Beginner's Guide to Home School

Which test should I use and where do I obtain a copy of it?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:19:56 +0000

According to the Georgia Home Education Association, there are five standardized tests that are most commonly used by homeschooling families. These are:

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
Stanford Achievement Test (SAT)
California Achievement Test (CAT) and (CAT/5)
Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS)
Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS)

The GHEA gives good, concise descriptions of each of these on their website. They also provide a list of testing suppliers which can be found by clicking this link.

What are some alternate means of evaluating my child without testing?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:20:43 +0000

There are two main ways of assessing a student’s learning other than testing. These include portfolio and performance evaluations.

Portfolios can be organized in a number of ways. They are for the purpose of saving pieces of work and achievements accomplished during the year. Doing this can require a lot of work and possibly expense, but will provide the parent with an accurate record of what their student knows and also provide the student with a nice keepsake for the future. Performance evaluations look at the work students have produced over a period of time and the learning processes used to create the products. Students can be assessed both in how they work as individuals and how they do in a group effort.

Tape recordings are commonly used to capture samples of oral reading, narration and retelling, and how the student arrives at conclusions as they read works of both fiction and non-fiction.

Reading lists are also usually included as are a student’s responses to things they have read. Some families keep a notebook for each subject the student studies. For example, after a student reads a section from a history book, they write a response to it and/or draw a picture and include it in their history notebook.

You can be creative with both how you organize this method of evaluation as well as what your child does that you think should be included.

Sources
www.wikipedia.org
http://homeschooling.about.com
http://www.teachingmom.com
http://www.ghea.org
http://www.vahomeschoolers.org

Is homeschooling for me? Overview

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:21:48 +0000

Homeschooling, in a nutshell, is when a family makes the choice to take full responsibility for their children’s education and provide it themselves in the home. If you find yourself asking the question, “Is homeschooling the right fit for our family?” then congratulations—that is the right question. It is always a good thing for a parent to be aware of the educational needs of their family and to consider whether one option might be better than another for this season of time.

Why do some families homeschool?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:23:13 +0000

It is impossible to detail in a few sentences why homeschooling has picked up more speed in the past decade. Deciding to homeschool is usually a very thought provoking process and different folks arrive at their conclusions in very different ways. Among these many ways are reasons of:

· Conviction—The word conviction simply means believing very strongly about something. And some families believe very strongly that the best place for their children to be educated is right there in the home. There are many reasons for this—some feel this way based on religious reasons, others do it simply because they believe they can do a better job educating their children than an institutionalized setting can.

· Convenience—Some families find homeschooling fits their family lifestyle better than public or private education does. This is especially true for families that move around a lot, living as ex-patriots overseas, or where the parents have unique working situations. Some families of several small children also find it more convenient to homeschool than to do the daily transportation shuffle.

· Customized Education—When a family homeschools, they are able to tailor the material and levels around the needs of the child and not the other way around. For the child who excels in language arts, but is a bit behind in math, home education allows that child to learn at his or her own level. One common complaint parents have against the group setting is that teachers are forced to teach to the most common level of the class. Children more advanced become bored, while children having difficulty comprehending the information struggle to keep up.

· Conditions—Medical conditions, that is. Some children are physically not capable of attending a formalized school setting due to health restraints. Families of other children with certain mental challenges decide it is in their child’s best interests to education them at home. One-to-one tutoring is often a better choice for these situations and homeschooling offers exactly that.

· Conformity—For better or worse, the desire to conform still remains one reason why some families homeschool. It is not uncommon to find particular religious groups that place great emphasis on home education and therefore pressure families to make that decision whether they feel it is a proper fit or not. Peer pressure is not a trait reserved for the public school system.

· Caution—Another reason some families choose to homeschool is the fear of “what might happen.” From school shootings to drug use to teen pregnancy to daily confrontations with a school bully, a desire to protect children from valid social ills is what makes certain families swing toward the homeschooling side.

What are some pros and cons involved with homeschooling?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:24:00 +0000

· Pros:

o Parents decide what is taught and when

o Ability to teach to individual levels of child

o Busywork is not necessary

o Learning can be made fun, not boring

o Increased family time, more meaningful parent/child relationships

o Reduction of negative peer pressure

o No school bullies

o One/one tutor style of teaching and learning

o Removal of competition

o Family values modeled and learned

o Well-rested children

o More opportunity for life skills to be observed and implemented

o Opportunities for individual interests to be nurtured

· Cons:

o Socialization issues

o Financial costs of homeschooling can be greater than expected

o Difficulty participating in extracurricular activities such as theater, music, and sports

o Minimal regulation can lead to poor quality control

o Large time constraints on parents

o Having to defend your educational position to friends, family, and strangers who take an offensive position against homeschooling

o The amount of effort and patience required to effectively homeschool a child

Do I need specialized formal training in order to homeschool?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:24:46 +0000

Laws vary from state to state regarding the requirements to homeschool, and it is important to be up-to-date and aware of what your state requires. But generally speaking, it is not necessary to hold a university degree in education in order to properly teach your children at home. Dedication to the task and hard-work are key factors in succeeding with home education and these can be accomplished by almost anyone.

That said, if homeschooling is the route you end up choosing, it is very helpful to find an individual or group of people whom you trust in order to ask questions and receive advice. Homeschooling can be overwhelming enough without having to strike out totally on your own. Take advantage of the vast wealth of families, both in your communities, and online to learn as much as you can. This will ease your stress and provide a better learning environment for your family.

Can I do it?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:25:27 +0000

Ultimately only you can answer that. Take a good look at the individual strengths and weaknesses in your family. How are you best gifted? How does your child best learn? Find a trusted friend, preferably one without a strong bias towards either end of the schooling spectrum, and have him/her give you their honest thoughts regarding how they see your family succeeding and/or struggling with homeschooling. Then, if you feel moved in the direction of homeschooling, take the plunge! Do your homework and discover which style of homeschooling best fits your family and set about to the task of making a plan and gathering your resources. Overall, relax. If your child has been in a formal school setting for a while it could take some time for him/her to adjust to the idea of being at home and that is okay. Also remember, you don’t have to make a permanent decision for the length of your children’s education before they enter the Kindergarten years. If you find homeschooling doesn’t work for you and your child, you can certainly put them back in school.

I like what I see about homeschooling, but I'm just not ready to go all the way. Can I send my child to school and homeschool at the same time?

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:26:13 +0000

Absolutely. And honestly, whether you realize it or not, all families participate in some form or another of home education, though it may not be a conscious choice. Any time a parent gets involved in a child’s education, be it of an academic nature, or anything else, learning takes place. Maybe you are a parent who likes what your local public or private school has to offer in most areas, but have concerns in only a couple of things. You can alleviate those concerns by becoming your child’s own tutor before or after school or you can “make up” those missing pieces on the weekends. While becoming even more involved in your child’s education is a very honorable goal, it is still important to let your children be children and consider his/her educational capacity. If your child goes to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyday they simply may not be able to absorb any more information. Children do need to be given ample time to recharge and rejuvenate.

Something else to consider is that many areas offer supplemental programs for the homeschooling family. These programs can range from a once a week class to a more formal school-type setting where the child goes to classes on two non-consecutive days of the week and completes their studies at home on the other days. This is sometimes referred to as a “university model” program and can be an ideal solution for the family who wants the best of both worlds.

Sources:
http://www.nhen.org
http://www.challenernky.com
http://www.sonlight.com
http://youcanhomeschool.org
http://hslda.org

Bad Education?

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 15:36:12 +0000

CBS News has come under attack from some Republican members of Congress who were offended by an "Eye on America" series on homeschooling recently.

Thirty-three members of Congress signed a letter addressed to CBS president Andrew Heyward that expressed disdain for an episode that apparently covered a few tragic cases in the homeschool movement in which children were abused, neglected, or taught racist biases under the auspices of homeschooling.

Most of the signing congressmen are members of the Republican Study Committee, a group organized for the purposes of supporting conservative social and economic schema. They also claim that homeschooling should not be strictly monitored or regulated.

More than 1.6 million children are homeschooled in America, with the number of families choosing the alternative to public school at an estimated rate of 7-15% annually.

Sadly, this incident does nothing to discourage the stereotypes of the media as liberal naysayers or of homeschoolers as blubbering hillbillies.

Homeschool Graduate Chuffed

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 16:11:57 +0000

The Home School Legal Defense Association recently reported that a family in Harlan County received a letter from the Director of Pupil Personnel threatening them with court action for truancy unless they enroll their daughter in school within 24 hours or face charges.

The letter's tone and ignorance of home schooling righteously infuriated the Franklin family, whose daughter graduated from a home school program the previous year.

The HSLDA faxed a cease and desist order to the school district informing them that the Franklin girl had already graduated and at 16 was no longer subject to state requirements in any regard.