[Des Moines, IA - August, 2011] A number of Iowa homeschooling families have contacted NICHE and Home School Legal Defense Association [HSLDA] questioning why the CPI Form A requests the birth date of the child rather than the age of the child.
Iowa Code Section 299.4 outlines the required contents of the CPI Form, including this wording: "The report shall state the name and age of the child ..."
However, the Iowa Administrative Rules 281-31.2(1)a(2), which were written and adopted by the Iowa Department of Education to implement the Iowa Code includes this wording describing the required contents of the CPI Form: "The name and birth date of the child ..."
Some homeschooling parents have expressed concerns about the request for birth date rather than the age. This concern is clearly justified in the fact that a person's birth date is sensitive, confidential information which needs to be carefully guarded to avoid identity theft. When the Iowa legislature created the Form A requirements, they provided for the protection of this sensitive piece of identity information.
The department’s regulation calling for date of birth goes beyond merely asking for age. It imposes a new, distinct and significant burden. HSLDA and NICHE offer the following recommendation to parents who want to maintain the privacy of their child's birth date when filing a CPI Form A:
Because the regulation goes beyond simple implementation, and birth date is not necessary information, those families who wish can simply write: 'age ___ as of September 15' (putting the age in the blank) in the box on the CPI form calling for birth date. (September 15 is the cutoff date for determining whether a child is of compulsory age.)
If you have completed your child's CPI form in this manner and have received communications from your school district requesting the child's birth date, please let us know.
Positive Breakthrough on Dual Enrollment and Testing
[Des Moines, IA - August 2011] NICHE is pleased to announce a good result to our efforts to preserve on access to free testing for dual enrolled students under Iowa Code Section 299A.8.
The historic understanding of the law for the past 19 years was that a homeschool student could dual enroll to access the annual assessment test through the school district without cost and without having to engage in any other academic or extra-curricular activities in the district. The department took a different interpretation of the statute this year, arguing that free testing was available only if a dual enrolled student first took a class or participated in an extra-curricular activity.
NICHE worked with Director Jason Glass and the department's legal counsel, Carol Greta, to resolve this issue. After looking at a couple of different solutions, the department has decided to return to the traditional understanding of Section 299A.8 and allow dual enrollment for testing only. As of August 4, 2011, the CPI handbook and Form A provided on the department's web site was updated to reflect this position.
We thank Director Glass and Ms. Greta for working with NICHE on this issue, and we will be working with them to clarify the statutory language to avoid future skirmishes on this issue. Thank you, also, to those of you who weighed in on the issue and let us know how it affects you. For those who dual enroll for testing purposes, here is what we recommend you do:
No CPI Form Filed Yet. Simply proceed as usual with filing your CPI forms, but be sure you use the updated form that has the option for testing.
Already Filed CPI with Testing Indicated. If you already filed your CPI form and used the procedure recommended by Scott Woodruff at Scott Woodruff at HSLDA (i.e., the sensible idea of adding your own testing check box to the form), you should be good to go with nothing more to do.
Already Filed CPI with No Indication of Testing. If you filed your CPI form using a Form A that did not have any indication of your wish for testing, you probably should file a new Form A that clearly identifies your wishes. You may be able to get by without doing this, but we would not want you to have a fight with your district when testing time comes.
New Law Allows Alternative Proficiency Measures for CPI Students Accessing PSEO
[July 27, 2011 - Des Moines] Governor Terry Branstad signed a bill into law allowing homeschoolers to show the academic proficiency needed for no-cost college classes—known as PSEO, or post secondary enrollment option—through any one of five methods: (i) the recommendation of the student’s supervising teacher, (ii) the student’s regular year-end assessment, (iii) a PSAT score of 141, (iv) an ACT score of 21, or (v) an SAT score of 990 (math + verbal).
But the enactment of House File (HF) 645 is only the most recent chapter in the long campaign mounted by NICHE and HSLDA to allow Iowa homeschooled students to receive fair access to PSEO.
Department of Education continues positioning on funding for testing through dual enrollment
[Des
Moines, IA July, 2011] The Iowa Department of Education [DE] continued its positioning on the dual enrollment and its relation to no-cost standardized testing through the public school or Area Education Agency [AEA].
When the new 2011-12 CPI Form A and CPI Handbook were first released in June of 2011, the DE's stated position was that no-cost testing through the public school or AEA would only be available if the student were dual-enrolled for public school academic classes or extra-curricular activities.
Iowa Code and historically-documented DE implementation since 1992 (when the Administrative Rules implementing the new Iowa homeschool law took effect) have indicated that no-cost testing is one of several stand-alone rights of dual-enrolled students.
Both NICHE and Home School Legal Defense Association [HSLDA] opposed the DE's attempt to make no-cost testing accessible only when one of the other dual enrollment rights (academic classes or extra-curricular activities at the public school) were exercised.
In July of 2011, the DE repositioned by announcing that their policy would be that no-cost testing would be available to all CPI students, regardless of enrollment status.
This position, however, offers no-cost testing as a "gift" rather than a right founded in Iowa law. It could, therefore, be rescinded at any time.
HSLDA attorney Scott Woodruff advises homeschooling parents who want to access no-cost testing through dual-enrollment to mark "yes" on the dual-enrollment selection [#9] on the back of the CPI form, and then write in "testing" (with an accompanying check mark) underneath [in Section B] to the right of "Academic, Extra-Curricular Activities, Special Education".
If your family uses dual enrollment for no-cost testing only, please contact NICHE.
2011 NICHE Conference a Success!
A record-setting attendance was noted again this year at the 2011 Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators' conference & exhibit hall held June 10-11 at the Iowa Events Center HyVee Hall in Des Moines. Conference survey respondents enjoyed an even more spacious venue than last year's. Speakers John Stonestreet and Vicki Bentley offered helpful and thought-provoking presentations. Shoppers enjoyed the largest curriculum exhibit hall ever and parents enthusiastically acclaimed the all-new Children's Program! View our 2011 NICHE Conference Photo Album by clicking here.
Morning Service Graduates
Two Services Featured at NICHE Graduation May 14, 2011 at First Assembly Church in Des Moines. Ninety-eight graduates participated. View a photo album of the event. Click here.
Afternoon Service Graduates
NICHE Homeschool Day at the Capitol Surpasses Expectations
A record crowd of over 1000 homeschoolers participated in this March 23, 2011 event held at the State Capitol and at Embassy Suite Hotel in Des Moines. Featured speakers Rep.Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rep. Ron Paul, Governor Terry Branstad, Rep. Steve King & Judge William Wagner addressed those in attendance. Morning sessions allowed homeschooling families to interact with their Iowa legislators. View a slide show of the event.
Department of Education sets new position on funding for testing through dual enrollment
[Des Moines, IA October, 2010] A number of Iowa homeschooling families experienced the shock of being informed by their local public school district that free standardized testing would no longer be available through dual-enrollment unless the student was accessing academic classes, extra-curricular activities or special education services. A majority of these families had been utilizing the no-cost testing via dual enrollment without using any other public school service for multiple years. School districts began shutting off this service at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year when the Department of Education informed them that they would no longer provide state funding for testing alone for dual-enrolled students. After several complaints were issued -- noting that the CPI form lists testing as one of the choices listed under dual enrollment -- the DE has determined to honor the free testing for the 2010-2011 school year only.
NICHE has been informed that this was a “senior level staff decision” which resulted when the Department “discovered” that parents were dual-enrolling students for testing alone. The new announced position says that “free testing is a consequence of dual-enrollment, not a reason for dual-enrollment.”
The Department had actually initiated in August the process to amend the Chapter 98 Iowa Administrative Rules to create a new definition for dual-enrollment -- one that eliminates testing alone as benefit. The proposed language was as follows: “Dual enrollment” means enrollment of a child who receives competent private instruction, including a child over compulsory attendance age, in a school district to enable the child to participate in any academic or extracurricular activity on the same basis as similarly-situated public school children. NICHE had been informed that the Department has since abandoned the Chapter 98 rule proposal to re-define dual-enrollment.
NICHE has cooperated with Home School Legal Defense in sending a letter to the administrator of one Iowa school district that had informed a member family testing would no longer be available at no cost through dual enrollment. The NICHE/HSLDA position is that Iowa Code 299A.8 includes no-cost testing as a benefit of dual enrollment.
If your family uses dual enrollment for no-cost testing only, please contact NICHE.
NICHE Displays at the 2010 Iowa State Fair!
Through the efforts of board members and volunteers from all across Iowa, the second annual NICHE display at the Iowa State Fair was a wonderful success! Thousands of folks strolled past our booth in the east end of the grandstand, and many stopped to take free materials and sign up for the drawing.
Thousands attend the 2010 NICHE Conference! A record-setting attendance was noted at the 2010 Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators' conference & exhibit hall held June 9-10 at the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines. Conference survey respondents gave an overwhelming "thumbs up" to the new conference location. Speakers Steve Demme, Carol Barnier and Diane Kummer were well-received by conference attendees. Shoppers lauded the outstanding exhibits and children enjoyed the program provided for their edification! In all, the conference was a great success!
The Iowa Department of Education Adopts Changes to the Homeschool Rules
On December 11, 2008, the Iowa State Board of Education voted to adopt revisions to Chapter 31 of the Iowa Administrative Rules, which implement the Iowa law governing home education in Iowa.
Serving Families Homeschooling in Iowa - Since 1992 Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators - Box 158, Dexter, IA, 50070 - (515) 830-1614 - (800) 723-0438 in Iowa
