Regents Dispute Claim of Discrimination in Admissions Standards

Homeschoolers value education. That is clear from both the commitment of homeschooling families, and the academic achievement scores for homeschooling students.

For the past year the Home Education Information Resource has been holding discussions and meetings with the Chancellor's office focusing on the new University System of Georgia admissions standards for homeschoolers.

The new standards require homeschoolers to take seven SAT II subject tests, and to meet a "cut score" on each test. According to the Chancellor's office, these tests are supposed to verify a level of proficiency in college prep curriculum courses equivalent to a "C" performance in a public school.

The Chancellor's office has not attempted to validate the passing scores as actually being C grade equivalent, and indicates no intention to conduct any validation study.

HEIR attempted to estimate the percent of GA high school students who would be admitted, if the new homeschooling standards were applied to all students. Our estimate indicates that freshman enrollments at the University System of Georgia would be cut by over two-thirds. In our view, this is not an equitable result.

The Chancellor's office, in collaboration with consultants from the Education Testing Service, disputes the estimate we've calculated, but has not provided a detailed technical explanation of their objections. Nor have they attempted to compute their own estimate of the impact of the new standards.

We also have suggested alternative approaches to admissions for homeschoolers, focusing on the use of a portfolio--the single most commonly used method for homeschoolers to document their academic preparation. The Chancellor's staff stated in a meeting yesterday that they didn't know what a portfolio was, so they didn't know how to use it making admissions decisions.

Homeschooling is a legitimate educational option in Georgia, having equal status under the law with public and private schools. It is time for the Board of Regents to recognize the value of the academic diversity represented by homeschooling, and make a good faith effort to admit homeschoolers through an admissions standard that doesn't force them to abandon that diversity.

About HEIR ||| Home ||| Contents ||| News ||| Opinion