What if you decide to return your child to public school? How will they go about deciding which grade to place him/her in? At the high school level, how will they give credit for work done at home?
This is not always a smooth process. Many school districts do not know the state law and guidelines on these issues and give out false information.
At the elementary level, the State Department of Education recommends one of two approaches to placing a formerly homeschooled child.
1. Place the student according to records of prior educational programs for a probationary period of time covering at least one grading period. If the student shows satisfactory performance, transfer credit is awarded. [This means that they will place your child at the grade level indicated by how you were teaching at home and see how he/she does. This is a common approach at the elementary and middle schools levels.]
2. Administer standardized or locally developed tests to the student and place the student according to the test results. [This could be a test given by the school or one given by some other entity recognized as a legitimate source of testing, such as an Honors or Sylvan Learning Center. This approach is not as common.]
If the school you’re trying to enroll your child in is confused about this issue, you can explain the two items above to them, refer them to this web page, or refer them to the information on the Georgia Dept. of Ed. Site: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/askdoe.aspx?PageReq=ASKHSTransfer
The above approaches can also be used for placing students at the high school level.
What if your child has already done part of high school at home? How does he/she get credit for courses already taken?
If you used an accredited correspondence course, the school may give credit for courses taken if the courses correspond to courses offered at the school (each school district has the freedom to be flexible on this). Some school districts allow students to take semester or final exams in the subjects they want credit for. You and your child would have to decide if this would be a good option for you. Here’s a list of the accreditation agencies recognized by the state of Georgia:
Georgia Accrediting Commission
Georgia Private School Accreditation Council (GAPSAC)Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)
Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
This information can also be found on the GA DOE site: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/askdoe.aspx?PageReq=ASKHSTransfer
What if the school will not give my child credit for work already done at home?
In this case, your main option is probably to try to reason with them.
Otherwise, your child will have to repeat subjects already taken, or you could continue to homeschool. There is a lot of help in the way of tutors and classes for homeschoolers today, and that may be a better option for you. There are also DVD courses, on-line courses, and if you feel you need help, you can always ask people you know. Another good option is to call a local college to see if a student can help out (which can be cheaper than a regular tutor and certainly than a learning center). See our Resources Page for help.
What if the school is asking to see my homeschool records or curriculum?
Schools do not have the right to demand this of you. If they ask for these things, they are either confused or acting outside the scope of the law. Refer them to this page or the GA DOE site. The one exception you might want to make is if a school wants to see your materials (at the high school level) in order to determine if they align with their courses and will be credited to your child’s school record, but be careful — be sure their motives are honest.
