If your child's ahead in grades but goes back to public school...

[GinaRae]

We're using k12.com curriculum through our state's public school sytem and if you finish things like language arts early, they will send you the next year's curriculum to start on. If we do happen to finish 3rd grade early and move on to 4th grade in some "classes"... what happens if he's always ahead and we decide to put him back in brick & mortar school? My hubs is adamant he has to go to high school, but we've also talked about 7th grade. Is he going to be too far ahead and have issues when we put him back in?

[Momma Aimee]

i don't know -- good wuestion -- this is something we talk about here too -- we plan to homeschool till 3rd at least -- but 4th to 7gth is up in the air and DH is like you DH and wwants the boys in a real school for high school ...

my thought would be to put them into school at whatever level they are. That is only fair to the child, based ont eh work they have done and are able to do --

butttttttttttttt

then you run in to a child 2 years younger then his peers (or a year, or 3 years or ...) -- and since we are talking boys, yours and ours -- that is not a good idea.

and i am sure you will get flack from some schools, when i worked at a private school we had a boy come from homeschool who testest 3 years above his age -- and based on tests should have gone to 7th. we accepted him to 6th -- a little less of a choas time ... and to give him a year to bond with the kids and get use to school before middle school. a compermise at best.

but i really really resist the idea i should even (or you should) hold a child BACK to "keep them grade level with peers" cuz uhhhhhh the whole point of home schooling is so the child does not have to follow the crowd

great question Gina, I am can't wait to hear what other say

[mom2ponygirl]

It is totally going to depend on your district and perhaps even the particular school. Some schools are going to go strictly by age/grade. They'll hardly look at what you've done but see -age 12 = 6th grade. Others will want to look at what they've done or do a little assessment of their level. Then they will talk to you about options.

If you really want to know, contact the potential school now and see what they do. Better yet, contact your local homeschool community and see if anyone has had the experience of going back to school and how it went.

I contacted our local school and they were adamant that our dd would have to go in her age/grade no matter what. Last year I talked to a local charter and they were basically saying let us know where you think she belongs and we'll talk with her a little bit and see what we can do. They met her and said - just tell us where you want her. LOL

[crittersmum]

My personal experience would lead me to strongly advocate that you put him with his peers and provide enrichment programs -- either in school, or perhaps only attending part-time -- so he's not totally bored.

[moominmamma]

Totally depends on the district and the school. My dd entered school and went directly into high school courses 1-3 years ahead of her age-grade. It has worked fabulously for her. The principal was mildly concerned about putting a 14-year-old in with a class of mostly 17- and 18-year-olds, until we pointed out that my dd's closest friends attending the school were all seniors anyway.

Miranda

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

not sure about your district, but don't most offer advanced classes starting in junior high/middle school? If you don't plan to public school until then, then perhaps if your child is during advanced curriculum then you could put them in an advance class for their grade? You may want to check on that in your district.

A side note, what is with the dh's having to send the kids to high school? My dh is the same way, he says it's fine if we decide to homeschool for the first part, but ds should go to 'school' in high school, he's hoping we could afford private school by high school age for ds, but other wise public school, we'll see that's a long way off...

[kittie313]

I've wondered about that myself, we're only doing K and 1st grade with a preschooler and toddler running wild around here but we have discussed the scenario of what if we end up having or wanting to put them in school at any time? We won't ever put them in the ps district we live in currently, but if we move or can afford private school then we would consider it instead of hsing. I would personally be at that school insisting that they be either put in classes more at their ability level, or be put in a class where the teacher can better accomodate their academic levels. Our local public school, they will pretty much just stick them in the grade that their age dictates without blinking. Not happening here.

[annethcz]

I agree that it will depend on the particular school. My DD1 was ahead of grade level when she entered elementary school. What happened was that she was advanced to the next grade level for math and reading. It's served her needs relatively well.

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by ILoveMyBabyBird

not sure about your district, but don't most offer advanced classes starting in junior high/middle school? If you don't plan to public school until then, then perhaps if your child is during advanced curriculum then you could put them in an advance class for their grade? You may want to check on that in your district.

A side note, what is with the dh's having to send the kids to high school? My dh is the same way, he says it's fine if we decide to homeschool for the first part, but ds should go to 'school' in high school, he's hoping we could afford private school by high school age for ds, but other wise public school, we'll see that's a long way off...

my Dh feels high school is a lot more than the classes -- which he agrees we could educate better at home, or at least as well -- it is about sports teams and band and being part of teh crew that decorates for the big dance .. and having people 20 years from now that you ill hang out with and share memorys of the big game (won or lost) anded the old maid science teacher -- it is more cultural.

[kittie313]

In my district, a middle or high school student that is hs'ed can participate in sports, band, etc. even if they don't take a single class at the school. Its required by law that they provide services for special needs and that they not keep kids from extracurricular activities like that. My girls' gymnastics coach has her youngest dd in the high school band and she just walks to the school for band class and practice, then back home again when its done (mom coaches hs'ed kids while her dd is at band practice) So, you may want to check into that as an option for the future, especially if your dh agrees that you can provide a much better education at home (which it sounds like he does) And if your district requires that they take one or two classes to participate in sports and such, then I say art class and wood shop lol

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by kittie313

In my district, a middle or high school student that is hs'ed can participate in sports, band, etc. even if they don't take a single class at the school. Its required by law that they provide services for special needs and that they not keep kids from extracurricular activities like that. My girls' gymnastics coach has her youngest dd in the high school band and she just walks to the school for band class and practice, then back home again when its done (mom coaches hs'ed kids while her dd is at band practice) So, you may want to check into that as an option for the future, especially if your dh agrees that you can provide a much better education at home (which it sounds like he does) And if your district requires that they take one or two classes to participate in sports and such, then I say art class and wood shop lol

if we stay here they will dual enroll and be homeschooled but do music, sports and maybe art or shop at school

but we hope to be in MO by then, and we will have to see what teh distric offers .. and how we feel about the district.

that is, thanksfully, a very long time from now.

however i do see a lot of dad's wnating the kids to go to or return to school by high school and i was offering why my husband feels this way.

I wonder if a lot of dad's feel the same way.

also -- here -- i think -- if we dual enroll -- which we have to for speech and IEP services -- they boys maight be able to take art or something at the gradeschool even, but i am not sure.

[zeldamomma]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

my Dh feels high school is a lot more than the classes -- which he agrees we could educate better at home, or at least as well -- it is about sports teams and band and being part of teh crew that decorates for the big dance .. and having people 20 years from now that you ill hang out with and share memorys of the big game (won or lost) anded the old maid science teacher -- it is more cultural.

Something to consider is that there is no guarantee that your son's high school experience will be anything like your or your dh's high school experience. Personally, my high school wasn't a football school, and I don't think anyone from my school looks back to a "big game" unless they were on the team, or a close friend was playing. Also, those are very brief moments, and I think it's important to look at the whole picture when choosing whether or not to send a child to school. If you found a private school that was a perfect fit for your son, would you not send him because they didn't have a football team (assuming your son has no interest in playing), or there weren't school dances?

My oldest is only 9, but she already has a "crowd" of homeschooled kids she sees quite regularly, and has a shared history, similar to what she might have with classmates were she in school. The high school aged homeschoolers I know have similar friendships.

I think that if your child wants to play football, it can be hard to get that outside of school, but almost anything else can be done independent of school.

I'm not saying that sending your son to high school is a bad idea, just offering other things to think about.

[elanorh]

DH actually isn't that concerned about high school. I wonder how much our own high school experiences color this? I was an uber-geek in high school. I wasn't even hit up to donate to the Senior Class Kegger .... I don't have many happy memories of high school (some of the activities in which I was involved, like Speech & Drama) -- and honestly dh's high school experience wasn't that different. He was at a significantly larger school, so things weren't as toxic as they were at my small school.

We actually just got back from a sledding trip with an old high school friend of his who was in town with his daughter, and several other high school classmates --- who live right here in town and we NEVER see. First time I've met them, and I've been here since 2001.

I think regardless of homeschool or public/private school, people find and make friends and experience versions of the social issues that are common at whatever age range .... hopefully far less toxic than my high school experience, but no matter where we got and what we do, we will encounter some of those peer issues (for good and for ill).

[kittie313]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

if we stay here they will dual enroll and be homeschooled but do music, sports and maybe art or shop at school

but we hope to be in MO by then, and we will have to see what teh distric offers .. and how we feel about the district.

that is, thanksfully, a very long time from now.

however i do see a lot of dad's wnating the kids to go to or return to school by high school and i was offering why my husband feels this way.

I wonder if a lot of dad's feel the same way.

also -- here -- i think -- if we dual enroll -- which we have to for speech and IEP services -- they boys maight be able to take art or something at the gradeschool even, but i am not sure.

I don't know much about the dh's that think that the kids should be enrolled for high school, my dh is adament that our girls will never set foot in our public high school where we live. We have no intentions of moving from our home that we are in currently, great neighborhood and location and the house is handicap accessable (huge perk for my needs), so we know we're going to have HS age children at this house. I agree with dh about the ps though, the high school is just a world of nasty that we don't the kids involved in. We have talked about going independent in hsing when they get older, and then doing dual enrollment for art and english classes (my two weakest areas) but he flat refuses to have any of our children ever be students in our high school, and the middle school is kinda iffy on whether we'd enroll them there or not. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones (or not so lucky, depending on how you look at it)

[blessedmum]

I did this as a child. I went back in 6th grade and they skipped me to a 7th/8th class. I would not recommend it for middle school. The 1-2 years age difference at that time was too much. For a big High School I don't think that it would matter much though unless your child has a hard time making friends or you are talking about sending a 7th/8th grader in as a freshman-that might be too much too soon.

[Black Orchid]

I really think it depends on the district. Around here (Western PA) above 6th grade, the kids can flex in and out of classes at different levels... so a child who is one or two grades above in a subject can work it out so they can take an appropriate level class for that subject, but remain in their grade for their other classes. Of course, this doesn't work if the classes are not in the same building unless the parent is willing to transport the child.

IDK, I took lots of college classes in HS and LOVED IT! I also flexed into older classes for lang arts in JR High and I didn't think it was so bad. I met more kids and had more friends! Sure it was akward at first to not know anyone, but I think that's always going to be the case in new situations. Kids are amazingly resiliant and flexible when we allow them the space.