Hi!
Could you recommend a particular standardize test? I have 2 elememtary students (gr. 3&5).
Your blog has been really helpful to me. Thank you so much!
~Jill
Hi Jill,
I always ordered the CAT survey from Seton Home Study ($25 and quick results). Seton no longer carries the 3rd grade level (they may be phasing it out). I don’t have experience with others but Seton does offer other tests as well as an indication of the qualification required to administer them. You may not administer the pencil and paper tests, you’ll have to find someone else to do that but if you choose the online option, you don’t have to find another person since the computer is administering the test. If you think the time element will be stressful for your child(ren), that might not be the best option. Regardless the actual score on the test doesn’t matter and honestly, I have never thought standardized test scores are an accurate measure of what children know, are learning or how they’re progressing. Hope this helps. http://www.setontesting.com
Very much!
Thank you, Beth
Could a parent within the family be approved as an evaluator for their own child, or must the evaluator be someone from outside the family? I ask because I am an experienced homeschooler (about 20 years) and my husband has several years of experience teaching at the college level. This question is far ahead because our youngest child is not yet school age, and we are only considering moving to Pennsylvania. I realize when the time comes changes could take place in the laws, but I felt the question was still worth asking since we have an older child that would need an evaluator if we moved within the next year.
The homeschool law specifically prohibits parents from evaluating their own children. I don’t expect the law to change any time soon, if ever, in this regard. If you have trouble finding an evaluator in your area, many experienced and qualified evaluators are beginning to offer distance evaluations. You would submit your child’s portfolio (by mail or digitally) and the evaluator interviews your child by phone or video conference.
My degree is in Elementary Education and I taught fourth grade for two years in the public school system. Am I not permitted to conduct secondary evaluations because I haven’t taught at the secondary level?
Thanks,
Melissa
Additionally, I have taught my own son at the secondary level giving me two years of secondary teaching experience. Am I still prohibited from performing secondary evaluations because my certificate is an elementary certificate?
Your experience teaching your own child at the secondary level (two years of grading experience of subjects listed in statute) and your PA Certification qualify you to evaluate other homeschooled children. As per your “grading” experience in the elementary level (previous comment), you are also qualified to evaluate the elementary level.
Thanks a ton! I’m so thankful I “happened” upon your website yesterday:)
Because of the following wording in the law, I’m now questioning whether my grading of my own son at the secondary level in our homeschool does, indeed, meet the requirements for me to be an evaluator at the secondary level: “A home education program shall not be considered a nonpublic school under the provisions of this act.” Can you give any insight?
Because you’re a PA certified teacher, you’re not relying on the “non public” school teacher evaluator status.
Ok, so it doesn’t matter that the certification is elementary and my secondary evaluation experience is only in my homeschool?
No, level of certification doesn’t matter. The “grading” experience for each level does. Look closely at 24 P.S. ยง1327(e)(1)(ii).
Ok, thanks! Sorry for being a nuisance;)
Not a nuisance. Hopefully, it will help clarify this issue for someone else, too.
Hi,
How many time are you required to meet with your evaluator during the school year?
The evaluator should interview each student only once.
To be a high school evaluator, I must have 2 years experience in grading any of the above subjects. I have experience from 2001-2002 and again from 2004-2005. Since that has been over 10 years ago, do I now NOT qualify?
The grading experience also has to be in the secondary level grades.
The 10 year restriction is for non-public teachers who were never certified by the State of PA (private schools sometimes hire non-certified teachers). If you have a PA teacher’s certificate, the 2 years of grading in the listed subjects can be at any time and does not have to be consecutive or continuous and does not expire.
Yes, I do have the experience from grading at the high school level. I do have a PA teacher’s certificate as well, so I am good! Thank you for clarifying that for me!
Hi! This is my first year homeschooling my 4th grader. What can I expect when we meet with our Evaluator?
Jennifer, it really depends on whether the evaluator you choose follows the law or expects more. I never advocate choosing someone who expects more. I wrote an article about how to choose an evaluator which you can read here: https://pahomeschoollaw.com/how-to-choose-an-evaluator/.
Some examples of expecting more include requiring a minumum book list, asking the student to recite something out loud, requiring certain curriculum or rejecting your choice of method or manner of covering subjects, asking for a detailed account of your school days or checklist or attendance record or lesson plans (none of which are required by the law). An interview doesn’t have to be long or extensive under the law, it just has to happen. An evaluation shouldn’t include curriculum or educational support. If a parent requests this type of thing, the evaluator should make it clear that a legal evaluation does not require this type of thing-or better yet, keep that separate altogether. That would be up to the parent and evaluator. Expect to pay something for the service and ask around in your area as to the going rate. Some evaluators justify a high fee because they write a detailed report or conduct a long interview-neither of which is required by the law.
If you want a more thorough explanation on what to expect/not expect, I highly recommend the ebook I wrote and I also discuss this further in the video course:
Hope this helps
I hope this gives you an idea of what an evaluator shouldn’t do. Otherwise, evaluators have many styles and different personalities and families expect varying levels
Hi!
Could you recommend a particular standardize test? I have 2 elememtary students (gr. 3&5).
Your blog has been really helpful to me. Thank you so much!
~Jill
Hi Jill,
I always ordered the CAT survey from Seton Home Study ($25 and quick results). Seton no longer carries the 3rd grade level (they may be phasing it out). I don’t have experience with others but Seton does offer other tests as well as an indication of the qualification required to administer them. You may not administer the pencil and paper tests, you’ll have to find someone else to do that but if you choose the online option, you don’t have to find another person since the computer is administering the test. If you think the time element will be stressful for your child(ren), that might not be the best option. Regardless the actual score on the test doesn’t matter and honestly, I have never thought standardized test scores are an accurate measure of what children know, are learning or how they’re progressing. Hope this helps. http://www.setontesting.com
Very much!
Thank you, Beth
Could a parent within the family be approved as an evaluator for their own child, or must the evaluator be someone from outside the family? I ask because I am an experienced homeschooler (about 20 years) and my husband has several years of experience teaching at the college level. This question is far ahead because our youngest child is not yet school age, and we are only considering moving to Pennsylvania. I realize when the time comes changes could take place in the laws, but I felt the question was still worth asking since we have an older child that would need an evaluator if we moved within the next year.
The homeschool law specifically prohibits parents from evaluating their own children. I don’t expect the law to change any time soon, if ever, in this regard. If you have trouble finding an evaluator in your area, many experienced and qualified evaluators are beginning to offer distance evaluations. You would submit your child’s portfolio (by mail or digitally) and the evaluator interviews your child by phone or video conference.
My degree is in Elementary Education and I taught fourth grade for two years in the public school system. Am I not permitted to conduct secondary evaluations because I haven’t taught at the secondary level?
Thanks,
Melissa
Additionally, I have taught my own son at the secondary level giving me two years of secondary teaching experience. Am I still prohibited from performing secondary evaluations because my certificate is an elementary certificate?
Your experience teaching your own child at the secondary level (two years of grading experience of subjects listed in statute) and your PA Certification qualify you to evaluate other homeschooled children. As per your “grading” experience in the elementary level (previous comment), you are also qualified to evaluate the elementary level.
Thanks a ton! I’m so thankful I “happened” upon your website yesterday:)
Because of the following wording in the law, I’m now questioning whether my grading of my own son at the secondary level in our homeschool does, indeed, meet the requirements for me to be an evaluator at the secondary level: “A home education program shall not be considered a nonpublic school under the provisions of this act.” Can you give any insight?
Because you’re a PA certified teacher, you’re not relying on the “non public” school teacher evaluator status.
Ok, so it doesn’t matter that the certification is elementary and my secondary evaluation experience is only in my homeschool?
No, level of certification doesn’t matter. The “grading” experience for each level does. Look closely at 24 P.S. ยง1327(e)(1)(ii).
Ok, thanks! Sorry for being a nuisance;)
Not a nuisance. Hopefully, it will help clarify this issue for someone else, too.
Hi,
How many time are you required to meet with your evaluator during the school year?
The evaluator should interview each student only once.
To be a high school evaluator, I must have 2 years experience in grading any of the above subjects. I have experience from 2001-2002 and again from 2004-2005. Since that has been over 10 years ago, do I now NOT qualify?
The grading experience also has to be in the secondary level grades.
The 10 year restriction is for non-public teachers who were never certified by the State of PA (private schools sometimes hire non-certified teachers). If you have a PA teacher’s certificate, the 2 years of grading in the listed subjects can be at any time and does not have to be consecutive or continuous and does not expire.
Yes, I do have the experience from grading at the high school level. I do have a PA teacher’s certificate as well, so I am good! Thank you for clarifying that for me!
Hi! This is my first year homeschooling my 4th grader. What can I expect when we meet with our Evaluator?
Jennifer, it really depends on whether the evaluator you choose follows the law or expects more. I never advocate choosing someone who expects more. I wrote an article about how to choose an evaluator which you can read here: https://pahomeschoollaw.com/how-to-choose-an-evaluator/.
Some examples of expecting more include requiring a minumum book list, asking the student to recite something out loud, requiring certain curriculum or rejecting your choice of method or manner of covering subjects, asking for a detailed account of your school days or checklist or attendance record or lesson plans (none of which are required by the law). An interview doesn’t have to be long or extensive under the law, it just has to happen. An evaluation shouldn’t include curriculum or educational support. If a parent requests this type of thing, the evaluator should make it clear that a legal evaluation does not require this type of thing-or better yet, keep that separate altogether. That would be up to the parent and evaluator. Expect to pay something for the service and ask around in your area as to the going rate. Some evaluators justify a high fee because they write a detailed report or conduct a long interview-neither of which is required by the law.
If you want a more thorough explanation on what to expect/not expect, I highly recommend the ebook I wrote and I also discuss this further in the video course:
Hope this helps
I hope this gives you an idea of what an evaluator shouldn’t do. Otherwise, evaluators have many styles and different personalities and families expect varying levels