Help!!! Write homeschool plan

[PiesandAbrosmama]

Hey all you great home-schooling parents out there!
So hard times have forced us to move a 3rd time in the school year for my 1st grader and 3rd grader. I am not putting them into a 3rd school in one year, so I'm home-schooling for the rest of the year.
I have to submit my curriculum for review of what I plan to teach and how. I really have no resources and need a quick plan of attack.
So far this week I've been working with what they have brought home as homework, writing letters to friends and family every day, reading and math games online, and reading books at there level.
I have 14 days to outline what I plan to do. Also have to figure out how to test 3rd grader for the big state test she missed for next year's enrollment.
I really appreciate any and all help!

[MissRubyandKen]

Every state is different. I'm not in your state so I don't know the specifics of your reporting requirements. Is the curriculum submitted for information purposes only or do they review it with the power to refuse you? Ours is submitted for informational purposes only. I do not go into detail as to what specific textbooks and materials we use. I give a general outline, basically copying (give or take here and there) the World Book Encyclopedia typical course of study for the grades my children would be attending in public school. I'm not sure if that would work for you or not. Some places require the actual textbooks and specific materials to be included. I have my intent to homeschool notification letter, list of materials, and curriculum outlines for 1st and 3rd grade saved to my computer. If you'd like to have them for examples you can PM me. I'd be happy to try to email them to you if you think they'd be helpful.

[MissRubyandKen]

As far as testing that also depends on what your state requires. I believe mine doesn't require testing the first year of homeschool, but each subsequent year you submit test results along with your notification letter. Your circumstances are different. If the school is going to require testing for next year it is possible the school itself will be able to provide it. If not I'd find out which tests are acceptable and whether or not it can be done at home or if a certified teacher needs to administer the test. In our state the law does not specify that a certified teacher has to administer the test, but rather that a certified teacher must administer the test if the test supplier states so. We use Seton Testing Services every year. I am able to administer the tests at home this way. It is $25 per student. You pay for the tests and scoring. They send you the tests, you test your children, then you send the tests back. They score the test and send the official results to you. The test used is the CAT which is a nationally normed standardized test that is accepted in most states.

[Shianne]

You are in Colorado right? My favourite state. I will be moving back at the end of the year there to the Denver area.

Colorado state law state that you only need to send in a NOI 14 days before you intend to start your homeschool program. You need to send it in to the district of your choice...it doesn't even have to be where you live.

Check out this site

There is a sample NOI there. You can just copy it, write in you info and send it in. The only time you need to send in a curriculum list for review is if there is a documented truancy problem with your children. The district I lived in tried to make me fill out one of those forms with the curriculum thing too. I just put in that the state law says to only provide the information of the names of my children, address and age and hours of attendance and then put the state code where it says that.

Please do not include anything else except what is required by law. Some school districts are already pushing for changes in the state law to include an approval of curriculum.


As for testing, you can get tests at Christian Liberty
This is accepted by the state and you can administer it yourself. The CSAP test is not accepted so do not bother with it. You will send the results in to the district that holds your NOI.

[PiesandAbrosmama]

Thanks for the link! I'm really out of my comfort zone so any resources, links, advice really helps!

[Savoir Faire]

Sounds like some good advice. Welcome to homeschooling....where some people like to make you jump through hoops to see you dance

Take a deep breath and take it step by step. You'll get it done.

Here's a bit of the law online:

*means the sequential program of instruction for the education of a child which takes place in a home, which is provided by the child's parent or by an adult relative of the child designated by the parent, and which is not under the supervision and control of a school district.

*...except that any child who is habitually truant, at any time during the last six months that the child attended school before proposed enrollment in a nonpublic home-based educational program may not be enrolled in the program unless the child's parents first submit a written description of the curricula to be used in the program along with the written notification of establishment