Progress Report Required for Daughter returning to school after unschooling
Kate Crussie
Our 12 year old daughter is returning to school in a month after de-schooling for the past year. She begged us to move so she could start over again and leave the neighborhood and the school district where she was bullied. We moved from New Jersey to Georgia and are being asked for a HomeSchool progress report of her learning from last year. Does anyone have any advice for us? Any forms you know of that we could possibly use to satisfy the district requirements?
The school system is so vastly different than what she's used to that she's chosen to do the first year here using their on-line school and then plans to attend their physical school next year. Either way we need a form documenting her progress.
Kate
Clare Kirkpatrick
This doesn't sound like an unschooling question to me. And it's area-specific, which isn't encouraged here as this is an international group. However, the school, I imagine, only want to know what she's been up to and are couching it in terms of 'progress' because they're a school. Don't panic. I can't see that it's a test, simply to give them an idea of what she might know or not know already. So just send them a brief report of the kinds of things she's done over the last year and explain that you haven't been doing formal work with her due to needing to help her heal from her damaging time in school previously.
Clare
Clare
On 12 July 2016 at 20:19, Kate Crussie katecrussie@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:Our 12 year old daughter is returning to school in a month after de-schooling for the past year. She begged us to move so she could start over again and leave the neighborhood and the school district where she was bullied. We moved from New Jersey to Georgia and are being asked for a HomeSchool progress report of her learning from last year. Does anyone have any advice for us? Any forms you know of that we could possibly use to satisfy the district requirements?The school system is so vastly different than what she's used to that she's chosen to do the first year here using their on-line school and then plans to attend their physical school next year. Either way we need a form documenting her progress.Kate
K Pennell
I have to have a teacher report (or standardized test or portfolio) done each year in the state I live in. We visit a teacher, and there is a form the teacher uses to do the report. Perhaps Georgia (or NJ) has something similar on their website that you could use as a guideline?
From: "Kate Crussie katecrussie@... [AlwaysLearning]" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 3:19 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Progress Report Required for Daughter returning to school after unschooling
From: "Kate Crussie katecrussie@... [AlwaysLearning]" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 3:19 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Progress Report Required for Daughter returning to school after unschooling
Our 12 year old daughter is returning to school in a month after de-schooling for the past year. She begged us to move so she could start over again and leave the neighborhood and the school district where she was bullied. We moved from New Jersey to Georgia and are being asked for a HomeSchool progress report of her learning from last year. Does anyone have any advice for us? Any forms you know of that we could possibly use to satisfy the district requirements?
The school system is so vastly different than what she's used to that she's chosen to do the first year here using their on-line school and then plans to attend their physical school next year. Either way we need a form documenting her progress.
Kate
Joyce Fetteroll
On Jul 12, 2016, at 3:19 PM, Kate Crussie katecrussie@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:Either way we need a form documenting her progress.
All they’re asking for is information that will help them place her in a grade. They don’t want to put her in classes that are beyond her ability or make her repeat stuff she’s already done.
They understand school transcripts so that’s the kind of thing they’ll ask for. You need to describe what she’s done so they can put her in classes that fit where she is.
Since schools need to report statistics on how kids are testing, they would prefer to put her in too easy classes rather than too hard. Her failing would mess up their statistics. They’ll be less concerned if she’s bored.
Once she’s done the online stuff, they’ll have data they understand. You need to describe her abilities now to get her into the online classes that work for her.
Joyce
Tress Miles
I've been homeschooling/unschooling in GA for 9 years. The state doesn't require a progress report so it's apparently something the school or county needs to determine where to place your daughter. Most online programs have placement tests.
On Tuesday, July 12, 2016, Kate Crussie katecrussie@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:
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> Our 12 year old daughter is returning to school in a month after de-schooling for the past year. She begged us to move so she could start over again and leave the neighborhood and the school district where she was bullied. We moved from New Jersey to Georgia and are being asked for a HomeSchool progress report of her learning from last year. Does anyone have any advice for us? Any forms you know of that we could possibly use to satisfy the district requirements?
> The school system is so vastly different than what she's used to that she's chosen to do the first year here using their on-line school and then plans to attend their physical school next year. Either way we need a form documenting her progress.
> Kate
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Sandra Dodd
-=-and are being asked for a HomeSchool progress report of her learning from last year. -=-
You’re being asked either because they have a checklist and a folder to consider, or because they don’t know whether to put her in a quicker or a slower group.
Moving from one public school to another in the U.S., they don’t have the option not to accept her. And they won’t keep her back a year for no good reason.
Look at these pages for ideas if you do want to create a document for them. Find some phrasing you like. Say it was “authentic assessment” and not grades. Say something about her own willingness to go to school.
Deschooling for a year and putting her into school isn’t really an unschooling question; Clare’s right. But I let it through because I wanted to say that moving from one state to another is more extreme than unschooling, and the conditions in which bullying can thrive are present in all school situations. So don’t be angry at Georgia, or at your daughter, or at individuals at school, if school is still school.
-=-Either way we need a form documenting her progress. -=-
You probably really don’t “need” it just because they requested it. Say she was homeschooled informally, and state her age clearly, and the’ll put her in the grade appropriate to her age.
Kids transfer into and out of schools all the time, suddenly and unexpectedly, and schools don’t wait for proof or grades from the previous school to enroll that child. Schools will claim and bluster “you need to wait until after the semester to move” or whatever, but schools have zero say in whether a family can move, withdraw, enroll, etc. If you prove residence and age, I think that’s all that’s required.
Sandra
You’re being asked either because they have a checklist and a folder to consider, or because they don’t know whether to put her in a quicker or a slower group.
Moving from one public school to another in the U.S., they don’t have the option not to accept her. And they won’t keep her back a year for no good reason.
Look at these pages for ideas if you do want to create a document for them. Find some phrasing you like. Say it was “authentic assessment” and not grades. Say something about her own willingness to go to school.
Deschooling for a year and putting her into school isn’t really an unschooling question; Clare’s right. But I let it through because I wanted to say that moving from one state to another is more extreme than unschooling, and the conditions in which bullying can thrive are present in all school situations. So don’t be angry at Georgia, or at your daughter, or at individuals at school, if school is still school.
-=-Either way we need a form documenting her progress. -=-
You probably really don’t “need” it just because they requested it. Say she was homeschooled informally, and state her age clearly, and the’ll put her in the grade appropriate to her age.
Kids transfer into and out of schools all the time, suddenly and unexpectedly, and schools don’t wait for proof or grades from the previous school to enroll that child. Schools will claim and bluster “you need to wait until after the semester to move” or whatever, but schools have zero say in whether a family can move, withdraw, enroll, etc. If you prove residence and age, I think that’s all that’s required.
Sandra