ACT joins SAT in Aligning with Common Core

Received in an email from HSLDA:

 

http://www.hslda.org/commoncore/topic7.aspx

For now, the Common Core applies only to public schools in the 45 states that have adopted it. Federal law, under 20 U.S.C. § 7886, prohibits any federal education mandates from applying to private schools that do not receive federal funds or homeschools.

However, there is no such protection for families who have enrolled their children in programs that receive federal funds, especially those who are using virtual charter schools that are run through the local public school for their home education.

Though the specific provisions of the Common Core only directly bind public schools, it is reasonably predictable that private schools that accept federal funding (through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, for example) may face a decision between foregoing federal funding and accepting the Common Core standards in the near future. Moreover, President Obama intends to condition funding from Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on states’ agreement to follow common standards “developed by a state-led consortium.”1 There is no reason to expect that private schools who receive Title I funding would not have to agree to this mandate.

The current impact of the Common Core on home and private education is revealed in the expanding state longitudinal databases, shifting college admissions expectations, newly updated curricula, and revised standardized tests. All these are fulfilling education historian Diane Ravitch’s prediction that “no one will escape [the Common Core’s] reach, whether they attend public or private school.”2 (more…)

Am I Qualified To Teach My Children?

by Cindy Short and Sue Welch, co-editors
Taken from Newsletter #375
www.teachinghome.com

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7

You have the most direct and long-term responsibility for your children before God, who commands parents to teach their children His Word, the most important thing they will learn.

Parental and Tutorial Advantages

You know your children better than anyone else and have the deepest love and concern for them.

You do not need to know everything in order to teach.  Your example and enthusiasm in learning with your children will motivate and encourage them.

Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, says:

“The tutorial method of teaching has always been the superior method.  Home education epitomizes this method, providing essentials for success – a close student/teacher relationship, family-consistent values, motivation, flexibility, and individualization.”
Research Findings

Dr. Ray has listed the following findings in regards to the academic performance of home school students:

•  Home-educated students typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.

•  Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.

•  Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers, is not related to their children’s academic achievement.

•  Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.

•  Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.

Read the complete Research Facts on Homeschooling online.
National Home Education Research Institute

Dr. Brian Ray founded NHERI in 1990 and has compiled statistics from his own and others’ research that has been used in court cases and legislatures worldwide to promote and defend homeschooling.

Check out the NHERI website at www.nheri.org to see more information, sign up for their mailing list, order NHERI products, and make a tax-deductible donation.

Steps in Making or Reaffirming Your Decision To Homeschool

by Cindy Short and Sue Welch, co-editors
Taken from Newsletter #375
www.teachinghome.com

Your decision to home school should be based on your determination of God’s will for your family.

Reaffirming why you are teaching your children at home will provide the conviction, confidence, and commitment that you will need in order to persevere during difficult times.

Many home school families have found it beneficial to write out their decision to home school along with a list, or summary, of the reasons why they have made that decision.

These reasons for your decision will also help you explain your home education choice to others, including your children. (more…)