HOMESCHOOLING LAWS
Homeschooling is a legal educational option for parents and children in all 50 states. While the requirements for Washington State will be discussed in more depth, a good place for homeschoolers in other states to begin is to access information from the Homeschool Legal Defense Association.
HOMESCHOOL SUPPORT
Washington State Homeschool Law: 1) The parent must register yearly with the school district in which the family is a resident. 2) The parent must have (a) 45 credit hours of college, or (b) must take a Homeschool Qualifying Course sponsored by a post-secondary institution, or (c) work through a certified teacher who must meet with each child in the family for one-hour per week. 3) The parent must have the student tested by a qualified person or assessed annually by a certificated person currently working in the field of education..
If you do not have the college credits and have not yet taken a Homeschool Qualifying Course, Karen can help you set up your homeschool program, give you aid in lesson planning, and monitor that program for you. She can provide materials, books, aid in lesson planning. Rosehill Academy offers library services, and testing. A complete program K-12 is available.
Eleven subject areas are required in the Washington Homeschool Law. They are: occupational education, science, math, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of the appreciation of art and music (fine arts).
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Rosehill Academy/Children's Academic Program is an approved private school in the state of Washington. Students can access this school either through direct contact or through distance learning using "snail mail" or the internet. Karen can be the primary teacher or a support for the homeschooling parent who needs assistance in a specific subject area. Karen has established classes for preschool-kindergarten and primary grades in which Karen meets with each class once a week or bi-weekly. Parents assume the teaching role during the rest of the time. She also holds bi-weekly classes for junior-senior highschoolers who are enrolled in her history/literature/writing program. Students discuss literature they are reading. They also write papers and complete projects of a historical nature. Students have the opportunity to develop speaking skills through oral presentations. The history/literature/writing program is explained in another part of this homepage. Some parents have also expressed interest in American Sign Language (ASL) classes. Though not an interpreter, Karen has taken several classes in an interpreter-training program and has Deaf Friends. She would appreciate the opportunity to help parents of deaf children--whether in the public school system or homeschooling.
HOMESCHOOL QUALIFYING COURSE
Karen Allwine is the instructor of the Homeschool Qualifying Course through the Community Colleges of Spokane. The focus of this course, though discussing "natural learning" is designed to teach parents where to find and how to select and use good curriculum. Topics in the course include the law, support for homeschoolers and community services, testing, socialization, child development, learning styles, and the 11 required subjects. Both secular and Christian curriculum are shown and the strengths and weaknesses of each program are discussed.
TESTING
Rosehill Academy/Children's Academic Program offers a wide range of testing services. According to the law, every homeschooled child in Washington must be tested yearly by a "qualified" person, or assessed annually by a certificated person currently working in the field of education. The tests which Karen administers are hand-scored and an individualized report is prepared and discussed with the parent. If remediation or enrichment is needed, specific suggestions will be provided. Karen is also available to test public school children whose parents need or want an outside assessment. Rosehill Academy is also a Sunday test site for the pre-college SAT. The Sunday test sites are only for those students who cannot take the test on Saturday due to religious beliefs. Karen also administers the PSAT annually to sophomores and juniors.