Homeschool = dropping out?

Question

Three years ago a kid at my school district in Texas was taken out of school by his parents for homeschooling. Apparently they didn't teach him anything all that time. Now he's 15, and his parents want to enroll him again... in 6th grade! How did this happen???!!! Isn't there any kind of regulatory agency that keeps track of kids who are being homeschooled to make sure they're actually learning and not just effectively dropping out at age 12?

Answer 1

I have to wonder if it's the parents who want to enroll him in 6th grade or if it's the school being ornery. I've heard of similar things happening despite the standard protocol being to check over homeschooling work and/or do necessary testing to determine a proper grade level. Although, as if a 15 year old would be allowed to sit in a grade 6 class!

Answer 2

No, homeschooling doesn't mean dropping out. More than likely it sounds like the family, after pulling him out of school to homeschool him, found out that it wasn't the school's fault that he wasn't learning. It sounds like he should only be placed at a 6th grade level. The school wouldn't let them decide what grade to place him in, they test the kids when they re-enter to decide where they belong. More than likely, he either has behavioral issues that his parents couldn't handle even at home, or he has some serious learning disabilities that his parents didn't know what to do with, so they put him back in, and that's where the school determined he should be. If a kid refuses to do school, it won't matter if he's IN school or doing it at home, you can't physically force them to do it. That's why kids drop out, it's lack of interest in learning. I know, I know three people who dropped out. Now, it could be that the parents weren't doing what they were supposed to be in homeschooling him, that is always a possibility. Texas, like most states, don't have any requirements. But before placing blame on either the child or the parents, you need to take a deeper look into the situation, and not just take one side or the other.

Answer 3

This is a sad thing that sometimes happens. Parents remove their children from school under the guise of homeschooling, but never actually do it. It is the exception rather than the rule, but it does happen.

There is no regulatory agency, but homeschoolers are required to take Standardized tests in certain years. (I believe 6th grade is one of them) Generally homeschooled children do well on these tests, but it sounds like this kid is a sad exception.

Each state makes their own homeschool regulations and some states it is illegal. I don't know Texas' regulations, but they may be far different from where I was homeschooled.

Most Homeschoolers do very well and are better educated than their peers, but you have clearly met an exception. I hope this doesn't color your view of homeschooling forever.

Answer 4

My mom removed me from the Texas public school system when I was 14. The only subject I was a little weak in was Math, but that was because I decided I didn't want to do it. So when I got to college I had to take a remedial math class. I majored in English and haven't looked at algebra since. That's my story.

As for this other poor kid, who knows what went wrong. Maybe he was dealing with other issues like depression or some other illness and being at home was the best way for him to cope with that. There could have been family issues. Maybe he just has a hard time learning.

Besides I know kids who graduated from high school and still can't write a complete sentence. I don't think more government agencies are ever going to make the educational system better.

Parents need to take personal responsibility for the education of the children they bring into the world. Part of that responsibility includes trying to instill a love of learning in their children. It's not necessarily the teacher's fault if the kids don't choose to learn anything.

Answer 5

I homeschool in Texas and the fact is, there is NO oversight for homeschooling in this state - I don't have to report anything to anyone, I don't have to give standardized tests (although I do), I don't have to use approved curriculum... Of course, I'm not this child's parent.

Just as there are a limited number of kids in public school who bring guns, knives, and drugs to school, there are a limited number of homeschool parents not educating their children. The vast majority of homeschooled students score well above grade-level on standardized tests.

Without more information on this family and their situation, I would be very hesitant to make a judgment against them. Maybe they went through a nasty divorce and the child was left to fend for himself. Maybe they tried to school him, but he refused to do the work (can't wait until MY son figures this out!) There are many reasons why this may have happened, but you can be certain, this is the exception, not the rule.

Most parents homeschool because they want what they feel is best for their child. It's possible, these parents thought they were doing right but discovered they were unable to commit the time and effort into it and then, compounded their error by not having the humility to admit they were failing.

I say give them a break - at least they're trying to do the right thing by NOT keeping him out any longer.

Answer 6

That is certainly not supposed to happen. I homeschooled all the way up through 6th grade, and then entered the system in 7th and I had no problem. Actually, I thought it was all very easy, I was bored out of my mind except during algebra class. There are regulations, but usually the government just makes you join an independent homeschooling agency which is supposed to make sure you learn the right stuff.

Answer 7

In some states the goverment checks up on homeschool students, but not all states are like that. I'm homeschooled and I used to ask my mom if we had to show my grades to anyone to make sure that I could go to the next grade and she said no.

Answer 8

Each state has different laws requiring different levels of oversight of homeschooling. Considering the number of children in the public school system who are passed on even though they are functionally illiterate, perhaps we need more oversight there first.

Answer 9

no he needs to learn what the other students learned then and through the 8/9th or so grade, the school isnt sure what his parents taught him, so they had to make sure he knows what they are teaching. no, homeschooling is not dropping out. dropping out is not going to school to learn, they arent going to learn at home if they drop out.

Answer 10

Regulation of home schooling is spotty at best and varies wildly from one place to the next. Keep in mind this is Texas we're talking about here.