CHEWV

Category: Homeschool Basics

  • Can’t Afford to Homeschool?

    Can’t Afford to Homeschool?

    Perhaps we can help!  Let’s explore a few options:

    1. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool is a free and complete online curriculum.  Showing you how to use freely available resources to complete all 12 grades, this curriculum was gradually developed by a homeschool mom, one year at a time, as she carved out an affordable yet effective way to homeschool her own kids at home!  Now she offers it to all other families – free of charge – to make it possible for them to homeschool, too. Think you can’t afford to homeschool? This option is absolutely free!
    1. Ambleside Online.  Ambleside Online, another free homeschool curriculum, uses Charlotte Mason’s classically-based principles to prepare children for a life of rich relationships with everything around them: God, humanity, and the natural world. AO’s detailed schedules, time-tested methods, and extensive teacher resources allow parents to focus effectively on the unique needs of each child. 
    1. Schoolhouse Teachers  You can homeschool ALL the children in your homeschool for only $179 per year (regular price $269.97) when you use CHEWV’s link! Schoolhouse Teachers is a self-paced online curriculum with hundreds of streaming videos, record-keeping tools, and even a transcript service. Check it out at the above link and then purchase through this link to save!  If you purchase during their Summer Shark Event (through August 31st), you’ll receive a free tote and collectible magazine edition. 

    So there are three great options, two of them free. However, if you want to check out further curriculum options, click here for a previous article on this topic. 

    And finally, there are a growing number of gratis resources available online. Although most of these are not already laid out for you by grade as are the three options mentioned above, they are invaluable resources if you take the time to gather what you need.  

    For example, Hillsdale College now has a K-12 initiative. PragerUKids has a whole section for homeschoolers divided by grade level. YouTube also has resources easily found via the search engine. The latter will require some level of vetting for worldview; nevertheless, quality resources are there. Google searches will also provide printables, coloring pages, math drills, virtual field trip ideas, and much, much more. Last but not lease, search for creative educational and homeschool resources on Pinterest.  

    If that sounds like too much work, then we’ll come round circle to the first three mentioned resources that spoon feed affordable curriculum. CHEWV’s free curriculum booklet explores many more curriculum options – without reference to cost. But if you have limited funds, be assured there’s no need for financial stress. If homeschooling is where the Lord is leading your family, please don’t let financial concerns deter you. Where God leads, He provides!  Hundreds of homeschool families can testify to that!

  • Homeschooling and Hope Scholarship: Distinctions That Matter

    Homeschooling and Hope Scholarship: Distinctions That Matter

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    [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Did you know that Hope Scholarship students do not necessarily school at home?  They can enroll in a private school that is registered with the state to receive Hope funds OR they can choose to have an Individualized Instructional Program.  

    “Individualized Instructional Program” (IIP) is a new term coined by the Hope Scholarship law that distinguishes Hope students who school at home versus those who attend private/parochial school. Here’s what the official Hope Scholarship website says about it: 

    “Although students with Individualized Instructional Programs under Hope Scholarship may share many common traits with traditional homeschool students, there is a distinction between the two under West Virginia Code.” [bold added]

    They are absolutely right.  Homeschoolers and Hope recipients do not fall under the same portion of the WV law.  There is a distinction between the two.

    One difference is that Hope applicants must provide more information to the state than homeschoolers do. For example, required student information includes gender, ethnicity and grade level along with the date of birth and name. Homeschoolers provide only name, address, and age. Hope students are also required to submit assessment results every year.  Homeschoolers must assess every year but need only submit the results in 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th grades.

    Hope students must have a WVEIS number which assists the state with tracking the provided information.The West Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS) is the statewide administrative data system used for maintaining records of students in grade PK-12.  Homeschoolers under Exemption c are not required to have EIS numbers.

    The Hope Scholarship is administered by a Hope Scholarship Board with staffing provided by the State Treasurer’s office. According to page 14-15 of The Hope Scholarship Parent Handbook, the Hope board can adopt and amend bylaws governing the scholarship.  It can also develop and impose requirements, policies, procedures and guidelines to implement and manage the program. This means that while homeschoolers are governed only by the wording of the homeschool exemption, Hope recipients answer to a board’s fluid regulations and rules. 

    Homeschoolers often avoid reporting to the counties until compulsory age requires them to submit a NOI.  However, Hope families may choose to submit information earlier in order to apply for Hope funding in kindergarten.

    Here are those differences in chart form:

    Homeschooling Hopeschooling
    Exemption from compulsory attendance Exemption c Exemption m
    How to begin Notice of Intent to County Superintendent as outlined in exemption c2 (OR county approval if exemption c1.) Application is necessary. Notice of Intent depends on the educational choice. Schooling at home via an Individual Instruction Program (IIP) is just one of several options. 
    How to assess Assess every year; submit results in grades 3,5,8 and 11 If using an IIP, assess every year; submit results EVERY YEAR
    Where to find details In 18-8-1c2 with help from traditional homeschooling organizations like CHEWV, WVHEA and HSLDA.  In 18-8-1m and at the official Hope website: https://hopescholarshipwv.com
    Need WVEIS* number? No Yes
    Administered by No government entity. Families follow the law’s requirements. Hope Scholarship Board with staffing provided by the State Treasurer’s Office
    Funding Private Public funding via “participating education service providers”
    Kindergarten considerations No advantage to send NOI before compulsory age Funding available if eligible for kindergarten, even if not of compulsory age
    Reporting considerations Name, age, address of child only.  Assessment results for 5 subjects, 4 times total. Additional information required on application. Assessment results annually. 
    Eligibility Any student at any time Current public school students plus students eligible for kindergarten

    One of the hallmarks of homeschooling is to identify the learning styles and needs of each individual child (see CHEWV’s helpful guidelines), then select the curriculum approach that will help him or her soar.  We encourage Hope parents, if possible, not to limit themselves to the funded providers (Education Service Providers). Many excellent providers may not choose to register with the state and come under the rules of the governing board.  Our free curriculum booklet explains the broader options.

    Neither can Hope students and homeschoolers use the same Notice of Intent. The Notice requirements are different for the two groups.

    Note that homeschoolers may choose among four assessment options, while IIP Hope students have two.  Although homeschoolers do not submit assessment results annually; IIP Hope students do. The assessment requirements are simply not the same for the two different groups of students.

    The point is that the Hope Scholarship is different from homeschooling in key ways, just as private schooling is different from homeschooling in key ways.   

    We reiterate the quote from the official Hope site:     

    “Although students with Individualized Instructional Programs under Hope Scholarship may share many common traits with traditional homeschool students, there is a distinction between the two under West Virginia Code.” 

    Perhaps most importantly of all, when legislators, newscasters, or even parents mistakenly try to mix the two into one, it puts both at risk.  A legislative criticism of homeschooling shouldn’t affect Hope students, nor should a legislative criticism of the Hope scholarship affect homeschoolers. The Hope Scholarship and homeschooling are two of several educational options available to parents. For a fuller explanation of the WV exemptions available, read here.

    In the 2022 legislative session, it was argued on the House floor that homeschoolers now receive public funds and therefore should be regulated.  However, that simply isn’t true.  The only legal WV homeschool exemption is exemption c which never has and does not now allow for state funding.  State or public funding is clearly only a possibility under the Hope Exemption m.  And while many see Hope funding as a big advantage, protecting the private homeschooling option is equally important.  

    As we have for 30+ years, CHEWV will continue to defend the freedom of homeschooling families. Parents have many choices, but Christian Home Educators is 100% committed to seeing to it that private homeschooling – with the fewest strings attached – remains one of them.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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  • Is Homeschooling Right For Us?

    Is Homeschooling Right For Us?

    Why do so many parents continue to homeschool when it captures all their time?  And how did they know what to do when they first started? 

    Most of us started homeschooling on a “trial” basis, but before too long, the advantages won us over!  We began to see what it was like to educate without “school.”  To learn.  To know one another.  And to thrive. 

    We left the bullying and age-segregation behind in favor of better influences, values, and family traditions. Rather than limiting our choices, homeschooling expanded them! Homeschoolers can enjoy the same types of social activities, school subjects, and even classroom learning that other students have – but only because we choose to, not because we have to. 

    While the biggest strength of homeschooling might be the tailoring of education to each child’s needs, the ability to put all things – including education and worldview – under God’s Lordship is definitely the most important aspect that won most of us over.  For those of us who believe that He created everything, that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” and that “eternity” extends beyond this world, homeschooling made us realize that those things should be recognized first and foremost when preparing our children for the “real world.”  We came to embrace the reality that the real world is the one where He is recognized.

    But when we first started, we had a lot of learning to do, and choices to make.  While the WV law was the entry point, curriculum styles soon took precedence as we chose exactly how we would teach reading, language, math, science and social studies – the five subjects we pledge to teach our children in WV.  If you, too, are thinking about plunging into the waters of home education and are looking for more places to check out curriculum options/styles, we suggest:

    You can also see a homeschool curriculum catalog at christianbook.com or rainbowresources.com.  Regardless of whether you actually order there, they are good places to see the variety of resources available.

    But if you are unfamiliar with the WV homeschooling law, you’ll want to go here first. 

    Homeschooling opens up a whole, new beautiful world.  Relax, learn, and enjoy!

  • I Am Concerned About My Child’s Education

    I Am Concerned About My Child’s Education

    Many parents, who have suddenly found themselves as their child’s new schoolteacher, have reached out to CHEWV with concerns.  While homeschooling parents made a thought-out decision to take on the full responsibility of their child’s education, these parents have been thrown into the midst of a very confusing situation!

    During the past week a video was released showing how schools might operate this fall.  Far from comforting, the video showed a school with no gym, no playground, and no cafeteria.  Further, on May 12th, ABC News shared a video of Dr. Anthony Fauci warning a Senate subcommittee that opening schools was a bridge too far.

    This possible future leaves parents confused, scared, and wondering what to do. You want your child to receive a solid education.  You want your child healthy and happy.  YOU may now be the only solution to these issues.  And we understand…you didn’t plan on this.

    It’s important to remember that what you have been doing the past few months is nothing like homeschooling.  

    You have been given public-school-at-home schedules, check-off lists, timeframes, and more that left you feeling understandably overwhelmed.  Meeting someone else’s pace is never easy!  Instead, homeschooling uses methods which promote a love of learning, tailored to each student’s individual speed.

    So, we encourage you to relax for a bit.  We want to assure you that there are many, many resources available to provide your child with a solid education – with a good mix of sanity! You have a few months to look at the world of homeschooling and even try it out over the summer. For example, you might grab some books about birds, get a feeder or two, and spend some time watching and learning. Soon, you will be amazed at how one small beginning can keep branching out, growing into a world of learning where each child progresses differently.  Your student may fly through literature books and struggle with math – not everyone can master quantum theory!  But as you take small learning steps, knowledge will build and confidence will be gained.          

    WV homeschoolers are diverse: single income families, two income families, single moms, special needs families.  Some families spend thousands on education, while some spend very little.  Do we see a different learning result?  NO.  The main factor in learning success is the involvement of the family.  

    Ultimately, while some may find it easier to continue a real homeschool program with the parent directing the learning, others may choose to stay with programs/solutions the public school offers.  Know that if you do decide to give homeschooling a try, CHEWV is here to help! 

  • Homeschooling: Getting Started Part 1

    Homeschooling: Getting Started Part 1

    Choosing to homeschool is a major decision.  Although homeschooling has been around for many years, it is still not as familiar as “going to school”.  Families contemplating homeschooling can experience apprehension. Questions arise from doubts within and  individuals without. This article is designed to answer some of those questions and give parents the confidence and encouragement they need to train their children at home.

    What about socialization?

    The word socialization has its roots in the word social.  Socialization is commonly understood to be the ability to relate to others of varying ages and interests in an amiable manner.  

    When children are placed in a public school setting, they relate to only a fraction of the population – their peer age group. Exposure to other age groups is quite limited and thus socialization is narrow.  We have all seen examples of children who cannot answer a simple question from an adult or do not know how to enjoy and play with someone younger. Children who are schooled at home, however, are not bound by rooms and peer age groups.  Homeschoolers tend to be able to experience life outside the confines of age and place where their awareness of others and others’ needs is awakened.

    The mail carrier, who would normally go unnoticed, becomes a friend to look forward to seeing each day.  Likewise, the clerk at the store becomes someone to greet with courtesy.  Not only does research show homeschoolers are often more appropriately socialized than their public school counterparts, but people who know homeschool families can generally attest these children interact very well with others.

    Will my child learn everything he/she needs to know?

    Today, there is a  multitude of curriculum choices available for homeschooling families.  This, coupled with the parents’ desire and commitment to provide a quality education, adds up to a successful formula.  Excellent books and resources, such as Robin Scarlata’s book entitled What Your Child Needs to Know When, the WVDE website lists the state’s grade level standard, and a browse through some curriculums can  help establish learning points for each grade level.

    Am I qualified to do this?

    According to WV state law, anyone with a high school diploma or equivalent may legally teach their children at home. Current research indicates that the parent’s level of education has a negligible effect on the education level of a homeschooled student.  God can accomplish wonderful things through dedicated and committed parents who are set on having their child succeed.

    Is it legal?

    Homeschooling has been legal in WV since 1986. CHEWV encourages you to know and understand the WV State law.  For your convenience, visit the WV Homeschool Law page on our website for the full text of the law.

    How do I do begin?

    If you are investigating homeschooling for the first time or not sure how to begin, CHEWV has developed the following steps to get started.  These steps are not necessarily meant to be sequential, although some steps may best be accomplished before others.

    1. Investigate the Legality
    • Know the requirements of the WV Homeschool Law
    • Submit a one-time Notice of Intent (NOI) including all children of compulsory age (age 6 as of July 1).  If another child is added later, another NOI will need to be submitted for that child only.
    • An annual assessment must be completed annually for every grade level.   Assessment reports are only submitted to the county in  grades 3, 5, 8, and 11.  The deadline for an assessment report to the county school board  is  June 30.  Assessments for all other grades are to be completed annually and kept in your records for at least 3 years.
    *It is recommended that all notices and reports be sent via registered/certified mail to alleviate any question about when documentation arrived.
    2. Prepare Your Child to Learn

    How does your child learn?  Just as we all possess individual personalities, we also have different learning styles.

    There are 3 basic learning styles.

      1. Auditory – by hearing
      2. Visual – by seeing
      3. Kinesthetic – by doing

    While each person may have a bent or preference, that does not mean all learning should be focused toward this bent.  Learning should be built upon all three methods, so each style or ability is developed fully within the child.

    It is helpful to know your child’s learning style in choosing what kind of curriculum to use in homeschooling.  For example, if you have a kinesthetic learner, he will become frustrated with a curriculum that consists primarily of workbooks (visual).

    Many have found the three following basic tips are helpful in making your day more enjoyable and successful:

      • Teach Obedience – A child needs to understand that he/she must carry out Mom’s instructions. Many child training books and good blogs are available if help is needed.
      • Develop Listening Skills – Teach your child to be attentive and listen completely to all instructions given before acting upon them.
      • Develop an Excitement for Learning – Be enthusiastic, not apprehensive about learning together.  Ask questions; pique interest; read extensively
    3.  Set Priorities and Goals

    Goals give you a road map, so you know where you are headed and don’t get side-tracked. Homeschooling brings an added responsibility in your life.  Prioritizing your day’s activities and events and developing a schedule will help in fulfilling your goals.  

    What goals do you want to accomplish by the end of the year?

          • Subjects to cover
          • Character issues to address
          • Mastery of subjects to achieve

    Keep your goals simple and tangible, so you can see your accomplishment each time you reach a milestone.  On my first day, my goal was simply to move through each subject and make it to the end of the day!  I am now nearing the time when my goals are more long term.  When I begin a year now, I try to keep my goals and priorities pointed toward the end of high school and what will need to be accomplished by then.

    Our ultimate goal is to raise children who will love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind and love their neighbors.  We strive to train up children who will be able to stand – with us and without us.

    Continue Getting Started: Part II

  • If a Student Takes His Classes at Home…

    If a Student Takes His Classes at Home…

    …Isn’t He a Homeschooler?

    The 2017 legislative session marked the beginning of a push for online public school options in West Virginia, making it possible to be a public school student from the comfort of one’s own home.  While CHEWV supports the right of ALL parents to choose the best educational option for their children,

    we believe it is important for both parents and government officials to understand the difference between homeschooling and public school at home. 

    “Educational options” are essentially three-fold.  Children can be sent to public government-controlled schools paid for by public funds; parents can pay to send their children to private schools; or parents can take complete and personal control of the education of their children by homeschooling them.

    CHEWV helps protect the latter choice.

    But what about public school at home? Most assume that any child schooled at home is a homeschooler.  But this is not necessarily the case. In his veto statement about the sports access bill in 2017, the governor implied that public school at home was homeschooling.  However, the location of the schooling is not so important as the content and control of the education.  Let’s explore that idea further. 

    When taxes are paid to the government, those taxes become “public funds”  which our representatives then decide how to spend.  When public funds finance a child’s education, the representatives – as well as public policy makers within the government’s educational bureaucracy – also place demands on what will be taught to the student. Control of a child’s education is shifted from the parents to the county; from the county to the state; and, finally, from the state to the federal government.

    These county, state and federal officials have come to believe that they have a responsibility, not just if physical or educational abuse is suspected, but some sort of responsibility for every child all of the time.  Policing parental choice then becomes part of their concern.  Most of them, blind to the failures in their own system, truly feel that they are policing parents for the good of the children. Unfortunately, this holds true even when the parent fully funds the education.

    In other states, homeschoolers have discovered that difficulties multiply when they start accepting tax funds or tax-funded resources for their children. Eventually the parents’ choices are quite limited and God is absent from the curriculum – “separated” from the “state” education. Choice disappears. Government education is all that remains – regardless of where it is done.

    Since 1986, WV parents have been free to educate in the way that they believe is best for their child, as long as they privately fund that education. Recently, WV government schools have offered them “public school at home” – the same schooling, paid for with government funds, that they offer in their brick-and-mortar buildings. But is this homeschooling?

    No. Because WV has a compulsory attendance law that requires that every child attend school, parents must utilize a hard-won exemption in order to homeschool. But traditional public schoolers could switch to public school at home without an exemption because these aren’t homeschool courses – even if homeschoolers may enroll in them.

    The legal recognition of the right to homeschool was a hard-won battle fought so that parents could direct the upbringing of their children. “Home-based” education is part of that, but not the most important part. The worldview of the education and the individualized approach are even more essential to most Christian homeschool parents

    Public school students are educated according to the curriculum and rules of the public school. While an individual school or county board might allow flexibility, they can also take that flexibility away. In other states they have done so – because they have the authority to do so.

    Of the three tenets of homeschooling, “parent-directed” is the most important. Fundamental to homeschooling is that the parent is in charge.

    Bottom line? Control is the key factor. As a parent, how much of your child’s education do you want to control? Do you want to exercise your right to decide when and what your child is taught about sexuality, or about God’s role in the origins of life and the unfolding of history? Homeschooling allows you, not government, to control the worldview. Homeschooling allows you to fully guide your child’s education.

    However, homeschooling does not allow you not to educate. West Virginia homeschoolers are required by law to teach at least the five subjects of reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies, and to assess student achievement each year. A parent who is not teaching his or her children those five subjects is not a legal homeschooler in the state of WV.

    Granted, for a kindergarten student, appropriate social studies might be visiting the local fire station and learning about community helpers. Depending on the grade level, this may or may not mean studying a textbook daily in all five subjects. West Virginia’s homeschooling law allows for a variety of appropriate educational approaches, but it does not allow “not schooling” as so many officials assert. A child who is neither sent to school nor educated appropriately at home is not a homeschooler, but a truant.

    While CHEWV believes that all parents should be able to choose any legal educational option for their children, we specifically exist to defend and support the right to homeschool. That right is not the same as doing public school at home. We hope that parents who consider public school at home will also consider that there may be unforeseen consequences. While we will do our best to inform parents about how homeschooling and virtual public school options mesh (e.g. homeschoolers can take up to x virtual classes while remaining legal homeschoolers), we exist to protect your right to take no public school classes at all if you choose. It is imperative that we all understand the difference between a public school student, a homeschooled student, and a truant. We must first understand our options before making an informed choice.

    NOTE:  2022 ushered in yet another choice for parents, the Hope Scholarship. Hope students using an “Individualized Instruction Program” may also school at home.  But they are schooling under the new Exemption m.  WV homeschooling continues to fall under Exemption c.  For more information, check out this article.