Homeschooling is not for those parents who can’t take the pressure. Just ask the homeschool parents within your area and you will know what it means before you start your journey into homeschooling. It takes a lot of determination, time and patience to be a good teacher and a parent at the same time. So before making that decision one should be aware of the laws and regulations of their respective state. There are about 2.9% of students in the United States which is almost 2 million students are homeschoolers. This is the reason why most states have their own set of laws to protect homeschoolers and establish specific standards to make it legal.
There are many reasons why parents decide to homeschool their children and one of which is the growing concern of school’s safety. With so many things going on within the community the school environment is practically not safe anymore. Another reason is the desire of the parents to provide moral and religious instructions. While other motivations for homeschooling includes poor academic instruction of the school, child with special needs and mental health problem. So with these reasons the government decided to legalize homeschooling in all 50 states in the US.
So address the growing number of homeschoolers in the country each states made their specific laws and requlations. These laws may vary from state to state; others are stricter than the other while some are lax when it comes to their regulations. Like there are some states that does not need any notice of intent while others requires filing the intent to the local school officials. Out of 50 there are only 2 states (Rhode Island and Massachusetts) that require the parents of homeschoolers to obtain an approval before starting the child’s education. Not just that, some states even needs a credited teachers to supervise the homeschooling.
When it comes to testing and assessment most states also differs. Just like in California and Texas, homeschoolers are not required to take any standardized test that public school students take. The good news though is more and more states are easing the requirements when it comes to testing. There are states that require parents to submit the standardized test results or a narrative evaluation by a qualified teacher. While other states are more uptight in giving parents wide latitude of assessment types. All these to ensure that kids at home also follow the required curriculum which can also vary from state to state.
Homeschooling laws and regulations are divided into main three main categories:
1. Homeschoolers from Indiana, Texas, California and other states are treated like a private school. So homeschoolers are required to submit to the laws that apply in private schools, including its requirements.
2. In some states; like Maryland and New Jersey, requirements are based on parameters of the state’s compulsory attendance act.
3. Other states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and Maine; homeschool laws are based on the state’s law or group of laws that specifically applies to homeschooling.
Useful Resources
Homeschool Laws and Regulations by State
Homeschool Laws by State and Province
How to Home School: Home Schooling Requirements and Information