FAQ
How do I order ESA products?
Order ESA products on-line at www.hepbookstore.com. Type esa in the search box.
What ages may join?
Established for the high school student, chapters may limit membership to 9-12th grades or extend membership to include junior high (grades 7-8). Students younger than 7th grade are NOT eligible for membership in ESA. Each chapter will determine its own membership range between the grades of 7-12. The Omega Chapter is for grades 9-12.
Is the test score the only membership requirement?
When ESA was formed in 1999, we decided to require just the test score as the one mandatory national membership requirement. After all, a test score in the 90% or an 1800 on the SAT was an honorable score. We did not choose to require a certain GPA because “parents give the grades” when a student is home schooled and we wanted to avoid the appearance of students being admitted to ESA with inflated grades given by their parents.
How often does a student need to submit a new test score?
In the Alpha Chapter, we admit students on the first score submitted and then DO NOT REQUIRE any new testing. Once in, they are in. Chapters may require students to submit new scores each year. If so, this requirement will need to be in the chapter’s by-laws. The Alpha Chapter is in our 14th year and only requiring the entrance test score has worked very well. We do require students to have a 3.0 GPA in order to run for an office.
What tests may be submitted for membership?
SAT, PSAT, and the ACT are acceptable. Stanford and IOWA will be accepted if administered in a group setting and NOT by the parent. Sponsors may have to call the testing center to confirm that the test was administered in a group setting and not by the parent, or otherwise verify the group testing requirement. Pre-ACT or Plan is not accepted due to the scoring differences of the Plan and the ACT. MAT, Woodcock Johnson, PASS, THETA, and COMPASS Tests are not acceptable. The test score is non-negotiable! SPONSORS ARE NOT TO MAKE EXCEPTIONS (even for younger children).
Also, since the parent is NOT to administer the test, I would suggest that the Honor Society work with a local homeschool group to provide Iowa or Stanford group testing, or have the name of a tester (non-family member) who would be willing to administer the tests to potential members. On-line testing should also not be done by a parent. Keep in mind, we are NOT questioning the integrity of the parent. As home school parents we too are required to follow these guidelines for our children. We are simply keeping ESA’s standard above reproach!
Note: The Core total is NOT to be used; please use the composite or total battery scores only. We cannot allow sponsors to pick and choose which scores to use. So, please use the composite/total score results.
Does ESA’s National Chapter maintain membership records?
Our first national charter representative hoped to be able to keep a national registry of all student members. This has been impossible to do as we do not have the necessary staff to keep this kind of record. We do keep a registry of all chapters and the active ones are posted to this web page. We will however, keep a list of the Omega Chapter members since it is a chapter of ESA.
Does ESA’s National Chapter provide by-laws for chapters?
As home schoolers, we wanted to be “home school friendly” and allow each individual chapter to establish its own by-laws. The Alpha Chapter gladly shares its by-laws upon request.
Are weekly meetings required?
Some chapters cover an entire state and weekly or even monthly meetings may be impossible. It is our hope that each chapter will hold meetings on a regular basis as it is one of the goals of the honor society for students to hold offices and learn to work together to promote common goals. Our Alpha Chapter meets the third Friday of each month. We have service projects and activities at other times during the months. One year we did meet twice a month, but because so many of students have to drive in for the meetings, we decided to return to the once a month schedule. This has worked well for us for the last ten years.
Who is eligible for ESA membership?
Only those students who meet the HSLDA definition of a home schooler are eligible for ESA membership. This rule states that a student must complete 50% of his/her studies at home under the direct supervision of the parent. Co-op programs, group classes, and even community college courses are acceptable as long as the 50% rule is followed. Students enrolled in public school programs, charter school programs, full-time college programs, or other programs where more than 50% of the school time is spent in the supervision of a school setting or where the public school receives 50% funding for the student’s attendance are not eligible for ESA membership. (See HSLDA’s web page at www.hslda.org for more information.)
Can ESA Chapters hold fund raisers?
This decision must be made by each local chapter and its sponsoring group. Our Alpha Chapter has had many fund raisers since its inception. We have now donated over $10,000 to Camp Hope/PTSD Foundation of America.
If you have any questions that you would like to see answered here in this section, please forward them to: jjuren@hepbookstore.com
Thanks,
Joanne E. Juren, ESA Founder and National Director
9/3/19
