| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 4/14/2011 9:55:28 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter |
|
---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter April 2011--Tackling Tricky High School Issues ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Free e-book from AllAboutSpelling.com ]-------------------------- All About Spelling is an excellent multi-senory, logical program if you are just beginning to teach your child spelling, or if your child needs remedial help. Click the link below to get "Unlocking the Key to the Silent E" FREE! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?ID=316 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- By Faith Berens Recently I presented a workshop for parents who have struggling teenagers. Homeschooling through high school may seem like a daunting task already. There are often many additional questions that arise regarding "tricky" high school issues when one has a child with a learning disability or special challenges. For this month and next month's Struggling Learner email newsletter, we will be sharing some of the frequently asked questions and answers regarding homeschooling struggling high school age students. We hope you find this information encouraging and helpful. You CAN home school your struggling learner through high school! Q: How can I grant my child a high school diploma if he has some severe needs? What are the requirements for high school graduation, particularly for a child with special needs? A: A diploma is simply a certificate by which a person or an organization certifies that the person named on the diploma has successfully completed a course of study. Only a few states impose high school graduation requirements on homeschoolers. You should check your state's homeschool laws and compulsory attendance regulations, as well as talk with HSLDA's Legal Department if you are unsure of any graduation requirements in your state. In most states, the parents, as teachers and administrators of the school, determine an appropriate course of study and set forth the graduation requirements for their homeschooled high school student, based on the child's functioning level, special needs, and his post-secondary goals. Some families may choose to award their child a Special Education Diploma, Certificate of Completion, or a Certificate of Achievement. Such alternative diplomas would be most suitable for children with severe disabilities, such as developmental disabilities, or in cases where an individual will more than likely always either living with someone or partially independent, such as in a group home. It is wise in these circumstances to indicate on your child's high school records that the student's high school program was modified. Awarding an alternative diploma is a judgment call, and you must carefully consider the implications of awarding an alternative diploma, because doing so could place some restrictions on post-secondary learning or employment. Some state colleges and employers accept alternative diplomas, but many graduates with disabilities find their options limited by not having a "standard" diploma. So, we encourage families to speak with the legal staff regarding your options. For students who are not college bound, but will be entering a technical training school, the work force or military, we recommend a basic, general high school diploma, which will include 20-22 high school credits. To view sample four-year plans and a list of recommended credits and course work for a general high school diploma, please visit HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School website and access their brochure on "Developing a Plan for High School," http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10844 We do encourage families who are homeschooling children with learning disabilities (and especially those who have children who are gifted with learning disabilities) to plan their child's high school program of studies with college in mind. Do not automatically rule college out because the student has some mild to severe learning challenges, such as dyslexia. Community college is a great stepping stone to a four-year university or college. Should he choose to attend college in the future, your student will need to obtain at least a general academic diploma. Course work for a general college preparatory diploma should include: > 4 credits of English > 4-plus credits of math > 3-4 credits of history > 3-4 credits of science > 2-4 credits of a foreign language > 1-2 credits of physical education > 1-2 credits of fine arts > 5 credits for electives > total of 24-28 high school credits Q: How can I give my child high school credit for a course, such as math or history, if he is working or reading "below age/grade level"? A: Struggling students, as well as functionally disabled students, are given high school credit and graduate from public high schools all the time. Therefore, in special cases, one should apply similar criteria to homeschool students who have a documented learning disability. For example, if a 10th-grade student is capable of doing only 6th-grade-level math, and that is truly his or her capacity according to the other conditions noted below, then he or she may be awarded a high school credit in math for completing the 6th-grade material. CONDITIONS: > If the student is in the 9th grade or above, and > The student has been diagnosed as having a learning difficulty which has a documented history, and > The student is performing at or near HIS OR HER capacity for learning in that subject, and > The student is showing that this year's work is a progression from last year's work, and > The student has completed all of the requirements of the course to the satisfaction of the parent, and > The work (or number of hours) have been documented to your satisfaction (120-180 hours) Then that student should be granted a high school credit for the course. Another example is a student who is reading below high school level. You can use adapted materials, such as high interest/low readability materials, assistive technology such as print recognition software or reading pens, as well as books on audio for the literature and still grant the student high school credit. In these special circumstances, we are not attempting to lower high school standards or requirements, we are simply trying to make appropriate accommodations (and make the content accessible) for the student with a learning disability or special need. The goal is to help them attain their full, God-given potential and to make sure they are working up to their highest level of capability. Q: Do you have any suggestions for alternative high school course work and curricula? A: Tailoring a course of study based on your child's needs, functioning level, as well as areas of strength and weaknesses, is one of the beauties of homeschooling! For high school, it may be that your child is excelling in one academic area, but needs to move at a slower pace in another. It may be that you have to design some alternative course work; for instance, if your child will be unable to be successful with higher level math course work, such as trigonometry or calculus, you can substitute with basic math, perhaps an accounting class, a consumer math or a finance/money management class. If possible, have your child take Algebra 1 and 2, as well as geometry, but again, you have to design the course of study based on your child's needs and capabilities. A great online source for finding curricula appropriate for struggling learners is http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10840 . Hewitt Homeschooling Resources, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10841 , is a correspondence high school program and offers a special needs track for high school. This online homeschool program offers a course of study, provides the curricula, syllabi, access to instructors, record keeping (transcript), and issues a diploma to the student once he or she has completed a track of study. They also offer single course options, and we really like their resources and some of the course work they have created for struggling students. Finally, there are some wonderful publishers and vendors that carry alternative high school course work and curricula. A few we really like are: AVCS Books, High Noon Books, Attainment Company, and Remedia Publications. To access a list of further curricula and resources for high school math and science, please visit our website http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10842 and click on the "Resources" tab, then go to the "Articles" section. Downloadable alternative curriculum lists (Members-only resource): http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10843 We know that for those God has called, He will be faithful to equip with every resource needed in order to finish the good work! We are so happy to be able to come alongside you and assist you in the task of homeschooling your struggling learner (Yes, even through high school). We will leave you with this promise from God's Word. 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How many of your friends would pay your legal fees? As a member of HSLDA, you have 80,000 families standing with you to protect and advance homeschool freedoms in the United States and foreign countries. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 Email: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an email with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: ##ToAddress## - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an email from the email address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your email address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
