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State Requirements? CA
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Hello
So I am aware the CM is a philosophy of education, not a particular curriculum (which is good news to me!)..but my question is for fellow Californians who utilize CM- what are the legal requirements?
Do you need to send anything ‘in’? I think its at age 5 kids need to be enrolled… how does this work if formal education doesn’t start until 6-7? my main concern is making sure im in line with whatever the state requires for education…last thing i need is a surprise visit from somebody who says i can’t homeschool my kids this way lol… any advice is helpful.
Re: making sure you’re in line with what the state requires: is this because you truly believe that what the state requires is the right education for your children, or because you’re afraid you’ll be investigated? (that came out sounding snarky but I really don’t mean it that way!)
I have been homeschooling in Southern CA for 14 years, and I’ve never known anyone to receive a surprise visit, or even an announced one, not even my friends who have homeschooled throught the public school system. So, in my opinion, you can set your mind at rest about that. Truly. Unless you are homeschooling as part of the state school system – which is only one option, the others being homeschooling with a private PSP or filing independently – you are not required to study in the same way as CA public school students. What this has meant, in our family at least, is that we’ve studied the basic subjects that most p.s. students study, but we’ve done them the way we’ve wanted to. We’ve also studied subjects that p.s. students generally don’t, at least in our area. For instance, where we live (not sure how it is in other parts of CA), the arts have been gradually removed from elementary school settings. By contrast, in our homeschool we study and experience the arts voraciously. That is only one example.
I have never homeschooled through the p.s., but my friends who do so meet regularly with a teacher to discuss their progress and show a portfolio of work. That’s as close as I’ve heard of anyone having to “send anything in.” We have been part of a few private PSPs which have had different paperwork requirements. We have now filed independently for several years, which is somewhat like flying under the radar in practical terms.
I don’t know if this helps, but I’m happy to answer mroe questions if I haven’t been clear or if I can encourage you. My daughters are now 21 (married – she’s the one in my avatar because it used to be hers), 16 (graduating a year early this summer), and 5, starting kindergarten soon.
hey there
its a little of both, to answer your question- as far as being afraid of being investigated and wanting to do what the legal requirements are. Most of the moms i know homeschool, and from what I see/hear, there are so many different ways to doing it. I have dealt with the government system before (i am a massage therapist), and until a few years ago, there were several different ways to go about the state requirements, and it is very alarming when you are practicing something, and somebody says “hey what you’re doing is potentially illegal and you could get your license taken away”. I’m probably a little more paranoid than i need to be, but I just didnt want to collect info on homeschooling requirements and then think I was doing okay, and then all of the sudden somebody be like “where is your portfolio, you should have been doing this for the last 2 years…”
But from what you say, it really sounds like there is not a requirement. Im just a little confused how the state knows that you aren’t completely neglecting your kid’s education…. how do you “file”? And didn’t they just change the CA age to 5?
The mom I live with uses a Charter school, and she meets up with an educational facilitator, that is kind of what gave me the impression that you need to be showing your work all the time.
This info helps by the way :), any other advice would be helpful.
Getting ready to start my 6th year homeschooling in California. I too was super nervous about being within the law and wanted to make sure I did everything right. I filed through a friend the first few years because the whole filing process scared me… but I promise it is all super easy and nothing much at all to worry about.
HSLDA will probably be your best bet for information. I even get a filing reminder email from them in October. CHEA is also another good resourse.
In CA you have a few options to homeschool, go through the public school, go through a charter or file on your own…. becoming your own Private school; enrollment 1 😉 I file as my own private school so I do not have much experience with the other options but if you are schooling through somewhere (public or private) they should file for you.
The requirements for private schools is that you register your child for school by their 6th birthday, as Kindy is not required (but mentioned above this MAY have really recently changed) keep an attendance record and teach the basic subjects (social studies, math, pe, science….) I know you need to start keep transcripts in 7th or 9th grade. No testing is required as of now at least at the elementary level for private schools.
I hope this helps a bit… seriously check out HSLDA for better info.
Kat,
In answer to your comment: “Im just a little confused how the state knows that you aren’t completely neglecting your kid’s education…. how do you “file”? ”
Unless you are registered with the public school system, the state doesn’t know whether you’re completely neglecting your kid’s education. People have differing opinions on whether this is a good model or not – the debate is probably endless. When you’re a private PSP (whether as a group or an individual – the filing process is the same) you technically can be “audited” but I’ve never known any group or individual who has even been contacted by the state for any reason. The woman you live with has chosen a public school situation, which is why she meets with someone. The groups I’ve been part of have required varying levels of paperwork, from only the basic (which is what you submit when you file independently) to lesson plans and progress reports. It’s up to you and your family what level of reporting you’re comfortable with. Some people like the accountability of having to show work or submit plans or whatever the private PSP requires. Some private PSPs also provide field trips, family nights, classes, yearbooks, proms, and other features.
This will give you information about filing with the state independently:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ps/rq/affidavit.aspIt’s done each October, and once you’ve filed once, you get a reminder email about it at the beginning of each October.
Depending on where you are in CA, you may also have a lot of options to take classes with other homeschoolers in various co-op situations, if you’re interested in that option. We really enjoy homeschooling here because we like having the level of freedom that we do and because there are so many opportunities to learn and explore.
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