Making Positive Connections With Homeschoolers

By Request...January 2000

Northwest Sampler: Washington

Location
Battle Ground School District
HomeLink Resource Center
P.O. Box 200
Battle Ground, WA 98604
Contact
Larry Pierson, Coordinator, grades K-8
Gary Albers, Coordinator, grades 9-12
Phone: 360/687-9330
Fax: 360/687-3040
Web Site: www.parentpartners.net/
E-mail: homelink@bgsd.k12.wa.us

Description

In an effort to reach out to its growing home school population and to provide them with valuable educational assistance, the Battle Ground School District implemented a program called HomeLink in 1993. Technically an alternative school program, HomeLink enables homeschooled students, grades K-12, to access the district as part-time students for a variety of courses and services. HomeLink offers individualized experiences that enhance home education for over 1,100 students and their parents. The goal of HomeLink is to support, not supplant what families are already doing for their children. Parents are intricately involved in the success of the program, from consulting with other parents, to teaching elective courses, to serving on the Parent Advisory Team (PAT) and site council. The district feels very strongly that in order for HomeLink to remain a strong and attractive option for homeschooling families, it must stay in tune with the specific needs of this unique population. This would be impossible if parents did not play an intricate role in all facets of the program.

The HomeLink campus is a bustling place filled with classrooms, computer labs, offices and educational materials. No corner goes unused. Parents and children come and go throughout the day as their schedules dictate. Two indications of the success of HomeLink in the district are the 15,400 square foot campus addition that opened in the Fall of 1999, and the growing satellite program implemented three years ago in a neighboring school district.

HomeLink is staffed by certified teachers, paraprofessionals, parent consultants, two administrators and classified staff. All 100 staff members share a common dedication to the concept of homeschooling. They respect the choices homeschooling families have made and work to support those decisions.

Services provided by HomeLink can be best described on a continuum from least to greatest direct student/parent engagement in the program, meaning time spent physically at the HomeLink site, as well as the amount of services received. As the following chart indicates, the farther right one moves on the continuum, the greater the amount of engagement. The graphic is followed by a description of each service.

HomeLink Continuun of Engagement

Homelink Continuum of Engagement

Electives

HomeLink elective classes are specifically designed to meet the needs of home-based educators and their children (K-8). By design, these free, non-credit classes are family friendly, accommodating different ability levels concurrently, thus making it possible for families with two or more homeschooled children to attend at once. Most are year-long courses and meet for one-and-a-half hours each week. It is completely up to students and their parents to determine what electives (if any) to pursue. HomeLink parents have a large role in the design and implementation of the classes, and often are the paid instructors. Families can take advantage of elective course offerings without any further engagement with HomeLink, provided they attend less than half time. The goal is for these courses to be relevant, useful, and fun.

Two types of elective courses are offered through HomeLink, Discovery and Trek. They are distinguished by their content. Trek classes focus on skill and mastery in a core area like math, science, writing, or reading, and are taught by certified staff. Discovery courses, generally taught by paraprofessionals, are meant to be less academic and can include topics such as crafts, cooking, or physical education activities. They are also distinguishable by the role parents are expected to play—parents are required to attend Trek classes and work as a team with the classroom teacher, while parents attend Discovery classes only on a rotating basis.

Examples of the more than 100 HomeLink elective classes offered include sign language, Spanish, gymnastics, chess, drama, math, and writer’s workshop. Certified teachers instruct additional electives like band, and numerous science, computer, and art labs.

Diploma Program

HomeLink’s high school diploma program is designed to allow families of high school students the opportunity to combine public education with an individualized home education to earn a high school diploma. Technically, students are enrolled as full-time students in the Battle Ground School District, but all of their coursework is completed at home. Students and their parents are required to meet weekly for one hour with a certificated HomeLink consultant to record home study hours, review course work, and discuss goals for the upcoming week. The consultant’s main responsibilities are to assist families with developing written contracts for each class, selecting appropriate curriculum, providing feedback and direction regarding student work, and awarding grades and credits as appropriate.

ClassLink

ClassLink is a cluster of graded, project-based classes taught by certified teachers. These classes, available to students in grades five through eight, meet two days each week throughout the school year. Fifth and sixth-graders are taught in one group, seventh and eighth in another. The integrated curriculum includes computer technology, writing, and a two year rotation of science and history. District-approved history and science textbooks are provided for each student. ClassLink is for parents who may be new to homeschooling and want to transition slowly to full-time home education. It is also for parents who want a more structured setting to supplement what they are already doing at home with their children. Parents appreciate that ClassLink provides them with the guidance and expertise of a certified teacher.

Parents are required to assist in ClassLink rooms for a half day each month, which allows them to see student interaction and teacher instruction. To continually refine and enhance their instructional skills, all ClassLink parents are required to participate in monthly consultations with “expert home school educators” on the day they assist in the classroom. Parents are responsible for documenting additional weekly hours of home study using the plan/record book provided by HomeLink to attain a combined total of 25 student learning hours per week. Parents must also attend a monthly planning and strategy session.

CAM

Character, Academics, Marketplace (CAM) High School is classified as an alternative secondary school. Located on the HomeLink campus, the school serves students in grades seven through 12. It is geared toward students who previously homeschooled and to former private school students. CAM curriculum and structure take into account many of the things this particular student population and their families value, such as parent involvement in all facets of schooling, small classes, and character education. Students attend CAM full-time Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and use Wednesday to pursue elective credits such as physical education and community service projects.

In addition to its many offerings for students, HomeLink provides consultation services for parents. Called PrimeLink, these services are targeted at parents of students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The consultants are themselves homeschooling parents who have developed an expertise in home education as a result of being home teachers for several years. They also receive training from HomeLink staff. The intent of the program is to provide parents with emotional and technical support necessary for successful home school experiences.

Parents involved in PrimeLink meet with a consultant one to four times per month to design curriculum for their children. Special attention is given to helping parents access HomeLink resources including classes, software, videos, books, audio tapes, learning kits, and curriculum examples. Parents also have the option of attending regularly scheduled seminars on curriculum, teaching strategies, authentic assessment, and other topics of interest. PrimeLink consultants monitor the home program, and ensure that essential learning requirements are targeted, as specified by Washington education legislation. Parents furnish documentation of at least 20 hours of total weekly instruction, including all elective classes, for the primary grades, and 25 hours a week for fourth through eighth grades.

Everything that happens at HomeLink is done with the interests of families at heart. The Parent Advisory Team and HomeLink’s administrative team are committed to supporting homeschooling families without displacing home education. It is also important to the instructional team at HomeLink that parents’ primary focus be on homeschooling, and not on partnering with HomeLink.

Observed Outcomes

Keys to Success