Part 1: So You're Thinking of Homeschooling...

... Now what? Can you make it work? Here's a few things you might like to know when you're considering homeschooling.

Photo Credit: Woodbury Magazine

Homeschooling is as flexible as you want to make it. Whether you have a 9-5 job Monday through Friday or not, you can work around your work schedule. Maybe you only do school 3-4 days a week, instead of 5. That's fine. Maybe you homeschool on weekends. That works too. Some people homeschool year-round, and then take random days or weeks off when brick and mortar schools are in session. (Think of vacations with fewer people crowding the place!) In Minnesota, there aren't any requirements regarding the number of days in your school year. A brick and mortar school year is about 180 days, and most curriculum is designed around that, but that doesn't stop you from doing some of tomorrow's work, today. It's homeschooling. It's flexible.

So now you're thinking that it's more feasible than attempting distance-learning again this fall. What's next? Well you'll need to fill out a form, the "Initial Report to Superintendent," for your school district telling them that you're homeschooling instead of attending their schools this fall. Districts often have their own forms that are much longer than they legally need to be. MACHE provides the shortest form for Minnesota that fulfills all legal requirements. It is due to your district by October 1st. If your child(ren) have already been in attendance at a public school, then the district already has your child's immunization records and you can just note that on the form. If you child was enrolled in preschool and isn't 7 years old, then you don't need to include them in this report. If your child was enrolled in kindergarten or higher then you will likely need to include them on the form (this can vary by district, so you will have to check with your district). If your child is 7 years or older, then you have to include them, whether they were previously enrolled in school or not. You can read the specifics of the law here.

You'll also notice on the form that you have to tell the school district which "Assessment of Performance" you'll give your child. That's a standardized test. If your child is between 7-17 years old, they have to be tested yearly. You have many choices (CAT tests, PASS, Stanford Achievement, Peabody, or Woodcock Johnson to name a few). If you have your Bachelor's degree, then I've found that the cheapest, easiest way to fulfill this requirement is to use the Iowa Tests through BJU Press Homeschool. You can upload your information and be approved to be a test administrator. Keep in mind that these tests can be given at any point during your school year. You also don't need to report these scores to your school district. (If your child's total score is below the 30th percentile though, you are required to do additional evaluations to see if your child has a learning disability.) If you'd like to look at other testing options, you can check out MACHE's website for more resources.

(If you don't live in Minnesota, HSLDA provides great resources for getting started in every state.)

Now that you have your form all filled out, what do you do with it? Most school districts have someone in charge of handling all the homeschooling stuff (a homeschool liaison). Find out who that person is in your school district and send them the form. While you're emailing that person (or have them on the phone), ask them to send you the forms for reimbursement (Aids to Non-Public Schools) for any curriculum you'll be purchasing (more on that in another post, but for now, just get your district's form).

UPDATE:
In my following posts:
Part 2: Reimbursement and Tax Exempt Status
Part 3: Homeschooling Styles and Curriculum

Part 4: Our Curriculum Choices