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IOE Most Frequently Asked Questions
1) Curriculum
Choosing curriculum should be a based on many things. There are many suppliers of great curriculum out there and even more great offers on used curriculum on the internet and in your local paper. When choosing a curriculum for Science (for example) you should ensure that the book you will be teaching from covers the basics and offers extra areas of study to encourage your child to continue learning on subjects of interest. You might find that the book you start teaching from does not cover certain subjects as well as you thought it might. Before running out to purchase another book, try resources from your local library, borrow from another home schooling friend or even search the internet to supplement your studies. There are many outlets for textbooks and you should be open to change, to best fit the needs of your child. Don' t be afraid to use more than one source for teaching a subject. Try to leave the possibilities open to be in a situation to expand on subjects of interest - it is your child that will benefit in the long run.
Internet search key words:Home School Curriculum / used home school curriculum or textbooks.
Try your local used book store for school books, EBay or even your local newspaper for great deals on books and other curriculum kits.
Here is a list of just a few curriculum publishers and suppliers:
(Extensive list and online courses: Publishers)
www.apologia.com (Science) |
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You may wish to view the following sites for their Typical Course of Study before standardize testing your child to ensure that he/she has received the full content of their subjects during the school year.
ABEKA | Core Knowledge | SC Dept. of Education |
World Book(Included in your Members Packet)
2) Family Support / Homeschool Research
Support from your family and even close friends is important to you and your child. When you have the support of your family, you and your child will be more open to share progress as well seek assistance on problem areas. If you do not have much support, continue to share more of your child's progress and achievements as an assurance to them. Most times, when family and friends don't support home school it is because they have not taken the time to educate themselves on all of the benefits it can offer a child. Don't feel like you must win everyone over to the concept of home schooling, just keep offering their progress and invite them to go with you on a field trip or support group meeting. Sometimes, hearing from others can make the difference. Often times, families/friends think you are all alone and do not realize that you have an network of support at your disposal. Remember, most people assume that a home school child is locked away from the world with no social life. There are many books and articles on the internet you can read to assist you in this area.
(See above section for studies on Social Outlets and links to various studies.)
Home Education Across the United States
Study on home schooling, conducted by Dr. Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute. (1997)
Home Schooling Works -- Pass it On
Findings of an independent study by Lawrence M. Rudner, Ph.D., Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. (1999)
Homeschooling in the United States:1999
This report, based on data from the Parent Survey of the National Household Education Survey Program, 1999. Published in 2001
3) High School
If you starting your child with us in the 9th grade - I.O.E. will do all the paperwork for your child's transcript and diploma.
If you starting your child after 9th grade - be sure to gather records from his/her school so we can transfer records and complete transcript information. You can turn in these records at anytime during the year. Transcripts will be sent to the teaching parent as soon as they are completed by I.O.E.
Home Schooling during the high school years is much different than the elementary years, but can be just as rewarding. It would be in your best interest to speak to other families that have taught during the high school years and get advise on subjects and issues you might have. If you need, get a tutor to assist in areas you may need help with and seek out other means of help for supplemental curriculum. Biology is easily taught by a book, but hands on labs are key to tying it all together. Many educational centers have labs for your child to work in as do co-ops and science centers. Foreign language and other subjects can be taught from CD ROM w/workbooks. Prices may vary depending on supplier or brand, so do your homework and see what is going to best met your child's educational needs. Co-op's offer a great outlet for your child to get labs and PE when you may not be in a position to offer it from home. Science kits can be purchased from most teacher supply stores or online directly from curriculum suppliers.
Once you have chosen the material from which to teach from, then plan your year carefully. During the summer take time to plan your lessons and familiarize yourself with the content. As you have ideas for a particular section, make a note of it. For example, if you are going to be covering US Constitution this year, you may wish to have your child your child take a tour of the State Senate during session. Pencil that idea in your monthly lesson plan book and start coordinating that trip now. SC sessions run from Jan - Jun, so you won't be able to take a fall trip and see our SC Senate in action. You may wish to get supplemental videos from your local library that cover certain sections. Work on that now so they can be reserved for the time in which you need it. If a support group is planning a trip to Washington D.C., this planning ahead will allow you time to save for your trip and to schedule class time around your outing.
High School courses (classes) are all given grades and credits. 1 credit for a course that is one year long (ex. 9th grade math) and .5 credits are issued for a course that is only 1/2 year long (ex. Government or Economics). The SC Dept. of Education raised the credits needed to graduate to 24 from 20 in the last few years. This means that your child will need 6 credits per high school year to reach 24 total by the end of the senior year. Be sure to contact your college of choice to see what is expected of your child so you can better plan your high school years.
If your child is in middle school and is able to take high school courses for credit, ensure that your record keeping is accurate so credits can be issued. When they get to the 11th and 12th grade year they can take college courses at your local tech school for college credit. Seek more information from your local tech school before starting this process so you will know what they will be able to take and what you will need to teach them early in order to reach the 24 credit limit ahead of schedule. It is not advised that all children get the 24 credits ahead of schedule, but if your child is a position to achieve that, then they have another educational outlet during their high school years. Typically, a middle-schooler would take on high school courses in a addition to their normal school courses. It is not a way to get out of taking required courses in the middle school years - sorry kids!
4) High School Senior / Graduation
For requirements on graduation – please view the High School section of our website.
All seniors are invited to participate in our annual May Senior Class Graduation regardless of which track (I, II, or III) they are following.
If you have a senior and transferred to us after the start of 9th grade:
Gather and forward all academic records of courses, attendance and grades to us immediately. We ask that records of 9th -11th grade be sent in before March of the graduating year.
If your child's 12th grade Scholastic Data Form is not turned in by August 1st (after published graduation date) and we have had no communication from the teaching parent - no transcript information will be released from I.O.E.
If you feel there is a valid reason for not turning in his/her Senior Scholastic Data Form before June - let us know so we can work with you. I.O.E. is aware of college application and scholarship deadlines and are more than willing to work with you.
5) HSLDA Support (IOE Group Number: 299776)
Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.
Please visit their website for details and membership: www.Hslda.org
6) New to Homeschool
If you are new to homeschooling, consider attending on our annual seminars held in June. All seminar handouts are available online for your viewing during the school year. The seminar handout titled "Getting Started" may be of most help to you. It will explain the legalities, qualifying teacher/parents, homeschooling laws, lessons planning, and more.
After you’ve read and understood about getting started with your homeschooling, you may wish to consider a source of support. If this is your first year, try NOT to overwhelm yourself with too many social outlets. You do not have to do every field trip or outing, join every group in town – find what works for your family and stick with it.
View our Support Group page to locate a group near you. You do not have to join any support group and you are not limited to just one. The key is to find what will compliment your homeschooling efforts and be consistent with your socialization for both you and your child.
If you find yourself in an area lacking support, consider creating a new group for your area. Local newspapers will allow you to add your group in the community section and we will be glad to post your group online. Usually meeting at a home, park, church, or even library is acceptable. From there you will be able to make changes to accommodate the needs of your group and plan field trips as needed throughout the year.
In SC you, the teaching parent, also act as your school’s administrator. Meaning, you will schedule which 180 days will be school days and the hours your school will be in session. You choose what curriculum to teach from and how often your grading periods or terms will be. You are in full control of your children’s education from start to finish. Should you have any questions along the way, please feel free to contact us at any time during the school year.
7) Proof of Homeschooling
In your Member Packet you will find the Teacher ID, High School Student ID, and a ‘welcome’ letter from IOE. The ID’s act as both proof of homeschooling and identification for discounts. Your welcome letter will act also as proof of homeschooling and includes your school name and address, along with the names of all students enrolled through homeschooling.
This letter will be very helpful at the DMV. (SEE DMV Section for License/Permit)
If you are new to homeschooling and your child was previously attending either public/private school, the welcome letter will also act as proof of homeschooling. (SEE Withdrawal from Public/Private School).
8) SC DMV
To obtain your child’s drivers permit or license you may be required to show proof of homeschooling. Present your ‘welcome’ letter to show your school name, address, proof of residency, and the student obtaining the permit/license. Your student may present his/her High School ID as proof if identification.
You will complete the school form as school administrator. No other homeschool documentation is necessary. However, if your DMV is requiring further proof – please contact us for a DMV letter. We can send this electronically or via postal mail.
9) School Records
If you have recently withdrawn your student from public/private school, a request for records has been made by IOE upon receipt of your homeschool application. These records will be kept on file and any high school credits earned will be transferred onto a transcript at the completion of your first homeschool year. Parents may ask for a copy of these records from the school directly as well.
Parents should keep specific documentation of their homeschool to include lesson plans, samples of work, academic progress reports and the transcript furnished by IOE at the conclusion of each year.
If your student has taken any standardized tests or SAT/ACT tests, please include a copy of the results with your year-end records so this information will be included on his/her transcript.
Please view the homeschool law for full understanding on what records SC requires parents to retain.
10) Social Outlets (Also view Support Groups)
There is an instant cloud that covers kids are that home schooled. Many feel that a typical home school child is locked away at home and has no social life. This is very untrue according to many studies. On average, home schooled students are very socialized and have outlets open to them that are ordinarily not open to public schooled children. Many YMCA's and other sporting organizations have daytime classes just for home schooled children. If you are a member of a support group or co-op then you are aware of the many field trips and outings offered. It is not unusual for a child to have something to do or somewhere to go just about every day. Whether it is park or zoo day or trip to the museum, outings are endless. Search your local paper in the community section to see what is available in your area. Below is a link to supports groups for you to get plugged in with.
How much is too much? That is a question for you AND your child to answer. When you decided to home school, you did so for a personal reason. That same compassion will lead you to make the best choices for their social outlets as well.
If your child is into sports, you might try to contact the Recreation Dept. in your local county or local YMCA. Also, many local churches have leagues for kids of all ages in a wide variety of sports and clubs. 4H and scouts also provide a great outlet young boys and girls.
Hear from experts: Dr. Jay L. Wile, PH.D., HSLDA, Rhonda Galloway BJU English Teacher, Dr. Larry Shylers, Chris Klicka, HSLDA Senior Counsel
Other Research on Home Schooling:
Home Education Across the United States
Study on home schooling, conducted by Dr. Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute. (1997)
Home Schooling Works – Pass it On
Findings of an independent study by Lawrence M. Rudner, Ph.D., Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. (1999)
Homeschooling in the United States:1999
This report, based on data from the Parent Survey of the National Household Education Survey Program, 1999. Published in 2001
11) South Carolina Scholarships
Insights On Education issues class ranking and does participate in state scholarships (Palmetto and Life).
Effective the 2008-2008 school year, your child must meet specific criteria to be considered for the Palmetto and Life Scholarships.
Palmetto Fellows Scholarship: 3.5 GPA, 1200 SAT or 27 ACT, top 6% of Jr. or Sr. Class (see ranking deadlnes in the High School Section). IOE will contact students if they meet this criteria for both Early awards and Sr. year awards.
Life Scholarship: 3.0 GPA, 1100 SAT or 24 ACT, top 30% of Sr. Class. IOE will contact students if they meet this criteria for Sr. year awards. This scholarship is available through the Financial Aid office at the College you will be attending with a deadline of June 30th.
Scholarship Enhancements for LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Recipients in Math and Science Programs (New for Fall 2007 Students)
IOE Class Ranking Criteria (Effective 2007-2008)
12) Teaching Multiple Grades
Teaching different grades can be an overwhelming concept, but can be done successfully.
While your 1st grader is doing his/her handwriting or reading a story you can be explain today's Biology lesson to your high-schooler. You might even try having your older child do his/her more challenging work with you early in the morning and his/her independent studies later in the morning or after lunch, thus freeing you up for time with your younger ones. In home school, you will not have bells to tell you when class is over so you will have to go through a period of trial and error until you find what works best for you and your children. Try seeking input from other home schooling families for advise. You may end up doing something from advise from several families until you find what works for you.
Articles of interest:
homeschooling from about.com | Article from Lawrence Williams, Ed.D.
13) Testing and Academic Achievement
There are many different ways to measure how your child is progressing academically. To ensure your child is learning in all areas needed and there are no surprises at the end of the year, should you decide to standardize test, you should seek guidelines from like grades/subjects for your state.
In SC, the Dept. of Education publishes detailed guidelines in subject areas on their website. This is a great tool to view and adopt to your curriculum if you are uncertain what needs to be taught when. As well, there are all types of independent testing you can administer to your child. Some are done online by you, the teacher, and others are done by an independent tester from such places like BJU. If you are a member of a support group or co-op, often times they have members that are approved testers and hold dates each year they hold group testing. BJU publishes the criteria to become an approved tester in your area for testing such as the Stanford, Iowa and others. If you choose not to standardize test your child from an outside tester, you can get online and find hundreds of sites that offer testing you can give your child. While they are not compiled into any official state or national scores, they will give you an idea of how your child is learning for his/her age and grade level. If you choose to have your child tested from an approved tester you can expect the fees to be the cost of the test and sometimes a fee for the administer to give it.
When your student is in the upper grades, IOE suggests that you utilize the following grading scale when recording your student's work. This standard scale is used and acknowledged by SC and other state colleges and universities, as well as other schools should your child transfer from home school.
KEY TO GRADING: A = 93-100 B = 85-92 C = 77-84 D = 70-76 F = 0-69
Sites that offer information and/or test ordering:
www.bjup.com (BJU – request testing information)
www.myscschools.com/offices/cso (SC Dept. of Education - curriculum details)
www.baysideschoolservices.com (CAT/5 tests)
High School: www.collegeboard.com (SAT/PSAT) www.act.org (ACT)
IOE High School Code: 410-881
14) Withdrawal from Public/Private School
The easiest way is to complete the sign up process using a future last day of school date so you are legally covered for homeschooling before starting. If you find yourself in a situation where your child must be withdrawn immediately, please consider our online application to ensure prompt notification to the school they are enrolled at. Usually this can be done same day.
Consider scheduling a short break in your schooling for this adjustment period. Using this time to secure teaching curriculum, set up your school/classroom area, etc. Many families take extended time during holidays and this is ok to do, just remember you will need to complete 180 days of school during your school year. The more time you take off, the longer your school year will be.
Insights On Education may deny applications if students have not been enrolled in school for an unexplainable amount of time. These situations are handled on a case by case basis.
15) Younger Students/Children at Home
If your toddler is willing, bring them to school too!
Invest in a desk just for them or a special table. Give them coloring pages or alphabet letters to play with. Things that are not too noisy and distracting for your other children. They will love the feeling of being included. If your little one has his/her "moments" then try to school around that time. If you know that late morning they get real cranky, then tell everyone to take a break for 15 minutes. Try to do some PE outside if weather permits or another family activity that will get everyone relaxed and regrouped when you come back to class time. Paper kite flying contests are a great outlet for kids of all ages. After your break your little one should be a little calmer and the other children will enjoy the short break from his/her studies. You could get your children to write 'crazy ideas' for break time on a piece of paper and collect them in a jar during the school year. When you call break time, have one your children choose one from your jar. Children often forget what ideas they put in months ago and it is a fun way bring the kids together.
If you’re your younger children are not quite school age, it is perfectly acceptable to unofficially start their schooling. The worst thing that will happen is that they are prepared for school when they are of age!
Try some of the links below for activities below to help you with the younger ones.
pbskids.org | about.com
(Keyword searches: fun stuff for kids, arts and crafts etc.)