Even though education is compulsory for children in the United States, it is not

A

Even though education is compulsory for children in the United States, it is not compulsory for them to go to a conventional school to get that education. in every one of the 50 states ,it is legal for parents to educate their children at home,or to" home school" their children. Although no state requires parents to have special training to home school their children,the regulations parents must follow vary widely from state to state. New Jersey,for example ,imposes virtually no requirements. In contrast,New York requires home schoolers to notify their school districts, file instructional plans and frequent reports, and submit the results of tests or other forms of assessment for each child.

B

Increasing numbers of American families have been opting for home schooling. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics,about 1. 1 million children were being home schooled in the spring of 2003. This represents an increase from the 850,000 who were being home schooled in the spring of 1999. In addition, the home-schooling rate-the percentage of the school-age population that was being home schooled-increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.2 percent in 2003.

C

A survey conducted in 2003 asked parents to give their most important reasons for home schooling their children. Thirty-one percent cited concerns about the environment in conventional schools, including safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure. Thirty percent said that the most important reason was to provide religious or moral instruction. Sixteen percent said that the most important reason was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at conventional schools. Parents gave other reasons, too; for instance, many said that they wanted to strengthen family bonds or allow their children more freedom.

D

It is difficult to show whether conventional schooling or home schooling works better. Home-schooled children tend to score significantly higher than the national average on college entrance tests. But educators say that it isn't easy to determine how meaningful the figures are,given the complexities of making direct comparisons. In the debate about home schooling, socialization is more of an issue than achievement. Advocates of conventional education believe that home-schooled children are at a disadvantage because they miss out on the kinds of social interaction and relationships with peers that are an essential part of a total education. Advocates of home schooling say that home-schooled children are not socially isolated;they think that home-schooled children have a larger social structure because they can be out in the world,in contact with people of different ages,and having experiences that they could never have in conventional schools.

Questions 1-5 Choose the best statement (A. B, C or D) for each sentence.

1. The word conventional ,means____.()

A. relating to a meeting

B. following what is normal or usual

C. following a religion

D. educational

2. According to the passage,increasing numbers of American families are choosing home schooling. What information does the author give to support this statement？()

A. In every one of the 50 states, it is legal for parents to educate their children at home.

B. Thirty-one percent of parents say that the most important reason for home schooling is concerns about the environment in conventional schools.

C. The number of children who were being home schooled increased from 850,000 in 1999 to about 1.1 million in 2003.

D. A survey was conducted in 2003.

3. Scan the passage to find the answer to this question: How many of the parents surveyed in 2003 said that the most important reason for home schooling their children was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at conventional schools？()

A. 1.1 million

B. 30 percent

C. 16 percent

D. 2.2 percent

4. Three of the following statements give facts,and one gives an opinion. Based on the reading passage,which one is the opinion？()

A. Home-schooled children are at a disadvantage because they miss out on some kinds of social interaction and relationships.

B. Thirty percent of parents who home school their children said that the most important reason was to provide religious or moral instruction.

C. The home-schooling rate increased from 1. 7 percent in 1999 to 2. 2 percent in 2003.

D. The regulations that parents of home schoolers must follow vary widely from State to state.

5. Based on Paragraph D, we can conclude that advocates of conventional education object to home schooling mainly because home-schooled children____.

A. cannot achieve academically

B. cannot be compared to conventionally educated children

C. are not well socialized

D. have too much freedom