Why would a parent choose the Options Program?
Parents choose to place their children in Options because their children can be a part of a classroom experience. They value the opportunity for students to share academic time with their peers. Also, science labs, art, music and other types of classes may be difficult to offer at home. Students are able to participate in group activities such as field trips. Parents encourage the opportunity for their students to experience the rigor of regular classroom setting and the accountability that comes from deadlines and the need to demonstrate organizational skills.
Another important aspect is that through enrollment with Options, parents have the availability of textbooks, curriculum and testing, through Options. Curriculum is available to parents for their home use for annual check out, at no cost except for consumables. Parents are able to order cost effective, reusable curriculum, which is non-religious in nature. Many of the curriculum choices are those that are in popular homeschool catalogs. Items are returned at the end of the school year.
Parents connected with the Options program consider homeschooling their primary means of educating their students. State law relating to homeschooled students requires that each child participating in a non-public home-based educational program be evaluated when the child reaches grades three, five, seven, nine and eleven. Each child must be given a nationally standardized achievement test to evaluate the child’s progress (or a qualified person will evaluate the child’s academic progress). The test or evaluation results, is submitted to the local school district of residence. The purpose is to evaluate the education progress of each child.
Colorado Law (CO. Statutes 22-33-104.5) requires parents to provide 172 days of instruction averaging 4 hours a day. Testing is mandatory in grades 3,5,7,9, and 11.
