Arkansas Homeschool Help: Not Sure How To Get The Ball Rolling.
by Pam Parker
Arkansas Homeschool Help
I need to home school my son but I'm not sure how to get started. Where do I get books and materials, and do I need to test him and show results to someone? Will the public school he goes to now give me trouble? How do I do this legally and insure that he gets a diploma? He is in the tenth grade. What classes does he have to have? How will I know if I'm doing it right? I read that I'm suppose to fill out an intent to homeschool and give to the pubic school before pulling him out. Will someone be checking up on him to make sure he stays on track? I just want to make sure I'm doing this the correct way and the legal way so that he ends up with a diploma after he completes the 12th grade. Please help guide us through this. Pam Parker Hi Pam, You will find some very helpful, easy-to-understand information on Arkansas homeschool laws and requirements by reading the following document provided by HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Arkansas.pdf You can download the Intent to Home School Form from the ArkansasEd.org site. You will also find links to a lot of other information and resources. Regarding your question about testing... Per Arkansas homeschool law: "State law requires that home school students in grades 3 through 9 test every year. Parents/legal guardians that are registered for the current school year will receive written notification of the test dates, times, and site. Testing for grades 3-9 will be held April 5-16, 2010. Testing information is available on the Arkansas Homeschool Testing Information Site. or contact the Home School Testing Office at 501-354-3136." The link to the Home School Testing Office is: http://www.arhomeschooltesting.org/default.asp Here is list of courses a typical high school student would need to graduate in Arkansas: English – 4 units Mathematics – 4 units Natural Science – 3 units with lab experience Social Studies – 3 units Civics – ½ unit World History – 1 unit U.S. History – 1 unit Oral Communications – ½ unit Physical Education – ½ unit Health and Safety – ½ unit Economics – ½ unit (may be counted toward Social Studies or Career Focus) Fine Arts – ½ unit Career Focus – 6 units Home school are not required to meet the same requirements as public schools. Use the above information as a guide to help you prepare your son for college. Home school parents can also issue diplomas to their students, so once your son has completed your home school's requirements, you can issue him a diploma. If you school under an umbrella school or academy, some issue diplomas as an added service. As far as curriculum and materials, would you be looking for religious or faith-based (Christian, Catholic, etc.) resources, or secular (non-religious)? Blessings, Heather |
