•  Welcome to Homeschooling! 

    Homeschooling - also called home education or home school - is the education of children at home, typically by parents or guardians, rather than in a public or private school. Prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws in the 19th century, most childhood education worldwide occurred within the family or community, with only a small portion of the population attending schools or employing tutors. Currently, the majority of children in developed nations receive their formal education at a public institution.

    Homeschooling is an option for parents who wish to provide their children with a different learning environment than exists in public schools. It is also an alternative for those families who are unable, for practical or personal reasons, to comply with the regulations of a public school.

    Homeschooling may refer to instruction in the home under the supervision of correspondence schools or umbrella schools. A curriculum-free philosophy of homeschooling may be called unschooling, a term coined in 1977 by American educator John Holt in his magazine Growing Without Schooling    .

    How do you get started??  It’s easy, follow these simple steps!

     

    Step 1:

    You will need to send us a Letter of Intent to home-school.  This needs to be done every year that you

    Homeschool.  We will acknowledge your Letter of Intent and send you a Home Instruction Manual to use as your guide.

    Step 2: 

    You will need to fill out an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP).  Requirements are different for elementary, middle and high school grades.  IHIP’s are due within 4 weeks after submitting your letter of intent.

    We will review the IHIP and let you know if it complies with the NYS Homeschooling Regulations.

    Step 3:

    You will need to keep attendance records (dates/minutes of instruction in each subject).  You are required to provide the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction each year (900 hours for students in grades K-6, 990 hours for students in grades 7-12).  

    Step 4:

    You will need to submit quarterly reports to our office.  These dates are determined by you (on the IHIP) but should be as evenly spread out through the year as possible. We will monitor the quarterly reports and annual assessments to determine if your child is making adequate progress. 

    Step 5:

    You will need to arrange for a child to take an annual assessment before the end of each year.  This must be a commercially published norm-referenced achievement test.  Examples are: the California Achievement Test(CAT), the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Stanford Achievement Test, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, the Metropolitan Achievement Test, a State Education Department test, or another test approved by the State Education Department.  There are some exceptions to this requirement.  Please refer to the 100.10 Home Instruction Regulations for additional information.

     We will keep the records you send us on file for 6 years after your child completes the 12th grade.

    If you have any questions or need assistance at any time, please do not hesitate to call our office.  We are here to help you make this experience a successful one!

    For your convenience, please see the fillable templates for all needed forms as well as the Homeschool Instruction manual.