Home School

[betsy]

I am looking into it, but how do I start. Where do I get the curriculum? How do I find out what cirriculum to use? I have read GHEA website, but am not really understanding it. Any help, I would love.

[texie]

talking with the librarians is a great start. also there is a Blairsville group that meets weekly (librarians can give you more info there too)

[queenbee]

Lilred's school allows homeschool students to participate in activities and I believe allows them to participate in graduation ceremonies also. They even joined our basketball team 2 years ago.

There is a program online through the school for homeschoolers.

[betsy]

Thanks, I see there is Christian curriculms as well.

[queenbee]

They also have a home school association in NC.
They do their own annual and meet and do things with the kids as a group.

[queenbee]

The Georgia Virtual Academy, a program of Odyssey School opening in Fall 2007, combines the accountability of public schooling with the highest-quality distance-learning curriculum available today, providing an innovative, highly effective education for Georgia students.
Georgia Virtual Academy (GVA) is a state-approved public online school program. The curriculum is provided by K¹², and is accessed via an Online School (OLS) as well as through more traditional methods, with materials—including books, CDs, and even rocks and dirt—delivered right to the family's doorstep.
Parents and students are assigned their own highly qualified, state-certified teacher to help guide and track their progress through the curriculum.
Student/student interaction is actively encouraged, so GVA students are always well-educated and well-socialized.
Who is this intended for?
Georgia Virtual Academy serves students in grades K-8
across the state.
What are the costs?
Because it is part of the public school system, GVA is
tuition free. The entire curriculum, materials, and teacher
support are also free.
How do I get started?
Fill out the form to the right to learn more about GVA and
to find out how to enroll your child!

[queenbee]

www.gavirtualschool.org/Home/OtherInitiatives/tabid/169/Default.aspx

[queenbee]

Georgia Home school groups

www.home-school.com/groups/GA.html

[queenbee]

Signed up for a brochure and got a call this morning for online free school through th estate they are only taking sign ups through the 16, they are filling up fast.

[southpaw]

I can't imagine ever being homeschooled I woulda haed that as a kid. I would never want to spend that much time doing more school work as a grown up.

[betsy]

We are looking into MACA as well, but most of all we are praying for the right decision.

[maddy]

Betsy, PLEASE talk to mom's who have kids there that DON'T work there....

[betsy]

I know 2 there now that do not work there and have a child there. I have heard lately that there is some issues there. Shoot it straight Maddy, just tell us. I bet I am not the only one looking into this.

[Justin Melick]

I was homeschooled, which I reckon will deter you all from pursuing that option!

[truthseeker]

In order to home school your child(ren), the only thing you have to turn into the state (via the superintendent's office) is monthly attendance records. You must teach 4 1/2 hours a day for 180 days each school year. But, you have to purchase or create your own curriculum. Purchasing curriculum can be *very* expensive. You must teach at least reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science.

You can create your own curriculum. You can use the Georgia Standards (http://www.georgiastandards.org/) as a basis for your own curriculum. If you have a computer or access to the public library, you can use the standards to set out your own curriculum. The standards are presented on the website by subject and are broken down further by grade level.

The best thing about homeschooling -- you can teach for mastery. That means that you and your child will not be settling for just learning 70% (or sometimes less) of the material. With homeschooling, it's not about the number in red on the test paper. It's about what the child learns.


Home School Statutes: Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c).

1. Parents must submit a declaration of intent to home study to the local superintendent thirty days after the establishment of the home study program and by Sept. 1 every year thereafter. This declaration must include the names and ages of students, the location of the home school, and the time the parents designate as their school year. Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(2).

2. The home school must provide "a basic academic educational program." Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(4). (see "subjects" above).

3. Each school day must consist of four and one-half hours. Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(5).

4. Attendance records must be kept and submitted to the superintendent each month. The records will "not be used for any purpose except providing necessary attendance information." Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(6)

5. Parent must write an annual progress report and retain it for three years. Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(8).

6. "Parents or guardians may teach only their own children in the home study program... but the parents or guardians may employ a tutor who holds at least a high school diploma or GED to teach such children." § 20-2-690(c)(3). No specific amount of hours required for tutor to teach.

7. According to the Attorney General of Georgia, the local superintendent does not the have the authority to require parents to affirmatively produce evidence of their continuing compliance with the law in the operation of home study programs or require the production of documents. Although the superintendent has the authority to "request" such materials, he cannot require parents to submit them. 1986 Op. Att'y. Gen. No. U86-19.

8. This statute resulted from a home school decision by the Georgia Supreme Court, Roemhild v. Georgia, 251 Ga. 569, 308 S.E.2d 154 (Ga. 1983), which found the former law to be "unconstitutionally vague." Roemhild, 308 S.E. 2d at 159. The court reasoned: "...we conclude that the statute is not sufficiently definite to provide a person of ordinary intelligence, who desires to avoid its penalties, fair notice of what constitutes a "private school..." Roemhild at 158. "Furthermore, the statute violated a second due process value in that it impermissibly delegates to local law enforcement officials, judges, and juries the policy decision of what constitutes a private school." Id.

Teacher Qualifications: The "teaching parent" must have at least a high school diploma or a GED. Or the parents may employ a private tutor who has a high school diploma or GED. Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(3).

Standardized Tests: Children must take a national standardized achievement test every three years beginning at the end of the third grade. "Test scores are not required to be submitted to public school authorities." Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(7). Parent must write an annual progress report and retain it for three years. Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-690(c)(8).


from: www.ghea.org/pages/resources/stateLaw.php