Newsletter 7/06
Sierra County Homeschool Association Newsletter for July 2006
As the school year approaches, we start thinking about alternatives to public school. Some people continue with public school for lack of any support for the alternatives. SCHA provides that support. In our first newsletter, we will start with the basics.
What are the alternatives?
The steps to making your decision follow:
1) Program Accreditation: The first choice is between Accredited or Non-accredited. The end result is the type of diploma. The diploma is required for job advancement and college.
- A) Accredited programs have credits that mesh with public schools, so the credits can be transferred. The non-public accredited schools charge tuition, but can be attended over the Internet and by correspondence so that home study is possible. The result is a traditional high school diploma at graduation.
- B) Non-Accredited programs do not have transferable credits. Therefore the student must obtain those credits by repeating the courses in an accredited situation or by obtaining a GED in order to graduate.
2) Vaccination: The choice is to vaccinate or not to vaccinate.
A) The family doctor, the Public Dept of Health, and numerous other agencies have all the information necessary about vaccination.
B) The law provides for consciencious objectors to the vaccination program. The parent or guardian must annually obtain the form for refusing vaccinations as a conciencious objector. The State Dept of Education provides the form. Then turn in the original signed form.
3) Notification: Once the previous two issues are resolved, the next step is to notify the state. The current method is to go online and fill out the form, submit it and keep the confirmation number in a safe place: http://nmhomeschools.org/application.html
4) If the decision is to provide non-accredited schooling, then some online searching will provide numerous websites that suggest the general skills expected of any given grade level. Some correspondence school websites even give summaries of lesson plans and a sample of a lesson. These are not required by the state of New Mexico, but they are handy guides for directing studies when one needs it. Free lesson plans are available at educator’s websites. Home schooling on a shoestring will be covered in future issues.
5) If the decision is to provide accredited schooling, then the best way to choose an accredited school is by your search engine.
· A private school is local, and attendance is away from the home. This small county has only a few. In the interest of fairness, names are withheld, because they advertise and so don’t need any help from us. Once in their system, parents or guardians follow their rules.
· A correspondence school can be located anywhere on the planet. However it has to be accredited with New Mexico for credits to transfer to New Mexico public schools. The rest of the alternatives are up to the parent or guardian. All of these options can be listed in your search parameters.
The first SCHA information fair will 4-6pm at the Skate Zone, Friday, July 7. Our mission is to make the home school experience as rewarding as it can be. If we work together, the stars are the limit!