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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions |
You ask a really good question. Creating and designing a curriculum for a child is very important, and there is no easy answer. Personally, I find the NYS curriculum lacking. I see most kids in public schools not doing too well academically, and they are typically two years behind their peers in public schools in European countries. The NYS Dept of Education has what you seek. You need to click on a few buttons, but it is all there. For example, here is the Language Arts Curriculum. Download the file and print out info on grades K-12.
After you have looked at a NYS sixth grade curriculum, please consider that relying on grade level can be a slippery slope towards a weak education. In public schools they must teach to the middle, or even to the lowest level of a given class or group of kids. But none of us are in the middle in every subject. Most of us are ahead in some areas and behind in others. Human beings are actually born like this, all with different strengths and weaknesses. You might end up teaching your sixth grader at a ninth grade level in one subject, and at a fifth grade level in another, but this would all be the sixth grade level FOR YOUR CHILD. Homeschooling allows us to create a curriculum tailored for the child, and allows the child to learn at his or her own pace.
Kids given this kind of freedom and encouragement often become experts in their favorite subjects, studying at an adult level in their chosen interest. Consider creating a curriculum tailored to your child's interest. For example, my oldest son loved the theater. For his literature (English) curriculum in 11th and 12th grade he read mostly plays. For history he studied the history of theater and the history of directing, reading plays from the ancient Greeks up to modern plays written about apartheid in South Africa. I was quite pleased with the education that he got, even if it wasn't the most traditional sort, and it certainly got him into the college of his choice (NYU), where he majored in film. I can give you examples of kids with other interests. One child I know who is fascinated with mice is studying his science through mice (their anatomy, their evolution, their habitat), reading every mouse story and book in the library (a great selection including The Rescuers, The Tale of Despereaux, Redwall, and many others) finding mice in art, writing stories and poems with mouse characters, and so on. So you see how a curriculum can mirror a child's interests, which, of course, dramatically increases their motivation to learn. Of course you will never find a “mouse curriculum” in any school (or an “aviation curriculum” or a “birds of the world” curriculum, etc.), but you can certainly create one. Some fascinating small museums tell the history of the world through a narrow lens, such as the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, or the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcestor, MA, which specializes in the story of iron, concentrating on the Middle Ages.
For specific curriculum suggestions listed by subject, click on each subject on the sidebar on the homepage. In general, I recommend EPS Books (Educational Publishing Service) for grammar workbooks designed for every age and grade level. I like their Daily Language Workout which requires fifteen minutes a day and has kids correct mistakes in other people's writing. I know of private schools that use epsbooks, including Wordly Wise 3000 (vocabulary workbooks). Singapore math kept my kids advanced in math. If you use Singapore you might want to start a year back, since they tend to be two years ahead of American schools, and more on a par with Asian and European schools.
Student are more motivated when they are involved in choosing their own workbooks or textbooks, so go shopping together. I highly recommend: Bank Street Books (112th St. on Broadway) for grades K-8 -- go upstairs to where the teachers go, and the Barnes & Nobles text book annex (on 18th St. on the SE corner of Fifth Ave.) for grades 9-12 -- go into the back room on the ground floor, filled with endless stacks of new and used college and high school texts, but even these may be dumbed down and some might be too simple or boring for you and your child. Also, a first year Latin (or French or Spanish) text will be here just as easily as anywhere else, but probably with more choices to choose from, alongside dictionaries and grammar books and readers and maybe even a comic workbook in that language. I make an annual pilgrimage to one or both of these two stores every fall, spending hours sitting on the floor browsing through one book after another until we find what we like.
Tip: Your proof of homeschooling (letter from the board of ed. or your subscription label from a NYCHEA newsletter) will get you an educators' discount card at Barnes & Noble.
Mandatory tests (every other year from grades 4-8 and every year in grades 9-12) can be taken at home or in the public schools. Please see the FAQ on What about Testing. As for preparing for these tests, you really don't need to. General knowledge is all that is expected. BUT, you can certainly read the test before you give it to your child. You can pull out any new vocabulary words from the test and teach them to your chilld by using them in conversation, playing games with the new words, making sentences with them, etc. Teaching a child before a test is not cheating. So long as you don't give a child an answer during a test, and so long as you don't change one of your child's answers on the test, you are not cheating. Another way of using a test as a teaching tool is to go over it afterwards with your child. Ask your kid which were the hard parts and which were the easy parts, and teach them what they didn't know. Leave the wrong answers the way they were written, but use the test as a teaching tool. Next year the child will do better on the test, but, more importantly, you will know exactly why your child's "study skills" section tested at the 53rd percentile, while other subjects tested above the 75th percentile, only if you go over it together. Perhaps your kid is a whiz at doing internet research, but doesn't know how to read a library card catalog. That would certainly explain the drop in the score in the “study skills” area, while giving you the educational opportunity to teach your child how to read a library card catalog. Then, when you get the test results, the drop in one area won't alarm you because you will understand it and, in fact, probably already have remedied it.
Homeschooling paperwork can be sent to:
Central Homeschooling Manager
Office of Youth Development
Region 9 - 12th floor
333 7th Avenue New York NY 10001
(917) 339-1748 or (917) 825-8902
Fax: (917) 339-1480, 1481
After many years of effort, the homeschoolers of NYC have finally won the right to have MetroCards for their children. The NYC student transportation office has finally changed their policy to reflect our true needs. Homeschooling simply is not done exculsively at home! All homeschoolers who reside within the NYC limits, and whose paperwork is up-to-date, are eligible to receive a MetroCard. The cards are standard issue, good from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., for up to three trips a day, Monday - Friday. They last for a single semester, so you will need to get one in Sept., and another around Feb. 5th.
You can download a MetroCard application form we've prepared in either MSWord format or pdf format. Print it out, fill it out and take, mail, or fax it to the central homeschooling office (address above, fax (917) 339-1480). Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your MetroCard form if you are sending it in by mail.
Make sure that you have already received a letter of compliance and all of your paperwork is up to date. Otherwise, appear in person with copies in hand of all your paperwork to date: your letter of intent, your IHIP and quarterlies. Arrive between ten am and noon and be prepared to wait. Activities listed on this form should be a certain distance from home (this varies according to age). Parents have successfully written a general statement like the following: "Activities will vary according to our curriculum and will all be school-related and more than 1/2 mile from home." Other parents have listed activities (such as sports, library visits, music chorus, etc.), and listed the distances. The form must be submitted twice, in the fall and again in January.
Student metrocards are good for three fares each day, but only on days when public schools are in session, Monday to Friday, 5:30 am to 8:30 p.m. Turnstiles wil refuse the cards after 8:30. Using the cards on school holidays (e.g., election day, Dr. King's birthday, etc.) the turnstiles are not programmed to reject the cards. At those times, a parent accompanying a child can sometimes successfully argue with the token clerk that "we do have classes today". A child traveling independently on those school holidays is at risk of arrest. (There was a case described on NPR when a child enrolled in high school was scheduled for a team practice on election day, used his metrocard, and was arrested for fare-beating, later acquitted, but still...) Check with the DoE school holiday calendar.
Children old enough to travel alone should always carry photo ID (such as a non-Driver's license obtainable at the DMV) and a letter of permission signed by the parent stating that the child is not truant, but homeschooled or on "independent study". Include the phone number of the NYC homeschooling office as well as a way to reach the parent.
As for your friend in NJ, does she really want to exchange the privilege of no paperwork for a NYC MetroCard? Everything's a trade-off!
Generally, the selection of high school biology labs varies from school to school, and requirements seem to change every year. NY State has mandated four for the current year. Go to the Dept. of Ed. website, Core Curriculum - Science and click on Living Environment (which is what they are calling Biology now) to get, in pdf form, the "syllabus" for the Living Environment . On p. 8 of the curriculum it states that students need 1200 minutes of lab experience. The list of required skills is on p. 25 of this syllabus.
For supplies, see Science Kits & Supplies on my Science Resources page. Try Carolina Biological, or Home Science Tools. Be careful when ordering. Make sure you are getting materials for one student and not for one classroom.
For a map of Regional offices, go to the NYC Department of Education - Find a School website and click on the Zip Code tab. Enter your zip code, then press Enter.
The following information was found at The League of Women Voters website:
This information is taken from the federal Home Instruction Questions and Answers. Scroll down for General Q & A.
| 38.. | When must a student begin to receive instruction? |
| A change in Education Law 3205, which became effective on July 26, 1993, clarifies the age at which a student is subject to compulsory education. The law now requires children who turn six on or before December 1 to receive instruction from the start of the school year in September of that year. Children who turn six after December 1 must begin to receive instruction no later than the first day of school the following September.
However, the New York City regulation is slightly different -- it requires compulsory education for a child who turns six in the calendar year, that is, turns six by December 31. See Admissions, Readmissions, Transfer and List Notice for All Students (pdf format).
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| 39. | Must the IHIP for a six-year-old indicate that the instruction is on the first grade level? |
| No. As with any age, instruction should be geared to the level appropriate to the student's needs and previous level of achievement. |
This information is taken from the Home Instruction Questions and Answers. Scroll down for General Q & A.
| 43. | If a student reaches the maximum age for compulsory attendance during the school year, must the IHIP for that student cover the full year? |
| Yes. Students who turn 16 (or 17 in New York City) between July 1 and June 30 are of compulsory attendance age during the entire school year. | |
| 44. | Is a district required to review the IHIP submitted for a student beyond compulsory attendance age? |
| No. |
Your child does not have to take these tests! Many district liaisons mail out the dates of mandatory citywide tests, as a service for homeschoolers who want to take these tests. Any homeschooler who qualifies (they often have to be the right age or grade level) may request to take a citywide test, or a Regents exam, at a public school when these tests are offered. The citywide tests are mandatory only for public schooled children. Homeschooling regulations differ from public school policy. Tests are not mandatory until fourth through eighth grade, and then only every other year (so a child might test in fifth grade, and then in seventh), and then every year from ninth - twelfth grade. When it is time for your daughter to take her first mandatory assessment exam (a standard achievement test) in fifth grade, you can administer it yourself. She can take the P. A. S. S. exam at her own kitchen table, untimed, without the distraction and stress of the public school environment. For more information, see FAQ: What about testing?
The Not Back to School Camp wasn't just created for homeschoolers, it was created for unschoolers! Grace Llewellyn, author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook, has created a summer camp environment for teens where kids really feel allowed to be themselves. Sessions include two weeks at the end of August in Oregon, and one week at the end of September in Vermont. Each week there are dozens of exciting workshops, and campers can do or not do what they like. One homeschooled teen described his camp experience here as possibly the best week of his life.
See our list of a-typical Camps for homeschoolers and families.
Usually the homeschooling coordinator wants the reports submitted when the teachers have to submit theirs, at quarterly intervals during the school year. These dates are aproximately November 15, January 30, April 15, and June 30. Sometimes a coordinator will send you a letter (in response to your letter of intent or your IHIP) requesting that you mail your quarterlies on specific dates (usually close to the dates above), but they are not legally empowered to require you to use their dates.
The regulations state:(g) Quarterly reports. On or before the dates specified by the parent in the IHIP, a quarterly report for each child shall be furnished by the parent to the school district. The quarterly report shall contain the following:
So, according to the law, you can choose any four dates that represent the four quarters of your educational year, put those dates in your IHIP, and then report on those dates. Some parents, who don't use the typical school year (they might homeschool year-round, or use different dates), submit at their own quarterly time. Just put the dates you plan to submit your quarterlies into your IHIP, and you'll be fine.
Here are the five required Regents exams as stated in the law:
* Only one science is required, even though five are offered: Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Biology, and Living Environment.
To see past Regents exams (and the answers), go to www.nysedregents.org.
Comments from a homeschooling parent whose daughter took the Biology Regents exam (at the Bronx High School of Science, 6/05):
"To arrange to take the test, I contacted the local homeschooling liaison in our district to whom we send our paperwork. You can choose any local public high school where you can take the test. The test is given in Jan, June, and Aug. Check out the Dept of Ed website for the dates or ask your local liaison. When you take the test, make sure you have your OSIS number. This is the ID number that all public school students are given. Your district liaison will give you this number. If you do not have an OSIS, you will have a tough time getting your score. (I went through this experience and it was not fun.) You should have your score within a week. Also make sure that the head of the department that you are taking the test from knows you are coming ahead of time to take the test. He should also have your address so they can send you the score. If you wait for your district liaison to send you the score, you will wait months for it."We pick strawberries in June and early July. There are some great farms in New Jersey, not too far to drive to. Blueberries we pick in August. There is a large farm of organic blueberries with very high bushes -- no stooping -- in Dutchess county. We’ve never picked peaches, but if you find a lovely grove of peach trees in NY or NJ, please do let us know! Fall is the season for apples and pears and pumpkins (the NY Times just ran an article saying that some pumpkin patches were buying them and leaving them out by the vines to sell to unsuspecting pickers!).
Happy picking! When you get home you'll just have to make lots of jam, and, of course, read to the kids: Jamberry, by Bruce Degen, for 1 - 6-year-olds and Blueberries for Sal, the Maine classic by Robert McCloskey, for ages 4 - 9. Family favorites!
You do not have to wait! You can take your daughter out of school today if you want to! Just inform the school and then send a Letter of Intent to the head of your local school district (see Know the Law) within two weeks of commencing homeschooling. Why wait? If your daughter is troubled she can begin to take her life back right now. Many schools are troublesome places these days, and many kids are losing more self-esteem each day they have to go back. Homeschooling will helping your daughter to take back control of her life, and give yourself back a family life at the same time. Why keep yourself at the mercy of the school’s yearly schedule? You can start your year over right now!
Your local homeschooling liaison, the person to whom you send your IHIP and quarterly reports, can direct you to city-wide tests offered in the public school, such as standard math and reading exams and Regents exams in high school. Most homeschoolers prefer to test their kids at home, and many choose to purchase the P.A.S.S. test (Personalized Achievement Summary System for Grades 3 through 8), available at Hewitt Homeschooling Resources, (360) 835-8708. The P.A.S.S. test is an untimed test that a parent can legally administer to their child. It only goes up to grade eight.
After that, the most popular choice is the C.A.T. (California Achievement Test). This is available at Thurber's Educational Assessments, (919) 967-5282.
Another test that is often used is the I.T.B.S. (Iowa Test of Basic Skills), available for grades 3 - 12. Unfortunately, Bob Jones University has made it more difficult to purchase this test, requiring proof of teacher's certification or proof of a college degree from the purchaser. For the Iowa test contact Bob Jones University, (800) 845-5731.
These tests can be used for year-end assessments instead of a narrative assessment (usually in the form of a written paragraph, a report card, or a teacher's statement or peer review statement).
College boards are another test that most high school students, who are aiming at college, study for. To find out about the SAT exam go to College Board - SAT Registration. You can register for the SAT online, but you must register at a local school to take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT). I recommend calling a local private school right after Labor Day or soon after the school opens, since the exam is usually adminstered in early to mid-October. In fall 2005 my son needed to bring a check made out to the school (for a small fee, $12), along with his calculator and two #2 pencils. You child will need to know the state homeschool code so that the test results are sent to your home and not to the school or test location. Currently the homeschool code for New York State is 970000.
AP (Advanced Placement) and CLEP (College-Level Examination Program®) tests can earn college credits if the score is high enough. See information on AP and information on CLEP.
Number 2 offers free online test preparation courses.
Testing is very controversial. More and more public schools are adopting testing standards, and more and more teachers are forced to "teach to the test." Recent newspaper headlines have included articles about private schools boycotting these tests because they steal time away from a better educational experience. Some homeschooling parents boycott the testing requirements. (I am not suggesting that you do this, merely stating a fact.) Some colleges no longer look at test scores when selecting their incoming students, and more and more colleges make test scores a lower priority. For more information on testing, check out FairTest, The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, .
I don't believe that there is any one right choice that suits every single family. Each family is different, each child is different, and each school is different.
I have seen some wonderful schools, the kind that make a child want to rush out of bed every morning. I've known kids who complain bitterly when they are sick that they can't bear to miss school. If you have a place like that in your community I know that there are happy, healthy, active children who are learning all the time.
Ask yourself these questions: Is my child unhappy at school? Is s/he having trouble learning? Does s/he come home angry, frustrated, miserable? If so, then you might want to consider changing the educational environment of your child. Homeschooling is a viable choice worth exploring. A child doing well in school who yearns to learn more is an ideal candidate for homeschooling, which provides the freedom to learn as much as we want.
Most schools lower their expectations to meet the "average" child in their school. But no child is average in everything. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Imagine if education meant building those strengths, focusing on the talents and inclinations of the individual; at the same time, buffering and supporting their weaknesses, giving them extra help as needed. In this type of environment every child would flourish. In this type of environment even a child already doing well can improve remarkably, exceeding expectations.
Once, as a member of a panel of homeschoolers speaking to a class of graduate students in education at Columbia University, I was asked the question, "What do you do when you cease to be a resource for your child?" I was, momentarily, taken aback. I had never considered myself to be my child's sole resource. I looked this fellow teacher and graduate student in the eye and asked, "Are you the only resource in your classroom?" There was a pause as the entire room realized that a classroom is full of books, computers, other teachers (music, sports, etc.), and then to realize that each and every student (and their families) is a resource as well....
I don't equate homeschooling with good teaching as much as I equate it with good parenting. Teaching comes in many forms. Some subjects I teach, but some are learned elsewhere. As a homeschooling parent you are in charge of your child's education. Sometimes, instead of being the educator, you are the educational facilitator. It's not possible or logical for all of your child's education to come from you, so relax. No child gets it all from one place. There are so many resources to choose from! The city library system and the Internet can supply you with every lesson plan, textbook, and course outline on every subject at every grade level. Anyone can do this! And for no more money than it takes to get a library card and a computer with Internet access.
Some people think that when children are in school the work is all done for them. But every parent knows that is not true. You must get the child up on time, get the child to school on time, make sure the child is prepared. You must help with the class trips or deliver the birthday cupcakes or volunteer for the fundraising drives. You must pick your child up on time, and then do endless hours of homework with your child instead of family playtime. I've heard parents wonder what the teachers are doing during the day because they have so much homework every night. Homeschooling really isn't much more work than school. Often the work has less pressure, since you are making your own rules instead of following someone else's.
Homeschoolers create their own schedule and figure out what works best for them. Many say that they are able to cover most academic subjects working in the mornings until 1 or 2 pm. That leaves the afternoons free for experiments, field trips, physical education activities, art or music, in-depth projects, and family time.
Homeschooling is legal in every state. See Know the Law.
We all want our children to have friends and build relationships and learn how to interact cooperatively. School is not necessarily the best place to learn this. Unfortunately, a great deal of awful behavior is passed around in schools, and teachers often aren't able to see what is going on. Smaller groups, in a lower pressure environment, are more successful in building social skills. See Group Activities. See also Bully OnLine, a large resource on bullying and related issues.
There are standard curricula and grade-level goals available. See our page of Grade Levels, Standards and Benchmarks
But please don't let yourself be limited by standardized goals. The real answer to this question is that your child will tell you. You just have to listen closely. If your child is bored, then you should increase the level of the material. If your child is confused or overwhelmed, you should lower the level of the material. Like most people, you should expect your child to be more ahead in some things than in others. Also, not every school (nor every home) sets the same standards. If you were to compare Harvard University with, say South Dakota Community College (a name I just made up), although they both might be colleges, well, you know that they wouldn't be the same. So don't limit yourself to standard expectations. Instead, change the rules! Why not decide within your own family, teacher and student together, what the expectations and goals will be? Set goals that you find attainable, and set standards that excite you!
Homeschooling high school is an exciting experience, especially in NYC. At this age, students are independent enough to take on an internship and to explore the direction they want to go in. Community colleges, museums. and CUNY offer free or low-cost college courses to high school students, and many other institutions offer internships or scholarship opportunities (see What's Free or Cheap in NYC). For a different perspective on high school education, you might read The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn. Also look at 101 Marvelous Money-Making Ideas for Kids by Heather Wood for ideas on how your child can supplement his or her allowance.
No, sometimes it is easier, but it depends on the college. Some colleges require a certain number of community college credits, or a GED, or Regents exams (these are the things that make you eligible for state aid or entry into SUNY) or extra SAT lls. But other colleges actually make it easier if you are a homeschooler. For my son, Kalman, homeschooling was definitely an asset in his college application. NYU was looking for diversity and homeschooling was a guarantee of diversity. But it was the freedom of creating his own educational program throughout high school that was Kalman's real asset. It gave him the opportunity to focus on his career goal and build a full resume, write a sharp and funny essay, develop a gorgeous portfolio, all of which takes a great deal of time. Without homeschooling I don't think his college application would have been nearly as strong as it was. I suggest that you inquire directly to the college(s) you are interested in and ask the question: "Are your application requirements the same for homeschoolers as they are for other students?" Answers will vary.
See Step 10 of the 10 Steps to Successful Homeschooling for lists of homeschooler-friendly colleges.
Usually any school will admit a student if they take and pass certain tests. In NYC if a child continues to stay registered at the appropriate grade levels for his/her age, that child should be able to reenter school at any time at their grade level. Once high school starts, however, the NYC public schools require Regents exams to make yearly promotions. To reenter high school you might be required to take all of the Regents exams for your previous high school years. Any exam that you didn't pass would be a course you would have to take again.
There are many states where you can do a part-time arrangement, but unfortunately New York is not one of them. To find out about the laws of another state and the practices of their local school administration, contact a support group in that area.