Curriculum and Standards

[Melis]

Hello! :)

 

I am a first time homeschooler and...I AM SO LOST! LOL :) The first HS book I borrowed from the library was Home Learning Year by Year by Cathy Duffy. I love how this book lays it all out in black and white as far as what the boys should know by the end of each grade. I believe this is just a general guideline, but I'm not a 100% sure about that either...I live in NH and from what I understand, we have a choice between having the boys tested at the end of the year or evaluated. The problem is, I'm not certain what they will be tested or evaluated on. What do these tests and evaluations mean? Is there a pass or fail? Is this a state specific thing?

 

My next HS book was TWTM (which I LOVE), but all the areas have somehow turned to grey! LOL Language arts and mathematics seem to be pretty straightforward and ON with the Home Learning Year by Year book as far as where they will be by year's end, but I get really lost when considering science and social studies. I see some HS'ers don't really do science until the upper grades. I'm just wondering how this all works out as far as testing and evaluating. Are students not tested in science and social studies? Is it different in each state?

 

I apologize if this question does not belong in this forum.

 

Thanks so much for all of your guidance and input! :)

[debbiec]

Our state requires only testing in the odd years begining with 3rd (5th, 7th, 9th, etc.)

 

I also, wanted to test every year and did. Yes, on the Stanford (which our umbrella used and is a national exam, not state), there is science and social studies. Our state testing is only Language Arts and Math. So, you have two choices: you can match the standards of your test, allowing it to dictate your social studies and science areas, OR you can just do what you want and only evaluate the math and english portion of the test (knowing your child may struggle with the science/ss portions if that was not covered in your homeschool). I just like testing to see my children's weak areas or where we missed something and know what we need to work on more the following year.

 

My first year of homeschooling, I met the state standards in science and social studies. After that, I went my own way, with those areas. But kids tested out well, inspite of not covering those areas anyway :rolleyes:

 

If you are concerned about transferring back into a school later and what your children's test scores look like, they generally are only concerned with Language Arts and Math anyway, or so my experience here.

 

PS: We did science every year because we LIKE science and I felt like it was important to teach the grammar of that subject. But you are right, not everyone does that. A matter of preference for you and your family! Isn't that great? Welcome to homeschooling ~

[Beth in Central TX]

Science is not a priority for us in the grammar and logic stages. We've been working through the Apologia Elementary series (which I really like), but it's only scheduled for 2 days a week. In addition, I don't require a lot of additional work other than the reading and occasional notebook assignment.

 

With that said, my boys still score well on the Stanford Achievement Test that we take each year through our homeschool support group. My middle son scored so well in science that he was eligible for the Duke TIP program. I don't think it was the Apologia book per se, but the fact that the Apologia book makes science interesting and exciting, and therefore, he reads other science books on the different topics that he studies.

 

A formal program for any subject doesn't guarantee success in a testing situation. However, a love for the subject which grows into formal and informal learning will help testing success when you don't expect it.

[Melis]

Thank you so much for your replies, ladies! :)

 

Beth, I am so glad you mentioned Apologia, I believe I read some of your posts in regards to Science over the last few evenings! DS6 LOVES Science and has been very disappointed with the lack of science he has gotten in PS (granted he is only in first grade). I have been considering BJU and Apologia. I am leaning more towards Apologia, as I like the idea of taking our time and really diving into the subject and enjoying it. BJU seems to touch upon most of the topics included in the "guidelines". This would be the ONLY reason I would have gone with BJU. I really like Apologia. Your post is so helpful to me because testing is what I was concerned with, as I'm uncertain as to what my expectations are in that area. It isn't very clear on our state site as to what is expected beyond the portfolios/evaluations and tests (OUCH!)...That is so wonderful that your son scored so highly using Apologia! YAY! :)

 

I love the idea of Tapestry of Grace and want to do that with the boys as well, but again, it would mean not touching upon all the topics outlined for the academic year. Again with the requirements...

 

Thanks again, ladies! :)

[Melis]

Debbie, would you mind sharing what you used for Science and Social Studies? Thank you for clarifying between the national and state testing...that really helps! :)

 

As of right now, I'm leaning toward Apologia for science and TOG for social studies. The only thing holding me back from making this decision would be the ability to fulfill my legal requirements. Logically, it doesn't seem like this would be an issue or noone would be using them! LOL

 

Home Learning Year by Year by Cathy Duffy is so thorough and lists so many topics covered in each subject per grade level. I went onto the NH DOE site and read through the curriculum. It matches very closely to Cathy Duffy's outline. I'm just wondering how studying one area of science (Astronomy, for example) and following TOG's outline for a year will work as far as fulfilling legal requirements. I hope I am expressing myself correctly...

 

Thanks again! :)

[SandraDumas]

I just wanted to say welcome. :)

[Beth in Central TX]

Hi Melis,

 

Well, it's easy for me to implement a schedule that doesn't put much focus or emphasis on science because Texas does not require any standardized testing or porfolio review, ever. So, would my plans stay the same if I had to meet state requirements?? I'm not sure, not in the beginning at least. I do feel confident using the Apologia materials though. I think it's a great program. My oldest is working through Zoology II right now. He wants to be a zoologist when he grows up. I think that's so much better than a football player...

 

Take care,

[Melis]

Hi Christina! :)

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly! I found the direction I want to go in (kind of a mix, actually) and have picked the curriculums I'd like to follow. The areas where I am not feeling "relaxed" are testing and evaluations. I thought I knew what the legal requirements were as far as letters of intent, keeping a portfolio, evaluations/testing until I started to dive into curriculum. Now my questions have become deeper...what are they required to know in order to pass an evaluation or score above 40% on a test? I am confidant in the areas of language arts and mathematics as it seems very straighforward no matter which direction you take. Our DOE site is pretty vague, in my opinion. Once I cover those bases, I'll definitely be able to relax! :) YAY! :)

 

 

 

[Melis]

Hi Sandra! Thank you for the welcome! :) It's nice to "meet" you! You are all sooo helpful!

 

Beth, I'm moving to TX! That is so awesome! WOW - I guess I didn't realize how different the state laws can be!

 

It looks like I need to dig deeper into our state requirements. It's very confusing to me. This is definitely where I am feeling uneasy...(not scary "uneasy", just "I can't order my books until I know if it's okay to teach astronomy for one year" uneasy)! LOL

 

I have access to a wonderful support group and the next meeting is coming up so I can get a lot of questions answered there!

 

Thanks again for your help! :)

[Ellie]

Home Learning Year by Year by Cathy Duffy is so thorough and lists so many topics covered in each subject per grade level. I went onto the NH DOE site and read through the curriculum. It matches very closely to Cathy Duffy's outline. I'm just wondering how studying one area of science (Astronomy, for example) and following TOG's outline for a year will work as far as fulfilling legal requirements. I hope I am expressing myself correctly...

 

Most states don't have specific grade-level requirements for content. States which require testing may require only that the children be tested but have no requirements for specific scores; other states only look for *composite* scores, not individual subject subtest scores.

 

If TOG looks good to you, and you want to study one area of science, I think that's what you should do. I don't see any problems, legally, with that at all.

[debbiec]

Well, the first year, like I said, I followed the standards for our school district, since they were aligned with the state standards. The state standards, like you said, on line, were a little vague here as well. The school district has a clear scope and sequence that is available at the the library to look at, and I was able to obtain one free as well (being a tax-payer) from the school district.

 

The Elementary Apologia wasn't out the first year we homeschooled, but we did astronomy via TWTM way. We built a notebook, checked out all kinds of books and did activites (built a model of one planet he chose with it moons, cut out planets in proportion to each other to compare sizes, and measured out the comparable distances). Of course, Apologia has that all laid out for you so you don't have to do all the work now! (it came out teh following year). Yes, we have done all the Elementary Apologia books, and we really liked them. The Zoo II book is interesting, but unless you live near a beach or aquarium, may not be quite as enjoyable. She wrote those books to be used in one semester. Her publisher, Apologia marketed them as a one year book. I used one for a senester, then we did two additional science topics on our own. Usually, in an area of science different than the book. If the Apologia book was "life science," I would cover a physical science by checking out books and doing activites. Physical science topics like magnetism, and we did a short unit on matter- solids, gases, liquids and made simple atoms from playdough and screwers, and then made some molecules just so they knew what they were, that's what I mean by the grammar of the subject, just basic exposure. Though, I did like having something we delved into more fully, which is why the Apologia Books are nice. So, we kind of did both, deep and shallow, depending on the science topics. Natural sciences are obviously easier to delve into since we can see them.

 

Social Studies ~ the way the standards here are, and I think nationally, are 2/3's of the year is American History and then the last 1/3 of the year is world history. When we started homeschooling, I wasn't sure how long we were going to do it, and didn't want to get to far away from school standards in the event we went back sooner than I thought. So, the year we started, that grade was covering early US History (colonial period forward), so when I chose my history, I "started in the middle." I used Veritas Press, but TOG is very good and I would highly recommend it. So, we just stayed on track chronologically from there, which meant, after 2 years, we were going BACK to the Ancient History and Middle Ages. Had I known we would homeschool for as long as we did/are, I would have started from the beginning, but I didn't know. I don't think he was the worse for it anyway. Oldest started a tutorial later and his history lined up fine with them, so it all worked out OK.

 

I meant to say, in case I wasn't clear, that though our state required testing in off years, you didn't have to take the "state exam" that is taken in the public schools, but you had to at least take an approved test, the Stanford Achievement Test being one. Our state overall is very lax and doesn't check in on homeschoolers, unless you register with the state directly, to their homeschool office. It was cheaper to register through the school district and testing would have been free, but I decided to register through an umbrella, though it cost me a little more money, but gave me a little more privacy and freedom (I think) than if I registered through the state. But, in fairness, the rep for the school districts homeschool office here is wonderful and fully supports homeschooling, so I'm sure it would have been fine.

 

You should be able to find a homeschool umbrella/organization in your state that can help you with legal requirements for your area, and how to navigate that.

 

PS: We took our son out of school because he wasn't getting "enough."

[Melis]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful information and sharing, ladies! :) I really appreciate it! I am SO GLAD I posted yesterday because today I had so much "peace of mind" about everything that I have chosen!

 

Debbie, it sounds like our situation is very similiar! :) Your posts have been so helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing all of that information about testing and curriculum! :)