Protect Your Homeschool Freedoms ~
Participate in OCEANetwork's 2008 Research Project
Since 1986 OCEANetwork has worked to protect home education freedoms in Oregon. And every year since 1986 (except 1991), home education freedoms have been attacked in the Oregon legislature. In 1997, the Oregon Home Education Network joined OCEANetwork in our lobbying efforts and together we work hard to protect the freedom of families in Oregon to educate their children as the parents deem best.
Home educators' good academic track record has been one of the tools we have used to successfully educate the Oregon legislature that "home educators are doing well enough to be left alone." But we have not had test score results to share with the legislature since 1999 when legislation we introduced made the collection of homeschool test scores in Oregon optional for the Education Service Districts and changed from annual testing to testing in grades 3, 5, 8 & 10.
We need a current, comprehensive study of how well Oregon home educators are doing so we can use it in our lobbying efforts this coming legislative session. This research project is being conducted by the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) and is being mainly funded by Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and the Oregon Christian Home Education Association Network (OCEANetwork).
Here's how you can help.
Your responses will be kept confidential. NHERI, HSLDA and OCEANetwork are all committed to protecting your privacy and the privacy of your children while we are also committed to protecting your freedom to home educate your children. Click here to read a letter from HSLDA and NHERI regarding this project.
Deadline for participation: Please participate now - the sooner the better. Deadline for participation is Thanksgiving, 2008.
To add an incentive for a timely response, HSLDA and NHERI are conducting a drawing from participants for the following three prizes.
First prize - iPOD
Second Prize - $100 Visa Gift Card or free two-year HSLDA membership
Third Prize - $50 Visa Gift Card or free one-year HSLDA membership
1. Qualifications to participate
Please participate if at least one of your children
a. was homeschooled within the past 12 months, and
b. you tested a homeschooled child with a standardized achievement test between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008 (for example: California Achievement Test, Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Stanford Achievement Test, Terra Nova) that reports national percentile scores (i.e., NPR, Percentile Rank), and
c. you have not already completed a survey for this student through one of the following testing services:
BJU Press
Family Learning Organization
Piedmont Education Services
Seton
Basic Skills Assessment and Educational Services
If Basic Skills did the test for you, but you have not participated in the online survey at NHERI, participate through OCEANetwork or Basic Skills - but make sure you participate with one or the other.
Participation is voluntary, of course, but we need all qualified homeschool families in Oregon to participate - regardless of your children's academic abilities.
We understand homeschool students in Oregon are only required to take standardized achievement tests in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, so you may not have tested all your children last during the 2007-2008 school year. Please participate in the survey for those children you did test last year (even if they were not in grade 3, 5, 8 or 10).
2. Create a unique student research ID for each child participating.
The Student Research ID number will consist of 10 digits constructed as following:
State Number: Oregon: 38 (two digits for Oregon)
father's birth day of month (2 digits)
mother's birth day of month (2 digits)
child's birth day of month (2 digits)
-01 (include dash/hyphen) for oldest child, -02 second oldest, -03 for third oldest (2 digits) =
10 digits.
For example, Billy Smith tested in Oregon (state number 38), his father was born on the 23rd day of the month, his mom was born on the 16th day of the month, Billy was born on the 3rd day of the month, and Billy is the second oldest homeschooled in his family; his research ID number is 38231603-02.
The student research ID number will be used for both the online survey and on the test results mailed to OCEANetwork, so at no time will either OCEANetwork or NHERI be able to identify the family or the student participating.
3. Complete online survey for each child
Take a short online survey for each child participating at http://www.nheri.org/study. (Or you can call Ian Slater at 540-338-8663 for a paper copy of the survey) The parent is to answer the survey questions.
4. Send copies of your children's tests to OCEANetwork.
a. Mark out your children's names
b. Place the student research ID number in the upper left hand corner of the test
c. Mail it before Thanksgiving, 2008 to OCEANetwork at:
OCEANetwork Research Project
512 Heywood Ave.
Eugene, OR 97404-1920
Thank you for considering participating in the 2008 survey of Oregon home educating students. The information gained will be used in two ways: to prepare for lobbying the Oregon legislature in 2009 and to be included in the largest and most in-depth study of homeschool families and their academic ability ever conducted. The results will help protect homeschool freedoms in Oregon and other states for years to come.
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