Testing and Religious Exemption
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. Should I send in test results if I’m homeschooling under the religious exemption statute?
A. No. If you are homeschooling because you have sincere religious convictions against sending your child to school and you are under the religious exemption statute § 22.1-254 (B)(1), you are NOT required to submit test results or an evaluation to your division superintendent.
§ 22.1-254 (B)(1) states: A school board shall excuse from attendance at school: any pupil who, together with his parents, by reason of bona fide religious training or belief is conscientiously opposed to attendance at school. For purposes of this subdivision, “bona fide religious training or belief” does not include essentially political, sociological or philosophical views or a merely personal moral code.
If you would like, you can test your child to see how he is progressing, but you are not required to report this information to anyone. Test results can be beneficial in understanding your child’s progress, but they are only for your personal knowledge.
Parents who have complied with the homeschool statute, §22.1-254.1, by filing a Notice of Intent, are the only people who are required to send test results or an evaluation to their superintendent by August 1 each year.
Yvonne Bunn @ April 27, 2011 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)
Is Your Phone Tracking You?
This post is part of a series titled, “Technology Q&A.” The series features questions related to technology–and the answers! Have a question? Send it to tech@heav.org.
Q. The news had a story about Apple iPhones “secretly” keeping a log of everywhere I go. A couple of days later there was a similar story about Android phones doing the same thing. What’s going on?!
A. This is nothing new. Nor is it a secretive attempt to monitor your activities. Apple and Google use the information to improve the location services you use on your phone.
Background
I use my iPhone for just about everything. Surfing the Internet, writing e-mail, playing a few mundane games, studying Scripture, checking out astronomical constellations–even writing blog posts! If I were to say with what function my phone has been most helpful, it would be maps. I have several mapping applications, depending on the need. When driving, I use a dedicated GPS driving application. If I’m looking for a specific store or something I need in my general area and speed is a factor, I’ll use the built in Google Map app. I use a different app for finding specific kinds of restaurants. The point being that using maps that are either outdated or inaccurate would be annoying. That geo-location data isn’t generated by itself, so Apple and Google have asked their users to help out a little.
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HEAVTech @ April 27, 2011 | Technology Q&A | Comments (1)
Changing Standardized Tests
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. I’m concerned that changing tests might raise a red flag when I report the scores. Can you tell me if you think this might be a problem?
A. No, changing tests should not be a red flag for your superintendent. You are free to choose ANY nationally normed standardized achievement test for your child–you can also switch to a portfolio or an evaluation, if you wish. The law does not require you to use the same test each year or the same method of evaluation, and the superintendent has no authority to compare this year’s test score with last year’s score. With evaluations or assessments, the superintendent’s authority is not as limited.
According to the law, the only judgment the superintendent or his designee can make is based on the composite score (the language arts and mathematics components of the test). The law states that the composite score must be in or above the 4th stanine. The 4th stanine begins at 23 percentile. The section of the homeschool statute relating to testing, §22.1-254.1 (C) states:
The parent who elects to provide home instruction shall provide the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year in which the child has received home instruction with either (i) evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test or (ii) an evaluation or assessment which the division superintendent determines to indicate that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress, including but not limited to: (a) an evaluation letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person with a master’s degree or higher in an academic discipline, having knowledge of the child’s academic progress, stating that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; or (b) a report card or transcript from a community college or college, college distance learning program, or home-education correspondence school.
As long as you comply with the testing requirements by August 1, and your child’s composite score is 23 percentile or higher, you have met the requirements of the law and no red flags should fly!
Yvonne Bunn @ April 20, 2011 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)
Emoticons
This post is part of a series titled, “Technology Q&A.” The series features questions related to technology–and the answers! Have a question? Send it to Tech@HEAV.org.
Q. I see a lot of references to “emoticons,” but have never really gotten into understanding or using them. Can you explain them to me?
A. Sure! 
I’m so happy you asked! 
Background
As most professional communicators will tell you, words account for a measly 7-10% of spoken communication. That leaves a whopping 90+% of the message interpretation left up to the “audience,” with approximately 38% vocal and 55% body language making up the rest of “the message.” In written communication, the situation is slightly more convoluted when you consider body language isn’t part of the equation. That leaves the words themselves to imply the tone of the message. This is not so much an issue with official communications, but with personal communication, misinterpretation of the tone of the message can have a negative impact. I have experienced this personally. 
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HEAVTech @ April 20, 2011 | Technology Q&A | Comments (0)
Using PSAT Scores Instead of Standardized Achievement Test Scores
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. Can I submit my high school student’s PSAT score instead of a standardized achievement test score?
A. Although I am aware of a few superintendents who have accepted PSAT or SAT scores during the high school years, these tests are not considered standardized achievement tests as described in §22.1-254.1 (C).
Standardized achievement tests such as the CAT, Iowa, Stanford, etc., are tests that measure your student’s progress compared to that of other students at the same level who take the same test across the nation. The Virginia homeschool law requires parents who file a Notice of Intent to submit either the results of a standardized achievement test or the results of an independent evaluation by August 1 each year. The student’s achievement test composite score (language arts and mathematics only) must be at or above 23 percentile in order for a parent to continue to homeschool.
The PSAT and the SAT are not the same type of tests. The score is not given as a percentile, and there is not a composite score measuring math and language arts together. Both the PSAT and SAT are optional tests. They are usually taken by students who plan to attend college.
The PSAT provides firsthand practice for the SAT and gives students the chance to qualify for National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs. The PSAT can be taken more than once, but the qualifying test is taken and the scores are submitted in the junior year to determine the National Merit Scholarship winners.
The SAT is a test administered by the College Board, and it can be taken multiple times. The scores are usually submitted, along with a transcript, to four-year colleges during the admissions process. The SAT measures a student’s ability to reason and indicates academic readiness for college.
All three types of tests provide different information and may be taken during the high school years. However, in order to continue homeschooling under the Virginia Homeschool Statute §22.1-254.1, the law requires a parent to submit the results of a standardized achievement test or an independent evaluation each year.
Note: Please see an explanation of the testing and evaluation options in HEAV’s testing section.
Yvonne Bunn @ April 13, 2011 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)
Autism-Coverage Bill Returned to Governor
Legislators held a one-day “reconvened session” early in April to vote on the governor’s vetoes and amendments to legislation they had passed during the 2011 session. Among the amended bills were HB 2467 (Greason, R-Loudoun) and SB 1062 (Howell, D-Fairfax) that required health insurers to pay up to $35,000 per year for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder for children ages two to six.
The new law would apply to businesses with more than 50 employees and to all state government employees. It does not require individual or small-group insurance policies to cover treatment for autistic children.
Parent advocates, including some parents who homeschool their autistic children, have fought for more than 11 years to pass legislation that would require large-group insurance companies to provide coverage for early-intervention treatment for autistic children.
Both the Senate and House approved the governor’s amendments that would require licensure of therapists, prior authorization from insurance companies, and independent reviews of the child’s treatment plan. They rejected the governor’s amendment that would invalidate the law if a court strikes down the $35,000 cap on benefits.
The $35,000 cap satisfied business and insurance lobbies that strongly opposed the bill. The parents of autistic children complained the cap could interrupt much needed treatment during the early formative years.
The bill now goes back to Governor McDonnell, who could veto the measure. According to the governor’s staff, however, we can expect that he will allow the bill to become law.
Yvonne Bunn @ April 13, 2011 | Legislative | Comments (0)
Maintaining Photo Privacy
This post is part of a series titled, “Technology Q&A.” The series features questions related to technology–and the answers! Have a question? Send it to Tech@HEAV.org.
Q. I saw a Fox News report that my activities can be tracked via my cellphone pictures. It really bothers me that someone could be stalking my kids using their pictures. What can I do about it?
A. If you have an Android, Palm, BlackBerry, or iPhone, any tracking using pictures (see the Fox News report for details) can be easily stopped. Here’s how!
How It’s Done
Every camera today has data that’s embedded into the picture called EXIF data. EXIF stands for EXchangeable Information File format. This data can range from the model of the camera and what kind of lighting conditions existed when the picture was taken to much more advanced features like aperture, shutter speed, and the location that picture was taken. It’s this EXIF data that is causing concern on cellphones.
How To Protect Yourself
When I watched the Fox video, I had some initial concern, but that concern quickly turned to calm as I realized neither I nor my family members were in any danger. Here’s why….
Two of the biggest potential threats are sharing pictures on Facebook and Twitter. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about ensuring your privacy on Facebook. There’s the added protection that Facebook–and Flickr for that matter–strip EXIF data from pictures. That means even if someone did gain access to the pictures posted to your Facebook and Flickr accounts, the only way they’d be able to determine where the pictures were taken is if you purposefully added that information.
What about Twitter? Well, that’s a bit different. Twitter uses a couple of photo-posting services like TwitPic and yfrog. These both have the capability to “broadcast” the location of the picture, as does the tweet itself. This is easily mitigated by ensuring that if you are going to post the picture, the picture was taken somewhere in a fairly public area like a shopping center or tourist attraction. I happen to use Instagram, which allows me to choose whether or not the location of the picture is added.
This leaves pictures sent via e-mail. That’s a slightly trickier matter. If you think Grandma is going to forward your picture to her best friends, and they’ll be forwarding, etc., it may be time for…
Lockdown
If you want to be conservative and disallow any kind of EXIF data to be applied to you pictures, you can make those changes through the settings on your BlackBerry, Android, Palm, and iPhone. This will ensure you keep location services from adding geolocation info from your cellphone to your pictures. Click here to find out how for your phone. After you’ve made the changes, you can rest assured the only way someone is going to know where that picture was taken is if you tell them!
If you ever have any technology-related questions, please feel free to send them to tech@HEAV.org. We’d love to hear from you!
HEAVTech @ April 10, 2011 | Technology Q&A | Comments (0)
Setting Up a Blog
This post is part of a series titled, “Technology Q&A.” The series features questions related to technology–and the answers! Have a question? Send it to Tech@HEAV.org.
Q. Reading the HEAV Blog every week has given me the desire to share my experiences and ideas. Is it hard to get a blog set up and started?
A. In a word, “No.”
The Options
There are quite a few places to start when deciding how to begin your blog. Blogger, Tumblr, Google, and Homeschool Blogger all provide free, fairly easy-to-use blog space. My favorite, however, is WordPress.
Who Uses It?
WordPress is a very popular and widely used blogging domain. In fact, some big names use WordPress software for their sites, including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNN, Fox News, CNET and the U.S. Postal Service. My favorite site, of course, is the one you’re reading right now. Yep! HEAV’s Virginia Homeschool Blog is supported using WordPress.
HEAVTech @ April 6, 2011 | Technology Q&A | Comments (0)
Testing Other Times of the Year
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. On your website you said that testing should be done “February through July.” Is that the law? Can testing be done other times of the year?
A. The only required deadline for testing is August 1–the date the test scores must be submitted to your division superintendent if you filed a Notice of Intent or wrote a letter. Administering a standardized achievement test between the months of February and July is only a suggestion, but it will give you the time you need to get the results.
When scheduling a test, you must allow enough time to get the test results back from the testing company. It may take 2-8 weeks to receive the scores depending on the testing company you use. Be sure to check the turn-around time before ordering your test.
Yvonne Bunn @ April 6, 2011 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)