CHOIS Connection is published quarterly by Christian Homeschoolers Of Idaho State.
This article appeared in a previous issue.
CHOIS Connection
Tidbits
by Linda Patchin
"CHOIS Answers to Top Ten Questions"
Fall 2007
If your child were enrolled in a traditional school there would always be someone to answer all of your questions, but where do homeschool moms go to get their questions answered? Choosy moms chose CHOIS! While this article can't possibly answer all of your questions, it does contain the answers that CHOIS gives to some of our most frequently asked questions. If your question isn't included in this list, feel free to leave a message on our voice mail, (208) 424-6685 or email a question to info@chois.org. Our answers were derived from decades of personal experience, as well as the excellent advice given by Home School Legal Defense Association.
For easy reference, the questions are as follows:
- What are the laws regulating home education in Idaho?
- Can my home educated student participate in public school sports, music and classes?
- How can I find other homeschool friends and activities for my child?
- How do I remove my child from public school, in order to home educate him?
- Are homeschooled students required to take the Idaho Assessments?
- How does a homeschooled child graduate?
- Is a homeschool graduate eligible for college admission, grants and scholarships?
- How do I get started homeschooling, and are there organizations that I should join?
- Why should I homeschool my child?
- What about socialization?
1.What are the laws regulating home education in Idaho?
Homeschooling families in Idaho are subject to only minimal regulation. Idaho's laws do not require homeschoolers to register with the state, or the local school district, to report to anyone, or to take the Idaho assessment tests.
Idaho law requires only that parents who choose to educate their children at home provide an education that is comparable to that available in the public schools. These statutes do not define the precise subject materials that must be taught each year, nor how many hours of instruction must be offered. This allows parents to teach at their child's pace, and to advance their child as they master each component of the subject matter.
Students between the ages of seven and sixteen years of age are required to receive an education.
For a complete list of the Idaho laws that apply to home education, visit www.iche-idaho.org and click on Idaho Law. There you will find full copies of the Idaho codes, as well as a summary of them.
2. Can my home educated student participate in public school sports, music and classes?
Idaho has a dual enrollment law that allows our students access to public school classrooms and activities. Our students are required to show a recent score on a standardized test to participate in athletics. This does not have to be the ISAT. Our students may submit their IOWA test scores that were obtained through testing with the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators, or any other standardized test. For sports participation our students will also be required to have a physical exam and medical release signed by their doctor, when physicals are required for the public school students in those activities as well. You are not required to provide them with any other information. Please be selective about the information that you choose to provide them. Remember that any rules you voluntarily comply with may adversely affect the next homeschooler who ventures along.
We see the greatest disparity of application of this law where athletics are concerned. The Idaho High School Activities Association governs interscholastic play, but individual districts and coaches are free to interpret regulations, seemingly at will. One school district will happily play our students on the first string; others will restrict tryouts to public school students first, with additional spots filled by a homeschooler. Some allow our students on the team, but they won't play them. Coaches receive tremendous pressure from parents, and boosters to play only fully-enrolled students. Essentially, a law can establish a "right," but attitudes and practices change slowly. Be patient and courteous. The rules that guide the play tell us that our students may only play in the district that they reside in, and the school that they would have otherwise attended.
3. How can I find other homeschooled friends and activities for my children?
Finding activities for our children is not a problem. Many businesses have learned that they can have an empty schedule during school hours, or they can provide activities for homeschooled children. You should be able to easily find private or group lessons available for your homeschooled child in music, sports or academic tutoring.
Finding a support group is often more challenging. We recommend that you start looking in your house of worship. Many churches offer activities for home educated children and parent support meetings. Secondly, the CHOIS website has a list of support groups categorized by region of the state. These groups are open to new members. From the main page of www.chois.org, click on Support Groups.
4. How do I remove my child from public school, in order to home educate him?
In Idaho, home educators are not required to register with the local school district, or with the state. If your child has been enrolled in a public school, simply call the office of the school and inform them that you are removing your child to home educate him. If you would like to have a written record of your notification, then simply write a letter to the school, politely informing them of your intentions. No reason need be given. You do not have to do this annually; once is enough. If your child has never been enrolled in a public school, then you do not have to notify anyone of your intention to home educate.
Our Idaho law provides us with freedom to homeschool without fear. Registration does nothing to ensure that a child is being adequately educated; it only provides a list that in many states has not been protected for privacy. We appreciate the confidence that our state legislature has placed in us, and we work hard to maintain our freedom. Registration is viewed as a first step toward greater degrees of regulation, and as such we will work zealously to prevent this first step from ever being taken!
5. Are homeschooled students required to take the Idaho Assessments?
No, they are not. Federal law states that home educated students cannot be required to take state assessments. We do not recommend that you voluntarily have your child tested by the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Idaho public school curriculum prepares children to take the Idaho assessments. Teachers in public school classrooms spend a great deal of time going over material that will appear on these tests. Because most homeschool curriculum has not been created with the goal of taking this Idaho test in mind, our students are at a clear disadvantage in taking these tests.
We recommend that you have your child take a nationally normed standardized achievement test, such as the IOWA Test of Basic Skills through the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators. Taking these tests not only gives you worthwhile data that can be used in selecting your future curriculum, but it also gives your child practice in test taking skills. This acquired skill will serve them well in the future when it is time to take their college entrance exams. An IOWA cumulative test score above the 80th percentile can be used to establish a good student discount on their car insurance premiums, as well as qualifying them for nomination in Who's Who Among American High School Students for academics. A cumulative score above the 90th percentile qualifies them for nomination in the ICHE Summa Sum Laude Honor Society. Our aggregate test scores are a persuasive lobbying tool that helps our legislators to understand that home education works effectively without government oversight.
For more information about IOWA testing through the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators, visit their website at www.iche-idaho.org
6. How does a homeschooled child graduate?
A homeschooled student is ready to graduate from high school when he or she has completed all of the educational goals that the student and parents have set. These goals can be as unique as the family involved. As the Superintendent of your own school, your graduation standards should reflect the values, goals and aspirations that you have set for your student.
Our graduates are not required to take a GED exam, nor should they ever apply for a GED diploma. Having a GED diploma can actually have very negative repercussions on a homeschool graduate's future. Not only is there a negative social stigma attached to this diploma, but having one automatically restricts our graduates to a lower tier for military recruitment, as well as eliminating them from consideration for federal college grants such as Academic Competitiveness and SMART grants. A GED diploma is not necessary for college admission. For more information about this topic, please visit www.hslda.org and click on high school. They have a long list of frequently asked questions on the topic of diplomas.
There are numerous homeschool graduation ceremonies across the state to choose from. The Idaho Homeschool Graduation ceremony, which takes place in the Treasure Valley each year, has been producing a traditional cap and gown graduation ceremony for homeschooled graduates since 1990. Their diplomas, while unaccredited, have the official seal of the state of Idaho embossed on them. The Idaho Homeschool Graduation Committee works hard all year to build a sense of unity in the graduation class through monthly meetings where the students select their graduation announcements, class hymn, class verse, commencement speakers and produce a yearbook. These meetings begin in September of a student's senior year, and continue until graduation. For more information about this dignified graduation, please contact Lee Ann Richter at 208-323-8856 or leeannr4@brrealtor.com.
7. Is a homeschool graduate eligible for college admission, grants and scholarships?
Almost every college in America accepts homeschool graduates, and many of them actively recruit our students and offer them scholarship inducements to attend. Most of them are especially appreciative of our student's excellent work-study habits and ethic. Most colleges accept parent-generated transcripts, especially when the scores on college entrance exams substantiate the student's grade point average. It is highly recommended that students begin taking either the SAT or ACT exams (or both) as early as the spring of their junior year in high school. These tests can be taken numerous times without penalty. For more information about these college entrance exams, please visit the following websites: SAT www.collegeboard.com homeschool code 970000; and ACT www.act.org homeschool code 969999.
If you have a student whom you suspect may qualify as a National Merit Scholar, then it is imperative that your student also takes the PSAT test in the fall of their junior year. The score on this test is the only score that can qualify them for this scholarship. They are also allowed to take the PSAT in the fall of their sophomore year for practice. In the Treasure Valley, arrangements have been made for our students to test with a private school. For more information please contact Beverly at BR2D2@msn.com and send a message with your name and phone number requesting more information. In other parts of the state, contact your local high school to see how your student may take this test.
Do not have your child take a GED exam, or request a GED diploma! Read the reasons enumerated in question number 6 above.
If your student plans to attend an Idaho state college or university, they may be asked to also take an ACT Compass exam for placement. While an additional test may seem like another homeschool hurdle to jump through, taking this test has many advantages. With the ability to test a student's actual knowledge in subjects like math and English, these colleges can place our students in the appropriate class level where they will not be repeating information that they've already learned, or overly burdened by information that they haven't. Some subject scores can actually award credits for classes not taken, while other subjects simply place the student at the appropriate level without giving prerequisite credits. Testing is done at an on-campus testing center and is relatively painless and inexpensive, especially if college credits are awarded as a result of taking it.
Unfortunately, there are a few scholarships that still only accept applicants graduating from an accredited high school. Efforts are being made both nationally and within our state to work with the scholarship providers to include our students in the eligibility process. We hope to have good news to report in the near future!
8.How do I get started homeschooling and are there organizations that I should join?
If your child has been enrolled in a traditional school, we recommend that you wait until a natural break, such as a semester or year end before removing them from school, unless you have an immediate safety concern. Use the time before actually homeschooling to learn about it. You can learn about homeschooling by attending a homeschool convention, reading good books, visiting websites and talking to other homeschooling parents.
Make preparations, such as purchasing textbooks, lesson planning, collecting supplies and finding a suitable place in your home to conduct lessons, before the first day of school arrives. When that big day arrives, you may want to consider beginning with small expectations, a few subjects a day and adding on when the first few have been fully integrated into your day. Start with subjects that you feel confidant teaching, and with which you already know your child will be successful. Add additional subjects one at a time, working up to a completely full schedule within a few weeks. Keep learning fun and as stress-free as possible. Most effective home schools spend just three to five hours per day on educational activities, so don't over-do it!
Finally, we suggest that you not try to second-guess your decision to homeschool for at least six months to a year. It's easy to have one bad day and get discouraged. Give yourself enough time to experience both good and bad days. Give your child time to grow accustom to the schedule and demands of his new school days. Give yourself time to succeed, and yes, it does take time. Lots of it! Evaluate at the end of a year whether your child has made progress and see whether or not you've all come to love the lifestyle of learning that homeschooling fosters.
CHOIS does not have a membership that you can join, but we always welcome donations, and as a 501c3 organization, your donation is tax-deductible. CHOIS exists to provide an annual statewide homeschool convention, and our free quarterly magazine, the CHOIS Connection. Visit our website, www.chois.org to subscribe to the magazine or to download a convention registration form.
We strongly recommend that Idaho families join the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators. Their website is www.iche-idaho.org. This organization represents all homeschoolers in Idaho, guarding our liberty through providing annual IOWA testing, and as our legislative/lobbying liaison. Their email system alerts home educators if there is a legislative threat to our freedom. If you are not a member of ICHE, then someone else is paying for your freedom to homeschool.
We also encourage you to join Home School Legal Defense Association, www.hslda.org. CHOIS is a discount group. By joining through CHOIS you can save 15% on your HSLDA membership fees. Our discount number is 5017165 if you are joining for the first time, 299536 if you are renewing your membership. The group name is CHOIS.
Join a local support group and support them in their efforts to serve your family and others.
9. Why should I homeschool my child?
The decision to home educate should be made only after personal reflection, prayer and study. It would not be wise to attempt homeschooling out of a sense of guilt or outside pressure. There are some excellent reasons to consider the option of homeschooling.
The most commonly cited reason is that parents want to instill a particular set of values to their child. These parents have recognized the fact that there is no such thing as a value-neutral education, and they want to be the one that selects the worldview emphasis being taught. Other commonly cited reasons include enhanced family relationships, a reasoned approach to social interaction, and safety concerns.
Many parents are looking for a more rigorous academic experience for their children. We see this on both ends of the spectrum; academically gifted children, and academically challenged. Both groups flourish with the lower pupil to teacher ratio, individualized curriculum and teaching methods that home education provides. These students benefit from the additional time that they have to pursue their interests and hobbies.
When considering homeschooling, investigate the following resources: The Heart of Homeschooling and Homeschooling: The Right Choice both of which were written by Christopher Klicka, and are available from www.hslda.org.
10. What about socialization?
All children are socialized. Your responsibility as a parent is to decide what form of socialization you choose for your children. Popular opinion would have parents believe that children need long periods of interaction with their peers to acquire proper social skills. However, research and experience has proven the error of this thinking. In actuality, extensive periods of peer contact can cause undesirable peer dependency. Elementary age children seldom will learn kindness, compassion, and gentleness from each other, but must be taught these skills by adults. The results of teen peer groups range from dismal to violent.
Research has shown that the average homeschooled child is involved in more than three activities per week that take them out of their home. Sports, music lessons, tutoring, co-ops, church activities, scouts, 4-H, volunteer work, and playing with neighborhood children, are just a few of these activities. All of these socialization opportunities tend to leave parent-chauffeurs breathless, and begging for the answer to the question, "How much socialization does one child really need?"
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