Homeschooling/Unschooling in New York State (Oswego, Dix: credit, school district, universities)

[artistatheart]

Hi--my family and I are currently trying to decide between two job opportunities--one in central NY state and one in Virginia. We are predominantly unschoolers and don't want a lot of interference in our curriculum. Although the ease of homeschooling in the state won't be the only factor in our decision, it will play a pretty significant role.

Any New York state homeschoolers/unschoolers who are willing to share their experiences in dealing with state regulations, etc.? Is there just a ton of paperwork or is it relatively simple? Any information would be so appreciated! Thanks!

[proulxfamily]

Unschooling is not permitted. Period. I was homeschooled through an internationally and nationally accredited curriculum and even with that structure, my mother needed to submit quarterly lesson plans. Photocopies of the table of contents at the very least, if not a lesson plan for each subject, standardized state and federal testing at the appropriate grades, state requirements for each subject needed to be met, and an attendance minimum of 180 days needed to be kept and submitted annually.

And while these standards are among the highest in the nation, I'm glad they're in place. My education wasn't neglected simply because I wasn't in a "normal" school. I was able to use the local district's resources, had meetings with the high school guidance counselor when it was time to start looking at universities and scholarships, played on their sports' teams, and belonged to the clubs I was interested in... including a chess club that travelled to both local and national tournaments. My parents have made sure that their children got some use out of their school tax dollars, one way or another. LOL

[Minathebrat]

I think that school district requirements must vary, because I homeschooled my son and all I had to do was inform them, and the only paperwork I did was mail the school district superintendent a letter of my intent and a list a textbooks I was "planning" on using. It was pretty pain-free.
I kept a record of what work we did and the days, etc, but nobody asked for it. This wasn't a high-school student, but as far as I understood, by state law they're not allowed to interfere with your educational goals for your child.
I would recommend talking to the school-district and just develop a working relationship with them.

[proulxfamily]

Here's a link that should help:

HSLDA | Home School Laws

For New York State:

Required Days of Instruction: The substantial equivalent of 180 days. 900 hours per year for grades 1-6; 990 hours per year for grades 7-12
Required Subjects: (grades K through 12): patriotism and citizenship, about substance abuse, traffic safety, fire safety; (grades 1 through 6): arithmetic, reading, spelling, writing, English, geography, United States history, science, health, music, visual arts, and physical education; (grades 7 and 8): English, history and geography, science, mathematics, physical education, health, art, music, practical arts, and library skills; (at least once in first 8 grades): United States and New York history and constitutions; (grades 9 through 12): 4 credits English, 4 credits of social studies—including American history, participation in government, and economics—2 credits of math, 2 credits of science, 1 credit of art or music, .5 credit of health, 2 credits of physical education, and 3 credits of electives.

Home School Statute: N.Y. Educ. Law § 3204(1). A child “may attend a public school or elsewhere.” N.Y. Educ. Law § 3204(2). Instruction given to a minor “elsewhere” must be “at least substantially equivalent to the instruction given to minors of like age or attainments at the public schools.” Using this statute as its authority, the state board of education, in 1988, enacted home school regulations. N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 100.10.
1. These home school regulations require parents to do the following:
a. submit a notice of intent to home school to the district superintendent by July 1 (the beginning of the school year) annually, or within fourteen days of starting home schooling during the middle of a school year.
b. subsequently, fill out an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) form by August 15th or within four weeks of the receipt of the IHIP form from the school district (whichever is later), containing (1) the child’s name, age, and grade level; (2) a list of the syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or a plan of instruction; (3) dates for submission of quarterly reports; and (d) name of the persons giving instruction. If a student will be meeting the compulsory educational requirements through full-time study at a degree-granting institution (at least 12 hours a semester) a statement indicating this must be included in the IHIP along with the subjects to be covered.
c. maintain records of attendance (180 days). These are only required to be submitted upon request of the superintendent.
d. file quarterly reports giving (1) the number of hours of instruction during quarter, (2) a description of the material covered in each subject, and (3) a grade or narrative evaluation in each subject (the superintendent has no authority to judge the adequacy of these reports); and
e. file an annual assessment with the last quarterly report. The assessment can either be a norm-referenced achievement test, or a written narrative evaluation.
The achievement test can be administered by a certified teacher or by another “qualified person.” A certified teacher, a home instruction peer group review panel, or other person can conduct the written narrative evaluation. A parent could potentially administer the achievement test or conduct the written narrative evaluation. However, unless the assessment is administered at the local public school or a registered nonpublic school the parent is to choose the individual “with the consent of the superintendent.” We suggest simply notifying the superintendent of your choice in the third quarterly report.
For grades one through three, the written narrative evaluation may be used. In grades four through eight, the written narrative evaluation may be used every other year. Beginning with ninth grade, standardized testing must be done every year.
2. In the Matter of Dixon, No. N-37-86, Family Court of Oswego County, Nov. 21, 1988, the court held home visits to be unconstitutional and unenforceable. The court stated that the school district’s “desired on-site inspection was arbitrary, unreasonable, unwarranted, and violative of the [home school parents’] due process rights....” Slip. Op. at 5. See also In the Matter of Standish, No. N-125-86, Oswego County, Dec. 23, 1988, an HSLDA case with a similar ruling.
Teacher Qualifications: Instruction need only be given by a competent teacher. N.Y. Educ. Law § 3204 The parent does not need to be certified. In re Franz, 55 A.D. 2d 424, 427, and 390 NYS 2d 940 (1977). A parent is deemed “competent” if the regulations above are followed.
Standardized Tests: The parent can choose one of the following: the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the California Achievement Test, the Stanford Achievement Test, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, the Metropolitan Achievement Test, a State Education Department test, or another test approved by the State Education Department (such as the PASS test) and have it administered at a place of the parents’ choosing.
The test score is deemed to be adequate if the child’s composite score is above the 33rd percentile, or the child’s score reflects one academic year of growth compared to a test administered the prior school year.
A standardized test is required every other year between 4th through 8th grades and every year in high school. (New York’s PEP test is not required for home school children).

[lifeisgr8]

[quote=proulxfamily;8598238]Unschooling is not permitted. Period.

Ah, that is not quite correct. While the spirit of the law encourages a school-at-home approach, people can and do unschool in New York State. There are many groups that can help, e.g., FamiliesUnschoolingiNNY : Families Unschooling iN NY (FUNNY!)
RadicalUNschoolersinNY : Radical UNschoolers in NY (RUNNY!)

Don't let the regulations scare you off!

Funny, we are considering a move from NY to VA, and even after dealing with the NY regulations for the past six years, I am intimidated by the VA regulations! They sound even more restrictive than NY's!