A number of years ago before AI, one of my tutors was working with a student in writing. She was struggling and often turned in assignments late with mediocre content. On one occasion, a miracle occurred, or so it seemed. She submitted an exceptional five-paragraph essay. There were no punctuation or grammatical errors, her topic sentences…
If you want to opt out of the standard achievement test requirement for home schoolers because you suspect your child has a learning disability, here are the steps: Get a diagnosis. Awareness that your student seems to have difficulty in processing information, in expressing themselves verbally or in writing, reverses letters or numbers, or is…
In one of my previous articles, I said to opt out of testing, the student will need to be on an IEP or PDP. While similar in function, there are some differences. The “Away Game” Option The IEP is a document created and managed by the public school. It is framed to adhere to all federal, state and…
It’s been awhile since I wrote part 1 of The End of Home Schooling so you may want to read it in our archives (click here) to understand the context of the following. So, who did or should the graduates have identified with? Our speaker gave them a few moments to ponder the question and shocked…
On a weekly basis, he sees a man who comes to an outreach ministry for support and help. The visit always begins a little awkwardly– the man smells and looks like he just arrived from a campsite. Actually that’s pretty close to the truth; hours before he was dozing in a sleeping bag. He and…
Screen time. Do you keep going back for more? If we’re honest, the answer is yes. Our addictive technologies and various platforms have most of us hooked. Two years ago, Jenny and I decided to pull the plug on our TV subscription. The service was fine, but we mutually decided we could do without…
Children with an identified learning disability may opt out of achievement testing. The first step is to notify ESD. Notification for a child with a learning disability works the same way as notification does for children without a disability. Parents shall notify the ESD superintendent of intent to home school a child with a disability…
There are two questions here. The answer to the first question, “What grade is my child in,” in one sense is unimportant from an educational point of view. Elementary education is largely skill-based. Skills, of course, are linked to grade levels. Even so, a degree of mastery of a particular skill should be evident before…
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Hello Home School Families! It’s been quite awhile since I’ve written. Since testing season, like spring, is here, I thought I’d communicate with you about the role and use of technology here at Basic Skills. With AI being in the news a lot, this seems important. I want to start by saying that you can count…