encounter with a fundie homeschooler today - just sharing

[Aroura]

Home schooling has very little oversight in most states.  I know, because I home school.  Not for religious reasons, obviously, lol.

My daughter has to pass a test at the end of 3rd, 5th and 8th grades.  And by pass, i discovered it means she must score above 17%.  I'm not even joking.  Some states are much worse and do not even require minimum testing.  some states are harsher, and require you to submit the cirriculum for approval, and even how many hours per day your child does schoolwork.

I can't understand why home schools aren't held to a decent standard.  Is it because of religious fundamentalism in the local and state boards?

I just read so many awkward stories of unprepared, unsocialised home schoolers going out into the world unprepared and failing dismally.

And seriously: 17% to pass?

I know, it is horrible.
But homeschool also has a pretty bad rap from a small percentage of people doing a terrible job.  Mosthome schooler, even those doing so for religious reasons, actually do a very good job, and overall kids from homeschool families are actually better prepared for college and work than their PS counterparts.

The problem is, those that do a bad job just do a REALLY bad job. It becomes a form of child abuse.  Of course these are the cases that make the news, not the 90 some percent that come out normal or above average.

It should have much better oversight, federally mandated, not state by state.  I don't actually advocate is has the same standards as public school, because that sort of takes away a lot of the point of homeschooling. But you should have to be able to indicate your child is learning a certain minimum.

And yes, 17%.  Stupid, right?  The reason given when I asked is because a lot of parents home school because they have kids with special needs, so the standards are lowered for those kids to be able to continue homeschooling.  Of course those kids should be allowed to homeschool, but can't we just get different standards for kids that are special needs?  

School in general is just not taken very seriously in America.  Anti-intellectualism at its finest.