Need Advice Re:4 y/o DS in NY

[CookieMonsterMommy]

Hello ladies (and gentlemen!). I had just a few questions (well, actually, many-but only a few I'll bug you with). I've been unofficially HSing DS who just turned 4 years old. My 1st question is, where do I find state info (NY) so that he can get credit this fall for Kindergarten? (I say "credit" meaning if God forbid something should happen to DH and we lost income and I had to work FT, I'd want DS to be able to enter 1st grade, 2nd, etc-not just have him stuck where his age group is, or if later in life he decides he'd like to go to public or private school and we decide he can, etc) And that brings me up to my 2nd question-will there be a problem with him begining a Kindergarten curric. when he's 4 years old? (He missed the official state cut off, so they don't want to start him till sept. 2004, and he'd be wasting a year-he knows how to write names, small words, all letters and sounds, simple add & sub. etc) Meaning, do they have the right to tell me that he can't start K untill 2004-be it at PS or home? Thank you all so much in advance for your help/support.
Best Wishes, Kelly

PS-DH is has a BA in Education (secondary History ed)-from what I've been reading on this board this may help me with the technicalities even though I would be doing the HSing.
Thank you

[Unreal]

From what I understand, it is really up to the district to decide what grade your son would go into if he went to ps...

BUT a great place to ask is in the NYHEN-Support Yahoo Group or in the NY-alert Group...both of which are FULL of people who are pros on the homeschool regs in NY

I do know that since I reported my son as 2nd grade this year, if he went to PS next year, he'd be put in 3rd grade, even though all the work he did this year is at or beyond what they cover in the 3rd grade curriculum....
BUT I don't want to report him ahead of his age-grade level--since it lets me put off the mandatory testing for a bit...

If you filed paperwork for your son for Kindergarten....and did your year end evaluation, they *should* accept that....BUT schools can be weird with the whole K/1st grade thing...

[phathui5]

You can get info for every state on http://www.hslda.org

[CookieMonsterMommy]

Thanks

LJKelly, Where do I "report" his as a K student? Would I do that before, or at the completion of the school year? Thank you so much for your help.
Best Wishes, Kelly

[Unreal]

I'm not quite sure how it works, since your son is below the compulsary attendance age. The NYSregs are available at www.nyhen.org
Just look on the side for where it says New York State Homeschooling Regulations.

Basically, when you do report, if it is from the beginning of the school year, you start with a letter of intent, sent in by July 1st. The district then sends you a packet, including a copy of the regs. then you have 4 weeks (see the regs on this...its 4 weeks or Aug 15....) to submit your individual home instruction plan (IHIP)--which is basically where you tell the district what your plans are for the year. There are a bunch of subjects they require you to cover.
The district then has 10 days to let you know if your IHIP is NOT in compliance with the regs (they hardly ever let you know if it is).
You then have to submit quarterly evaluations and a year end evaluation.

There is more to the IHIP and the evaluations, but that is all covered in the regs (although if you have questions, I'd be glad to answer as best I can!)

So...NYS does not require any homeschooler to submit paperwork prior to the first year they would be attending public school....

My son also misses the birthday cut off (his bday is in september), but he went to public kindergarten in a different state. When we moved here, I had his report cards from Kindergarten, so they put him in first grade (he did half a year of ps 1st grade before we decided to homeschool him).

Most homeschoolers I know are kind of trying to do the reverse of what you would like--they are delaying reporting to the school as long as possible, since homeschoolers in NYS must take standardized tests in 5th grade, 7th grade, and all through HS. Reporting the kids as in kindergarten the year they turn 6 allows you to put off standardized testing for an extra year, kwim?

I still reallllllly recommend you ask your question on the NYHEN-support list--they are really great and know the regs inside and out

must go--babe is grumping at me

Lauren