Are you talking about the Chicago Virtual Academy, in the Chicago school district? Is that the program you decided against?

If so, and you’re wanting to do the same curriculum, but not be part of the virtual school, you can do as I do and purchase K12 as an independent (“Consumer Direct”) user. You don’t “enroll” (it’s not a school), you purchase it just like any other homeschool curriculum.

http://www.k12.com

If you’re just talking about doing “traditional” homeschooling, then you also don’t “enroll”. In IL, homeschools are considered private schools. You may need to formally pull your kids out of public school if they’ve already enrolled. If not, than just “do your thing”.

Here is a link to get you started:

http://www.illinoishouse.org/

There are also Yahoo Groups for HS’ing in IL.

There are lots of school in a box programs out there.

There is also the do yourself method too.

You have to at least look at the Brick School motif.

Kids are trained to get up to ALGEBRA by age 13 or 14.

Geometry by 15 or 16.

Trig by 17

Cal or Pre Cal after that

You are trained to get GENERAL Earth Scienc udnder your belt by at 14 and then go into

Biology at 15 or 16

MATH Chemistry or Physics at 17 or 18

Somewhere around 15 or 16 you need to start getting them used to STYLE writing and from some STRANGE reason APA is the most popular.

I’d also learn Chicago STyle, before that. It’s more normal.

To give you an idea, APA has ONE SPACE after a period (not two)

It’s a strange system but COLLEGES are using it for advanced paper work.

Chicago has been a LONG accept method and it’s more normal, so maybe start that at 13 or 14 then get into APA at 15 or 16.

History has to lead up to a full understanding of WORLD and LOCAL History and Economics and Politics (Feudal, Mercantile, etc.) by age 17 when you get into Civics (or contemporary World Poltics and Local Politics).

If you have PRIVATE COLLEGE AMIBITONS then you MUST explore a foreign language at ANY POINT IN TIME, but at least by age 16.

And you must be able to Read and WRite and Converse.

They want 2 years (French 1,2,3 and 4 highschool equivalent).

This is an option ONLY for Ivy League and PRIVATE schools.

So that’s your game plan

You must work on MATH until your 13 year old is ready for Algebra

You must work on English every year, sentence diagraming, composition, grammar, vocabulary, then College Styles.

Anyway you accomplish this is fine.

If you can get them CALCULUS ready by 15, you are doing SUPER

I would have them tested at least 3 times using something like the Stanford or Regents Exams to see where they stand with the rest of the nation.

This is your yard stick.

BELOW STANINE means MORE WORK IN THAT AREA

Above Stanine means they are excelling.

Above STANINE in everything means they are ahead of the Public School kids.

It’s going to cost you. Such a test is $150 to $300 and you need to do it twice miniumum (3 years apart) or 3 times optimum.

This test can also be used in their college applications if it shows WELL ABOVE STANINE.

If you don’t want to use the online (virtual) school, just start schooling them with whatever resources you have available. You aren’t required to notify the district, however:

(from the HSLDA website):

In order to avoid truancy actions, home schoolers who are contacted may wish to file a “statement of assurance” with the local school district or send form ISBE 87-01, (the “Nonpublic Registration, Enrollment and Staff Report”) to the Illinois Department of Education in order to show their good faith. This statement of assurance and the form, however, are voluntary, and parents are not required by law to initiate filing either of them. Parents who fill out either of these forms when contacted by school authorities do so simply to indicate that their private school meets the standards required

above, distinguishing themselves from actual truancy violators.

AL: I guess we can see what kind of “socialization” the public school provides – de facto prejudice towards anyone who goes against conventional (groupthink) thinking. Didn’t I read something about that in _1984_?

AL, get out of that cave you’ve obviously been living in.

As far as enrolling them, you don’t – you just start doing it. You can choose your curriculum, method of teaching, when and where you school, etc. As long as you cover the core required subjects – language arts, biological and physical science, math, social sciences, fine arts, health and physical development – you’re good. (Note – it doesn’t mention WHAT you have to cover in each of these, just that you have to cover them. Take them at your kids’ levels, according to their learning styles and your teaching style, and at a pace they can handle.)

You may want to get in touch with a homeschool support group in your area – this can be a great resource, whether you’ve been homeschooling a week or 20 years. Here’s a link with some to look at, by county. Of course, I’m sure there are others – just google your city and “homeschool group” – but this should give you a start.

http://www.hslda.org/orgs/default.asp?State=IL

Past that, you just research and choose your curriculum, and go for it. Whatever curriculum you choose should have lesson plans or planning tips to go along with it that are pretty easy to follow.

Good luck and have fun!

ALR; Socialization in public schools goes way down the toilet. When our kids were in public schools other students bullied them for being quiet, their lunches were stolen and the teaching was poor.

You obviously have forgotten about several things in public schools. Does being bullied or harassed make a child a well rounded human being? What about school stabbings , shootings, drugs, and alcohol? Yep. great socialization tactics there, huh?

Our children know far more about people than any public school can teach. We train them by observation. By this and listening to these very same people they learn just how hideous others can be.

Public school kids tear you down for not being in the cool groups, not having the cool clothes, not playing sports,or for being too smart.

We teach our children, unlike public schools, that there are no fairy tale endings in this life. Public schools beat around the bush when it comes to drugs and alcohol. They never tell the hard cold facts of prison life and or death. Or what these substances do to you.

They never teach how pathetic and mean people can be just for mere fun. We cover that clearly.

Your first step is to choose a curriculum, Then call and make an appt. with the superintendant’s office. Your curriculum will either be accepted or not, then your on your own. Let me tell you, home schooling is all consuming,and very expensive. The kids need lessons, and to go to plays and performances, and unless your an expert in all subjects, tutors, art teachers, music teachers usually need to enter the picture. So if your loaded with money and time, good luck. It has it’s rewards too. Once you come down from the honeymoon period and wake up, it’s the hardest thing ever. Good luck!!

AL R: Stop stereo typing. Just because someone’s home schooled doesn’t mean they have horrible social interaction. There are plenty of other social activities someone can do instead.

I’m home schooled, I’m hardly socially deprived, and I might actually have better social skills than most public schoolers I know.

You don’t have to enroll in any program in Illinois, you just homeschool. Keep records of what you do in case somebody wants to check in on you and you’re set.

There is a program called PAVCS go to www.PAVCS.com (my mom Jennifer works their)

Why would you want to do such a thing? Don´t you know that your kids need social interaction to help them become well rounded human beings?