Proficiency Exams Not Required
    “All quiet on the western front?” Well, not as quiet as one would think.
    A Home School Legal Defense Association family in the Moorcroft area forwarded our office a flyer they received from the local school district. Entitled “8th Grade Students Must Pass State Performance Standards to Graduate,” this document was distributed to inform parents of the new state academic standards to go into effect in the year 2003.
    Similar notices have been sent out in other states that have made graduation dependent upon passing a proficiency exam, but the Moorcroft flyer fails to communicate an important fact. These proficiency exams only apply to public school students. Home schoolers are not required to take them.
    Because home schoolers neither graduate from nor receive diplomas from the public school, they are not subject to public school graduation requirements. However, if a home school student re-enters the public school, he would be required to pass all tests required of public school students.
    Since this is a statewide testing program, all Wyoming parents can expect to find this sort of notice in their mailboxes. HSLDA members should not be alarmed, and may simply ignore the flyer. If a member happens to be in a school district that insists this testing program applies to all students in their district, please contact HSLDA for assistance. We will be happy to correspond with the district to clarify its jurisdiction.