Curious, If i were to homeschool or cyber school my kids what sort of accountabiltiy would there be that i had done what i needed to do and that my children had mastered the skills??? I guess public schools have standards they teach to and testing, but do homeschoolers follow guidelines and have assessments?
Thanks
I've heard this website is very valuable to PA homeschoolers: http://home.comcast.net/~askpauline/index.htm
It depends on your state, and it also depends on whether you enroll in a particular homeschooling program or not. Some states might require your kids to participate in the standardized testing. If you create your own curriculum, then it is up to you to determine whether your children are mastering the skills that you are teaching them (usually you can just tell for yourself without having to test them). If you decide to use an outside curriculum, usually they have their own tests that your kids can take and then you send it in to the program for them to grade. My husband graduated high school using Seton, and all of his essays and tests were graded by the teachers hired by that program (you send it in for review, and they send it back with the grade and any critiques). If you choose an online program like K-12, you are assigned to a teacher (I'm not sure what their official title is) and that person will meet with you once a month to assess the work your child is doing. You do all the work at home with your child, and tests and all of that are done through the program.
_____1st Q : what would you need to do in PA__________
PA is a fairly annoying state (lots of oversight, not as much as NY). There are numerous places to look up PA law (or the law for any state). But here are 2 things to consider:
1) Grades were originally to keep schools accountable to PARENTS. It's gone in reverse now.
2) Did you teach your child the ABCs? Or how to use the potty? How did you "know" that they had mastered those skills? Seriously think about it for a minute. (That's the exact same way HS'ers know their children have mastered a certain concept. It's also how teachers at away school 'know'. You're the one doing it, you observe. Sure, there are always accidents/ bad days/ not preforming, but as the person on the ground you know if they're just learning something, pretty competent, or have mastered it completely because... you're there).
Here's my favorite site for looking up laws and LOCAL links
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/extras/Search.htm?cx=...
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Pennsylvania...
_____ Per the 2nd part of your Q; What do HS'ers do?________
We're all over the map. No two homeschool families teach the same way, and in fact, many HS'ers teach different children differently (different learning styles and different needs). The "key words" to look up are "philosophy", or "method". Here's the best link I've found to date for describing different homeschool philosophies. It is by no means complete, but it's a good place to start.
It is very, very state specific. From your post it looks like you are in Pennsylvania. Here is Home School Legal Defense (HSLDA) info for PA: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/PA/default.asp .
It might also be helpful to check your school district web site to see if they have a home education office with info.
The next thing I would do is google "Homeschool Support Erie PA" and see if there are any local groups near you. They typically welcome prospective homeschoolers with questions.
Homeschooling has been a great blessing for our family and we absolutely love it (though it is not always easy). Good luck.
check your state guidelines, i know in my state you have to account for lessons learned starting 1st grade. Kindergarten is not in the stipulations. for my state (to the shagrin of 1st grade teachers)
It depends on the states. In my state, there's little accountability. There are rules. One rule even tells us to inform the school district that we plan to homeschool. But when I did it, they said inform the school board. When I informed the school board, they said to inform the school! :) We also homeschooled in both California and New York and they had a more formal process to go through. You need to hit the library and look up homeschooling laws for your state.
Hi, VM:
Check the Pa Home Educators Association (PHEA)
web: PHEA.net
Hope this helps.
D.
It's different in every state, as others have already mentioned. I have taught in private and public schools before deciding to teach my own. Grades were first intended to hold the school accountable to the parents. That isn't so anymore. I do use standardized tests every year so that I can see where my children are having trouble, although I pretty much already know because I work with them daily. Nebraska only requires that you report what curriculum you will be using and the number of hours you have your children learning.
I know that in Oregon and Washington, attendance at school is compulsary. I believe that homeschoolers are asked to bring their children in for standardized tests to track progress starting at grades one or two, and then annually from then on. This is to make sure the children are being taught and are progressing. Different states have different standards.
