End of the year paperwork...

I'm getting ready to turn in the yearly paperwork requirements (required by law).  I feel a great sense of calm and feel much more prepared than I did during this process last year.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: what a difference a year makes!  So for those interested in what needs to be done to be able to educate your child at home, here's what you need to know:

 

1. Home Education Notification...  This is a form that you either request from your local school district if this is your first time, or they send to you on subsequent years.  It is a very basic form that breaks down what is required from you during the year: subjects that need covered, hours that need to be fulfilled, required paperwork, and assessments that need turned in.  It takes two minutes to fill out and needs to be sent in to the school board office by a specific time (our district says August 13).

 

2.Outline of the intended curriculum and resources to be used in the upcoming year.  These are for informational purposes only and there are no real guidelines for what/how you turn in this list, besides the date cut-off (again, August 13 for us).  Last year my outlines were pretty basic since I was brand new to this scene, but this year I have a more comprehensive list.

 

3.  Assessment of progress for the past year...  When you fill our your Home Education Notification, you decide which type of assessment you will be submitting at the end of the year.  The choices are: (a) Results of a nationally normed, standardized test (b)written narrative, or (c)an alternative mutually agreed upon assessment.  We chose the written narrative for our first year and I found the process of completing it to be a reflective and rewarding experience.  I wrote an assessment of my own and also am having a teacher friend of mine who teaches at Will's grade level review his progress and write a small narrative as well. It is required that a certified teacher write the assessment that is submitted to the school board and also needs to be turned in by the cut-off date.

 

So that's it... all you need to start home education for your child.