You got it.
Posted on 05/20/2004 9:13:20 AM PDT by LadyShallott
Despite the hundreds of calls, e-mails and the lobbying efforts of HEAV and HSLDA, Governor Warner removed our high school option in HB 675 and wrote his own option. Senator Potts, the chairman of the education committee, and Senator Houck, a leading Democrat along with the Lt. Governor, all urged Governor Warner to sign the bill, but to no avail.
Governor Warner's convoluted amendment is unacceptable, so we are urging everyone to call their Delegate and Senator Monday and Tuesday to kill Warner's amendment on Wednesday. We only need simply a majority in one house to kill his amendments.
Governor Warner's new option in the homeschool bill states that a parent can homeschool if he or she:
"holds a high school diploma and has achieved a composite score on PRAXIS I or SAT I not less than the composite score required for beginning teachers licensed by the Board of Education or has achieved a score above the 50th percentile in English and Mathematics on a national standardized norm-referenced test approved by the Department of Education."
No other state has such a complicated restriction on parents with a high school diploma. Warner's option sends the wrong message. It implies that parents with high school diplomas cannot be trusted to teach their own children.
On Wednesday, April 21, the General Assembly will meet for their constitutionally required Reconvened Session where they will consider all bills vetoed or amended by the Governor.
Joe Guarino explains the process HB 675 must go through on Wednesday April 21:
"The House of Delegates will consider the amendments to this bill first since the bill originated in that house.
"If the Delegates agree to the amendments, then the Senate must consider them. If the Senate agrees to the amendments, then the Governor would sign the original bill into law as amended.
"On the other hand, if the Delegates disagree with any or all of the amendments, it would be reported to the Governor that his amendments were rejected. He must then sign or veto the original bill without his amendments. If he signs the bill, it becomes law and goes into effect July 1. If he vetoes the bill, the General Assembly can do nothing else, and the bill dies."
See http://www.hslda.org/Legislation/State/va/2004/VAHB675/default.asp for more information on how to take action.
I would like to ask for some input per homeschooling.
I homeschool myself, and I am torn over which math curriculum to use next for Algebra. I have been using Saxon 76 with my daughter who is in 5th grade, and got their Pre-Algebra, but I have seen recomemdations for Harold Jacobs books. I also just found a program called VideoText(very expensive).
What did you use?
I understand what you are saying.
I buy boxed curriculm and therefore never gave it a thought. You are right. Just more government fingers where they do not belong.
Mail Sent
You got it.
This current year I also bought the DIVE cd-rom to go with my Saxon curriculum (Advanced Mathematics book). It's fantastic. I wish I had done it a few years earlier. The guy that teaches the stuff on the cd is wonderful. He is a Christian and talks about God, so as long as you are okay with that I highly recommend him. We did do the pre-algebra book. Or I think it is Algebra 1/2. Maybe that's why we are short a year. But it sounds like you are a year ahead anyway, so you should be fine.
For standardized testing, I recommend you have your kid do some practicing a full year or two in advance (of his junior year). The math is not hard on those tests, but it is just a little different. I didn't do that and I regret it. My son still scored well and everything, but it would have helped to practice the tests earlier.
Me either. I can't believe we elected this flaming moron to be our cheif exec. "I'm a fiscal conservative" ...yeah, right.
Thank You!
Please add me to your Virginia ping list. Thanks!
I highly recommend DIVE CD's as well. They have made all the difference.
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