Confused!

[herbsgirl]

Anyones imput would be helpful here! We are homeschooling, and I was homeschooled grades 3-12 as a child, so I am familiar with it/

My older son and daughter are one grade ahead of their age. But my younger son born in June 2006 is a little slower. He was tested through the hospital to be 9 months behind aprox in his speech last year. So he turned 5 in June and I decided to hold him back a year with homeschooling. He is doing Abeka Academy 4 Year old kindergarden this year, and my hope was to do K5 when he turns 6 next year.

Ok, back to my question....We live in Wisconsin, and the laws here are that a child has to be in school by the time they are 6 years old.   N  No problem, we plan on doing K5 next  year, and with Abeka Academy video school.  BUT the catch is that you have to register all the children that you are homeschooling, and they have to be homeschooled at 6 years old. BUT they will not allow anyone to register Kindergarden, you are only allowed to register 1st-12th grade. So what am I supposed to do??? Are they going to force me to put my son through 1st grade next year when I dont feel like he's intelectually ready for it?  I am just confused, what I should do??

One more thing, telling a lie is not an option for me. Like marking 1st grade when he's not really in 1st grade.

Edited by herbsgirl - 8/19/11 at 10:14pm

[AAK]

There is probably someone better to answer this question than me.  But, if you must register him by the time he is 6 (and first grade is the lowest option), then register him as a first grader.  Then, for the following year, register him in first grade again.  He will be "held back" so to speak.  I wouldn't let the kids worry about it.  When the nosy lady asks what grade they are in, he can reply "kindergarten" the first year and "first" the second year.  I don't understand why she would have access to your paperwork.  

Amy

[dogmom327]

Don't take the paperwork too literally :)  I don't think it's a lie to mark first grade.  It's the lowest grade they are offering you (which is just a government paperwork issue--there are kids who turn 5 right on the deadline for school who's parents hold them back a year--happens all the time with public school kids--leaving the kindergarten option off the paperwork is probably just for simplicity).

Think of it this way--it's the first year he is formally in school.  In most states that's called first grade (in a lot of places K isn't required and is very informal).  It doesn't really have anything to do with the level of work a child is doing.  I know an awful lot of home schooled 6 year olds who are reading at a 4th grade level, doing 2nd grade math, 3rd grade science and so on.  What grade are they in?  Many private schools have kids doing what would be considered 2nd grade work in a public school but the private school is calling it first grade, etc.  I'd still mark 1st because in our society grades correspond to ages more than the work a child is actually doing.

[etsdtm99]

i don't see why you can't call what you're doing now K and what you're doing next year 1st grade .. chances are he will catch up in the upper grades and then you can figure out what to do about the last year of HS when that time comes..  i think if they were thinking.. if there an office you can call to discuss this? where you turn int he paperwork?

[moominmamma]

Yes, I agree, don't take the paperwork too literally. First grade can just mean age-6-education, it doesn't need to mean anything particular in terms of the materials you're using. I had my dd registered in 2nd grade last year and she was doing 6th grade level work. If 1st grade level work had been more appropriate for her, that's certainly what I would have done with her, and no reviewer or supervising teacher would have had a problem with that. If there's a chance your ds will be entering the school system, or will do standardized testing at some point, then I'd re-register him in 1st the following year as well. Otherwise I'd just leave it be. In our homeschooling grade-level distinctions are fairly meaningless because my kids learn all over the map. So for simplicity's sake we just label them by grade according to their age when dealing with school officials.

Miranda

[PGTlatte]

Write what you need to write on the form and don't sweat it.  The only ethical problem is with the government paperwork that shoves you into a corner and will not accept your truthful answer.   Then have him repeat first grade.  If they give you any grief, you have medical documentation of a delay.  Just say he was not ready to progress to the next grade so you held him back.

[herbsgirl]

Thanks so much for all the replys!  He is getting ready to read and reading blends, also learning Cursive writing in 4 year old kindergarden. That sounds a bit ahead of Public school to me! I think the curriculem is quite advanced (college prepatory) so in reality, he probably really isnt doing a year behind anyway, compared to public schoolwork.

[sleet76]

Last year in WI, you could register your kids without a "grade", just with age and as an ungraded homeschooler.  I haven't looked at the form for this year, but if it hasn't changed, that would be an option.  I agree with the others that you should just put something down, if you have to pick a grade--he can be in "first grade" again next year again, too. 

[Love_My_Babies]

If your son is five years old, he is not compulsory age yet. You are not required to inform the state if you are homeschooling your five year old because he is not of compulsory age.  If you feel inclined to inform the state anyway, you can complete the DPI form and list him as "ungraded".  Here is some detailed info from the www.homeschooling-wpa.org website...

"You do not need to file a form for children until the year during which they are six years old on or before September 1. WPA recommends that parents NOT report children who are younger than six, even if they are submitting a form for older children. Again, this is doing the minimum the law requires. It also may help minimize the chances that your local school district will contact you for information about these children or pressure you to have them screened. (For more on problems with screening, see the WPA handbook, page 219.) "