CPI option 1 – Supervising Teacher

 CPI option 1 – Supervising Teacher            

               I have covered the IPI option, and CPI option 1 – HSAP. Today, I cover the other CPI option 1 choice. CPI option 1 is different from option 2 in the regards that under option 1, there is a real person that you must interact with who will supervise your homeschooling experience. Option 2 is more about testing and I’ll cover that in upcoming posts.

               We know that under the HSAP option, the school provides you with a supervising teacher. Under the Supervising Teacher option, you provide your own teacher. There are teachers in Iowa who you can hire to be your supervising teacher. Maybe you’re lucky and you have a teacher’s certificate, or maybe you have a family member with a teaching certificate? All you need for this option it seems is a teacher who has a current folder on file with the Iowa Department of Education. A folder is technically a teaching license. It is also recommended that you find a teacher whose folder reflects those areas of teaching that pertain to what you are teaching at home.

               This supervising teacher will meet with your child twice per quarter, face to face. The school cannot dictate which subjects to teach your child. No annual testing is required. All you do is write the name of your supervising teacher on the CPI Form A where indicated and that’s all you have to do. You still have to show proof of up to date immunizations with your first filing of Form A.

•                This option also allows for dual enrollment with the school. Just make sure that you check that option on Form A where indicated.

•                You can choose this option anytime during the school-year, but must file Form A within 14 days of pulling your child out of school.

               I would also note; your supervising teacher is your link between homeschooling the way you want to, and running afoul with the school. It seems imperative that you find a supervising teacher with a like-minded vision for educating your child.

 

CPI option 1 – HSAP

CPI option 1 – HSAP 

               In my last blog post, I mentioned the IPI option for homeschooling in Iowa. Today, I’ll start wading through the other homeschool options currently available to Iowa families. While IPI is an option all its own, the CPI (Competent Private Instruction) has four separate options which make the CPI a little more tricky. What adds to the ambiguity is the fact that the Iowa Legislature changed a lot of stuff this year (2013) and it’s not really all cut and dry. CPI has two option, and with each of those two options, are two more options. Today, I’ll focus on CPI option 1 – HSAP 

               Just a note to the reader – understand; I have never homeschooled under the CPI option. I am fairly new to this myself. I may have chosen the CPI option if it weren’t so confusing. The CPI option 1 – HSAP is probably the least confusing of the CPI options, but it’s also the one you may find the hardest to utilize. What it depends upon is whether or not your school offers a HSAP. HSAP stands for Home School Assistance Program. Under this option, the school assigns you a supervising teacher. This supervising teacher will hold your hand during home schooling. They will help supervise you and they are required by law to meet face to face with your child a certain number of times per quarter. I believe it’s currently 4 times per quarter. If your school does not offer a HSAP, this option is unavailable to you unless you open enroll into a school which offers a HSAP. Marion Independent Schools in Marion, Iowa supposedly has a very successful HSAP and it’s my understanding that a lot of people open enroll in their school just to have access to their HSAP.  

               Depending on the school, you may pick your own curriculum, or the school may choose it for you. Many HSAPs I understand provide curriculum for you if asked. Remember this though, if you choose the HSAP option, you are obligated to teach your child whatever the school tells you if they choose. They have that right under the HSAP rules. If you don’t like their curriculum, this may not be the best option for you.

               If you want your child to have access to classes at school such as band, art, or anything else that you’re not able to or comfortable teaching, then you have the option to dual enroll. This also opens the door for those of you who want your children to participate in sports. If you wish to utilize these services from the school, you must choose the dual enrollment option. Dual enrollment is not available to IPI. If you want your kids to participate in sports, choose one of these CPI options.

               You must fill out Form A which is available from the Iowa Department of Education website. Every CPI option requires that this form be filled out. You also need to have proof of immunizations filed with the school. You can choose this option anytime during the school year, but must file Form A within 14 days of pulling your child out of school. Also, it’s my understanding that the school does not have to enroll your child into the HSAP program after a certain date in the school year. It seems to have something to do with funding.  My advice to you is to make your choice before school starts and make sure your paperwork is in before September 1^st. Otherwise, unless you have assurance from your superintendent that they will allow your child into the HSAP after the cutoff date, it may be best to choose another option for the rest of the school year.

               If you wish to consider this option further, I would highly recommend contacting your school’s superintendent.

 

Homeschooling in Iowa 2013

               I have thought about homeschooling for several years now. Every time I sought information on how to homeschool, I seemed to hit roadblocks. It was almost like a secret that outsiders weren’t allowed to be privy to. While I never did ask a current homeschooling family how they homeschooled (because I personally don't know any), I did ask a couple of families that I knew homeschooled in the past. They seriously acted like they didn’t know how they did it and told me to go ask another family.

               When I went to the websites available online to get information, I can honestly tell you that I got confused. It wasn’t a cut and dry process. These websites beat around the bush with a bunch of gobble-dy-gook and never seemed to come out with a step by step process on how to homeschool in Iowa.

               Most of these homeschool websites have a Christian slant to them. That’s all well and good, but the law doesn’t mention religion. What I wanted was to know how to homeschool legally. I want to help clarify how in a few blog posts.

               I am new to homeschooling. So far, everything is going great. I love the freedom. I love spending more time with my kids. I like the thought that when my kids grow up, they’ll be able to say that I was their teacher. Just that thought alone gives me the “warm fuzzies”. 

               So….do you want to homeschool? If the answer is yes, then the first thing you need to do is choose a homeschool option. There are many and the paperwork and information required will be determined by the option you choose. There are two main options currently (late 2013) in Iowa. One is the IPI which is new, and the other is the CPI which has been around for a long time. However, the CPI options are varied and complex.

               Do you want to homeschool your kid now? I mean right now. You can pull your kid out tomorrow and homeschool. While you can pull them out immediately in most cases with the CPI option, the IPI option is the easiest and simplest way to homeschool your child right now.

The IPI Option
 

               To homeschool your child under the IPI, all you need to do is write your school superintendent a letter stating your intent to homeschool your child under the IPI option. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It doesn’t need to have a lot of information. You can simply write, “Dear Mr. or Mrs. XXXXXX, I will be homeschooling my son/daughter (Insert name & date of birth) via the IPI option. This will be effective (insert date). Thank you.” Then sign your name. Make a copy of it. Give one copy to the superintendent’s office and keep the other for yourself. You’re done. Clean out your child’s desk and that’s all there is to it.

               There are a couple of things to keep in mind with the IPI. First, you must teach certain classes to your child. They are; mathematics, reading, language arts, science, and social studies. However, nobody will be coming to your door checking up on this. There are no homeschool police. You’re on your honor under this system, which really upsets those opposed to homeschooling. Truthfully, there are some parents who probably won’t teach their children. I do not advocate pulling your kids out of school unless you plan on teaching them. If you're not going to actually teach your children anything, then you are harming your child. It’s my hope that the information that I will provide in my blog posts will be used by you to make your child’s learning experience better.

               Secondly, you cannot have more than 4 unrelated children homeschooled under the IPI option at once. Again, there are no homeschool police, but if your school catches wind of it, I suppose somebody may come and have a visit with you. 

               Finally, by choosing the IPI, which is the simplest way to homeschool, you wash your hands of the school and they wash their hands of you. You are not eligible for any help from the school. You also don’t have to give any other information to the school. You don’t have to have your children tested. You don’t have to tell the school anything other than the fact that you will be homeschooling under the IPI option.

               In the coming weeks, as I find time to type, and truthfully, as I learn more about homeschooling myself, I will post more information up here. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments section and I will try my best to answer them. 

               I will try and go over the CPI options in my next blog post.