August 25, 1997

P.O. Box 2111
Roswell, GA 30077-2111
URL: www.heir.org
Email: Info@heir.org

Dr. Stephen R. Portch
Chancellor
Board of Regents
270 Washington Street, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30334

RE: USG Admissions Requirements for Homeschoolers

Dear Chancellor Portch:

The Home Education Information Resource (HEIR) was incorporated this year with a vision that homeschooling be recognized as a legitimate choice for improving the quality of education in Georgia. Our mission statement is attached (attachment #1). HEIR has a core membership in the metro Atlanta area, correspondents all over the State, and liaisons to the major homeschooling support organizations. HEIR has been active in reporting to the homeschooling community about activities in the General Assembly, the Board of Regents, and other government agencies. HEIR also has been active in polling and surveying homeschoolers about key issues affecting them. Our web site is a valuable resource for many homeschoolers in Georgia.

Homeschoolers in Georgia, like homeschoolers all over the U.S., perform well above population norms on standard academic achievement tests. All the available evidence indicates that they are outpacing public school achievement by wide margins (attachment #2 summarizes one study, there are many others). Some post-secondary institutions, such as Oglethorpe University, are actively recruiting from this population of excellent students. Today, there are approximately 15,000 homeschooled children in Georgia, and their numbers have grown at 20% per year over the past seven years (see attachment #3). While homeschooling is a very effective educational approach, it is not well understood. Attachment #4 provides a brief explanation for its success.

The Board of Regents is in the process of implementing new policies that have a major impact on homeschoolers' access to the University System of Georgia. The new admissions policy is a radical departure from the previous policy, in that it disregards the homeschooled student's portfolio, and requires a large number of SAT II tests, for which "passing scores" must be determined. It appears that the new admissions policy was implemented without attempting to discern the effectiveness of the policy that it replaced.

Many homeschoolers in Georgia are very concerned about the new policy. HEIR has polling data from over 300 homeschooling parents, who are virtually unanimous in their belief that requiring eight SAT II tests is not an equitable admissions requirement. There are legitimate concerns over the method used to establish the passing scores, which results in very unfair standards. For example, the ETS analysis, together with other College Board data, implies that the average "C" student who has a 19th percentile SAT I score could take the SAT II subject test in physics, and score better than 57 percent of the students who have taken that test and who average 89th percentile on the SAT I! Attachment #5 presents a detailed analysis of the "passing scores." There are concerns over the timing for implementation of the new policy, which has not been clarified by the Board's staff, despite numerous inquiries by HEIR. Finally, there is concern that the Board of Regents is denying homeschoolers access to joint enrollment, even though homeschoolers may be exceptionally well-qualified for specific joint enrollment courses, based on SAT I scores and previous work documented in a portfolio (see attachment # 4).

Many homeschoolers also are concerned about the process used to develop the new policies towards homeschoolers. They are concerned that the Admissions Task Force did not include anyone with expertise in homeschooling, nor anyone who would act as an advocate for homeschoolers. There is no indication in the ATF report that the Admissions Task Force considered any quantitative data on the academic achievements of homeschoolers. There is no evidence of any attempt by the Admissions Task Force to assess the success of homeschoolers currently enrolled in the University System of Georgia.

It would be a simple matter to confer with the admissions counselors at the various System institutions. We believe that if you do, you will find that homeschoolers have a good track record as a group. In fact, they are exactly the self-motivated, self-disciplined, bright, enthusiastic students that professors want in their courses. Yet the new policies discount their prior educational activities, and discourage them from applying to the University System of Georgia.

In the cause of equity and reasonable access to the University System of Georgia for homeschoolers, HEIR requests that the Board of Regents take the following actions:

1. Suspend implementation of the requirement for SAT II tests;
2. Form a new admissions task force, and include both admissions counselors who have direct knowledge of homeschoolers in USG institutions, and homeschool advocates;
3. While the new task force is developing an appropriate policy, allow admissions counselors at the institutions to make admissions decisions based upon SAT I scores and individual portfolios. Begin to track the performance of homeschoolers in the University System of Georgia, as a way to inform the task force deliberations.

Homeschoolers value education, and their achievement scores demonstrate their success. Homeschoolers support improvement in the quality of education in Georgia. The new admissions policies of the Board of Regents are placing extra burdens on students who choose other than traditional institutional schooling, and holding them to a higher standard than traditional students. We urge you to reconsider.

Sincerely,

Cc: Governor Zell Miller
Individual Regents
Hon. Dubose Porter

Attachments:

1. HEIR Vision/Mission/Principles

2. Homeschool Academic Achievement

3. Homeschooling Numbers in Georgia

4. What is Homeschooling and Why Does It Work?

5. HEIR Analysis of Recommended SAT II "Passing Scores"