i live in Georgia, and the principal at school told me if I homeschool I will have to purchase and use the same books that the schoolsystem teach with at public schools. Is this true? And also, where can I find out the basics they must learn at home to pass standardized tests every 2/3 years so that i can make sure that they have learned everything to pass the test. What is the name of the test?
2006-09-19 09:06:37 · 13 answers · asked by Diana 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Home Schooling
No,we home schools actually use things completely different from what public schools use.I would go to www.cbd.com ,and there you'll find all sorts of different home school curriculum's and other cool stuff to use.GOOD LUCK!
2006-09-19 09:13:12 · answer #1 · answered by thepinkbookworm 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Goodness, no - my homeschool materials are 100 times better than what the public school has. You can easily find the answers to all of your questions on the HSLDA website (click on "In Your State" and then choose "Georgia"). And if you still have questions, give them a call - they're very friendly people and very helpful.
As far as the standardized test is concerned, if you just teach them, they will pass. My son takes one every year and only rarely falls below the 75th %ile (we study history, not social studies, so his scores are usually in the 50th-75th %ile range on that).
Rainbow Resource Center has the best prices on (as well as the best selection of) homeschool materials. Their catalog is over 1000 pages, with reviews (written by them, so watch out) of almost everything they offer.
I would highly recommend you find a homeschool support group or co-op in your area to help you through the first year. They really are invaluable when it comes time to purchase materials or deal with the local school system (or nosy relatives or neighbors).
Contrary to sweendog67's comment, not all states/districts allow homeschoolers to participate in public school activities. In fact, here in Texas, it is generally forbidden. However, many private schools here allow homeschoolers to compete with their academic and athletic teams. Your local support group or co-op can give you more accurate info for your area.
2006-09-19 10:01:57 · answer #2 · answered by homeschoolmom 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That totally depends on your state regualtions. Contact your local school district and ask for the home school liason/compliance officer and get the written guidelines. They should tell you what curriculums or materials are recognized by the state as sanctioned curriculum. The benefit to that is it often means fewer reviews during the year. If you want to develop your own curriculum or use other curriculum programs, you'll more than likely have to submit lesson plans for prior approval and need to be reveiwd three or four times a year.
We choose to use the state approved curriculum which does use many of the same books as the public schools, but we supplement it as needed (or in some areas just skip).
2006-09-20 01:35:18 · answer #3 · answered by Annie 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, your principal is giving you false information. All you need to do is cover the following subjects: Reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science.
Reading: You can cover that in numerous ways just by having books around. Have the classics, historical novels, biographies, fiction, etc. nearby and allow your children to devour them as they choose. Ask your child to tell you what they read and what they learned (not what someone else thinks that they should have learned). Ask for their opinions on a reading. Ask them to compare a character to someone in real life and note similarities and differences.
Language Arts - Using good books, have your child do copywork and/or dictations (depending on age) from only the best quality literature. We use "Simply Grammar" as a tool on the side but there is also KISS Grammar online for free which is very thorough. Frankly though, I'm not concerned about the technicalities as of yet, my son will start formal lessons around 13-14 years of age.
Math- there are plenty of free worksheets online but I bought "Ray's Arithmetic" for just $59 on CD and that includes 20 texts including: Elementary, Intermediate and Higher Maths (including Intergral Calculus and Navigation, etc.) K-12. We love this program.
Social Studies- Books about other cultures, magazines, being around people of other cultures, news, community, policemen, our government, etc.
Science- Here is a site with all kinds of "living books" including Science http://pennygardner.com/sciencebks.html My son loves "The Mystery of the Periodic Table" and "Archimedes and the Door to Science"
As a Georgia homeschooler testing is as follows: Administer and retain the results of a standardized test every 3 years beginning at the end of the 3rd grade
Notice that YOU retain the results. You do not need to submit the tests to the school. (See my sources below, the second will tell you that).
Best of luck to you. I use the free curriculum recommendations from http://amblesideonline.org and am a lover of the Charlotte Mason Philisophy of Education.
Good Luck!
2006-09-19 12:19:38 · answer #4 · answered by FreeThinker 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Every state is different, and a lot of times (not all the time, just a lot of the time) officials in the public schools are not completely versed in the laws governing home education in their state. Public school texts are a lot of the time very difficult to teach from as they are wriiten entirely different from home education books, so if you don't have to use them, then don't!
For example, the books I use for my highschooler's biology has: student text, lab manual, quiz booklet, test booklet, teacher's manual with enrichment activities and answers to all the reviews, quiz key, test key, and lab manual teachers guide. Whew! Lots of material, but so worth it!
You definitely need to contact the HSLDA and they will advise you as to how to proceed with the principal at your school.
I was the director of a homeschool group in my state for a couple of years, and I heard all kinds of stories from parents that would say their child's school tried to tell them all kinds of things that weren't true. 9 times out of 10 it was not due to hostility, it was due to a lack of education and understanding of the homeschool laws for our state.
Make sure you contact HSLDA asap, ok?
good luck, dear.
PS forgot to mention the test. Each state has a different name for their test. You can check the website for your state's education agency and find info on your state's standardized testing. In my state (Texas) we are not required to test our kiddos using that test. I do use it, however, as a benchmarker to make sure my kids never fall to that level. There are other tests you can use too, if allowed by your state: California Standards, Iowa standards testing, so on and so forth. Also, if you have a homeschool store in your area, talk to them, they can help.
2006-09-19 09:45:49 · answer #5 · answered by Terri 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In pennsylvania, every thing is sent to you, computer, books and all...Being that it must meet federal and state guidelines I imagine they would be or are very similiar. Your child can also participate in any extra caricular activities the school offers and can go to school for say, band .... They can play foot ball or be in the drama class. I thought about home schooling, but I think it is important for the kids to interact with others.. I can give them a little extra learning here and there..And we all know where the real lessons in life come from....Good Luck
2006-09-19 09:20:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I found a site that you can check out the laws in your state with a number to call for questions. http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/laws/blGA.htm
Also check out your states charter school laws. You can homeschool your children online for free and you do not have to even send in an intent to do so because charter schools are considered public schooling. They pay for all books and materials needed to homeschool. Hope this helps...Good luck and have fun getting to know your kid(s)!!!
2006-09-19 09:16:13 · answer #7 · answered by Bethie 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You do not have to use the same stuff. If that was true, then wouldn't private schools have to use the same books? But they don't. Also, then there wouldn't be books that are made specifically for homeschoolers. I don't use the same stuff.
2006-09-23 05:57:43 · answer #8 · answered by Lisa 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
www.NHERI.org is a great place to get the facts about homeschooling.
Hurry yourself to www.HSLDA.org and find out everything that you can get from them. Look for links on their site for homeschool support groups in Georgia.
2006-09-19 10:30:56 · answer #9 · answered by Barb 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
school principals generally don't know their @ss from a hole in the ground when it comes to the subject of home schooling. do your research. a good place to start is by following the link below.
2006-09-19 14:32:00 · answer #10 · answered by Roger 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋