Homeschooling in Oregon for 12 Years: Kelly's Story…

I am Kelly (my forum name is Hearthstone_Academy) and I have been educating my six children at our home in Oregon for the past twelve years. My eldest son is a homeschool graduate who has also graduated from college. The younger five are all still at home, although a daughter will graduate this year. My youngest turns four in a few days. Although he has special needs (Down syndrome), I have been working with him on some of the typical preschool skills.

In 2005, I began looking for an efficient, computer-based program that would cover the basics, leaving us more time to pursue the unit studies we enjoy as a family. When I discovered Time4Learning, it provided the additional bonus of also being fun! My younger children can’t remember when
Time4Learning wasn’t part of our school day.

If you have questions or comments about homeschooling in Oregon, contact the Oregon Parent Forum.

Homeschooling in Oregon: Katrina's Story

We love homeschooling in Oregon! Homeschooling was my first choice for my sons' schooling, but because my husband was not in agreement at the time, we sent them to Public School for K-5th. Due to cutbacks, lack of caring by teacher's, and the general overview of studies, we decided that it was time to homeschool in Fall 2008! Oregon is very open about homeschooling with very few rules and regulations which makes it great! We wish we had done this sooner! Living in Portland, we also have many choices for extra curricular things to enhance our homeschool experience. In the 6 short months we have been doing this, I have watched my sons flourish and grow! Did I mention that I love homeschooling in Oregon??!!

Oregon Homeschooling Info

New homeschoolers in Oregon should start with the idea that they are joining a large vibrant community of Oregon homeschoolers. This page is intended as a gateway into the community of Oregon homeschool parent support groups. Below you will find two Oregon families' experiences on homeschooling in Oregon.

Oregon's Requirements for Homeschoolers

Oregon homeschoolers are required to do two things:

2. Have your child’s progress in math and language arts evaluated at the end of grades three, five, eight, and ten. You may use your choice of standardized test, administered by a “qualified and neutral” person. This means the test is to be given by a certified teacher, unrelated to the child.

Legal disclaimer.

This section is one family’s story and how they meet the mandatory school attendance laws in Oregon. It is not intended and should not be used as definitive legal advice. In most states, parents find a variety of legal methods to pursue the educational approach that they prefer for their child. For further information:

To find out more about the legal requirements of homeschooling in Oregon, visit one of these sites: Oregon Homeschool Legal Requirement by HSDLA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association); Home-Ed Magazine’s OR resource page -with information, articles, and state-specific resources; and info on Home Education in Oregon by Ann Zeise; Oregon Department of Education's official homeschool page.

My Children Started In Oregon Public Schools

My first child started out in public school. As a classroom volunteer, I remember being in charge of an egg timer which was used to monitor each child’s turn at a microscope. The children spent an entire class period waiting for their chance to view a leaf for sixty seconds. That egg timer has come to symbolize, in my mind, the limits that are put on some children’s learning opportunities.

My kindergartner, who had been reading since he was three, was required to spend time each evening on homework assignments which were designed to teach the alphabet. I remember wishing he could spend his limited after-school hours practicing his new reading skills instead, but he was obligated to do what the rest of the class was doing.

While my son was frustrated at being held back, it soon became obvious that our second child, a daughter, would struggle to keep up. Each child had unique needs, none of which could be adequately addressed in a classroom setting.

The last phone call I received from my son’s school helped me understand the limits of well-meaning teachers with large classes. The teacher told me my son was sick and I needed to pick him up at school. When I arrived, my son was outside playing on the monkey bars, and another pale little boy was on a cot in the principal’s office. The teacher had called the wrong parent!

We became a homeschooling family and never looked back. Our six children have a full spectrum of abilities and challenges and they have all benefited from the one-on-one tutoring that homeschooling makes possible.

How Kelly's Family Met the Oregon Homeschool Legal Requirements

Notification

Our school district provides an online form for homeschool notification. It is a simple matter to download the form, fill it out, and send it to the address indicated on the form. Contact your local ESD to find out if your school district provides such a form.

You are not required to use a form provided by the school district. You can simply write a letter, if you wish. You must provide the student’s and parents’ names and address, the student’s birthday, and the name of the last school the student attended, if any. If you use a district provided form, you are not obligated to answer other questions that might appear on the form. They can be left blank, without comment. When mailing your notification form, you might choose to certify the letter, so you have proof it was received.

Testing Options

There are several private schools in our town who welcome homeschoolers when they are testing their own students. These schools allow homeschoolers to participate for merely the cost of the test itself. Schools order testing materials months in advance, so start inquiring early if you hope to use this method. This is the option our family has chosen most often.

Your school district may be able to provide you with a list of independent testers in your area. There is only one tester in our area, and we enjoyed having her come to our home to test our children.

Basic Skills Assessment in Portland services homeschoolers’ testing needs. Our family has used this option on two occasions. In addition, Basic Skills will send a tester to your Oregon town, if you have a group of students to test. Our homeschool co-op arranges for this on an annual basis.

How Katrina's Family Meets Oregon Homeschool Requirements

I am a 38 yr old self-employed WAHM who runs a small preschool/daycare out of her home as well as homeschooling my sons. I have been happily married for 16 years and we have 2 sons, ages 12 and 11. We live in one of Portland's many suburbs! We are trying to practice sustainable living by raising chickens, growing my own fruits and vegetables and anything else we can do! We love incorporating all Portland has to offer with our homeschooling curriculum!

Can You Say Chaos? More from Katrina

Because I work in my home caring for children, we had to make some large changes to adjust for homeschool. Not everyone has to do this, but because we have a very small house, areas within it have to do double-duty for both my sons AND the daycare children. After breakfast, feeding the chickens, and morning chill out time we get to work. During the morning, I do preschool with my daycare children which leaves my children to their own devices of following a schedule I created. They get to watch an educational show of my choice, and write about it by filling out a pre-made form. The shows change daily, but are from National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel, etc. I set these up weekly on their automatic show scheduler via our Satellite, which is perfect as it changes automatically to the show when it is time. They also do their free reading during the morning. After lunch, during the daycare nap time we get down to business using T4L. They have a community desk that is shared in the kitchen, sitting on opposite sides. I bounce back and forth between them, observing, helping, etc. This continues until about 3pm. The afternoon is spent outside for PE, weather permitting or inside being creative with Lego's, or working on Art. My kids love to help the daycare kids when we do projects or playdoh time. Since we just started this experience in October for one son, and in January with the other son we are still adjusting as needed. I have already created a Fall schedule which will allow us more time to pursue other activities, plus have more structure during the school day. Every other Friday, both my husband and myself are off work and we do some extra-curricular activity as a family which is wonderful! We have really come together for our homeschool adventure!

The Homeschooling Community

I would describe Oregon as “homeschool friendly”. Oregon public schools are required to allow homeschoolers who meet grade criteria to participate in extracurricular activities, including sports and cheerleading. An annual curriculum fair is held in Portland, where our family has been introduced to a variety of curricula, often having an opportunity to meet a book’s author or a program’s developer. The state capitol, Salem, holds an annual “Homeschool Days” function, where homeschoolers are welcome to take part in a variety of political activities. Even my small hometown includes an active co-op, providing parent support and social opportunities.

Resources for Oregon Homeschoolers

The benefits of using Time4Learning's curriculum

Time4Learning is used by homeschool parents both as a primary curriculum and as a supplemental program to other materials such as Saxon, Alpha Omega, Five in a Row and A Beka. Some of the features that make Time4Learning so successful include:

Time4Learning appeals to a wide range of learning styles. Our online learning materials are especially well-suited to children who are visual or kinesthetic learners. These children can take advantage of Time4Learning's interactive, multi-media materials.

Children like using the computer to learn. It's a convenient, interactive homeschool resource that provides a welcome change each day to paper-and-pencil workbooks and textbook-based lessons.

Parents like that it tracks progress and helps children advance by clearly presenting and reinforcing the each lesson. Quizzes and tests are graded by the computer, saving valuable time and effort for parents who would be happier concentrating on other areas.

Time4Learning's self-paced, modularized lesson plans allow you to move forward and back through the materials whenever you want. You can skip lessons that teach concepts your child has already mastered and repeat those he or she has not. The choice is yours. With Time4Learning, you are always in control.

Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers, has a low monthly price, is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children, risk free! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.

I want to learn more about Time4Learning's Homeschooling Online program.

If you have any more questions or comments about homeschooling in Oregon, why not contact me on the Oregon Parent Forum at: hearthstone_academy or aandwsmom.