Where can I find info on returning to public school after homeschooling?

Question

Before I take my daughter out for homeschooling I want to know what I need to do to get her back in public schools hopefully by fall. We live in Oklahoma. She is behind in reading and writing and needs extensive work in these areas. She has also broken her nose and fractured her skull in a bicycle accident and I am afraid to send her to school until she has time to completely recover. I am a junior and majoring in elementary education so I have alot of knowledge and resources available to help me in my endeavor. I know I can ask at the school or find out from several of my professors, but I want to locate this online ASAP.

Answer 1

Well, first of all contact the school you are plan on placing her in and meet with the counselors and principles.  They can help you get a good idea of where she'll belong.  They may have her take a placement test (especially if she's anywhere above 9th grade,) and just to warn you, these tests are terribly biased and tend to be pretty hard.  Starting her at 9th grade or less will help.  Also, meet with the Special Education teachers.  They tend to have actual parent-teacher groups and they'll help you sign her up for the appropriate classes.  

A few warnings:

1.  Consider what age she is.  

-Elementary school is a terrible time to move a child from homeschooling to public school unless it's 3rd grade or less.  My younger brother was placed in public school (from homeschooling) in the 6th grade; he could barely read or due math and he was made fun of terribly, which shot his self-esteem altogether and he never recovered from it.  He's currently at military school doing more drugs than he did at home.  

-Middle school is generally a good time to make the switch if she can join during the beginning or middle year of the school cycle.  (I.E., joining in 6th or 7th grade in a school that runs 6th-8th grade.)  Upper level grades are hard to get into because schools are about to change and alliances have been made among friends and it will much harder for her to find where she fits in.  Cliques always tighten right before switching schools. Also, if she has bad self image (because of her injury or ANYTHING,) middle school is TERRIBLE.  It's near to impossible to transfer into a jr. high and survive unless she has strong confidence in herself.  Every social situation that could possibly test her self esteem will.  

-High school is a different matter altogether because high school is when maturity begins, but it's also when temptation grows to its strongest.   Again, self esteem is very important because it will help her stand up against all the bad things in the world.  As for special education, high school is wonderful for this.  My younger brother spent a year in public high school and no one ever even knew he was in special ed.  The S.E. classrooms are not ever brought up because no one even knows they're there!  The teachers camoflague them well.

2.  Does she want make the switch?  If she does not want to go, the likelihood of her being unable to make friends and do well is increased IMMENSELY!  If she doesn't, why are you making her?  If the answer is because it's for your convenience, DON'T DO IT.  It will hurt her more than it will help her with anything.  You are her biggest fan and biggest supporter, and as soon as you tell her that you don't care for how she truly feels, she will lose all faith in you and consequently lose faith in herself.

Above all else, please just consider how socially and mentally ready she is, and keep her in homeschooling if she needs more time!  A good alternative would be to find a homeschooling co-op that meets for classes once or twice a week, or if she's old enough, dual-credit classes in college.  They will help her to move at her own speed.

Answer 2

go on web sites

Answer 3

Since she's only in elementary, there really won't be a problem. You simply enroll her in school when she's ready. They might ask for testing, but if you can keep a record and some samples of her progress at home, they might even be fine with that. You probably won't be able to find this information online because they don't make it specifically available.

Answer 4

In Oklahoma, homeschooling is constitutionally protected; until you get to jr. high or high school, the schools don't bat an eye at enrolling homeschoolers.  The 9/1 age-grade correlation law is used to place students in the proper grade (though if your daughter needs to be placed in a different grade than her age would dictate, good luck.  Been there, tried that.)

There are literally thousands of homeschooling families in Oklahoma, so the resources to choose from are vast.  There are many great homeschool support groups to choose from that can offer you whatever help you might need - curriculum choices, field trips, answering questions, scheduling help, etc.  If you go to http://ochec.com/ , you'll find a bunch of great info.  If you go to the Resources link, you'll find homeschooling support groups in your area.

We've been homeschooling in NE Oklahoma for 4 years now, and love it.  Some families hs all the way through, while others do so for a few years to fill a need in their child's education that can't be met in a classroom.  

High schools will test your child to determine placement, but elementary and middle schools generally just place them according to age.  As an Ed. major, you're likely pretty aware of the PASS standards; just keep her up to date with that, and when she's ready to go back to a classroom, she'll be able to jump right back in.  (When a hs student has trouble adjusting to a classroom, it's usually because their education up until then has been different than the ps scope and sequence.  There's nothing wrong with building your own scope and sequence - we have, all the way along - but if you strongly plan to place her back in ps, just go by the PASS standards and you should be fine.)

If, after homeschooling her for the necessary time, you decide to continue, there are sooo many resources in OK that you can take advantage of.  There are tons of co op settings that your daughter can take classes in, volunteer and service opportunities, homeschool sports teams that play in the city leagues, play days, theater and music programs, PE classes through Parks and Rec, art classes, and more.  

I really wouldn't ask the school, though; although schools in OK are less hostile toward homeschooling than in many other states, they're generally not "up" on homeschooling resources or laws.  All you have to do to pull her is give written notification (so she's not marked truant) and start homeschooling her - you don't have to notify the state or have her evaluated, or anything like that.  (End of year standardized testing is available in both Tulsa and OKC for something like $35 at various sites, if you'd like her to sit the Iowa Basic, but it's not required.)

Here's another site with tons of info about homeschooling (both in OK and in general) as well as lesson plans for all ages: http://oklahomahomeschool.com/

Hope that helps!

Edit - I don't know of any elementary school in OK that would have  a problem with it.  I live in Tulsa, and have several friends within an hour's drive that have placed their kids in various elementary/middle schools without a single problem; I also know of several people in the OKC area who have done the same.  I know that some of the smaller towns are not as homeschool friendly as Tulsa/OKC are, but I've never heard of any of them giving a parent problems with enrolling a child under high school.

The only time I've even heard of kids having to be tested are when they're going into 7th grade or above, and that's mostly for the districts that "track" kids - for placement.

Just stick with the PASS standards for 2nd grade as a basis and let her do electives if she'd like; without the distractions and busy work that happen in a classroom, she'll likely finish in about 2 hours a day.  I would really say to contact a homeschool support group, rather than the school/board of ed, with any questions - they're much more knowledgeable about homeschooling in OK, and they'll be fine with you only homeschooling your daughter through the rest of the year.  It's not an exclusive club or anything :-)