Sample Document 2

To: Mike Farris

      Chairman, HSLDA

From: Amie Johnson

           Director, Renew Christian Academy

Subject: Proposal for Homeschool Clearinghouse

Purpose

The purpose of this proposal is to request a partnership for the creation of a homeschool course of study clearinghouse. In order to streamline the standards of high school home education, there needs to be a central clearinghouse of information to standardized goals and objectives, to align with college expectations, and to provide specific goals in non-traditional disciplines.

Summary

Currently, each private homeschool group has its own set of forms and requirements for high school coursework. Some groups provide specific forms to their parents, while other groups provide blank forms and allow the parents to complete them to the best of their abilities. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (hereby known as HSLDA),

Course descriptions provide details of the course and usually include a list of materials used, scope and sequence, method of grading, and evaluation of credit. Writing course descriptions at the beginning of each school year will insure that the necessary information is readily available when requested. Some colleges, including the service academies, desire course descriptions from homeschoolers as part of the application process. Employers may desire a brief recap of the courses completed. Scholarship sponsors may ask for these descriptions. Many of you may never be asked for these records; however, they are still beneficial to track your teen’s progress through the high school years and to review with your teen prior to college or job interviews. (2018)

HSLDA and Christian Home Educators of California (hereby known as CHEA of CA) both offer blank forms and suggested formats, but neither offers standardized completed forms. The result is forms that are returned to the school in a variety of conditions. Some forms are thoroughly completed, while other forms lack basic details. No two forms are ever the same, which they should be when the same textbook is being used. There is no consistency among users.

            I have been the Director of Renew Christian Academy for five years, and previously Director of Grace Academy for 10 years. I have created numerous course description forms for families, as well as provided ongoing training and support to ensure that forms were accurate and up to date. I maintained records for parents and provided official transcripts to post-secondary academic institutions.

Introduction

The current situation where there is no uniformity among private school satellite programs (homeschool groups) is not the most efficient way to keep documentation, nor is it in the best interest of home school high school students, specifically those interested in applying to four-year universities. Particularly, in the state of California, many homeschoolers must consider A-G requirements, advanced, college preparatory, or honors courses, as well as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic eligibility requirements. In order to standardize requirements in paperwork and academic standards, Renew Academy proposes a partnership on a national level with HSLDA and a state level with the CHEA of CA to create and provide the necessary paperwork to homeschoolers.

Proposed Tasks

·      Renew Christian Academy and HSLDA will create a nationwide registry for homeschool groups to sign up their members to receive free access to the forms site when completed.

·      Each state will have its own access link channeling members from the state to national registry.

·      All forms must include footer which states use of forms does not guarantee acceptance into any university.

Schedule

·      Blank forms submitted for approval 1/2019

·      Form rollout schedule:

1.     Math 2/2019 - Algebra ½, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Statistic

2.     Science 3/2019 - General, Physical, Biology, Chemistry

3.     History 4/2019 - Geography, Ancient, World, U.S., Government & Economics

4.     English 5/2019 - English 09, American Lit., World Lit., British Lit.

5.     Bible 6/2019 - Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey

6.     Electives 7/2019 - Various

7.     NAIA forms 8/2019 - requires NAIA.org compliance research

8.     NCAA forms 9/2019 - requires NCAA.org compliance research

Budget

Salary of full-time web content developer $50-$75K to update the web content.

Experience

I have worked in the homeschool community for 16 years as both a parent and in a leadership role. I have created forms and completed forms for much of that time. I know the needs of the parents in completing these forms. Most parents do not put enough information on the course description forms. This is because they do not know where to find information or how to categorize it on the form.

Appendix

I.  Sample Course Description Form

References

Beatty, S. and Middleton, K. The California homeschool manual. Christian Home Educators        Press, 2012.

Downloadable homeschool forms. CHEA of CA. Retrieved November 18, 2018.    http://www.cheaofca.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=1042&parentID           =532

Home school students. NCAA (2018). Retrieved November 18, 2108.         http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/home-school-students

Homeschooled and GED students. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes. (2016).          Retrieved November 18, 2018. https://www.playnaia.org/page/HomeSchoolGED.php

Sample course descriptions. (2018). Home School Legal Defense Association. Retrieved   November 18, 2018, from https://hslda.org/content/highschool/academics.asp

Schofield, M. The High School Handbook. Christian Home Educators Press, 2008.

           

APPENDIX I

COURSE TITLE: HS American Literature (with Honors option)

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12              CREDITS: 10                           

GOALS & OBJECTIVES:

Students will study American classics by reading literature, poetry, and short stories in the context of a college preparatory course of study. Students will engage in classroom discussions as they respond to reading selections in written and oral form. American Literature is designed to provide students with an overview of the American Experience through short story, poetry, narrative or objective writing, oration, drama and fiction. They build vocabulary skills through in-context study of challenging words. Writing practice emphasizes character analysis, short stories, poetry, and essays. Literary terminology and grammar practice are ongoing all year.                                                                                                                                  

HONORS OPTION: The honors option requires a more rigorous reading and writing schedule. We will not cover all the honors material in class together, but students working on the honors option will still be required to work at home and submit work to the teacher. Please let me know if your student is planning to take the standard course or honors option.

TEXTS USED:

Excellence in Literature: American Literature

READING LIST:

Ben Franklin: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter

Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Edit Wharton: House of Mirth

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

Ernest Hemmingway: The Old Man and the Sea

HONORS READING LIST: (additional to list above)

Washington Irving: Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

James Fenimore Cooper: The Last of the Mohicans

Herman Melville: Moby Dick

METHODS OF STUDENT EVALUATION:

Tests/Midterm/Final                                       40%

Essays                                                 40%                                        

Daily assignments and readings                     10%

Oral presentations                                           10%

Grading Scale: 90-100 (A) 80-89(B) 70-79 (C) 60-69 (D) 59 or below (F)