|
FAQ
Getting Started
1. What do I need to do to begin home schooling?
Answer: Fill out and turn in a notice of intent and waiver form to your local public school superintendent. Click here for more information on how to home school.
2. Where do I get books to home school my child?
Answer: There are numerous places where you can order books. Click here for a list of home school resources.
3. Are there any restrictions on which parents can home school their child?
Answer: Unless you are a registered sex offender, you can home school your child in Arkansas. Home school curricula are tailored to enable individuals without teaching degrees to be very successful home schoolers.
4. Does the State of Arkansas oversee my home school?
Answer: State oversight of your home school is done in the form of testing. Your child must take the reading and math portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills once a year in grades 3-9. However, this test is for statistical purposes only. There are no penalties for students who do poorly on the test. Click here for more information on state-mandated testing.
5. Does the State of Arkansas require any specific home school curriculum?
Answer: No.
6. Does the State of Arkansas require any certain number of home school hours per day or days per year?
Answer: No.
7. Does the State of Arkansas require the parent to have any particular level of education in order to home school?
Answer: No.
8. How can I make contact with other home schoolers in my area of the state?
Answer: Over 70 home school support groups cover most of the state. Click here for a list.
9. Does the State of Arkansas require me to keep any particular set of home school records such as test scores and etc?
Answer: No. However, it is a good idea to keep a record of work done by your home school student in case anyone were to ever question the quality of education you are providing in your home school.
10. Does the State of Arkansas require my home school student to take any mandated tests?
Answer: Yes. Home school student in grades 3 – 9 must take the reading and math portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Home schoolers will be notified by their local Educational Service Cooperative or your local public school district regarding the time and place for testing. The test is usually given during the spring.
11. If I register my home school child for a certain grade do I have to limit my curriculum to that specific grade?
Answer: No. One positive aspect of home schooling is that parents can tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of the child. This means that parents have the freedom to enroll their child in subjects from more than one grade level at the same time.
12. Can home school students skip grades or be held back?
Answer: Yes.
13. Can home school students start school a year late?
Answer: Yes.
14. Do home schoolers have to enroll in kindergarten at the same age as public school students?
Answer: No. By turning in a kindergarten waiver form to the local public school district, parents may waive kindergarten for their child.
15. Can a grandparent or someone other than the parent home school a child?
Answer: The letter of the law says that a home school must be conducted primarily by the child’s parent or legal guardian. No court rulings exist that clarify to what extent other individuals can be involved in teaching a child enrolled in a home school.
16. Can a home school declare itself to be a private school and avoid state home school regulation?
Answer: An Arkansas court ruling from the 1980’s stated that a home school could not be a private school. No other rulings exist on this matter?
17. How much does it cost to home school a student for one school year?
Answer: There is no set answer to this question. It is less expensive to teach a kindergarten student than one in high school. Some parents supplement their child’s education with online classes on the internet. Some buy used books and others buy new ones. Some people borrow books and others utilize resources from their public library. As a general rule, parents can expect to spend around $200 per year per child on books.
18. Does the State of Arkansas provide any books or other material for home schoolers?
Answer: No.
19. Can public school superintendents require parents to interview with him before being allowed to home school?
Answer: No.
20. Can public school superintendents require proof of residence before accepting home school notices of intent?
Answer: No.
21. Do parents who are transferring their child from a public school to a home school have to tell the superintendent why they are transferring?
Answer: No.
Child Development
1. What about the socialization of my child?
Answer: Numerous opportunities for socialization exist outside of schools. Home school students can take advantage of these. Also, home school students are spared some of the negative socialization that goes on at a traditional school.
2. Will my child’s development be affected if he or she has little contact with other children?
Answer: Isolating a child is not good. Most home school students are afforded sufficient time to play with other children through organized home school activities, church, scouting, or through friends and family. In addition, home school students have a greater opportunity to learn to relate to adults.
Transferring From Home School to Public or Private School
1. What if we decide to transfer our child from home school to public school?
Answer: Transferring from home school to public school in grades K – 8 is much easier than in grades 9-12. Most public schools will give credit for courses completed in a home school in elementary school. Some high schools refuse to give credit for home school courses completed in grades 9 -12. It would be wise to check with your local public school about their policy for home school students who transfer to their school.
2. What if we decide to transfer our child form a home school to a private school?
Answer: Each private school sets its own admission requirements. However, it is generally easier to transfer from a home school to a private school than to a public school.
High School Graduation, Diplomas, and College
1. If we home school through high school, how does my child graduate and obtain a high school diploma?
Answer: Several home school support organizations, including The Education Alliance, offer high school diplomas and graduation ceremonies. Most home school students participate in some type of high school graduation and receive a home school high school diploma. In addition, The Education Alliance offers free transcripts to home schoolers who submit a list of the courses they have completed. Some employers and certain institutions of higher learning require students who graduate from a home school to pass a General Educational Development (GED) test.
2. If we home school through high school, how does my child gain admission into college?
Answer: Most colleges have admission procedures for home school students. It is a good idea to check those admission requirements during the student’s 9th grade year and then re-check it during the student's 11th grade year. This will enable the student to take any specific courses that may be required for admission to a particular college or university. Generally speaking, a home school student with a good ACT or SAT test score will have little trouble gaining admission into most colleges or universities in Arkansas.
Special Needs Students
1. Can students with special needs be home schooled?
Answer: Yes. Students with special needs can be home schooled the same as any other students. Click here for more information on home schooling students with special needs.
2. Do students with special needs have to take the state-mandated test?
Answer: No. For our special needs child to be exempt or receive special treatment during the test, you must make arrangements in advance with your local Educational Service Cooperative or in Pulaski County with your local school district.
3. Can I obtain special education services for my home schooled child through the public schools?
Answer: A very small amount of federal funds are available for non-public school students to obtain special education services through the public schools. However these services are very difficult to obtain.
Penalties
1. What if I fail to complete the notice of intent and waiver forms in time to register my child for home schooling?
Answer: Under Arkansas law, students not enrolled in a public, private, parochial, or home school are truant. Home school children whose parents fail to file the notice of intent and waiver forms are truant under Arkansas law. Truancy is a crime for which parents can be punished. Parents can be required to appear in court, fines can be levied, and social workers can be ordered to intervene in the home. In extreme cases parents can be jailed and children placed in foster care. 
|
