Can I tell you all how much I loathe writing quarterly reports?....

[Amy in NY]

Nevermind the fact that I've not turned in #1 and #2 yet for any of my kids. (2/3 are completed so far so I will be done in another hour.)

But they've taken me all afternoon and I could have spent this time doing something else...

Like teaching my kids.

OK - rant over.

Thanks for listening.

Amy

[pixelroper]

I'm afraid I too will loathe the quarterly report process.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Nevermind the fact that I've not turned in #1 and #2 yet for any of my kids. (2/3 are completed so far so I will be done in another hour.)

Wow. I actually went to the general board in a conscious attempt to procrastinate. Maybe your post about the same thing is a cosmic signal. :tongue_smilie:

[Peek a Boo]

really?

when i was in NY, it was one of the easiest things, lol.

just list the subjects [cut n pasted from the IHIP].

Then type in page numbers for workbook/textbook material, a general topic for unit study-ish stuff [like "studied pond life" or "studied the nervous, immune, and circulatory system" or "studied solid shapes"-- save a list of specifics for if they require more info --they usually don't], and a general grade of 'S' for satisfactory :-)

since they are not allowed to look at our lesson plans or student work, I never worried too much about being exact or precise.

If it's taking all afternoon, you're probably submitting WAY more info than they require for a quarterly report, or need to come up w/ a better record-keeping system to make your job easier [my problem was always the latter]. have you seen the sample reports in the LEAH manual?

[percytruffle]

I made it even easier. lol. I would list the subjects as per the IHIP and then state: 1/4 of work completed in this course after the first quarter, 1/2 of work completed in this course after the second quarter, and so on. Nobody ever objected to this. The simpler the better. Why do they need to know which pages we've done and which sub-topics we've covered.

When the dc turned 16 I stopped reporting. I am freeeeeee!:lol: Some still report in order to get the signed paper from the district at the end, but there is no guarantee they will give it to you in the end anyway. TMost will, but they aren't required to.

[Peek a Boo]

I'm afraid I too will loathe the quarterly report process.


well, here's my general "Homeschooling in NY" info that I typed up years ago:

[if anything has changed in the last 4 years, someone correct me!]


You have 2 homeschooling "factions" in NY:
LEAH [Christian] and NYHEN [secular].
LEAH has several chapters thru out the state. You do not have to be Christian to join, simply recognize the nature of the group.
NYHEN is more of a loose coalition of independent secular groups and more Yahoo-groups-discussion oriented.

I learned more about homeschooling in general thru LEAH, and more about the regs in specific thru NYHEN.

NYHEN seems to have a bit of a beef against LEAH and HSLDA ; LEAH tends to lean towards placating school officials: i.e. send in your paperwork Return Receipt Requested to cover your butt [while NYHEN asserts that this is not necessary and will put you more in a defensive mode]. I'm more of an "assert your rights" kinda gal, and knew exactly what the school district can and can not do.

My best advice for NY? learn your regs!!! be able to quote them!

here's some basics:

first, you need to notify the school district [not the local school or principal] every year. This is called your Letter of Intent [LOI]. The regs state that it should be in by July 1st, but the regs also allow for it being in w/in fifteen days of deciding [or "commencing"] you will be homeschooling. You can simply take the position that you will be reassessing your child's educational needs on a year-by-year basis and NOT worry about getting your LOI in till the end of August if that suits you better :-)

once you have sent in your LOI, you need to send in an Individual Home Instruction Plan [IHIP]. This is simply a one-page sheet [per child] that lists all subjects required to be taught [I][see the regs] and what you plan to use for instruction [curriculum, internet, library, co-op, etc etc]. The school district can NOT decide if what you use is "ok": they can only check to make sure that the subject *will* be taught: YOU are in charge of deciding how to teach. You can unschool in NY if you write up your IHIP correctly :-) Don't forget a disclaimer on your IHIP: "These plans are subject to change as needed for the child's educational benefit".

There.

You will need to pick 4 dates [somewhat evenly spaced] that tell when you will be sending in your Quarterly reports {Quarterlies}. Pick a time that you know will not be stressful: putting down December as a quarterly date is asking for STRESS, lol! Usually some time the beginning of November, January, March, and end of May/June. Your school year does NOT have to follow the school district's.

Quarterly reports:
this is basically your IHIP's subject list, accompanied by how much of your "curriculum" you've covered, like lessons 1-50 in a workbook [if using library books, maybe 5 topics covered], and an assessment/grade level. I always put down "satisfactory". Period. For "hours of instruction", you are supposed to claim the hours, but you are not required to DOCUMENT them and the state is NOT allowed to request "proof" of your hours. Simply claim 255+ hours and be done w/ it. Many people use their IHIP that they typed up, copy it into another document, delete what they don't need, and start updating it :-)

Attendance records:
You are required to document [and produce said documentation upon request] that your child attended 180 days of school.

1.find a school-year calendar [9 months on one page] at donnayoung.org.
2. At the top, write "Attendance Record for [child's name]".
3. Under that, write "Absences Marked w/ an X".
4. File it.

Done!

You are required to do 180 days of school. YOU decide what counts as a day of school. You may decide to do 2 days worth of work in one day. Do your school work the way YOU want to do it, and don't worry about the specific day count. again: claim it, but you aren't required to keep lesson plans, children's work, or anything else except your attendance record.

Testing:
you are required to use a state-approved standardized test starting in 4th grade. Technically, you are s'posed to test "every other year beginning in 4th grade", so 4th grade can be your "other" year and you can put off testing till 5th grade. there are about a dozen tests recognized by the state ed dept, and the PASS test is one of them. Also, you do NOT have to send in your student's results: you simply have to say that they scored "at or above the 33d percentile". For tests that require a certified teacher, ask your local groups or private Christian schools. More at NYHEN.org.

End of year assessment:
you are allowed to give a narrative of your child's progress. The easiest?

"[Child's Name] has satisfactorily completed their school work for the 2004-2005 school year. Please see IHIP and Quarterly Reports for more details."

DONE!

All in all, your file of "paperwork" for NY would look like this:

1. one page w/ 3 sentences on it as your LOI
2. one page for your IHIP.
3. 4 one-page quarterly reports
4. one page end of year assessment

Home visits? absolutely not allowed unless you are on probation [see the regs] AND they give you three days notice by certified mail.

That's what I remember being the stickler parts when i was in NY; i may be forgetting something, but you can always post a Q on the NYHEN board and get immediate -and usually very good- answers.

more links:

nyhen.org [join their NYHEN-support list and read the regs and State's Q&A's regarding homeschooling]

leah.org [EXCELLENT convention in Syracuse! Highly recommended!]

homeschooling in NY is really simple, surprisingly.

and if you get a packet of info from your school district that requires lots of intrusive forms to fill out, simply IGNORE it. I take a very "make them prove they are communicating w/ me" approach :-) If you actually get a school district that asks you questions, simply quote the regs to them.
if they persist, try a simple "I will be having my attorney contact you if you continue to request information that is not w/in your rights to ask. Please contact the State Education Department to clarify what your responsibilities truly are. you can find these at [give them the state's website on Q&A's on homeschooling]. have a nice day".
Click.
I *never* had the school district call me. One gal actually stopped by once. "we haven't received your forms for homeschooling-- are you still doing that?"
me: "Yes. I have sent them in. I can send a duplicate copy if you'd like"
her: "that would be fine. Thank You!"
off she went. easy peasy.
Notice I didn't offer her a copy then and there, lol!

feel free to email me if you have more questions!

GOOD LUCK!

[Peek a Boo]

I made it even easier. lol. I would list the subjects as per the IHIP and then state: 1/4 of work completed in this course after the first quarter, 1/2 of work completed in this course after the second quarter, and so on. Nobody ever objected to this. The simpler the better. Why do they need to know which pages we've done and which sub-topics we've covered.

i always thought about doing that, lol. But I know that some districts are pickier than others :)

[pixelroper]

I was under the impression that if I didn't hear from the school within so many days after they received my LOI- I was off the hook for a IHIP etc.? right?

[Peek a Boo]

I was under the impression that if I didn't hear from the school within so many days after they received my LOI- I was off the hook for a IHIP etc.? right?


If *I* hadn't received a reply from the school district, then *I* wouldn't send them anymore paperwork. However, you need to submit them if asked to do so at anytime during the year.

LEAH would probably advise you to send in the IHIP return receipt requested anyway to CYA.

When i went on a filing strike {snicker}, i received NOTHING till the end of the year: a letter that said to turn in my stuff or face charges of educational neglect. yeah, they have the right to do that, lol. Since I had already been preparing the paperwork, i just sent it in. If it had really come to a head, i would have said -- "but i SENT it in --you mean you never got it?? I never received anything from y'all that you hadn't got it....."

Nothing in the regs says i have to send it in RRR. The burden is really upon them as the agent to make sure the paperwork is submitted.

[pixelroper]

CYA & RRR? sorry

[Peek a Boo]

CYA & RRR? sorry


hee hee...
Cover Your A$$ and Return Receipt Requested

:)

[pixelroper]

thanks for the info!

[percytruffle]

Oh yes, never send anything in unless you use RRR. They could lose it or misfile it and you'd have no proof!

[Peek a Boo]

Oh yes, never send anything in unless you use RRR. They could lose it or misfile it and you'd have no proof!

but there's no legal burden to *provide* proof that they received it.
All you need to do is provide it upon request.
The burden is upon them to communicate w/ you :-)

i never used RRR --I used it for a coke and a candy bar instead ;P

[percytruffle]

I know, but I'm a chicken. Perhaps I should borrow your cat suit for a while! Meowwwww! Hehe.

[Amy in NY]

really?

when i was in NY, it was one of the easiest things, lol.

just list the subjects [cut n pasted from the IHIP].

Then type in page numbers for workbook/textbook material, a general topic for unit study-ish stuff [like "studied pond life" or "studied the nervous, immune, and circulatory system" or "studied solid shapes"-- save a list of specifics for if they require more info --they usually don't], and a general grade of 'S' for satisfactory :-)

since they are not allowed to look at our lesson plans or student work, I never worried too much about being exact or precise.

If it's taking all afternoon, you're probably submitting WAY more info than they require for a quarterly report, or need to come up w/ a better record-keeping system to make your job easier [my problem was always the latter]. have you seen the sample reports in the LEAH manual?

Oh, Amy...you've forgotten our hard won battle to NOT turn in our table of contents with our IHIPs. I've been advised, per HSLDA, that I have to be more descriptive on our quarterlies. I'm still very limited in terms of content but wordy (if that makes sense.)

It's a royal pain in the...shucks, there are no smilies for the word I want to insert here...

Amy

[st_claire]

I feel for you guys. I couldn't imagine living somewhere where they had those kinds of requirements for homeschooling. It's your family, it's none of their business IMO.

[Stacey in NY]

Our school district is very strict, I always send RRR. If you are even a day late you will here about it! The good thing is they do always respond back, so you know they received it. We use the form from HSLDA , and type info.

I agree with submitting only the basics. Only what they need to know, not a lot of extra stuff. They seem to only want more, the more you give them. Once I got the hang of it, it wasn't so bad.

[Amy in NY]

Here's my oldest dc's first quarterly.
Language Arts
Using the materials stated in his IHIP, ds has been learning about sentences, paragraphs, and nouns. He continues to learn spelling words at his level as well as progressing through writing instruction at his level.

Arithmetic
Using the materials stated in his IHIP, ds has been learning whole numbers, multiplication and division by a 2-digit whole number and fractions as well as supplemental practice/drill work and word problems.

History/Geography
Following a review of last year’s history, ds has learned about the history of England and Europe in the 1700’s through various media – books and video instruction.

Science
Ds has completed Lesson 1 in his Botany book. Due to the subject content, this subject is on hold during the winter months and will resume in the spring.
Therefore, he has learned about Bernoulli’s Law and completed experiments regarding chemical reactions.

Art/Music
Ds continues to participate in the Sonshine Homeschool Choir. He has not yet started guitar instruction. Also, in lieu of the materials stated in his IHIP, he has been learning about select artists. He also has been drawing/making crafts related to his history studies.

Health
Using the material stated in his IHIP, ds has been reviewing his respiratory and muscle systems.

Athletics
Ds participated in cyclocross, a combinations of mountain biking and road biking this fall. He also hiked and played outdoors.


So, I'm descriptive without really saying anything. And I should confess, I went ahead and wrote the full year up.

I also hand deliver all of my reports. The school is right around the corner and I'm too cheap to spend the money on postage. Plus, having a signed copy saved my butt the year the school lost our IHIPs.

[pixelroper]

info, the whole reason I checked in this board to begin with was to find out about hs in NY, many thanks for the samples & general experiences

[Peek a Boo]

It's a royal pain in the...shucks, there are no smilies for the word I want to insert here...

I believe the smilie you're looking for is:

:angry::cursing::banghead::mad:

does that help?

:)

and yeah --i am sooo glad to be back in TX!!!

Yes, the suit certainly takes the edge off, lol.

::doling out extra rhino skin to percytruffle::

and Amy, remember: you are not required to keep records :-)
That is up to the reporting agency.
They can request additional copies, but there's nothing saying you have to be ready to prove you already submitted it, because the only thing you are required to KEEP track of is their attendance.

but good luck w/ those strict districts --they certainly can be rough!

[Amy in NY]

and Amy, remember: you are not required to keep records :-)
That is up to the reporting agency.
They can request additional copies, but there's nothing saying you have to be ready to prove you already submitted it, because the only thing you are required to KEEP track of is their attendance.!

I know I'm not required to keep them. But it felt so good when I got that nasty little lettter stating "you will be truant if you don't turn in your IHIPs" to call the school and say, "Well, I already did turn them in to XXX. I have a signed copy right here. Would you like a copy for your records?"

That REALLY felt good!

Amy

[Sharon in SC]

I. feel. your. pain. I just finished the November reporting for my 9th grader. :-} For me, it's not a matter of even keeping good records. I use Homeschool Tracker and *daily* records of what we're doing. It's just transferring that date to those blasted forms necessary for our accountability association!

[Peek a Boo]

I know I'm not required to keep them. But it felt so good when I got that nasty little lettter stating "you will be truant if you don't turn in your IHIPs" to call the school and say, "Well, I already did turn them in to XXX. I have a signed copy right here. Would you like a copy for your records?"

That REALLY felt good!

Amy


yes! As long as you keep the perspective that YOU are the one doing THEM a favor, not the other way around, lol.

and good luck Sharon --we hit high school next year and I'm kinda sweating the whole documentation thing. :eek: ::shiver::