Homeschooling in Ga - What is it really like?

[Brenda in FL]

I just read the the statute at the GHEA website. Those attendance rules really scare me!! :eek: Do you find that it is flexible enough for you when there are times of the year that life gets into the way of schooling?

And did I read it right - you have to keep an evaluation and do the testing - but nothing but the attendance records are submitted to the superintendent?

Also - do you have umbrella schools like in Florida that allow you to be classified as in a private school and no reporting is necessary to the superintendent?

Sigh - I suppose you will be seeing some posts from me asking about neighborhoods and such - I thought a possible move would happen a year from now - but looks like it could happen sooner. DH would be working on the campus of Georgia Tech. But all that's for another "looking for a neighborhood and a home with a pool" post. :rolleyes:

[Jenny in Atl]

It's very easy to homeschool in GA. The attendance sheets are a breeze. Just put a x on the days of the month you school on the form your county sends you. As soon as you add up to 180, your done. I just follow my county's calendar as a guide and fill the days in to match, send off one at the end of each month (not over the summer) and that's it. At the end of the year you do a "summary" of what each student has covered, any areas you saw improvement or not (you keep this and don't have to show anyone), and every three years starting in 3rd grade you give the student one of the approved standardized tests (Iowa, etc). If you have a college degree you can do it yourself or find one of many places that will do it for you (lots of homeschool groups offer testing in the spring). The results you keep as well and don't have to show the county schools.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Peach state soon!

[sands31210]

Brenda -
The requirements are easy. The attendance report is done monthly and you just mark the days of the month you did school. You only need 180 days. You state your start and finish date for your school year in your letter of intent to the superintendent, you will just have to make sure you complete 180 days in that time frame. Forms to fill in are on the GHEA website to make it easy for you.

You read it right. You only turn in attendance reports. At the end of your school year you summarize what was accomplished by your child and keep it in their file.

Starting in 3rd grade and every 3 years thereafter you will have to administer a standardized test. Again, you just file the results.

The public school system offers Georgia Virtual Academy (provided by K12). In essence you are enrolled as a public school student, but doing all work at home. No attendance reports necessary, but you lose control in materials to use and some flexibility in your schedule. I don't know about other umbrella programs.

HTH. If you have any more questions, just ask.

[PamInMN]

It's a piece of cake........

[Rebecca in GA]

Very easy. The only difficulty I've found is that some counties require you to x days that you had school and some the days that you didn't.

Each school system has a person who is in charge of dealing directly with homeschoolers. I can't speak for all counties, but the two counties in which I've homeschooled have extremely nice, helpful folks.

As for testing, I administer Hewitt Homeschooling Resources' PASS Test every year from third grade on, just to catch any learning gaps.

Our homeschool year begins in July and ends in June, so that if we have to shift any days because of illness, vacation, unexpected circumstances, etc. we will always have an entire calendar year to complete our 180 days. We get to set our own calendar, so this is not difficult. Typically, we try to finish in early May, but this gives us plenty of wiggle room. We file attendance reports every month of our declared school year, even our summer months, because that's what we have been advised to do by both homeschool liaisons.

Tech is a great school and Atlanta a fun city. Hope your relocation goes smoothly!

[Bev in B'ville]

Use the attendance report provided by HSLDA, not Georgia's. Georgia's ask for more information than is required by law. Very easy to use, I check the days my children attend, and 'X' the days they don't. I use '1/2' to designate 1/2 days (those count, too).

You can find umbrella schools at www.gac.com (http://www.gac.com) (georgia accrediting commission). I even became accredited myself. It's not a big deal.

I've lived all over Georgia for the past 40+ years, I'm a native. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Bev

[melhouse]

Bev,

How did you become accredited? Was it just for your homeschool, or do you run a center? I read the guidelines for accreditation, and I wasn't sure how it worked for an individual at home.

Thanks for any information,
Melissa

[Brenda in FL]

Thank you ladies - I guess it may not be so bad after all. But what about the 4.5 hour days? I am sure that there are days that my indivdual students don't get a full 4.5 hours. Do you count the day as a whole even if some children get some free time while you are working with another child?

[Bev in B'ville]

Hi,

I just followed the directions on the website. I contacted a consultant in my area, filled out the application form and sent it in with my $50. The consultant came twice to my house. The first time was a preliminary, informal meeting. He and I went over all of the items (A-Y). He told me where I needed to work on them (like having a disaster plan in place in case those pesky terrorists show up on my front door step - LOL). He returned a couple of months later, revisited the entire list of items, checked me off and submitted a recommendation for accreditation. I received accreditation for my school (i.e. my home) in October. Now, my transcripts are as official as the local high school down the street (we have the same accreditation).

I do not have a "center," nor do I plan to. I simply wanted my dc to be able to participate in dual enrollment in college, which you can't do in Georgia as a homeschooler, unless you have an "accredited" transcript.

Let me know if you have any more questions. By the way, my consultant was not judgmental at all. He has a Ph.D. in education, served in the public school for many years and on the school board. He was very impressed with my choices of curricula. The whole process went very smoothly.

[Bev in B'ville]

1/2 of 4.5 is 2.25. If your children do a 1/2 day, count it. My dh always did industrial arts (last year) or consumer economics (this year) on Saturday mornings. It wasn't a full day (4.5 hours), but it was a 1/2 day, so I gave credit for it.