Issues with Homeschooling and Cyber Schools

Issues with
Homeschooling and
Cyber Schools
Shelly Marcusse, Wexford Missaukee ISD
MPAAA School Attendance/Truancy Workshop
April, 19, 2016
Michigan Truancy Law
Juvenile Truancy Laws - MCL 712A.2(a)(4):
(4) The juvenile willfully and repeatedly absents himself or herself from school or
other learning program intended to meet the juvenile's educational needs, or
repeatedly violates rules and regulations of the school or other learning program,
and the court finds on the record that the juvenile, the juvenile's parent,
guardian, or custodian, and school officials or learning program personnel have
met on the juvenile's educational problems and educational counseling and
alternative agency help have been sought. As used in this sub-subdivision only,
“learning program” means an organized educational program that is
appropriate, given the age, intelligence, ability, and psychological limitations of
a juvenile, in the subject areas of reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history,
civics, writing, and English grammar.
http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-712A-2
Cyber Schools
Cyber schools, also known as “100 percent online schools,”
provide 100 percent of a pupil’s public instruction through
online learning. Administrative Rule 340.11 defines online
learning as “a nontraditional method of receiving pupil
instruction for courses that are taken through online learning or
otherwise on a computer or other technology.”
Online learning can take different forms, including scheduled
(i.e., pupil must attend a pre-arranged classroom to gain
access to the computer-based content), blended (i.e., the
teacher uses both traditional classroom and online forums to
deliver instruction), and self-scheduled (i.e., pupil learning that
does not require a teacher or pupil to be physically present in a
classroom).
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/5OC__CYBER_SCHOOLS_430345_7.pdf
Cyber Schools
Section 551(2)(e) of the Revised School Code
(MCL 380.551) defines a cyber school as “a
school of excellence established under this
part that has been issued a contract to be
organized and operated as a cyber school
under Section 552(2) [of the Revised School
Code (MCL 380.552)] and that provides fulltime instruction to pupils through online learning
or otherwise on a computer or other
technology, which instruction and learning may
be remote from a school facility.”
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/5OC__CYBER_SCHOOLS_430345_7.pdf
Participating Cyber Charter
Schools in Michigan
Entity Name
Chartering
Agency
Authorized
Grades
Educational
Service Provider
Great Lakes Cyber
Academy
Central Michigan
University
9-12
Connections Education,
LLC
ICademy
Lake Superior State
University
K-12
Innovative Educational
Services
LifeTech Academy
Eaton Rapids Public
Schools
7-12
Engaged Education
Michigan
Connections
Academy
Ferris State University
K-12
Connections Academy
Michigan Great Lakes
Virtual Academy
Manistee Area Public
Schools
K-12
K-12 Virtual Schools
Michigan Virtual
Charter Academy
Grand Valley State
University
K-12
K12 Inc.
Mosaica Online
Academy of
Michigan
Baldwin Community
Schools
K-12
Mosaica Online
Shared Scenarios
When receiving a truancy referral, do you receive:
Confirmed demographics including address?
History of truancy, current court involvement?
Medical issues?
Parental involvement?
Documentation of parent meetings and agency
referrals
• Other:
•
•
•
•
•
• See EATON RESA Parent letter
HOME SCHOOLING IN
MICHIGAN
The section of the Revised School Code that
addresses home schools is located in the Michigan
Compiled Laws under MCL 380.1561.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/compulsory_attendance_257944_7.pdf
Exemption (f) Home School
380.1561(3)(f) states:
A child shall not be required to attend the public schools in the following
cases:
(f) The child is being educated at the child's home by his or her
parent or legal guardian in an organized educational program in
the subject areas of reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history,
civics, literature, writing, and English grammar.
Students in home school families operating under exemption (f), solely,
are not entitled to Auxiliary Services. Students in these home school
families may enroll in noncore courses such as band, physical education,
or music in public schools.
If a home school family chooses to operate
under exemption (f), the conditions
listed below apply:
•The Michigan Department of Education plays no role with the
home school family.
•The home school family does not report as a nonpublic school to
the Michigan Department of Education.
•Intermediate and local school districts are responsible for
interpreting and enforcing the Compulsory School Attendance
Law.
•There are no minimum qualifications for teachers except that they
must be the parents or legal guardians of the children.
•The home school family must provide "an organized educational
program in the subject areas of reading, spelling, mathematics,
science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar.“
https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_6569_35175-307002--,00.html
Right to Home School
Michigan parents have the right to home school their
children. The law requires a parent or legal guardian
of a child from the age of six to sixteen to send his or
her child to school during the entire school year,
except under certain limited circumstances (MCL
380.1561). The law was amended in 2010 to increase
the compulsory school attendance age from16 to 18
for a child who turned 11 after December 1, 2009, or
who entered grade six after 2009. The exceptions
include, but are not limited to, sending a child to a
state-approved nonpublic school or educating a
child at home in an organized educational program.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
Who May Home School
Home school education is the responsibility of the parent
or legal guardian.
The parent assigns homework, gives tests and grades these
tests. The issuance of report cards, transcripts, and
diplomas are the responsibility of the home school family
(based on internal standards).
If home schooling continues through grade 12, the parent
issues a high school diploma to the graduate.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
How many students are home-schooled in Michigan?
We don't know the exact number of Michigan students who are homeschooled, because Michigan doesn't require homeschool families to report
to the state. But more than a decade ago, researchers at the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University came up with a way to
estimate the number of schoolchildren unaccounted for in the state's total school enrollment. Researchers used a formula that takes into account
public- and private-school enrollment, census counts for 5- to 18-year-olds in Michigan, and an estimated number of students who drop out of
school. Using their method, in the 2013-14 school year, there were as many as 100,000 students unaccounted for, who are likely homeschoolers in
Michigan. Michigan is one of 11 states that do not require homeschool families to report. Private-school enrollment is also voluntarily reported
to the state. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) estimates 3% of school-age children were homeschooled in the U.S. during the
2011-12 school year. If Michigan families follow national trends, that would equate to about 50,000 homeschoolers in the state.
So the estimates vary widely. How many homeschooled children does Michigan have? It's really anyone's guess.
KRISTI TANNER, DETROIT FREE PRESS
STAFF WRITER JUNE 13, 2015
Teacher Requirement
A parent or legal guardian that registers with MDE is qualified to
teach their child if they have a teaching certificate or a
bachelor’s degree.
However, if they claim an objection to teacher certification
based upon a sincerely held religious belief, the minimum
education requirement of a teaching certificate or a bachelor’s
degree is waived.
Course of Study
Instruction must include mathematics, reading, English, science,
and social studies in all grades; and the Constitution of the
United States, the Constitution of Michigan, and the history and
present form of civil government of the United States, the State
of Michigan, and the political
subdivisions and municipalities of the State of Michigan in grades
10, 11, and 12.
Home-schooled students may enroll in nonessential elective
classes at the resident public school subject to the district’s
enrollment policy.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
Textbooks
Home school families are responsible for purchasing the
textbooks and instructional materials of their choice. School
districts are not required to provide curriculum, textbooks,
or materials to home school families.
Student Records
Parents are encouraged to maintain student records of
progress throughout the year. These records will assist
school personnel with placement should the student enroll
in a public or nonpublic school. The granting of credits and
placement of students is solely determined by the receiving
school. If a student attends a home school and returns to a
public school, the public school generally reevaluates the
students for grade placement and the transfer of credit.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
Required Testing
There are no required tests for a home-schooled
student. The parent is responsible for administering
tests based upon the curriculum they use.
Although not required, home-schooled students
may participate in state testing at their local public
school. These tests are managed by MDE and are
administered at no cost to a home-schooled
student.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
Reporting Process
The annual registering of a home school to the Michigan
Department of Education (MDE) is voluntary.
It is not required unless the student has special needs and is
requesting special education services from the local public
school or intermediate school district.
It is not required that a parent inform their local school of the
decision to home school, however, it is suggested. Failure to
do so may result in the student being marked absent and
the involvement of the truancy officer.
Notification may be a phone call or a written note to the
district. Keep in mind that a written note can be placed in
the student’s school record indicating when the student has
withdrawn from the school district.
*See WMISD Homeschool letter
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
References
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Cyber_School_FAQ_12032013_441513_7
.pdf
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/5OC__CYBER_SCHOOLS_430345_7.pdf
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-380-1561.pdf
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-6530_6569_35175-307002--,00.html
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/home_schools_122555_7.pdf
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Info2005_132227_7.pdf
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/compulsory_attendance_25
7944_7.pdf
https://sites.google.com/a/wmisd.org/isdweb/general-education/geprevention-and-truancy?pli=1
Contact Information
Shelly Marcusse
Prevention Services
Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate School District
9905 East 13 Street
Cadillac, Michigan 49601
http://web.wmisd.org
smarcusse@wmisd.org
231.876.2306
231.876.4801 fax