| Home | About PIE | Register | Contact |
|
|
Frequently Asked QuestionsPalmetto Independent Educators
Curriculum
SC Law
Support Groups Records
High school Palmetto Independent EducatorsCan I be a member if I do not live in Aiken County? Yes, PIE extends membership to South Carolina home schools throughout the state. We currently have members in over 40 school districts. Does PIE offer assistance with record keeping? Yes, PIE provides support with record keeping. Through the use of technology, and the Internet, we are able to provide a variety of resources which would include a community center, knowledge management resource, and administrative tools for record keeping. Does PIE have a graduation ceremony? The office of PIE does not coordinate graduation ceremonies. Members of PIE usually coordinate these types of events with other home schoolers in their area. We recommend members share their interests with others through our discussion boards to see if other families in their area are willing to participate. If so, we will arrange to provide a SharePoint team Services Web site that would be private, easy to use, and can be useful for organizational purposes. Does PIE share their member’s personal information with others? Not without a members written consent. However, members of PIE have agreed that if inquiry is made concerning their membership with PIE, that their good standing in the organization may be acknowledged, as stated on the Parent-Association Agreement Form. Parents must sign the Parent-Association Agreement Form before membership can be extended. If we move to another state, can we still be members of PIE? No, you will need to follow the compulsory laws of the state that you are currently residing in. How can we verify PIE meets the state requirements? The Department of Education has a list of recognized third option associations. PIE is on this list. Visit the Department of Educations Web site to access this list. The 'NEW' graphic appears in all related reports for up to 24 hours after each update. This feature will be disabled in the near future. Curriculum Which courses should we teach our high school student? We recommend contacting a minimum of five colleges that your student is likely to attend and ask them to send you a copy of their catalog. Within the catalog you will find listed the required prerequisites to enter their college. Use the prerequisites of the college with the greatest requirements as your guide. Yes. The office of PIE does not approve or disapprove your choice of curriculum. The Student Curriculum form is to ensure the office of PIE the member knows which subjects are required by law. The Student Curriculum form is maintained in the members file. Does the office of PIE provide curriculum? No, the office of PIE does not provide curriculum. There is a list of local and national resources available in the directory located in the back of this hand book. Does PIE know where I can find curriculum on such short notice? We have provided a list of South Carolina resources in the directory located in the back of this hand book. We recommend contacting the Christian Curriculum Connection to see what they have on their shelves. Continue to go down the list of contacts if they don’t have what you need. Costs will vary depending on publisher, tools and material to be used for each course, services, and how much the parent is willing to get involved. How long does it take to obtain curriculum? This will depend on the time of your order, the location of the vendor, and shipping charges. We are having problems with math. Can you make any recommendations? We are using Saxon math, when recently, our oldest son started having difficulties understanding and working out certain problems. What we decided to do was purchase a DVD or video course to supplement our current program. We intend to complete our high school courses using Saxon math. The DVD’s seem to be helpful because our son’s work is showing improvement. Visit the Teaching Company’s Web site for a list of DVD and video products. http://www.library-teach12.com/ SC Law It is possible to home school your sister’s son if you obtain legal guardianship. Writing a statement that you and your sister would sign is not enough. To do this legally, you will have to contact a lawyer. The office of PIE requires a copy of guardianship documentation to be maintained in the members file located at the office of PIE. Are we required to join Home School Legal Defense Association? No, you are not required by law to join HSLDA. We do recommend joining HSLDA for a couple of reasons. 1.) They provide professional legal representation for home schools. 2.) They work to protect and advance our rights to home school. A parent or guardian whose child turns six years old after September 1st of a particular school year may choose to not send their child to kindergarten. The parent will have to sign a written document provided by the school district in which the parent resides. According to the Department of Education, the office of PIE is not authorized to provide this document. Does Home School Legal Defense provide legal services to Palmetto Independent Educators? No, Home School Legal Defense Association provides legal services to its members. Palmetto Independent Educators is registered with HSLDA through their group discount program. Members of PIE who want to join HSLDA for their services are eligible for a discount. Contact the office of PIE or visit the Member Center to obtain our group discount number. Do I have to join a group or an organization? Yes, you have three legal options that are available to home school by; 1st option; establish and operate a home school as approved by your local school district. 2nd option; establish and operate a home school under the membership auspices of South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS). 3rd option; establish and operate a home school under the membership auspices of an association for home schools with no fewer than fifty members. How many days a year are we required to home school? 180 days per year are required. To avoid violating the compulsory attendance laws, the office of PIE recommends the following; Do not remove your student from the public school to a home school setting until you have completed all the necessary steps. Make contact with the option of your choice to find out the necessary steps if you are not sure. You should have your child enrolled in your home school before the start up of the public school year. Which subjects am I required to teach? Reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; also composition and literature in grades 7-12. Are there any requirements that need to be met before the parent can teach? Yes, the parent/teacher is required to have a high school diploma or a G.E.D. Are we required to test each year? Under your local school district (first option), you are required to participate in the annual statewide testing program and the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). Under SCAIHS (second option), testing is required according to their guidelines. Under the 3rd option you are not required to test. However, the office of PIE arranges opportunities for members to test using the Stanford 10. The 2nd and 3rd option home schoolers will not have access to the PACT, which is a test for public school students. 1st option home schools are required to take the PACT because they are registered under the district. Support Groups Where can I find a support group? There is a list of support groups being maintained on SCHEA's Web site. You will find their information by visiting the Support Groups page of this Web site. Records Are home schools allowed to take 10 sick days? No, a sick day policy for home schools does not exist. Visit the State House Web site to view the laws concerning compulsory attendance to find the law that state the Department of Education governs excused absences. Then visit the Department of Educations Web site to view their policy, which extends authority to the districts. The DMV has requested that we get a letter from the office of PIE. Is this unusual? No, this is not unusual. The DMV’s will accept a letter from the associations as long as it has the student’s name and current address listed on it. Is it okay for my child to advance in one subject and not another? The decision to have a student repeat a grade, progress ahead according to schedule (one grade level each traditional school year), or to advance ahead of schedule is best determined by the parent/teacher. For example: your student could be using 3rd grade math and science while in using 4th grade reading and writing material. The office of PIE recommends having your educational records in order. You should be able to provide a clear presentation of your student’s progress. What is an acceptable grading scale? We use the following grading scale (number grade); A=96; B=88; C=80; D=73. Most public, private, and home schools will use a similar grading scale. Similar in that there may be slight differences in the value, for example; A=95 vs. 96, or B=87 vs. 88, etc. It is our understanding that some home schools use a satisfactory and unsatisfactory grading scale during the elementary years. Once they begin recording credits they will convert over to the number grading scale. The decision to choose a satisfactory and unsatisfactory grading scale over the numerical grading scale is one the parent/teacher, who is responsible for maintaining educational records, will have to make. Parents who are considering a grading system other than the numerical system should consider doing further research to avoid any possible confusion, conflict, or future disappointment with their home school program. For example: South Carolina's Grading Scale Policy for 9th grade (and above) students entering South Carolina's public school system mandates that a grade of P (passing) received from another school would be converted to a numerical designation based on information secured from the sending institution as to the approximate numerical value of the "P." The receiving school will make the final determination regarding the conversion of a grade P into the uniform grading scale. The parent/teacher should note; it is the receiving school that will make the final determination regarding the conversion of a grade P into the uniform grading scale. Even though South Carolina's Grading Scale Policy is directed toward high school students (9th grade and above), it is our concern that students returning to public school during the elementary grades may experience similar results. Your method of record keeping is very important considering public and private schools will use this in order to place your student in the appropriate grade level. Am I required to keep a journal? If so, how often should entries be made, daily, or weekly? Keeping a journal (or diary) is a requirement. In doing so, you will have a written record of your thoughts, educational goals, plans, and activities. We recommend journaling daily. Is the Stanford Test different from the IOWA? The following information is provided from BJU Testing Services, and is an overview of the IOWA and Stanford tests. * Both are top-rated, nationally standardized tests. * Both are designed to accomplish the same purposes. * Both evaluate thinking skills. * Both provide thorough results reports, and neither is more "difficult" than the other. To learn more about the differences between these two tests, visit the following web page; http://www.bjup.com/services/testing/academic_testing/index.html [BJU Testing Services] Phone | 1.800.845.5731 or 1.864.242.5100 ext. 3300 Fax | 1.866.477.TEST (8378) or 1.864.770.1326 E-mail | testing@bjup.com Mail | BJ Home Education Services Customer Services 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd. Greenville, SC 29614-0062 The office of PIE has used the Stanford test for several years now. Since we are not familiar with the IOWA test we recommend contacting BJU Testing Services for further details concerning the differences. High school Yes, the office of PIE has a letter specifically drafted for this purpose. A person who is at least fifteen years of age may apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a beginner's permit. The student will be required to provide proof of residency. This document should contain their full name, date of birth, sex, race, and residence address. The DMV does accept a letter from the home school accountability association, which is to include the name and current address of the student applying for the student permit, or license. PIE members may contact the office of PIE for assistance. Information for Driver Education is posted from the following page; http://www.homeschoolingwithpie.org/high_school.htm Our student is in the admission process for Technical College. We are being asked for an "Official Transcript" from a home schooling group. I have explained that we are enrolled under the "3rd Option", and that as a parent, I issue the transcript, but they still want something official. Have you run into this problem before? Yes. Members of PIE should be able to provide a copy of their Acceptance Letter as proof of membership, along with their official transcript (provided by the parent-teacher). If they continue to insist, you may contact the office for further assistance. Visit the following related links: |
|
