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for homeschoolers: Those parents who face this situation, do you advise the state which lesson plans you are using? (your own vs commercial homeschool packages) don't all homeschoolers have to take a test at some point? ged or sat or something to measure minimal competancy?

Though required by the State I live in I will not register with the district nor will I comply with the rules regarding qualifications of curriculum or education practices.

My kids will not be tested by the state.

All states are different and if my state give me any trouble I will move to a less intrusive state. My children's education is #1.

If you can believe this: California is easier on Home Schooling than Washington State and Oregon State.

BTW -

I was home taught from the 6th grade on. I did attend classes at a local high school and college at different points.

All our testing was done by a private organization, except once when it was the state standardized testing administered by the county. We all scored much higher than our grade levels (I was not the only one to measure college levels in multiple categories.)

I did take the GED, to make life a little simpler. Took the entire test in one day and finished with much more than half the time allotted left. I scored in the highest percentile for the state and was in the national running that year for highest score (all top candidates were private and home school). I received a "congratulations" letter from the POTUS, which I never show as it is signed by William Jefferson Clinton.

don't all homeschoolers have to take a test at some point? ged or sat or something to measure minimal competancy?

No, they don't. That's the short answer. The long answer is that it depends on the state, the type of curriculum the family uses, and the students' goals.

Some states require homeschooled students to take the same tests as public school students. These tests are generally such a joke that home school associations will also administer real tests, Iowa or Stanford, for parents who want to use the tests to learn something about their children's progress.

If a family uses a correspondence program, such as Calvert, Seton, Bob Jones, Alpha-Omega ... they can receive a high school diploma that's recognized by colleges and employers. Recently the U.S. military has begun recognizing homeschool diplomas. Some students find it useful to take the G.E.D., particularly if they want to enroll in college before they're of "graduation" age.

And homeschool students take the SAT, ACT or other tests as required for college admission, depending on what kind of higher education they pursue.