomes post graduation.

Both of the above seem more limited in scope modeled after specific curriculum with fewer options than our charters. The 'for profit' model uses K12 curriculum which we're not at crazy about nor do we want to be locked into simply one vendor. For the local public options we're planning to move to Clark County/Vancouver area. So they have one called Vancouver Home Connection which has its own local classes within the district. These seem more prescribed with a sense that the education plan is already mapped out following their own predetermined curriculum if you know what I mean?

Lastly, regarding RunningStart, the main difference between what we're doing now with our son who start college part-time as a freshman seems to be that one must wait until their junior year. Then it seems a student can either attend CC full-time or part-time through the umbrella public high school and it will be fully funded. Does this sound correct?

Of course there's the Home Based Instruction route with the option of taking some public classes part-time like band, etc... That one seems fairly straitforward and also the only one which is truly homeschooling by the state's legal definition.

Thanks for the help.

Derek

Edited December 9, 2018 by dereksurfs

[Loowit]

I can only really answer on running start, since we do homebased education.  My DD looked into doing running start.  It is only available to juniors and seniors in high school and there are a few other requirements like GPA and such.  You have to register through your local school district high school.  It pays for class credit hours, but not for other college fees that are added on or books.  So it is a lot less expensive, but I wouldn't say it was fully funded.  We chose not to got that route for several reasons, but one was that our school district was just really hard to work with.

[Lori D.]

Not answers to your specific question regarding DE and funding programs, but I'll just throw in that, as you are probably already aware, your move will affect your 12 grader's in-state college tuition residency in both CA *and* WA for a minimum of 1-2 years after the move, depending on which college your student decides to attend (if the college is in either CA or WA).

If moving within the next 6 months:
The 12th grader will have CA residency, not WA residency for next year, as WA requires living in the state for a minimum of 1 year for college tuition in-state residency purposes. (Taking a gap year in which NO classes are taken can work to gain residency, but NO classes from ANY college can be taken during the gap year in order to preserve freshman eligibility and freshmen scholarships.) Also, your move works negatively in the opposite direction, if your current 12th grader is planning on attending a UC college. One of the several requirements for in-state tuition eligibility in CA is that the student must be financially independent of the parents for two full years prior to the term of enrollment. Here, in full, are the UC residency requirements for in-state tuition.

On the other hand, if your 12th grader is not heading immediately towards 4-year university, or plans on attending a 4-year school in a state other than CA or WA, then no complications to worry about! (:P BEST of luck in your family's future move, in getting plugged into a new community and homeschooling situation, and in the future college finances! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Lori D.

[rebcoola]

For the ALE/PP they are all different in how they are run and interpret the law.  I believe in general our funds are more limited than the ones in CA.  The good news is that you are not limited to your school district at least not by law you can use the ones in a school district you border.  

[nixpix5]

My family is part of an ALE/PP in WA and I wish they would give as much as CA does. We get 650 per student per year to spend on secular curriculum or workshops on campus. Classes taught by certificated teachers tend to be free. It is pretty easy. If you just want the money for curriculum and to do your own thing, then you sign up for one certificated class or study hour that you show up to once weekly for an hour yo touch base with a cert teacher. You can also attend 4 days a week and fill up on amazing classes and workshops. It is really up to the family. It isn't overly intrusive even though you are considered a public school student if attending. Basically at the beginning of each semester you write out a short curriculum plan. What areas you are covering and resources you plan to use. Then at the end of every month you write up a short progress update. Basically what you did that month briefly in each area that is working towards the learning goals. You meet with an advisor once a semester to show work samples and discuss any areas you need guidance in. It is just a low key accountability piece. I do believe high school level has slightly more stringent requirements. 

We love it. We attend typically 2 full days but some semesters we may sign up for more days and go in after lunch for late afternoon classes. My kids have met all of their best friends there and I too have met many wonderful friends. I didn't think I would like it at first but now I cannot imagine not having it as a resource. Again though, you will find the money resource limited for sure and it cannot be used on memberships or classes outside of campus. 

[FairProspects]

For the closest WA equivalent to your Ocean Grove, look at Columbia Virtual Academy or OASIS through the Orcas Island school district. Those both have fewer dollar amounts per student that what you may be used to, but are more similar in structure to what you are describing. WA ALEs do face significant laws limiting them, so you'll have to determine if their approved curriculum lists meet your needs or not.

[dereksurfs]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It's interesting how these programs vary so much state by state. After reviewing some of the local options in Clark County, speaking with school district staff and considering the state wide programs we're leaning more toward either:

1. Independent Home Based Instruction with the option to take some courses at the local high schools or college through RunnnigStart.

2. Attend public high school with the option of taking college courses through RunnnigStart.

While the ALEs are a nice option, we don't really like the more rigid plans. Things are pretty much prepackaged like school-in-a-box with more limited curriculum choices, online vendor options, etc... In addition to all of that, our middle daughter who is a freshman said she would like to try full-time public high school. Although my wife is less thrilled with the idea than I am, we're considering letting her give it a try. At the worst she'll have had the opportunity to decide if he likes it or not. Then she can always return home if its truly not for her. We still have some time to talk to her about these options before next fall. But she's been talking about it more and we don't want to force her to stay home. Homeschooling high school is challenging enough even when the child wants to do it. It worked well for us oldest son. But we had greater flexibility including the ability to start college his freshman year which was a nice way to ease into taking college courses. 

Our youngest daughter is still in middle school and will be in 8th grade next fall. We're more inclined to continue with independent homeschool in her case until high school. She will probably watch what big sis' discovers as she tries part-time or full-time public HS.

Thanks again for your insights,

Edited December 13, 2018 by dereksurfs