Education Solution

Educational materials are available free online from a wide variety of sources. Suitable for homeschooling and teaching in a traditional classroom setting, the following are some ways to get free homeschool worksheets and lesson plans online.

Step 1
Look for web sites about homeschooling or sites where teachers and homeschoolers might frequent, such as forums or social networking groups. Often people will tell about free worksheets or materials they have found.

Step 2
Search online using search terms such as “free homeschool lesson plans”, “free homeschool worksheets”, free educational material” etc. The results should bring up several web sites.

A few examples of web sites that offer free homeschool

Step 3
If you are looking for worksheets and lessons for a specific age group or grade level, you might want to consider adding that to your search terms. For example, you could search “free homeschool worksheets 4th grade level”.

To find specific subjects you can use that in your search as well, such as “free homeschool worksheets 4th grade level math” or whatever other specifics you want to find.

Step 4
Consider using online sources that provide educational material such as the Library of Congress web site. You can find many useful items that you can print out and use as free homeshool worksheets. These include lesson plans, webcasts, educational activities and more.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) does a wonderful job of explaining what it means to be a homeschool friendly college. Here is a link to that information: HSLDA.org .

In general, a homeschool friendly college is one that treats a homeschool applicant the same as a public school applicant. Your child would be requested to take the exact same tests as any other student – more tests are not required of a homeschool applicant. Some colleges say they are homeschool friendly, when in reality they have “hoops” that we have to jump through. HSLDA has a rating scale for college admission policies here:

Tier 1: The college accepts the parent’s transcript, along with general standardized achievement testing, and/or the review of a portfolio.

Tier 2: The college requires a GED in place of, or in addition to, any of the Tier I requirements.

Tier 3: This type of college requires test scores (like the SAT II) from home school students that are not required of traditional high school students, which is inequitable.

Let’s compare three colleges that claim to be homeschool friendly: Trinity Western University,The University of Washington, and Evergreen State College.

Trinity Western University

Trinity Western University is actively seeking homeschoolers, telling me: “TWU is a great fit for homeschoolers because we are a small university that has the ability to provide students with an incredible campus community to be a part of, lots of individual attention and the opportunity to grow academically in the students own area of strength.” When you look at their homeschool admission policy, it reads:
“Students who complete their secondary education through homeschooling must complete the regular application for admission and TWU’s Homeschool Education Background Chart. They must also submit official SAT or ACT scores.”

I looked at TWU’s Homeschool Education Background Chart, and it looks the same as a homeschool transcript except that it is signed by the parent, declaring it to be true. It asks what curriculum is used. It does not ask for additional testing. I found it interesting that Trinity Western University does not require a foreign language. Notice that this college is NOT asking for an accredited transcript. What about scholarships at Trinity Western University?
“Homeschoolers are considered for scholarships based on parent provided grades. TWU does not look at SAT or ACT scores to determine scholarships – just GPA (since Canadian students do not write the SAT or ACT). However we do require the SAT or ACT for admission purposes.”

For more information about Trinity Western University, see their website or contact Sharon Peters in admissions: sharonp@twu.ca .

The University of Washington

The University of Washington wants homeschoolers as well. On the UW website, their homeschool policy states: “The University of Washington values all forms of learning. Homeschooled students bring myriad unique qualities to our campus, and we welcome their interest in the UW.” Their policy accepts a homeschool transcript, saying:

“Homeschooled applicants must present a homeschool transcript that includes course titles of each subject studied, duration of study, a short description of content, and grade or assessment of performance.”

Notice that this college is NOT asking for an accredited transcript.

Unfortunately the policy also goes on to say this:

“Homeschool course work must also be validated in the four core subject areas listed below. (No testing is required for social studies or arts.) Homeschooled applicants must submit official test scores for validation. The following scores provide such validation:”

The policy statement goes on to explain how the SAT may provide documentation for math, English and science, but that more testing is needed. They want additional tests to demonstrate science and foreign language as well. That means that homeschoolers are required to take more tests than other applicants! This demonstrates a policy that is not homeschool friendly. They are listed as “tier 3″ by HSLDA. That doesn’t mean that homeschoolers can’t be admitted. It does mean that it is harder to go through the process of admission.

State law does not prohibit homeschooling in California. Although the state seems permissive, there are some requirements that have to be met, mainly concerning the subjects that are taught in California.

Homeschool Laws in California

According to the California Education Code §48222, all children between 6 and 18 years of age are required to enroll in public school unless they are attending a full-time private school or are being taught by a tutor who holds a valid California teaching credential. Most homeschool parents meet §48222 by establishing a private school in their home or enroll in a school that offers independent study, either of which negates the requirement for a parent to hold a California teaching credential.

Keep in mind that California requires all private schools to teach certain subjects. For example, English, math, science, social studies, fine arts, health and physical education must be taught. Additional subjects are required in grades 7-12. California Education Code §51210 and §51220 detail the subject requirements.

Despite court challenges on constitutional grounds and infringement of religious freedom, homeschool parents need to teach the above subjects to stay legal. Currently, there is no provision in California law for supervising the instruction of these required subjects. This means parents are free to determine how the required subjects are taught. With freedom to design curriculum, parents can get learning materials such as homeschool textbooks inexpensively or even free.

Setting up a California Homeschool

To set up a home based private school, submit an electronic private school affidavit (PSA) on the California Department of Education website between October 1st and October 15th of each year. That website also has additional information on setting up a home based private school.

After the school has been set up, contact the child’s previous school and inform them that he or she will be attending another school. If notification to the school is not done, the government will consider the child to be truant. At the same time, request student records from the previous school so that the homeschool has complete cumulative student records as required by California law.

Other options for setting up home schooling include enrolling in independent study programs with a private school, charter school, or even some public school districts. In exchange for restrictions on curriculum and tuition, independent study programs provide materials and support for homeschoolers. Contact local schools and local homeschooling groups to find available options.

California Homeschooling High School

Public school students are required to take the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate. Private school students are not subject to this requirement. Homeschool students need to meet the graduation requirements of their school, which may be entirely determined by the parents.

The GED or the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) may be taken to validate a student’s academic program, but this is not required. Only a diploma from the homeschool is needed.

College admissions tests such as the SAT, ACT, or the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exam do not require attendance at any particular high school. For example, it is not necessary to have taken any formal AP class in order to take an AP exam.

Colleges are not required to waive any admissions requirements for homeschoolers, including those that have to do with standardized tests. It is important that students who want to go to college learn how to do well on standardized tests, even if the tests were not part of the homeschool curriculum.