How to Home School in Pennsylvania
Parents may choose to homeschool their children for a variety of reasons including educational reasons, religious beliefs, the need to care for a disabled child and many more. Homeschooling a child does not simply mean that the parent is solely in charge of all curricular decisions and materials. Children who will be homeschooled in the state of Pennsylvania are subject to many of the same requirements as students in public and private schools are. Parents considering homeschooling in Pennsylvania should acquaint themselves with the necessary state requirements and steps to completing a legal home education program.
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Instructions
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Learn the Pennsylvania state homeschooling education laws and requirements. These include regulations on age (all children in Pennsylvania between eight and 17 years of age must attend some form of approved school program), minimum curricular requirements (depending on the child's age), minimum testing and assessment requirements and evaluation of schooling program. Parents can easily access these regulations via the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. Additionally, many school districts may be able to provide copies of these requirements.
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Contact the student's school district. For most parents, the school superintendent will be the primary contact. The school district that would provide instruction for the area that includes the student's primary place of residence will be responsible for overseeing that the educational standards are being met and that all legal regulations are being followed.
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Complete an affidavit for the child with the school district's superintendent. If more than one child is being homeschooled, a separate affidavit will need to be filled out for each individual student. Include the name of the instructional supervisor, name of the child, child's age, address, contact telephone number, educational objectives and subjects being taught, current required immunization documentation and documentation that the child has received health and medical services for his grade level as stated in Article 14 of the Pennsylvania School Code. An affidavit form is available at many school districts, attached to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Basic Education Circular, or can be created by the parent.
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Conduct regularly scheduled lessons. Children in the state of Pennsylvania must meet minimum curricular requirements based on specific areas of instruction. Elementary school-aged home school students must complete lessons in English, mathematics, science, history, geography, health and safety, civics, physical education, art and music. All elementary school students must complete a total of 180 days or 900 hours of instruction. The state does not specify hours per subject, but all listed content areas must be included in the course of study. Curriculum for a secondary student must include English, geography, science, social studies, foreign language, mathematics, physical education, health and safety, music and art. Secondary students must complete a minimum of 990 total hours of schoolwork during the school year. Students in ninth through 12th grades must have four years of English, three years of math, three years of science, three years of social studies and at least two years of arts/humanities content. Specific class scheduling for both elementary and secondary students is at the discretion of the parent or instruction supervisor. School districts must lend textbooks and other grade level-applicable materials to parents for homeschooling purposes.
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Administer state-mandated assessment testing. The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test must be taken by all students in grades 3, 5 and 8. If the parent chooses not to administer the PSSA test, the state of Pennsylvania will provide the parent with a list of acceptable standardized tests. Homeschooled students are permitted to take standardized tests (such as the PSSAs) through their resident school district. The student's parent must contact the school district to make arrangements prior to the testing day. The Pennsylvania Department of Education's website provides a list of scheduled testing dates for each district in the state.
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Create a portfolio. A learning portfolio that includes a log of instruction, reading materials, samples of school work and state assessment test results must be supplied for each child. Instructional logs should be made in conjunction with each lesson, and include all specific texts used. Specific samples of writing, worksheets and other materials that may accompany each lesson should also be included for review. This portfolio will be evaluated by a teacher or administrator in the student's school district. Portfolios must be submitted to the school district superintendent by June 30 of each school year.
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Submit a new affidavit for the next school year to the superintendent of the school district by August 1. This must be done annually until the child reaches the age of 17.
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Tips & Warnings
Students may begin homeschooling at any point in the school year.
Homeschooled children may participate in the local school district's extracurricular programs such as dramatic arts, music or sports as long as the student meets the specific school-stated requirements for each activity.
Families who homeschool may want to join a local or regional home school organization. The Pennsylvania Department of Education's website provides a list of such groups.
Many museums and other non-school institutions offer work shops for homeschooled children.
All curricular requirements in each subject category must be met and recorded in the learning portfolio for the parent to have met the legal obligations and criteria for school approval.
Although districts must lend parents with educational materials for the child's grade level, Pennsylvania educational law does not require that schools provide any requested textbooks or other learning items in a timely manner.
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