Posted on 09/11/2002 4:27:34 AM PDT by TxBec
God bless America!
In total agreement.
Remember folks...United We Stand...One Nation...Under God.
On September 5, 2002, Riverside Publishing announced a complete reversal of their restrictive policy for homeschool students taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS).
The new policy allows homeschool parents or anyone else to administer the ITBS, requiring only that they have a bachelor's degree. Riverside will not enforce the previous requirement that the parent's four-year degree be in education. Test administrators also have the option to qualify by showing evidence of a teaching certificate or proof of working as a full time teacher in a conventional school.
The testing controversy began on August 9, 2002, when Riverside Publishing announced new standards for home school students taking the ITBS. Those who administered the ITBS test to homeschooled students were required to have a four year college degree in education. This created a hardship for most home school parents since they would no longer be able to administer the ITBS test for their children.
Bob Jones Testing and Evaluation, which serves as the major distributor of the ITBS test to homeschoolers, was informed of the change and told to implement it immediately. Many concerned homeschoolers contacted HSLDA when they were notified about the changes.
Both Bob Jones Testing and Evaluation and HSLDA lobbied Riverside Publishing for a reversal of their policy. Chris Klicka, senior counsel of HSLDA, explained to Riverside that this hardship would prevent most homeschool families from administering the ITBS test, and thus, they would take their business elsewhere. He explained how other test publishers did not have such a requirement, and that this requirement was completely unnecessary since homeschool parents could easily follow the instructions to administer a test without having a degree in education. Several homeschoolers also sent impassioned emails to Riverside, urging them to change their policy.
Homeschool parents may obtain the ITBS from the Bob Jones Testing and Evaluation Service by simply filling out an application form that includes proof that they have a four-year bachelor's degree and a signed statement that they have a valid home school. No further requirements apply.
HSLDA understands Riverside Publishing's concern that the validity and privacy of the test results are preserved. We are excited that the results of such standardized achievement tests typically demonstrate that home schoolers are scoring above average. Since we often share those results with the press, courts, and state legislatures, we do not want the validity of this testing to be challenged. With these reasonable standards imposed by Riverside Publishing, we believe the Iowa Test of Basic Skills results will withstand any challenge.
[Note - By way of reminder, do not contact state, county, or local public school officials about anything regarding the private school affidavit, including obtaining one. Do not file your affidavit for the 2002-2003 school year before October 1st, and do not use an affidavit form from a previous year.]
California Private School Affidavit Filing Instructions -
The Private School Affidavit form and instructions are now on-line at the California Department of Education (CDE) web site. Affidavits are to be completed and filed online between October 1st and 15th. Affidavits should NOT be completed and filed before October 1. New private schools that start up later in the school year should complete an affidavit and file it when they start up. Individuals who do not have access to the internet (either at home, the library or with the help of a friend) can write to the CDE at the address below to request a blank Private School Affidavit form.
1. The Private School Affidavit is available on the CDE web site at www.cde.ca.gov/privateschools. Please read the filing instructions on the web site carefully.
2. When you read the CDE web site, ignore all statements concerning home schooling and parents teaching their own children in their home. Also ignore all statements that tell you not to file an affidavit. The law requires that you file this Private School Affidavit with the CDE in order for your children, who are enrolled in your private school (which happens to be based in your home) to be exempt from attendance at a public school.
3. Once you have completed the on-line affidavit form, click on "submit" and the Confirmation Page (affidavit certification) will appear. Print the the Confirmation Page, sign and date. You are certifying that all the information on the affidavit is true and accurate. Note: the finger printing and criminal background check only applies to paid employees who have contact with minor children. It does not apply to parents teaching their own children. It does not apply to those who you may hire to teach music lessons or the like, as they are not employees of your school.
4. The only information required to be reported on an affidavit are the items specifically mentioned in Education Code Section 33190. However, the computerized online affidavit form has been programed by the CDE to require some additional information. We recommend that you provide only what is necessary to file the affidavit as indicated by an asterisk.(*)
5. Private home schoolers should check "Coeducational" as the "Type of School" and "Day Only" under "School Accommodations."
6. Under "Classification of School" most private home schools are not officially affiliated with a denomination and should check either "Religious school, not church affiliated" or "Secular" as applicable."
7. On your Private School Affidavit, do NOT indicate enrollment of any children under 5 years of age. California's compulsory attendance laws only require that children be enrolled by their 6th birthday in the year in which they turn 6 on or before December 2nd (i.e., a child who turns six on December 3, 2002, does not need to be formally enrolled in school until September of 2003). You may, of course, teach your children who are under 5 years of age at home. They simply are not formally enrolled in your private school and therefore should not to be included in the "Range of students' ages" on the affidavit form.
8. Once you have signed and dated the Confirmation Page, make several copies for your records. Mail a signed original by Certified Mail to the Department of Education at the address below. It is essential that you mail the Confirmation by Certified Mail as the receipt will be your proof of mailing. Keep the mailing receipt with your copy of the Confirmation. Do NOT request a return receipt as the CDE will be receiving thousands of affidavit related forms.
The address to mail the Private School Affidavit or Confirmation Page is:
Attention: Private School Affidavit
California Department of Education
Policy and Coordination Unit
1430 N Street, Suite 4309
Sacramento, CA 95814
NOTE:
Private schools may not use an affidavit form that has been printed from the web site and completed manually. The web site form must be completed on-line. The CDE will not accept copies of the on-line affidavit form that were not completed on-line.
Those home schoolers who cannot complete the affidavit on-line must write (do NOT call or contact your county) the CDE at the address above and request a paper copy of the Private School Affidavit form.
I'm just thankful we made it through yesterday with no major problems. Keep your guard up.
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