CPI
option 2 has two options; Opt-In reporting and Opt-Out reporting. The Opt-In is
the same as it has always been the best I can tell. You have your child tested
and you supply your local school district with the results of those tests in a
timely manner. With the law change, you can now “opt out” meaning that you don’t
have to tell the school anything. This is where it becomes a little fuzzy. With
CPI option 1, you still fill out the Form A. With option 2, you don’t have to
fill any form out. I’m not even sure what kind of notification you have to give
the school. It’s really a gray area right now and personally, I would advise
against option 2 unless you know what you’re doing or have a good lawyer at
your disposal. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort of clarification on this
option in upcoming years. Option 2, Opt-Out reporting, does seem to allow you
to have your kids to take annual testing at the local school for free. Under
the IPI, you don’t have that option. However, under option 2, it doesn’t appear
that you can open enroll, but if you Opt-In and choose to report to the school,
you can dual enroll.
If
this sounds confusing, it’s because I’m confused by the "opt out" option myself. I would highly
recommend you choose option 1 if you want to have access to dual enrollment and
testing and don’t want a supervising teacher of any sort. It's a lot more straight-forward and simple to understand. Otherwise, I
recommend going with the IPI where the rules are also pretty clear. The only difference
between the IPI and CPI option 2 Opt-Out that I can see is access to free
testing at school. I think those under the IPI can access free testing at the
local AEA (Area Education Agency). There may be some differences in being able
to teach driver’s education to your child but those details haven’t even been
clarified yet as far as I know to date (November 2013).
CPI
option 2 looks like it would be appealing to those who want the benefits that
go along with dual enrollment through school without the hassle of a HSAP
teacher or procuring the services of a teacher of your own out of pocket. As
stated earlier, testing will be made available through your school or your
local AEA. You have more freedom under the CPI option 2 than you do a HSAP, and
you don’t have to worry about finding and keeping a teacher happy. As long as
your kids show progress in their testing, you should be good.
I
can’t possibly cover all the issues and topics that surround homeschooling in
Iowa here. There are websites chock full of information out there. There are
groups that you can join that will also help show you the ropes. Just do a
Google search for them. You’ll have no trouble finding them out there. All I
have wanted to do here was show you how easy it is to homeschool should you
decide to do so.
I
have chosen the IPI option here my first year. I did it because it was the
quickest and easiest way to get into homeschooling while allowing time to learn
more about it myself. I may choose a different option next year depending on
what it is that I think I may want from our school. If I don’t need any classes
or testing from our local school, I will just keep choosing the IPI option. I
like freedom and the IPI truly gives me that. I wish you the best of luck
should you decide to pursue homeschooling. I have been at it for four months
now and I love it. My kids are doing some really terrific things and we’re
building a bond that most parents can only dream of having!
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