The HEART of Homeschooling is Correct Communication

This was great, I thought. A homeschooling article about a group in Illinois. That bubble was burst by the time I finished reading the article.

This group sounds like a nice cooperative effort for local homeschooling families.

“It’s kind of likening it to the pendulum swinging from the days of the one-room schoolhouse when they had all the kids of all the different grade levels together, learning together, and we kind of segregated them into their own age classes, and the home school movement is kind of taking it back to that, and I think the educational community is realizing that it is a more efficient way to teach the kids when you have kids of different ages and different abilities (together), because they are able to help each other and work together, and you can have more of that cooperative learning that does take place,” Thrower said.

We had one of those one room schoolhouses down our country road. My dad used to go there with his siblings. ("In snow up to his knees up a hill the whole time in subzero weather." *Just remember we have no hills here; only rises.) It was long empty when they consolidated all the country schools into the town school. And so it went....

Back to this article:

The students who are a part of the HEART program also participate in several community service activities such as Meals on Wheels and Relay for Life.

Good stuff! We'll be doing some volunteer work with homeschooling friends on Friday. Seems to be involved in a lot of homeschoolers' lives.

And this is typical for teen homeschoolers and community colleges. More good stuff!

Thrower said Kishwaukee College offers a program to all high school-age students in the county which allows them to take two college-level courses a semester for half the cost of regular tuition. Thrower said many home-school students participate in the program.

But this part here has me stumped. **Update on 11/10: It's been removed. BRAVO!

Thrower said, before parents decide to home school their children, they must meet certain state requirements and have their children take standardized tests to determine their academic grade level. She said she advises parents to contact a home school support group to receive more information about home schooling.

Parents do need to meet certain state requirements in withdrawing their kids from public school. Transfer notification from public school to private school (homeschool).
If the kids have never been in public school, they don't have to meet any state requirements except to be taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, and where the instruction of the child in the branches of education is in the English
language; And prove such if questioned by public school authorities (truancy officers from the Regional Office of Education.)

And they most certainly do not have to take standardized tests. Period. Unless it's required to get back into public school. That's kind of the whole point with many homeschoolers in IL that the parents can determine whether they want to test their kids or not while homeschooling.

Worth a follow up.