Home School Guidelines – Level 2

Freedom Christian Homeschool Guidelines – Level 2

Purpose

The purpose of Freedom Christian Homeschool is to assist homeschooling parents in their endeavor to home educate.  We are not an “umbrella” that shields homeschooling parents from state requirements.  As a homeschooling parent you are directly responsible to the state.  Home schooling is legal in Michigan with fairly broad parameters.  Even though there are broad parameters from the state of Michigan, Freedom Christian School is here to help guide you academically and to provide a self-instructional, Christian curriculum.  The purpose of Level 2 Homeschool through FCS is to keep records for your student, offer academic guidance, and order curriculum.

 

In order to help fulfill the state requirements for home schooling families, we expect students to complete the equivalent of one years’ worth of academic work.  With the Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.) curriculum, that amounts to 12 PACEs in each subject per year.  A student should be completing no less than 5 subjects per year for a total of at least 60 PACEs completed during that academic year.   Students who do not complete at least one PACE per subject per academic quarter (see school calendar for dates) or who do not make significant academic progress that quarter may be unenrolled from our program at the discretion of the FCS administration.

 

Financial

There are two fees for the FCS level 2 homeschool program.  There are administrative fees and there are curriculum fees.  The administrative fee is charged once the registration fee is paid and the completed application is turned in.  It is $150 per child per year or $300 per family per year. The administrative fee can be paid by the semester which is due by September 1^st and February 1^st.  The curriculum fee is due upon pickup of your curriculum materials.  No curriculum will be issued unless the money is first paid up front for it.  Delinquent payment for administrative fees may result in unenrollment from our program

 

Supervision

Upon enrollment in the FCS homeschool program, it then becomes your responsibility to oversee and ensure your child’s academic success.  This includes keeping the integrity of the FCS Homeschool Program by making sure that you take away, to the best of your ability, the temptation to cheat (this means keeping score keys locked and by overseeing proper scoring procedures).

 

 

Placement

A student who enrolls in the FCS Homeschool Program will be tested with a Diagnostic Test for placement.  There are four Diagnostic Tests –Math, English, Reading and Spelling.   The Diagnostic Tests can be completed at home through the ACEMinistries.org website.  The testing must be closely supervised.  A student cannot get help while doing the testing.  The testing may take up to a total of 6 hours so you may want to spread it out over several days.  Please enter the school’s email address (office@freedomchristianschool.org) as the address to which you send the results.  School staff will then evaluate the results and accordingly place your child at his performance level in that subject.  A student may test below their grade level in a subject.  If that is the case, they will need to do “gap” PACEs to make up work where they may have learning gaps.

 

Procedures

Please be careful to follow these tried and proven procedures with the A.C.E. PACE curriculum.  A PACE is a workbook that is similar to a chapter of a textbook.  12 PACEs make up one year’s work in that subject like a textbook.  Each PACE has its own final test and there is not a final exam at the end of the course.  The PACE is divided into sections and at the end of each section is a quiz called a checkup.  The checkup tests the student over the material covered in the section previous to the checkup.  At the end of the PACE is a Self Test that tests the student on the information from the Checkups.  The Checkups and the Self Test are quizzes to test a student’s understanding and they should be treated as such.  Therefore, a student should study for the Checkup or Self Test but they are not allowed to look back in the PACE while doing them.  Be sure that all of the work before the Checkup or Self Test is completed and scored/rescored before the Checkup or Self Test is begun.

 

In order to complete at least 12 PACEs per year in each subject, a student needs to complete at least 4-6 pages per day in each subject.  On average a student should complete no less than one and half PACEs per week and he should complete at least three PACEs per subject each marking period.  A student who is behind in a subject should do extra pages in that subject each day.

 

Scoring

Scoring or checking the PACE work is a very important step.  It is the student’s responsibility to check their own work.  After a student has completed a page or pages, they need to get permission to score their work. The parent should look over each page making sure that the work is complete and then put a check mark at the bottom of each page that is ready to be scored.   The student then checks his work by comparing his answers against the Score (Answer) Key.  If an answer is wrong, they need to mark it with a red x.  When a student is finished scoring, they put the Score Key away and go back and correct all the incorrect answers.  This will require going back to the reading and finding the correct answers or it may include reworking a problem.  Once they have made their corrections, the student will need permission to rescore their work.  While rescoring, any answers that are now correct should have the red x circled indicating that it is correct.  Once the whole page has been corrected, circle the page number also.  Remember that correcting mistakes is an important part of the learning process so be sure that it is done right.

Note:  Do not let student score unattended (an adult should be present).  Also, keep the Score Keys and Test Keys inaccessible while the parent is not around.  Take away the temptation to cheat (copying answers from the Score Key) by close supervision of the scoring process.  Do not let a student copy answers from the score key.

 

Testing

The next step is the PACE test.  After the entire PACE has been scored, take time to review or ask questions from the Self Test.  The Self Test is preparation for the PACE Test so be sure to go over any answers that were wrong and review any unclear concepts.  When you think the student is ready for the PACE Test,  have them take the PACE test.  Testing should be done the following day after the PACE is finished and studied so as to prevent “cramming” information without really learning it.  When the student is ready for the test, have them turn in the PACE and then give them the test.  The tests are not open book type tests so the student can not reference the PACE or notes while doing the test (Geometry is an exception since they may use their “Geometry Handbook” of theorems/postulates for the test).  With Word Building or Etymology tests, an adult will need to say the spelling words aloud to the student.  After the test has been completed by the student, check over it to make sure no answers were accidentally skipped.  An adult must then score the test – not the student.  A passing score of at least 80% must be obtained in order for the student to go on to the next PACE.   If the test is passed, issue the next PACE and a star or sticker for their “Star Chart” so that a student can see their progress.  A score less than 80% means that a child has not yet mastered the material in that PACE and they must do the PACE over again.  When a child has to repeat a PACE he should focus on doing extra in that PACE so he will not get behind. The parent, as the teacher, will turn in the PACE tests to the homeschool director.  The tests need to be turned in by one week after the end of the marking period (see the online calendar at freedomchristianschool.org).

 

Star charts

A “Star Chart” has been included in your materials to help keep tract of short-term accomplishments.  Each time a student passes a PACE test, they should get a star or sticker to put on their chart on the corresponding subject and week.  This gives a visual aid to see their progress and It gives a quick overall view of progress throughout the year.

 

Please consider the following while preparing for a PACE test:

• A student should complete their PACE within three weeks. Longer time may cause the student to forget the material.
• Testing should be done soon after the PACE is completed.
• Be familiar with and memorize important vocabulary, definitions and math/science formulas.
• Make sure the student reads all the text first and then they should go back to find the answers.
• Minimize their distractions in the learning environment.
• Check the anxiety level of the student before testing. Emotional distress may cause a student to not perform well.
• Quiz the student on missed Checkup and Self Test questions the day before testing.

Achievement Testing

Each year the Iowa Achievement Tests are administered at FCS (typically in the spring).  Homeschool students are welcome and encouraged to take the tests also.  If the tests are taken each year, it can be a help to measure a student’s strengths and weaknesses and it is also a measure of learning from year to year. The costs is $25 per child and see the director for the exact testing dates.

 

Extra-Curricular

Beyond PACE work there may be some elective courses a student may want to take.   FCS offers drama class, band, choir, physical education and after school sports (girls volleyball, boys soccer and basketball).  These courses are an additional cost and contact the school office for more information.  Gym/physical education may be done in the home for credit (please obtain P.E. guidelines from school office).  Elective courses taken outside of FCS must be approved by the homeschool director if they are to be recorded for FCS credit or grades.

 

High School Credits

Below are the credit requirements for high school students.  With the level 2 homeschool program, you will issue your own diploma but an official transcript of credits will be kept in the FCS office.

4 Math: Algebra I -1cr, Geometry -1cr, Algebra II -1cr, Business Math -1cr

4 English: Eng. I -1cr, Eng. II -1cr, Eng. III -1cr, Speech -.5cr, Research Paper -.5cr

3 Science: Biology -1cr, Physical Science -1cr, Health -.5cr, Chemistry or Physics -.5cr

3 Social Studies: World Geography  -1cr, World History -.5cr, U.S History -.5, Civics -.5cr, Economics -.5cr

1 Etymology -1cr

3 Bible: Successful Living -1cr, Foundations for Living -1cr, choice -1cr

1 Computer skills -.5cr, Typing -.5cr

1 Phy. Ed. -1cr

1 Fine Arts Elective -1cr

2 Foreign Language -2cr

 

 

Motivation

Motivation of students is another important key in education.  Praise or encouraging words can help boost a student’s confidence.  Small rewards for short term accomplishments completed that day are encouraging too.  Older students will also respond to longer term rewards such as having a certain amount of work completed by the end of the week or month.  All high school students should have an Academic Progress toward Graduation chart to help motivate them toward earning credits toward graduation.  Be creative in coming up with ways to motivate your child to learn and achieve!

 

Convention

Each spring the students at FCS compete at the A.C.E. Regional Student Convention (RSC).  Homeschool students may compete also and they must be 13 years of age and using the A.C.E. curriculum to be eligible.  They can compete in various categories such as academics, athletics, art, dramatics, music, and needle/thread.  Students who place at RSC are then eligible to compete at the International Student Convention.    These conventions are a highlight of each year for the students and you can find out more at ACEMinistries.org.

 

 

Unenrollment

A student will be unenrolled (expelled) from the FCS program if they do not complete at least one PACE per subject per quarter.  A student may also be unenrolled if they are delinquent in administrative fee payments.

 

 

 

6/16/20