Email Exchange of the Day:
Ok so I’m confused. How is a K12 program public school, but you do it at home? Is there different requirements of a public school “at home” rather than homeschool? I’m not too familiar with the K12 and my phone is being lame and can’t look it up right now cuz it’s super slow at the moment.
Answer:
It’s a good question.
In WA, homeschooling is defined as being provided “by a parent, educating his or her child only.”
Homeschoolers have to qualify, declare intent, cover the 11 subjects, test or assess annually, and keep certain records.
But — within that framework — “all decisions relating to philosophy or doctrine, selection of books, teaching materials and curriculum, and methods, timing and place in the provision or evaluation of home-based instruction shall be the responsibility of the parent.”
Homeschoolers can unschool, Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, Classical, or anything in between, or anything else.
We have lots of different kinds of public school programs in WA — including those, like K-12, that are administered in the home. This confuses lots of folks, who think that it’s homeschooling.
Response:
Yes! My sister in law said she was using the K12 program to homeschool my nieces and nephews!!
Answer:
It is possible to buy K-12 on the open market and use it to homeschool, but if you’re in WA and doing it for “free” — it’s because you enrolled in a public school.
Response:
Oh ok!!! So do you have to check in with the public school or something if you are doing a K12??
Answer:
The K12 program was designed by Bill Bennett, former education tzar — it was originally marketed to homeschoolers to use as a curriculum, but it was too expensive to get much of the market share. Then they realized they could make a lot more money selling it to the school systems and making an end-run around charter school laws.
If you sign up for the K-12 free school, you enroll in a school, and are assigned to a teacher. You have to follow the curriculum in a certain period of time, check in with the teacher, file paperwork, etc. etc. It’s public school at home, and you’re an unpaid public school employee, overseeing your students.
Response:
Oh, gothcha.
Oh ok, well that’s why I want to homeschool, so we have nothing to do with public schools lol I guess I was confused because I just saw a post about a lady that said she used it. Ok I will continue learning more until it’s time to homeschool oursThanks for all your help….sometime feel like I have stupid questions l should already know the answer to lol
Answer:
No worries. Seriously — a lot of folks are unclear about this. ~Jen