Or is it?
Do parrents have to commit to some sort of agenda of lessons?
Are there cometency tests they have to take? Can they get a GED?
What about those mandatory health screenings kids get at school, are they still required?
Or is it completely uncontrolleand, and they just fail to register for school and finesse the whole process?
And if it’s uncontrolled, what becomes of truancy?
Typing “homeschooling” into a search engine will get you a ton of information. The answer to your question, if you are asking about the United States, is that it, like most education issues, is under local control. There are state laws, which can be seen here, and probably local school district rules as well.
Typically, states administer some kind of annual testing to ensure that a home-schooled student is keeping up. Couldn’t tell you what happens if such a child is found lagging behind. It certainly isn’t done on the honor system.
However: at my previous job, my boss and his wife (who both worked) wre “homeschooling” their 16-year-old daughter. It was something of a sham arrangement … I can only assume that she was paassing her state tests.
My 14-year-old is homeschooled, and I can tell you a little about Maryland state laws. Twice a year, we meet with a representative of the Board of Education (always the same rep, for the sake of continuity), bringing samples of her work from all of her classes. We also fill out a form, detailing a rough schedule of a “normal” school day, what education we’re providing for outside of what’s required (for instance, art education isn’t required, but strongly encouraged), and the Board rep asks us questions and looks at the samples until she is either (A) Satisfied that our daughter is receiving sufficient instruction in all required areas (in which case we just go our way until the next review) or (B) Dissatisfied, in which case we’re given six months to rectify whatever problems they find.
For the record, our daughter is a good student, mostly self-taught, and the school board has never been dissatisfied at the end of a review. But it is my understanding that if they were dissatisfied, and remained so after six months, that they could petition to force her back into a public education setting.
GED: She certainly could pony up the bucks (I think it’s around $35.00 right now) and take her GED any time, and she might do that. Or, when she’s sixteen (in about 15 months), we could just register her at the community college and let her start her college career that way. She could take the GED before starting college courses, or at anytime thereafter. There seems to be a fairly widespread misconception that you need a high school diploma to go to college. Well, to get into a State university, you might need one. But the community college could care less if you have one. And once you have a couple of years of good grades in a community college, mose State universities will let you in without bothering to ask about a high school diploma.
I still think my daughter’s going to go for her GED, though. She said she wants to.
There are states that require no intervention from the Board of Ed at all, and there are states where the Board of Ed is all up in the business of homeschoolers. It varies, but there you have an overview of the way things are in Maryland.
If it’s a sham, and the kid is 16, why don’t they just un-enroll her? I mean, here in Maryland, at 16 a kid can drop out, and not have to bother with the state requirements anymore. I’ve always assumed this age limit is Federal, though I certainly could be wrong.
As others have said, the laws applicable to home-schooling vary from state to state. I was home-schooled through high school in Illinois, and there was no control or regulation from the state. I didn’t have to pass any tests or prove subject competency.
I think anybody can get a GED, but I think most home-schooled students wouldn’t bother if they’re planning to get a college degree. I have a bachelor’s degree but no GED or high school diploma, and its never been a problem for me.
I went to the University of Illinois without a high school diploma or GED. YMMV.
My wife’s aunt homeschools her kids in Illinois … and I could have sworn there was some form of loose state oversight (in the form of standardized tests).
Yeah … if you think about it … colleges ask for high school transcripts, but not a photocopy of your diploma.
I finished high school in 2000, so the laws may have changed since then.
I homeschool my son using the Third Option of Homeschooling here in SC. Meaning, the Board of Education is not directly involved and does not interfere. We belong to a Third Option Association and have to report to them with an annual progress report.
The basic requirements for the Third Option Homeschooling are listed here here.
Basically, I agree to instruct my son in the basic curriculum requirments of reading, math, science, social studies, etc for 180 days each school year. I keep records of his progress and daily activities and keep a portfolio with examples of his schoolwork throughout the year. There is no formal testing required. At the end of the school year, I am required to send in a signed progress report along with a signed statement attesting to the above facts. I am not required to show the records I have kept and the Board of Education cannot ask to see them or even question me about my homeschooling methods, as long as I comply with the Third Option Association I belong to.
The other two options of homeschooling in SC are going through the Board of Education and following their strict guidelines or going through a 2nd Option organization, which basically gives you a go-between with the Board of Education, with the same strict guidelines as the First Option.
What might compliance with the Third Option Association entail? From here, looks like a dishonest parent can completely slough off their child’s education if they so desire.
I suppose they could, technically, as the requirements are pretty broad. But since the requirements are so broad, there is really no real concrete definition of education under the Third Option, so long as a parent is keeping records and filing the yearly paperwork for their association, no one can accuse them otherwise. A parent only has to comply with the Third Option Association’s requirements, which are the same as the law’s requirements for the Third Option:
When my son got to the first year of high school, the decision was made to home school him. This was about 12 years ago.
I went in and talked to the school to find out how to accomplish this. We were given a set of requirements that we had to meet, forms we had to sign, etc. It all seemed very well regulated.
Basically the deal was we had to show we had enrolled him in some kind of approved study course or submit our own plan for approval, and we had to submit to testing by the school board at regular intervals. They had a calendar showing milestones he had to meet, a schedule of testing, the whole thing.
So we purchased a correspondence course through which you could receive a high school diploma. I showed the paper work to the school board, signed the appropriate forms, and he was out of school.
I never heard from them again.
As near as I can tell, they were doing no more than what they needed to do to cover their ass. As soon as I had signed a paper saying I had an approved course study available, they were happy to forget he ever existed.
An interesting experience.
No. Homeschooled students are welcomed to take any standardized tests at their local school district, and some parents choose to do so just to see if they’re on track, but it’s not required.
According to Illinois Annotated Code Section 27-22., “branches” to be taught must include Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Fine Arts, Physical Science, Physical Education, and Health and they must be taught in English.
A homeschool is a private school, as determined by People v Levison. Illinois Annotated Code Section 26-1 says: “Any child attending a private or a parochial school where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, and where the instruction of the child in the branches of education is in the English language” is not truant.
Where this leaves “unschooling”, I’m not sure, but it looks to be illegal in Illinois.
Here in Maryland, Fine Arts, Phys Ed and Health are not required, but strongly encouraged. I guess it would look hypocrytical for the school board to require these programs of homeschoolers when, in public schools the same subjects are being cut left and right to save money. :rolleyes:
However, our teenager loves most kinds of music, and we try to expose her to a variety of it. She’s also learning calligraphy for art class, and takes three dance classes a week for Phys Ed.
In California, there are several options. One is for the parent to have a teaching certificate. Another is for the family to register as a private school–this is very common and the one we will be pursuing next year. Or, many school districts have independent study programs, so that kids study at home and meet with a teacher once a week or so. These kids are enrolled in the public school system. I forget the other options, but you can peruse them here.
And then, some families try to fly completely under the radar, since they feel that government intrusion into family education is completely unjustified. I don’t know any myself, though; it’s not very common anymore.
Good point. It’s actually written that private schools, including homeschools, must teach the same branches as public schools. So if phys ed. is knocked off the list for publics, it will no longer be required of privates and homeschools.
I homeschool my kid here in Texas. Well…He’s coffee house schooled, which is like home schooling but with more wierdos
In texas you are required to notify the school district that you are home schooling your kid and that is that. They cant test them, they cant ask what you are teaching them. Nothing. I could give my 12 year old a high school diploma tomorrow and it would be legit. More or less. Here a home school is treated like an unaccredited private school and as such they are not regulated by the state. Pretty scary really.
They cant controll whether you teach them to use apostrophes; they dont have that authority. 
Hey, I’m the product of public schools.