Education Update - July 2002

HOMESCHOOLINGSCHOOLPut Homeschooling Programs to the Test Before You Invest21Finding a homeschool curriculum thatmatches the needs of you and your child isone of the most difficult and importantdecisions a homeschool family makes.It isn’t easy. There’s a great deal of goodinformation about homeschooling availablefrom friends, neighbors, relatives, otherhomeschoolers, and the Internet. However,knowing what to look for will help you find aprogram that is right for your family andchild.A homeschooling program is a lot like a pairof shoes: It has to fit well to be comfortableand effective day after day. If you start offwith a good program, you can tailor it withconfidence.Careful evaluation is critical to success, sayexperts.“You want appropriate, academicallychallenging lessons that inspire your child to dohis best,” says Jean C. Halle, president ofCalvert School Education Services, based inBaltimore, Md. The company is thehomeschooling provider arm of CalvertSchool, which in 1906 started to offer itsprivate school curriculum to families whowanted to teach at home. Today, Calvert enrolls17,000 students each year in its prekindergartenthrough eighth grade programs.Calvert School receives thousands of callseach year from families investigating whetherthe school’s complete classical curriculum isright for them.“We put a lot of time into helping familiesselect what’s right for them, based on thestudents’competencies.” says Halle. “Sometimesa student is placed ahead or below his agegradelevel. In math, for example, he may beplaced at a different level than the balance ofhis studies.”“It’s critical that the curriculum be wellsuitedto that child’s needs in order for him orher to be successful.”Parents should explore four maincomponents of a provider’s offerings whenchoosing a homeschool curriculum.enrichment. At the appropriate age, themanual should be directed to the student, andthe role of the home teacher should turn tomore of an advisory role. If the provider offersanswer keys for all daily work, parents canconfirm their child’s performance.The bestof a privateschooleducation,delivered toyour home…Calvert School offers families“You want appropriate, academicallychallenging lessons that inspire yourchild to do his best.”— Jean C. Halle, President ofCalvert School Education ServicesEducational professionals, who can offerstrategies for teaching children with alllearning styles, should be available by phone,fax, or email, to answer any questions youmay have and offer suggestions foraccelerated or remedial work.TESTINGKnowing if your child is learning is important.A good program will include tests, whichevaluate both content mastery and skilldevelopment. The availability of tests withanswer keys can be helpful. If you have difficultyevaluating your child’s composition and othersubjective work, you should look for a providerthat offers testing support in these areas.Another key to success is evaluating theprovider’s materials. “Take time to reviewsample lessons, if offered by the provider, tobe sure that the curriculum delivers aspromised,” says Halle.“Your family is making a commitment forthe entire school year, so the time you investin evaluating your options is well spent.”PLACEMENTThe first step in a child’s academicexperience should be appropriate placement ina grade. The ideal placement assessment takesinto account how your child arrived atanswers in order to evaluate both conceptknowledge as well as his ability to apply thoseskills. Because they offer details about achild’s writing mechanics, vocabulary andspelling levels, sentence structure, content,and organization skills, evaluations of writingsamples are important.CURRICULUMA good curriculum will draw material from avariety of sources, incorporate opportunitiesfor practice to improve written and oralcommunication, and help your child to learn,analyze, and interpret information, not simplymemorize facts. An integrated curriculum allowsthe student to write about all subjects, to thinkmathematically about subjects other than math,to compare and contrast geographical statisticsto history facts, and to review and obtainvaluable reinforcement of concepts taught.INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTLesson manuals should provide good detail,including lessons that introduce topics,explain concepts, coordinate subjects witheach other, and suggest added practice anda complete curriculum developedin a real classroom with realchildren. We provide you withthe tools to make the best useof your teaching time and tominimize your concerns abouttaking the leap into homeschooling.We also offer enrichment andsupplemental courses.For your free catalog, visitwww.calvertschool.orgor call 1-888-487-4652.Calvert School, established 1897Baltimore, MarylandInspire the best in your childwith the best in homeschooling.EU0602