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Homeschooling
is indeed legal all throughout America and even
in other parts of the world. This is good for parents
who prefer to be hands-on when it comes to the education
of their children. Still, parents do not have free
rein all throughout because there are state regulations
surrounding homeschooling - and these can differ
from one state to another. Thus, if you are considering
homeschooling your child, it would be wise to educate
yourself about these state regulations.
Homeschooling
has long been treated as a legal alternative in
all states in America. At present, 2/3 of this population
of states has implemented specific laws and regulations
when it comes to the authorization and regularization
of homeschooling. There are similar laws and regulations
to some extent. However, there are certain differences
that should be noted because these would have a
great impact on how you would go about your particular
homeschooling program for your child. Here are some
of those regulations that you need to keep in mind.
No
Notice
For this
state regulation, this would indicate that the state
does not require you, as parents, to contact the
state for regular reports and updates of your child's
homeschooling progress. This means that the state
is somewhat lenient when it comes to monitoring
the progress of homeschooled children. Each of these
No Notice states still has its own set of specific
regulations though. Texas, in particular and being
a No Notice state, requires the homeschooling family
to treat their homeschool as a private school. Your
homeschool operations then would be carried out
quite like the way a private school's operations
would be carried out. More importantly, homeschooling
in Texas would require parents to teach the following
subjects: math, good citizenship, grammar, spelling,
and reading.
Low
Regulation
Homeschooling
parents in low regulation states are required to
notify the states of just of the status of their
children's homeschooling education. That is all
they need to notify about - the status. Each state
will still have its own regulations, depending on
the preferences of the states themselves.
To give
an overview, California, being one of the low regulation
states, actually offers four homeschooling options
that are considered legal, namely using a private
tutor, qualifying as a private school, enrolling
in an independent study program that is offered
by a public school, or enrolling in a satellite
program that is offered by a private school.
Teacher
certification is mandated only if parents opt to
do the teaching on their own as private tutors.
However, if you decide to hire a private tutor instead,
then you do not really need to conform to a specified
number of hours or days in attendance. Case in point,
the homeschooled child is only required to log 175
days for each school year, with roughly 3 hours'
worth of instruction and school activities for each
day.
If you
choose to declare your homeschooling program as
your very own private school, then you need to send
official notice to your state still. Case in point,
you need to file yearly affidavits and present these
to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. However,
if you choose to enroll in an independent study
program offered by your local public school, then
there is no need to present official notice anymore
because your enrolment itself would already be your
notice.
Moderate
Regulation
In moderate
regulation states, homeschooling parents must notify
the states of their children's progress, providing
test scores and even professional evaluation. Similarly,
moderation regular states will still have specific
regulations. To give an overview of these regulations,
here are the legal options offered to homeschooling
parents in Florida, namely establishing and operating
a homeschool and qualifying and operating as a part
or subsidiary of a private school corporation.
By definition,
a private school corporation is comprised of an
incorporated group of homeschooling families based
within a particular state. Homeschooling parents
are required to fine a notice of intent to the local
superintendent. This, however, is not required yearly
and there are no attendance requirements for the
homeschooled children. All that you need for attendance
is a total of 180 school days per year and it is
up to you how you spread these days out, as well
as the number of hours you dedicate to homeschooling
for each day.
No subject
requirements or teaching qualifications are mandated;
just the maintenance of a portfolio of school records
and teaching materials. This portfolio should also
be matched with just one of the following options:
- A certified
teacher should administer a standardized test
- A certified
teacher evaluates the student in terms of progress
"
- A licensed
psychologist evaluates the student in terms of IQ
and EQ"
- The
student is evaluated by the state itself using other
means approved beforehand
High
Regulation
In high
regulation states, homeschooling parents are mandated
to send notifications, including achievement test
scores, professional evaluation, teacher qualification,
state approved curriculum, and the like. As needed,
home visits might be conducted to assess the academic
environment at home for evaluation. There are still
specific regulations per state but in New York,
which is one of the prominent high regulation states,
only one legal homeschooling option is offered.
This is the establishment and the operation of a
home school.
As parents,
you then need to file annual notices of your intentions
with your local school superintendent. Apart from
that, you also need to submit your IHIP or Individualized
Home Instruction Plan. As for attendance, a log
of 180 school days must be established; or, this
figure could be spread out over 900 school hours
for grade 1 through grade 6. But for grades 7 and
onwards, a total of 990 school hours is required.
Homeschooling
parents do not really need to provide teacher certification
here. However, attendance records should be maintained
and annual assessment tests and quarterly reports
should be filed with the local superintendent. More
importantly, the student must reach a percentile
rank of at least 33, to maintain the operations
of the homeschool program. Otherwise, the program
itself may be placed under probation.
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