What year to file letter of intent?

[MissSJ]

I have been thinking a lot lately about how we are going to homeschool our two boys. My oldest son will be 5 tomorrow and would be eligible for kindergarten next year. Compulsory schooling in my state starts at 7yrs. I'm a little stuck on whether it is better to file a letter of intent next fall for school year '10-'11 or wait until the next year (when he turns 7) and file for school year '11-'12. Are there any advantages either way? If we wait until the year he turns 7 would the district then see him as a kindergartner that year? ....a little confused....

SJ

[phathui5]

What state are you in? What will you have to do if you're registered?

About waiting to register, I waited a year to register my oldest because his birthday was after the school cutoff, but I registered him as a 1st grader, not a kindergartener. As a homeschool parent, you decide their grade level, not the school.

[Ravin]

The affidavit for my state (AZ) doesn't ask or state anything about grade. I filed the month she turned 6 (the mandatory schooling age). The only thing it does specify is that you can choose to delay formal education until age 8. I didn't check that little box since we were doing formal lessons.

[MissSJ]

I will need to register yearly.

The parent in charge and in control of a nonpublic home-based educational program shall certify, in writing, only a statement containing the name, age, place of residence, and number of hours of attendance of each child enrolled in said program.

And keep:

records of each child participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program shall be maintained on a permanent basis by the parent in charge and in control of said program. The records shall include, but need not be limited to, attendance data, test and evaluation results, and immunization records, as required by sections 25-4-901, 25-4-902, and 25-4-903, C.R.S. Such records shall be produced to the school district that received the notification required by paragraph (e) of this subsection (3) upon fourteen days' written notice if the superintendent of said school district has probable cause to believe that said program is not in compliance with the guidelines established in this subsection (3).

And have my children:

evaluated when such child reaches grades three, five, seven, nine, and eleven. Each child shall be given a nationally standardized achievement test to evaluate the child's academic progress, or a qualified person shall evaluate the child's academic progress.

(copied from http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/homeschool.htm)

[justthinkn]

I've heard the argument that it's best not to file until you're legally required to, b/c if the state starts getting loads of filings for children below the legally required age, it could make it easier for them at some later point to actually lower the age of legal requirement!

[oceanbaby]

File at 7 and just put down whatever grade you consider him to be in at that time. In our state it's 6yo, and that's what I did with ds1.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by justthinkn

I've heard the argument that it's best not to file until you're legally required to, b/c if the state starts getting loads of filings for children below the legally required age, it could make it easier for them at some later point to actually lower the age of legal requirement!

:

Plus, why give yourself a couple of extra years' worth of work as far as reporting goes? I'd register as late as possible.

You should be able to put him in whatever grade you see fit, but personally, I'd lean towards the lower grade--he'll work on whatever level he's on of course, but I'd label his grade according to age for testing purposes. When you get to the standardized testing, no one will give you grief if he's scoring ABOVE the average, but I'd rather avoid the possibility of a child scoring lower because he's young, kwim?

[Shianne]

Please do not file early. It does open the way for the state to start encroaching other requirements on homeschoolers.

As for Colorado...
I am well acquainted with the laws there. They changed the law in 2007 but did not make changes to the cde website. So, if your child is 6 before or on August 1 of that year you must file your notice of intent . If your child's birthday falls after that, you may file the following school year. You do not have to begin your school program until the age of 7 however.
If you click on the link it will show a sample notice of intent. Please do not include any other information other than what is required by law. They may say that you need to include a list of books or ask what curriculum you will be using or even send you one of the school district forms to fill out, but stick to what is written on the CDE website. They tell you only name, age, hours or instruction and address of the children.
You can test administer the test yourself. I used to get mine from here. Or you can use a teacher for the assessment. There are several throughout the state that are really hs friendly.
Colorado is pretty lax in their hs laws. I would join a hs group if you have not already done so. What part of Colorado are you in? I lived in Aurora. If you are close to there I can recommend a great group.
You can also register with an umbrella school such as CHEC. If you do, you will no longer have to worry about sending in your notice of intent to the school district.

[laohaire]

I had this question, too. A homeschooling mom in my area (just someone I met up with once, I don't really know her) actually recommended the opposite, to file at age 5 or whatever. She said that otherwise parents get flooded with propaganda about how your kid needs to be in school.

I'm not sure if that's the best reasoning, though. It might be worth it to me to recycle propaganda and not have to report for a couple of years.

On the other hand, I need the cooperation of the local school board to do this, and I wonder if I would antagonize them by waiting. I live in MA and as I understand the laws, homeschooling is "governed" locally, and I need the approval of my local board (I guess). Which of course sucks bigtime, if I understood that right. I've not heard any horror stories so I'm probably ok but I would rather things go smoothly if possible, and I'd rather they see me as a responsible citizen and mother rather than I don't know what.

[Shianne]

I think homeschoolers always hear how their children need to be in ps at one point or another. I still get it after homeschooling for 20 years. The socialization thing still comes up even after people see my kids involved in various activities.
MA hs laws really seem to be confusing. Have you joined a hs group? Usually those who have been hsing for awhile can give you really good pointers on how things work, some helpful do's and don'ts on getting approved and such.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by Shianne

I think homeschoolers always hear how their children need to be in ps at one point or another. I still get it after homeschooling for 20 years. The socialization thing still comes up even after people see my kids involved in various activities.
MA hs laws really seem to be confusing. Have you joined a hs group? Usually those who have been hsing for awhile can give you really good pointers on how things work, some helpful do's and don'ts on getting approved and such.

Oh, I know, we'll get the pressure about hsing but the woman seemed to be saying that the state or the local board actually mail propaganda to the parents of children on the rolls that aren't enrolled in school. But as I said in my post, that didn't seem to be the most important factor to base my decision on.

I have joined a local Yahoo group. It doesn't seem to be that active, though, and I still haven't figured out the climate there (i.e. if they are classical homeschoolers, Christians, crunchies or what).