S/O compliance- Most Restrictive Homeschooling States?

[displace]

I sometimes see posts asking about low regulation states, or see requirements from specific states listed when someone is planning on moving. I’m wondering if your state is considered very restrictive and a general idea of the requirements. Either if you feel it’s restrictive, or others in general around you feel that way. I’m vaguely aware some states require time/hours per year, maybe certain subjects, etc. What’s the most restrictive states? Non-US countries are free to play! I’m curious about other countries, too.

[Carrie12345]

Ignore anyone who says PA. Hoop jumping? Sure. Restrictive? Pfft!

[Guinevere]

VA

 

Annoying, but not restrictive.

[HomeAgain]

Massachusetts is said to be restrictive.  The school district makes the approval and interprets the law.  AHEM is a great resource with sample letters and instructions on how to start. For my district, I turned in a LoI and curriculum plan at the beginning of the year and will send in a progress report at the end of the year.  I politely refused to register at the public school by giving my consent if they would send me the part of the law where that requirement falls under.  They decided it wasn't necessary after all.

 

 

[Elizabeth86]

VA

 

Annoying, but not restrictive.

I'm in VA and was surprised it is considered moderately restrictive. I find it not restrictive at all. I was quite surprised that was all it took to homeschool.

[happypamama]

Yes, definitely not PA. It’s all hoop jumping and has really nothing to do with HOW you actually educate your child. It also got even better a few years ago because our districts only get our evaluator letters and not our actual portfolios. Occasionally a district attempts to overstep their bounds, but it’s pretty easy to re-educate them. You pick your own evaluator, and you pick your own standardized tests (from a list of several — and the online CAT counts) in certain years. There are exemptions for medical checkups and immunizations if you want them, including an ethical exemption (no doctor or clergy signature required). It’s very easy to unschool here. The law allows for homeschooled students to take classes and participate in sports and clubs too. Our district was very happy to have DD take the PSAT, no problem.

[TravelingChris]

.Restrictive usually means hoop-jumping but also often how hard it is for families with kids with special needs.   HSLDA considers AL to be a low restrictive state, I don't.  You have to register with a church school, and there are some other strange options but they may have expanded now, I am not sure. Now some are more restrictive than others but overall the church schools are mostly more restrictive than any other state I have homeschooled in.  I had such little time to choose my school when we moved here because school was starting almost right away so I may not have found the best program for us but it was a lot of extra work for me- I mean lots and lots of extra work compared to what I had to do when my son was in high school with Clonlara or my daughter was in high school in VA. 

 

Both FL and VA made me do stupid things to bypass youngest;s dyslexia,  Like I would black out her individual test scores in VA and only give composite scores (which were very good overall).  Because she was scoring 10% or whatever on Spelling,.  Oh and with extra time and age and letting her take her time to really learn to read (she was reading minimally until early in FL where her desire to read Harry Potter made her work really hard and slowly but surely read a long book finally (( and a really long book at that)),she ended up scoring 30 on her ACT. But she still isn't a great speller but neither is my other dd who is working as a tech writer, though more of her work is editing and formatting.

 

Edited January 17, 2018 by transientChris

[lauraw4321]

.Restrictive usually means hoop-jumping but also often how hard it is for families with kids with special needs.   HSLDA considers AL to be a low restrictive state, I don't.  You have to register with a church school, and there are some other strange options but they may have expanded now, I am not sure. Now some are more restrictive than others but overall the church schools are mostly more restrictive than any other state I have homeschooled in.  I had such little time to choose my school when we moved here because school was starting almost right away so I may not have found the best program for us but it was a lot of extra work for me- I mean lots and lots of extra work compared to what I had to do when my son was in high school with Clonlara or my daughter was in high school in VA. 

 

Both FL and VA made me do stupid things to bypass youngest;s dyslexia,  Like I would black out her individual test scores in VA and only give composite scores (which were very good overall).  Because she was scoring 10% or whatever on Spelling,.  Oh and with extra time and age and letting her take her time to really learn to read (she was reading minimally until early in FL where her desire to read Harry Potter made her work really hard and slowly but surely read a long book finally (( and a really long book at that)),she ended up scoring 30 on her ACT. But she still isn't a great speller but neither is my other dd who is working as a tech writer, though more of her work is editing and formatting.

 

Many AL HS I know don't use covers at all. And there are covers (like the one I used) that required nothing. I just paid them a fee, and sent them an email once a year saying that my daughter had attended X number of school days. That's it.

 

There are no separate HS regulations in AL because it's basically just not recognized.

[hjffkj]

I'm in De, which is not restrictive. I have to sign on to the department of education's site, register as a private school, and at the end of the year say how many days I schooled. There is no requirement to school a specific number of days.

[eternalsummer]

Colorado isn't restrictive for us - we teach the things we'd teach anyway, I keep a log which I like doing because I like stationery, and we test every other year.  I think you just stay above like the 15th percentile and you're good for testing, I'm not exactly sure but I know it's quite low.

 

So for us, no big deal.

 

For someone who doesn't want to teach the mandated subjects, or feels weird claiming they've directly taught subjects that others are happy to say they've "taught" even if it's sort of a sideways exposure, like Speaking or Civics, or for someone with a kid who legitimately is in the bottom 15th percentile, I think it could be restrictive, but I haven't really had to consider it.

 

When we were in Missouri, it was pretty much nothing.  Just do what you're doing, although I believe there is an hours requirement.  

[mellifera33]

WA is pretty easy. Starting when the student is 8, we have to send in a letter of intent, teach the required 11 subjects, and either do standardized testing or have an educational assessment with a certified teacher. How the 11 required subjects are taught is up to the parent. Test scores/assessments are not submitted to any authority. 

[Garga]

PA:

 

STATE REQUIREMENTS:

 

Have to start filing in the grade that the child turns 8.  My son turned 8 two weeks after school started, so they didn't want me to file until the next school year, when he was 2 weeks shy of turning 9. 

 

900 hours/year for 1st-8th grade OR 180 days.  990 hours/year for 9th-12th grade OR 180 days. 

 

There is a list of required subjects to be taught.  They need to be covered at least once between 1st and 8th grade, so you don't have to do them all every year.  Like, history is one of them, but as long as you do history for only one year, you can be done.  Most subjects you would naturally teach every year, but there are a few that might be just one year, like a health class, perhaps, unless you count health as part of your daily routine.  Whatever works for you.  The only subject that must be taught every single year is fire safety.

 

There is a different list of required classes for 9th-12th grade, which includes things like algebra and geometry.

 

MEDICAL:

 

Annual:  vision, hearing, weight check. These are things that are done at a well-child checkup with the doctor.  My school said that we can use the school nurse for that for free if we want to, so we wouldn't even need to go to a doc if we didn't want to, like if we didn't have the money for a doc visit.

 

Full medical exam: at the beginning of starting homeschooling, in 6th and 11th grade, and when/if issued a farm or domestic service permit. (no clue what those are.)

 

Dental exam: at the beginning of starting homeschooling, 3rd and 7th grade, and when/if issued a farm or domestic service permit.

 

Kids must be immunized in accordance with the law, unless you claim an exemption from them.

 

PAPERWORK:

 

Affidavit: You have to file a notarized affidavit with the school.  There are items that must be on the affidavit, like your name, whether anyone in the house has been convicted of crimes, that you'll teach in English, that you have a high school diploma, etc.  I made up my own little form following the letter of the law.  I walk across the street to have it notarized.  For $5 a notary clerk looks at my driver's license and watches me sign the affidavit and he stamps it showing that he saw me sign it.  

 

Objectives:  For the required subjects, you write out what your objectives are.  I keep them very broad, like this:  Math: to continue appropriate instruction in mathematics.  If the objectives are not met...nothing happens.  It's a hoop.

 

High School Diploma:  I have to have one, but they don't need to see it, as long as I said on the affidavit that I have one.  My school asked me for mine, and I very politely told them that per the law, as long as I indicated on the affidavit that I had one that I was good.  They agreed.

 

Log:  A sheet of paper with the days we did school.  A lot of people make a little chart with 180 boxes in it and put check marks in each box.  I like to include the date that we did our work.  My chart goes from 1-180 with a spot where I jot in the date.

 

EVALUATION:

 

A standardized test must be taken in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade. There is a list of tests that are acceptable. It can be on paper or online.  If it's paper, then a non-parent has to administer it. If it's online, then the parent can do it.  If the student fails...nothing happens.  

 

Portfolio:  Once a year, you meet with an evaluator of your choice to show what work your child has done.  The evaluator must have a teacher's licence.  Some of them want to see a ton of work, others are very hands off and don't want to see much.  The goal is for the evaluator to see that the child has made an appropriate (for them) advancement in the previous year.

 

The portfolio needs to include the books you used (fiction, text, non-fiction), and samples of work.  Lots of people yank out a math sheet from the beginning, middle, and end of the year to show progress, and the same for each subject.  If there's a subject that doesn't really have papers (maybe a speech class), then you can write up a paragraph about what you did, or bring in a video or whatever.  You can do it however you want, but it's good to ask your particular evaluator if s/he needs to see something specific.

 

The evaluator will give you a paper saying whether or not your child was educated that year, and you give that to the school.  

 

 

 

-----

It sounds like a lot and it kinda is.  I mean, you do need to run around and get medical and dental forms signed (I make up my own, "Patient has had a dental visit on this date as required by this law in PA."  The dentist just has to sign her name.  Same with the doctor.)  You need to order a test three different times.  You need to do some paperwork like listing books and dates and showing samples--all the stuff I wrote about above.  

 

As long as you do the paperwork and your child advances, you're good.  As long as you do the paperwork and your child doesn't advance but you have a real reason for it (disability or something), you're still good.  

 

The only problem is if you don't do the paperwork.  You can use any books you want.  You can homeschool in any style you want, as long as someone agrees (the evaluator) that some sort of education has happened that year. 

 

It's a hassle, but just a hassle.  There's nothing that puts a screeching halt on your homeschooling, as long as you fill out all the papers.  Find an evaluator that understands learning disabilities and you're good, as the test scores don't count.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2018 by Garga

[displace]

None of these sound bad. But, I don’t even have a list of required subjects. So that’s more restrictive than FL.

 

Any child with a learning disability, in any state, without a clause like “to the student’s ability†in reviews, may be a stretch to homeschool lawfully, or at risk for scrutiny, IMO.

[TravelingChris]

Many AL HS I know don't use covers at all. And there are covers (like the one I used) that required nothing. I just paid them a fee, and sent them an email once a year saying that my daughter had attended X number of school days. That's it.

 

There are no separate HS regulations in AL because it's basically just not recognized.

 

Yes, that is right, So to do it legally you have to join a church school cover.  And you have little kids- I had a high schooler.  Most high school covers demand a lot.  Maybe there is one that doesn't but locally they all the ones I knew about and the ones people in homeschooling activities I went to joined were quite instrusive, restrictive and very demanding. I chose the least demanding one that I could find in my area and it still was a lot, lot, lot more work than anything I had to do for my highschoolers in NM, overseas, Fl or VA. And HSLDA claims it is not restrictive.

[Noreen Claire]

Just going by memory, but I believe NY, MA, and some other northeastern states are considered most restrictive.

I'm in MA and I've had zero issues. I sent in my letter and a progress report at the end of the year.

[emmaluv+2more]

MO is pretty low everything. I don't have to do anything besides offer the required number of hours (don't have to log, just offer), keep a record showing progress, and keep lesson plans. I don't have to show them to anybody. I only need them in case of a court case. Super easy.

[displace]

Some of the higher hassle states sound like more of an executive function challenge than anything else.

[Laura Corin]

In Scotland if your children have never been in school, there is no requirement to register.  I home educated for two years here and (completely legally) never saw an official or made a report.

 

If the children have been in school then they need consent to withdraw but consent must not be 'unreasonably withheld':  

 

Specific instances where consent may not be able to be granted immediately are:

• where a child has been referred to social work or the police for child protection reasons, and the matter is being investigated
• where a child is on the child protection register
• where a child has been referred to the reporter on care and protection grounds, and the referral is being considered
• where the child is the subject of a supervision requirement.

Home educating parents have to provide an education that is 'suitable and efficient'.  This is  the guidance on how the government believes this might be monitored:

We recommend that authorities should ordinarily make contact on an annual basis with those families they know to be home educating in their area. This annual contact is not a statutory requirement. However, it is a suggestion as to how authorities may reasonably inform themselves in order to fulfil their duty to serve a notice on any parent who is not providing efficient and suitable education.

We recommend that contact is made in writing initially to the family, seeking a meeting or requesting an updated report. The primary purpose of the contact should be for the authority to satisfy themselves that suitable and efficient education is being provided. This can be done either through a meeting, at a mutually agreed location, or through other means, e.g. the submission by the family of written, recorded or electronic material. Authorities should not be prescriptive about the format in which information can be submitted. The important factor is whether the information can demonstrate that suitable and efficient education is being provided.

Following this contact, the local authority should write to the family letting them know the outcome, i.e. whether or not the educational provision was seen to be suitable and efficient. If there was no problem with the educational provision, there will be no need for further contact until the following year. Where there are concerns about the efficiency or suitability of the education being provided, the local authority should make the exact nature of these concerns clear to the parent.

If, from whatever source, an authority becomes aware of concerns about the home education of any child, outwith the normal contact time, they will need to gather the necessary information in order to form a view on whether those concerns are justified or whether the parents are providing an efficient education suitable to the age, ability and aptitude of the child.

[freesia]

NY Is a huge annoying hassle. And you can't do classes at the school and they aren't mandated to give you a letter of completion (which is used to show high school equivalency here ) nor will they let you give a diploma. There are lots of requirements and reporting and end of the year assessments.

 

It's not more than I had to do as a teacher, but it is highly annoying.

 

Friends who have moved here from less annoying states say that the saw instances of non schooling where they used to live, but the annoying regs does weed out those who can't get it together.

 

It also cuts down on the number of homeschoolers which is sad for my children and why we go to a less restrictive state for co-op.

 

I would love to move.

[Matryoshka]

I'm in MA and I've had zero issues. I sent in my letter and a progress report at the end of the year.

 

Yeah, MA is super-easy.  No home visits or other visits with people, just send a letter and progress report OR test results OR portfolio - you pick.  No logs of materials or grades, no attendance, none of that.   Takes me like 15 min - 1/2 hour a year.

 

HSLDA doesn't like us liberal commie heathen states.  Then it goes and lists places that only allow religious cover schools as low-reg - where I would find that incredibly intrusive and restrictive.

 

From what I've heard, NY and PA are the most restrictive, with in-person visits and/or mandatory testing and/or multiple reports a year.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Matryoshka

[ikslo]

Garga,

I’m surprised you get medical forms signed every year. I got a medical one the first year. That’s it. Now I just make a statement in my affidavit that his records are on file with his doctor and his allergist and dentist, that he meets the requirements per Article XIV blah blah blah, and that “this notarized affidavit serves as evidence thereof.†I’ve gotten my “good luck with your school year†letter every year.

 

Correction: I do mention the dentist. It’s just a form letter at this point; I had forgotten.

Edited January 17, 2018 by ikslo

[ScoutTN]

TN, easy. Minor hoop-jumping.

 

Choice of registering with the school system or an umbrella school. All umbrella schools are religious, but they vary widely in what they require, besides attendance records.

[marbel]

<snip>

 

MEDICAL:

 

Annual:  vision, hearing, weight check. These are things that are done at a well-child checkup with the doctor.  My school said that we can use the school nurse for that for free if we want to, so we wouldn't even need to go to a doc if we didn't want to, like if we didn't have the money for a doc visit.

 

Full medical exam: at the beginning of starting homeschooling, in 6th and 11th grade, and when/if issued a farm or domestic service permit. (no clue what those are.)

 

Dental exam: at the beginning of starting homeschooling, 3rd and 7th grade, and when/if issued a farm or domestic service permit.

 

Kids must be immunized in accordance with the law, unless you claim an exemption from them.

 

 

<snip>

 

-----

It sounds like a lot and it kinda is.  I mean, you do need to run around and get medical and dental forms signed (I make up my own, "Patient has had a dental visit on this date as required by this law in PA."  The dentist just has to sign her name.  Same with the doctor.)  

 

<snip>

 

We moved to PA from Oregon - very low requirement state - when my kids were in 3rd and 4th I think. I thought it was going to be horrible.  It wasn't. But I had a lot of good advice on finding an evaluator, doing a minimalist portfolio, stuff like that. 

 

But on this medical stuff - I never did any of this. I mean, my kids were seen by doctor, dentist, etc, but I never turned in any medical or dental forms. I think on my affidavit I said something like "child is regularly seen by a doctor" or similar.  No one ever asked me for it and I don't recall it being required in the law (though it's been a few years since I actually read the law).  My kids were fully immunized, but I didn't turn in records, just said that I had them.   

 

Now, if anyone reading this is homeschooling in PA, don't take this as advice - read the law.  :-)  Because it's possible I did it wrong.  

[Garga]

We moved to PA from Oregon - very low requirement state - when my kids were in 3rd and 4th I think. I thought it was going to be horrible.  It wasn't. But I had a lot of good advice on finding an evaluator, doing a minimalist portfolio, stuff like that. 

 

But on this medical stuff - I never did any of this. I mean, my kids were seen by doctor, dentist, etc, but I never turned in any medical or dental forms. I think on my affidavit I said something like "child is regularly seen by a doctor" or similar.  No one ever asked me for it and I don't recall it being required in the law (though it's been a few years since I actually read the law).  My kids were fully immunized, but I didn't turn in records, just said that I had them.   

 

Now, if anyone reading this is homeschooling in PA, don't take this as advice - read the law.  :-)  Because it's possible I did it wrong.  

 

Hey--maybe you did it right!  I honestly have no idea what exactly the other homeschoolers in PA give to the school in regards to the medical information.  I'm going to ask around.  If I can just add it to the affidavit, then that's what I'm going to do!  

[Garga]

Garga,

I’m surprised you get medical forms signed every year. I got a medical one the first year. That’s it. Now I just make a statement in my affidavit that his records are on file with his doctor and his allergist and dentist, that he meets the requirements per Article XIV blah blah blah, and that “this notarized affidavit serves as evidence thereof.†I’ve gotten my “good luck with your school year†letter every year.

 

Correction: I do mention the dentist. It’s just a form letter at this point; I had forgotten.

 

 

Another one who just uses the affidavit!  You guys are making my day!

[Garga]

Some of the higher hassle states sound like more of an executive function challenge than anything else.

 

I'm in PA with lots of little balls to juggle and I often think this.  I'm pretty good with being organized, but a lot of people struggle with it and I think it must be such a source of frustration for them.  You can ask the school system to extend the due dates for paper work and I have a few friends who do that.  They just can't pull it together because they're a bit scatterbrained.  Fortunately, the school never seems to care that they do that and doesn't give the a hard time about it.

[happypamama]

Some of the higher hassle states sound like more of an executive function challenge than anything else.

Yeah that’s about right. You have to get it together enough to send in the appropriate things at the appropriate times, and that’s the biggest hassle.

 

My district sends me notes about what needs to be done when. I don’t need the reminders, but I appreciate that they send them for those who do. I also put the important dates in our support group’s calendar so that it sends out reminders to everyone, because some people do forget.

Edited January 17, 2018 by happypamama

[frogger]

WA is pretty easy. Starting when the student is 8, we have to send in a letter of intent, teach the required 11 subjects, and either do standardized testing or have an educational assessment with a certified teacher. How the 11 required subjects are taught is up to the parent. Test scores/assessments are not submitted to any authority.

Did they change the certification thing? I haven't been there in 15 years but when I was, you had to have a college degree or take a class for certification. The classes weren't extremely onerous but they were short enough that I was curious what exacatly they thought they would teach you in that amount of time.

[SparklyUnicorn]

NY Is a huge annoying hassle. And you can't do classes at the school and they aren't mandated to give you a letter of completion (which is used to show high school equivalency here ) nor will they let you give a diploma. There are lots of requirements and reporting and end of the year assessments.

 

It's not more than I had to do as a teacher, but it is highly annoying.

 

Friends who have moved here from less annoying states say that the saw instances of non schooling where they used to live, but the annoying regs does weed out those who can't get it together.

 

It also cuts down on the number of homeschoolers which is sad for my children and why we go to a less restrictive state for co-op.

 

I would love to move.

 

Yup.  I'm in NY and agree it's an annoying hassle.  Doable, but very annoying. 

 

The whole graduation thing is probably the worst.  After years and years of all this hoop jumping...my kid is taking the TASC (GED).  No clue if I can count on my district to give me a letter, and many colleges don't seem to grasp the concept either way and just claim you can't go there without a state granted diploma or GED.  My district also arbitrarily interprets the regs differently from year to year. 

[Carrie12345]

Hey--maybe you did it right! I honestly have no idea what exactly the other homeschoolers in PA give to the school in regards to the medical information. I'm going to ask around. If I can just add it to the affidavit, then that's what I'm going to do!

I claim exemption, which simplifies things. A friend who does not DID run into issues with requests for documentation this year, so we went to a school board meeting where she laid down, er, out, the law. She hasn’t mentioned any further problems.

[Sherry in OH]

Ohio’s regulations look a lot more restrictive than they actually are.

 

There is paperwork to file at the beginning of the year and an evaluation at the end of the year.  In the paperwork, the parent agrees to provide 900 hours of instruction and teach the state required subjects. The parent must provide lists of planned curriculum and other resources.  The parent is free to change or adapt curriculum at any time and does not notify the school district of the changes.  A parent may choose to take attendance, log hours, administer tests and/or keep a record of grades for other purposes, but they are not homeschool requirements.  

 

The proof of education is the year-end evaluation. Although the parent has a choice of three evaluation methods, most choose either teacher review or standardized testing.  

 

If teacher review is selected, representative samples of work are maintained, usually in a portfolio.  The parent hires a certified teacher to review the samples. Some evaluators talk with the child during the review, others do not even require the child’s presence.  A few conduct the entire review electronically.  The evaluator provides a signed form letter for the parent to send to the school district superintendent. 

 

If the parent opts for standardized testing, work samples are not required.  The parent selects the test and proctor, which in most cases may be the parent.  The parent sends the test results to the school district superintendent. 

 

The year-end evaluation (form letter or test scores) are filed with the next year's notificiation of intent to homeschool.  The first year is daunting.  After that it is routine.

 

[marbel]

Hey--maybe you did it right!  I honestly have no idea what exactly the other homeschoolers in PA give to the school in regards to the medical information.  I'm going to ask around.  If I can just add it to the affidavit, then that's what I'm going to do!  

 

Check out what the law itself says, not other homeschoolers. Lots of homeschoolers give more than they need to, and the SDs are probably not going to argue, but will take it whether they are supposed to get it or not.   But then they get used to getting more than the law requires, and starting asking for it (or demanding it, sometimes) even though they don't need it. 

 

(That's not a slam on SDs or other homeschoolers, just the way things tend to work. I had some great mentors when I first moved here, and the Ask Pauline site, which helped me a lot. But everyone always pointed me to read and  understand the law for myself, not take their word for it.)

[TravelingChris]

Many AL HS I know don't use covers at all. And there are covers (like the one I used) that required nothing. I just paid them a fee, and sent them an email once a year saying that my daughter had attended X number of school days. That's it.

 

There are no separate HS regulations in AL because it's basically just not recognized.

 

 

Yeah, MA is super-easy.  No home visits or other visits with people, just send a letter and progress report OR test results OR portfolio - you pick.  No logs of materials or grades, no attendance, none of that.   Takes me like 15 min - 1/2 hour a year.

 

HSLDA doesn't like us liberal commie heathen states.  Then it goes and lists places that only allow religious cover schools as low-reg - where I would find that incredibly intrusive and restrictive.

 

From what I've heard, NY and PA are the most restrictive, with in-person visits and/or mandatory testing and/or multiple reports a year.

I do not remember what the map looked like before late May, 2016 and if HSLDA changed colors of AL since then.  In May of 2016, the state superintendent of education issued a judgement that homeschoolers do not need cover schools. That state superintendent retired or left in some way, we hired a new one who resigned within a year, we not only don;t have a new permanent state superintendent of education since the time I thinkof Sept 2017, but we have law suits against the Board of Ed dealing with the previous choice of superintendent, we have had a governor resign under threat of impeachment and pleading guilty to misdeameanors,  and the state legislators who either just started or about to start their session have a potential agenda to change how the whole Board is selected (they are now elected).  So I am not sure when the new superintendent will come on board and if he is less or more friendly to homeschoolers.

 

Overall I do have to agree with you that requiring church school coverings or church group is not low reg in my view though for all the athiests, etc. there were definitely some church groups that specifically did not have any religious requirements and were really open to all.  I am a Christian and mine seemed to be like that but they changed high school graduation rules because the state changed their rules about graduation whithin the four years I was homeschooling my high schooler and I had to show she either graduated with using their criteria or the state.  I had planned out basically each kids general high school curriculum before they started high school. I can't even remember right now how I hobbled together her high school transcript for the cover.  I know why they were doing it- because the community colleges were requiring strict fullfillment of criteria A- whatever but didn;t require ACT or SAT.  We used testing pretty much always but hated being forced to teach lower level classes than we wanted in order to jump through hoops that were stupid and not even used by the state Universities- which is why she did dual enrollment at UAH instead of a community college.

[Classic Mom]

“evidence that the child has been immunized in accordance with the provisions of section 1303(a) and has received the health and medical services required for students of the child's age or grade level in Article XIV; and that the home education program shall comply with the provisions of this section and that the notarized affidavit shall be satisfactory evidence thereof.â€

 

From the PA homeschool education law.

 

You can just put a statement in your affidavit that the child has received medical services and that records are on file in the doctor/dentist offices.

[snowbeltmom]

Some definitely are. Many homeschoolers don’t want to bother with keeping attendance, a log of materials used, grades, assignments, and to be fair in the earlier grades it can be tricky! Not a lot of material lends itself to grades. Some homeschooling styles also make that a pain. That doesn’t mean the work isn’t being done, but logging and quantifying it is an extra three steps they don’t want to take.

 

I struggled with it initially but getting in the habit of logging, just like food diaries, is a good way to go and gets easier with time. It also provides that needed cover academically. But the moms I know who don’t do it are usually educating their kids just fine, but struggle with the paperwork demands and organization/planning aspect. Or they find their materials and study choices aren’t easily broken up into assignments and grades.

 

Logs, charts, and paperwork are metrics, but not the only one. And they’re not super useful in some circumstances, where a portfolio or visual demonstration may work better.

Arctic Mama, Since you are new to the state, I want to make sure that you know that you don't have to keep attendance logs, charts,etc. If you go the portfolio route, you should keep a few samples of your kids' work from the beginning, middle, and end of the year. You do not have to assign a letter grade. If you decide to go the route of standardized testing, you don't have to keep any of your kids' work.

 

Fwiw, once my kids hit middle school, I opt for the standardized testing. I don't send in a copy of the official test results, I just type up a document in Word stating the composite score and send that in with my curricula list for the upcoming year.

 

Good luck homeschooling in Ohio!

Edited January 18, 2018 by snowbeltmom

[Ellie]

HSLDA refers to them as "states with high regulation," which doesn't necessarily mean "restrictive." New York, Pennsylvania (which has definitely improved), Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island are considered states with high regulations.

[mellifera33]

Did they change the certification thing? I haven't been there in 15 years but when I was, you had to have a college degree or take a class for certification. The classes weren't extremely onerous but they were short enough that I was curious what exacatly they thought they would teach you in that amount of time.

Doh! I forgot about that bit. Yes, the parent needs to “qualify†which means either have a certain number of college credits (less than a full degree), take the qualification course, or be overseen by a certified teacher. I never think about this part, because I have the college credits. Nobody checks on this, unless there is some sort of problem.

[kiwik]

NZ. If your child never attends school you must get a certificate of exemption before they turn 6. If your kids start school (on their 5th birthday usually) then you must get a certificate of exemption before removing them from school. For the exemption you have to outline what and how you will teach plus how you plan to assess. It also asks you to list resources. It looks scary but really it is asking you to research home schooling, think about it and write down your thoughts. I don't know if there is a list like Laura Corin gave but you apply to the ministry office who talk to the school (this may vary a bit if there is no local office but I don't know). The school can object and maybe not sign off if you kid has a record or poor attendance or they have concerns. In this case they would reject your application. You can appeal but apparently it is easier to reapply. Your child has to go to school throughout the process but if there are no concerns it may not matter. My approval took less than 2 weeks so it wasn't an issue.

 

Once you are approved you sign a declaration twice a year to say you are still homeschooling and they pay you some money ($753 a year in 2 parts for the first child and decreasing several hundred per child so not much). They used to inspect every 3 years but now they ignore you unless there is a complaint.

Edited January 19, 2018 by kiwik

[displace]

I like the idea of requiring a curriculum plan or something. I have a general idea of curriculum but we change a lot based on poor fit. It’s very helpful for me to think about ahead of time. Though the most I think about is six months to a year in the future before needing to re-evaluate.

[PeachyDoodle]

NC isn't too restrictive. We have to file a Notice of Intent to establish our school if/once the child is between the ages of 7-16. The part I hate the most is that we have to test every single year. To my knowledge, no one but me ever sees said test scores. I think testing in fine for older students, and I probably would have done it at least periodically anyway, but I really dread plunking ds7 down in front of a standardized test this year. And the SAT only qualifies under the law if you take the writing test, so dd12 has to be tested again this spring even though she just rocked the SAT. Boo.

 

But overall I've found the state to be completely unintrusive. We basically have had no contact with the DNPE since they approved our registration. I'm a nerd so I keep detailed records and a portfolio for both kids anyway. I do wish we had the option to have a portfolio review with a teacher instead of the testing.

 

Oh, we also have to keep attendance (180 instructional days are recommended but not mandated) and keep proof of current immunizations. I think there are pathways to exemption but haven't needed to look into that. And the teacher needs to have a high school diploma.

[AmandaVT]

HSLDA refers to them as "states with high regulation," which doesn't necessarily mean "restrictive." New York, Pennsylvania (which has definitely improved), Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island are considered states with high regulations.

 

I'm in VT, which is one of the high reg states. It's not too bad for the most part. 

 

We have to submit our plans (curriculum and subjects) for the year for the first two years and once more when the student is 12. There is an end of year assessment - either portfolio, standardized test or teacher assessment. Also, when beginning, we have to send in a form signed by either the school the student is leaving or the pediatrician or another medical provider, disclosing any learning disability. This can be a sticking point and the homeschool office is making families jump through more hoops this year as there is a new person running the office. 

 

There are 7 main subjects that need to be covered each year: Math, English, fine arts, PE, health, Vermont history, and science. 

 

Overall, it's not too difficult to homeschool here. This year, I've heard of a lot of people having difficulties though, so I'm hoping that's not a trend.

[kiwik]

I like the idea of requiring a curriculum plan or something. I have a general idea of curriculum but we change a lot based on poor fit. It’s very helpful for me to think about ahead of time. Though the most I think about is six months to a year in the future before needing to re-evaluate.

Well you only have to think about it enough to plan - you don't have to follow them.

[DawnM]

I have HSed in CA and NC.  Neither has been difficult.  

 

In NC we are SUPPOSED to register with the state, keep attendance logs, and keep something else.  I never did it.  I just registered once, and kept HSing.  Even when I went to enroll them in a B&M school they only asked for a transcript, no attendance logs (dumbest thing ever IMO) or samples of their work.  So I didn't turn anything in.

 

NC is so overwhelmed with HSers and not enough people working in Raleigh in the Department overseeing HSing, that you really didn't need to worry.  I don't know anyone who was audited and the only ones I heard about were when there was a complaint (divorce situation, neighbor, "concerned" family member, etc....)  It wasn't just a random Joe Blow audit.