April 29, 2008	2008-R-0292
Home Schooling in Connecticut and other states
By: Soncia Coleman, Associate Legislative Analyst

You asked for a comparison of Connecticut’s regulation of home schooling with that of other states. This report updates an earlier OLR report (2002-R-0036).

SUMMARY

Connecticut’s procedure for home instruction is embodied in a 1994 State Board of Education (SBE) policy.  The procedure, which is published in an education commissioner’s circular letter, is suggested rather than mandatory and is offered as a method for parents and school boards to ensure that home-schooled children receive an education that is “equivalent” to that offered in the public schools, as required by the state’s compulsory education law.

According to a state-by-state compilation of state home schooling requirements published by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), 29 states, including Connecticut, and the District of Columbia have one level of regulation for all types of home school operations, while 21 have varying requirements depending on the type of home school.

The most common state requirement on home schools, imposed by 43 states, including Connecticut, is that students receive instruction in specified subjects.  Other common requirements are that parents notify local or state school authorities that they will be providing home instruction, that students attend for a minimum number of days per year, and that home schools keep certain records.

Twenty-two states impose minimum teacher qualifications for home instruction.  But several apply them only to hired instructors acting as private tutors. 

CONNECTICUT’S REGULATION OF HOME SCHOOLING

State Law

Connecticut law requires parents and others having control of any child aged five to 17 to send him or her to public school in the district where the child lives, unless they can demonstrate the child is receiving “equivalent instruction” somewhere else. If the child is five, a parent may sign a form at the local school district office that he is holding the child out of school until age six or, if the child is six, until age seven. A parent of a child who is age 16 or 17 may consent to the child’s withdrawal from school before graduation by appearing at the school office and signing a withdrawal form.

Parents must instruct their children or have them instructed in reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, and United States history and citizenship, including the study of federal, state, and local government (CGS § 10-184). Local school boards must make sure that school age children living in their districts are taught “in accordance with the provisions of § 10-184” (§ 10-220(a)).

    According to the SBE, children may be educated at home as long as their parents show they are receiving an education program equivalent to that specified in the law. 

SBE Policy

    The 1994 circular letter suggests procedures for parents and local school boards to follow when parents educate children at home. Under the suggested procedure, parents file a form with the local school superintendent stating their intention to teach their child at home and providing basic information about their educational program.  The information on the form includes the teacher’s name, the subjects to be taught, the days of instruction, and what the teacher’s assessment methods will be. The notice remains in effect for one year. The school district makes sure the form is complete and retains it as part of its permanent records. School officials hold an annual portfolio review with parents to determine if they have given the legally required instruction. 

    The circular letter states that, if the suggested procedure is followed, the requirements of Sections 10-184 and 10-220(a) will be satisfied. By filing the form, the parent acknowledges full responsibility for the child’s education according to the law.  By receiving the form, the school district does not signify its approval of the content or effectiveness of the home instruction. The children of parents who refuse to file the form or to participate in the annual portfolio review may be declared truant.

     Local boards must report the number of home-schooled children in their districts annually to the SDE along with other required education statistics.

HOME SCHOOLING REGULATION IN OTHER STATES

    All states allow home schooling and all regulate it to some extent.  Some states have different requirements depending on how the home schooling is delivered and some prescribe how a home school must be organized in order to be legal.  In the twenty-one states that specify more than one legal home schooling option, requirements may apply only to some options.  The summaries and tables in this report are taken from HSLDA’s website. They cover requirements for attendance, subjects, teacher qualifications, notice, and student testing and evaluation.

Required Attendance

    Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia require home-schooled students to be taught for a minimum number of days or hours per year and some also require a minimum number of hours per day. However, it should be noted that in some states, these requirements may not apply to the “traditional” home school situation (see Table A).  Connecticut is one of 12 states that have no specific attendance requirements (for any of the available home-school options, if applicable). The other 11 are: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont.  In Massachusetts, there are no requirements, but this information is considered in the home-school approval process and in Mississippi, the home-school establishes the requirements.

Required Subjects

    Forty-three states, including Connecticut, either require home-schooled students to be taught particular subjects or impose some other curricular requirements (see Table A).  Seven states and the District of Columbia have no subject or curriculum requirements. The seven states are: Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oregon.

Teacher Qualifications

     Twenty-two states impose minimum educational requirements for at least some kinds of home-school teachers, such as hired private tutors or home-schools operating under the supervision of school authorities (see Table A). Many of these same states also allow home school options that require no special teaching qualifications, such as home schools in which parents teach their own children. In accordance with New York case law, a parent is deemed to meet the competency requirement if he or she complies with the home-schooling regulations.

Twenty-eight states, including Connecticut, require no special qualifications for any home-school teachers.  The others are: Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska (unless teacher is employed by family), Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The District of Columbia also imposes no requirements in this area.

Notice

    Forty-one states and the District of Columbia require some notice when a parent intends to instruct a child at home (although some states may only require notice for certain home-school options and in others, it is a de facto part of the approval process).  Some states require annual notice.  The District of Columbia requires notice only if the child is being removed from public school, not if he never starts. States vary in whether the notice must go to the local superintendent or the state (see Table B).  Nine states, including Connecticut, do not require notice for any available home-school option.  The other eight are: Idaho, Illinois, Indiana (unless requested by the local superintendent), Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.

Testing and Evaluation

    Twenty-eight states require some or all home-schooled students to be tested or evaluated periodically (see Table C). Twenty-two states, including Connecticut, and the District of Columbia have no mandatory evaluation or testing.  The other states are:  Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts (although testing can be a negotiated condition of approval), Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Table A: States With Attendance, Subject, or Teacher Qualification Requirements

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Alabama*
Private tutor	140 days per year, 3 hours per day between 8 am and 4 pm	Reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, English, geography, U.S. history, science, health, physical education, and Alabama history	Teacher certification
Alaska*
Private tutor	180 days	Comparable to public school	Teacher certification
State-approved correspondence course			None
School board-approved alternate educational experience
Arizona	None	Reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science	None
California
Qualify as private school	None	Same as public school and in English language	Capable of teaching
Private tutor	175 days/ 3 hours per day		Teacher certification
Independent study through public school	As prescribed by program	As prescribed by program	None
Independent study through private school			Capable of teaching
Colorado
Home school	172 days, average 4 hours/day	US Constitution, reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature, and science	None
Private school allowing home instruction	None	As prescribed by program	None
Private tutor	None	US Constitution, reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature, and science	Teacher certification
Connecticut	None	Reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, U.S. history, and citizenship (including federal, state, and local government)	None

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Delaware
Home school as part of home school organization or association	180 days	Same as public schools	None
Home school providing instruction approved by state board of education and local superintendent
District of Columbia	During the period public schools are in session	None	None
Florida*
Private school corporation (legally incorporated group of home school families)	180 days	None	None
Georgia	180 days per year, 4.5 hours per day	Reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science	High school diploma or GED (for parent or private tutor)
Hawaii
Home school	None	Structured curriculum, based on educational objectives and child’s needs; cumulative and sequential, provide range of up-to-date knowledge and needed skills; take child’s interests, needs, and abilities into account	None
Superintendent -approved alternative education program	As prescribed in approval process	As prescribed in approval process	Bachelor’s degree
Idaho	Same as public schools	Same as public schools	None
Illinois	None	Language arts, biological and physical science, math, social studies, fine arts, health and physical development, honesty, justice, kindness, and moral courage	None
Indiana	Same as public schools (generally 180 days per year)	None	None

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Iowa
Home school	148 days/year, 37 days/quarter	None	None
Home school supervised by licensed teacher			None for teaching parent, license for supervising teacher
Private tutor			Teaching license
Kansas
Non-accredited private home school	Substantially equivalent to public schools (186 days or 1,116 hours per year; 1,086 hours for 12^th grade)	None	“Competent” teacher
Home school satellite of accredited private school	Prescribed by supervising private school	Prescribed by supervising private school
State board of education-approved religious exemption in high school grades	Prescribed during approval process	Prescribed during approval process	Prescribed during approval process
Kentucky	185 days per year or the equivalent of 175 six-hour days	Reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history, mathematics, and civics	None
Louisiana
Home school approved by board of education	180 days	At least equal to quality of instruction in public schools including Declaration of Independence and Federalist Papers	None
Home school operated as private school
Maine
Home school approved by local school board and state education commissioner	175 days	English, language arts, math, science, social studies, physical and health education, library skills, fine arts, Maine studies (in one grade between grade 6 and 12), and computer proficiency (in one grade between grade 7 and 12)	None
Home school operated as non-approved private school with at least two unrelated students	175 days or 875 hours	English (reading, writing, spelling, and grammar), math, science, American history, Maine history and geography, and government (including the privilege and responsibility of citizenship)	Competent as determined by the non-approved private school

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Maryland
Home school	Sufficient duration to implement instructional program	Same as public schools including English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education	None
Supervised home instruction through church school or state-approved correspondence course	Prescribed by supervising program	Prescribed by supervising program	None
Massachusetts	None (900 hours at elementary and 990 at secondary level are expected)	Reading, writing, English language and grammar, geography, arithmetic, drawing, music, history, U.S. Constitution, duties of citizenship, health (including CPR), physical education, and good behavior	None
Michigan
Home education program	None	Reading, spelling, math, science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar	None
Home school operated as nonpublic school		Comparable to public school	Teaching certificate unless claiming religious exemption
Minnesota	None	Reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, geography, government, health, and physical education	(1) Hold a Minnesota teaching license in the field and grade taught, (2) directly supervised by a licensed teacher, (3) successfully complete a teacher competency exam, (4) provide instruction in a school that is accredited or recognized by the state board, or (5) hold a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, there is no qualification requirement for a child in an unaccredited program that who takes an assessment
Mississippi	Number of days that home school requires for promotion from grade to grade	None	None

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Missouri	1,000 hours per year, at least 600 in required subjects, 400 of which must occur at the “regular home school location”	Reading, math, social studies, language arts, and science	None
Montana	720 hours per year in grades 1-3 and 1080 hours per year in grades 4-12	Same “basic instructional program” as public schools	None
Nebraska	1,032 hours per year for elementary; 1,080 for high school	Language arts, math, science, social studies, and health	None unless family employs a teacher
Nevada	None	English (reading, composition, and writing), math, science, and social studies (history, geography, economics, and government) as appropriate for the age and level of skill of the child, as determined by the parent	None
New Hampshire	None	Science, math, language, government, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, U.S. and New Hampshire constitutional history, and art and music appreciation	None
New Jersey	None	Instruction academically “equivalent” to that in the public schools	None
New Mexico	Same as public school	Reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science	High school diploma or equivalent

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
New York	Substantial equivalent of 180 days per year, 900 hours per year for grades 1-6, 990 for grades 7-12	K-12: patriotism, citizenship, substance abuse, traffic and fire safety 1-6: arithmetic, reading, spelling, writing, English, geography, US history, science, health, music, visual arts, physical education 7-8: English, history and geography, science, math, physical education, health, art, music, practical arts, library skills at least once in first eight grades: United States and New York history and constitutions 9-12: English, social studies (including American history, participation in government, and economics), math, science, art or music, health, physical education, electives	Competent (parents are deemed competent if they follow the regulations)
North Carolina	Nine calendar months per year, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations	None (but standardized test must cover certain subjects)	High school diploma or GED
North Dakota
Home school	175 days, 4 hours/day	English language arts, including reading, composition, creative writing, English grammar, and spelling; math; social studies, including US Constitution and history, geography, and government; science, including agriculture; physical education; and health, including physiology, hygiene, disease control, and nature and effects of alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics	(1) Teaching certificate, (2) bachelor’s degree, (3) high school diploma or GED and be monitored by a certified teacher for first two years of home instruction (monitoring must continue if student scores below 50^th percentile on required standardized achievement test), or (4) meet or exceed the cut-off score of the national teacher exam
Home school operating as county- and state- approved private school	Same as public schools		Teacher certification
Ohio	900 hours per year	Language arts, geography, US and Ohio history, government, math, health, physical education, fine arts, first aid, science, first aid, safety, and fire prevention	High school diploma, GED, test scores showing high school equivalence, or work under a person with a bachelor’s degree until child’s test scores show proficiency or parent earns diploma or GED

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Oklahoma	180 days	Reading, writing, math, science, citizenship, U.S. Constitution, health, safety, physical education, and conservation	None
Pennsylvania
Home education program	180 days; 900 hours at elementary level, 990 for high school level	Elementary: English, spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic, science, geography, U.S. and Pennsylvania history, civics, safety, fire prevention, health and physiology, physical education, music, and art Secondary: English; literature; speech and composition; biology; chemistry; geography; civics; economics; world, U.S., and Pennsylvania history; foreign language; general math, statistics, algebra, and geometry; art; music; physical education; health and physiology; and safety and fire prevention	High school diploma or equivalent
Private tutor teaching children in same family, providing a majority of instruction, and receiving pay or other consideration			Teacher certification
Home school operated as satellite or extension of church or religious day school			None
Rhode Island	“Substantially equal” to public schools	Reading, writing, English, geography, arithmetic, U.S. History, Rhode Island history (in fourth grade), Rhode Island government (fourth grade and high school), Rhode Island constitution and U.S. government and constitution (high school), health and physical education (grades one through 12, to average 20 minutes per school day)	None
South Carolina
Home school approved by local school board	180 days; 4.5 hours/day	Reading, writing, math, science, social studies and, in grades 7-12, composition and literature	High school diploma, GED, or bachelor’s degree
Home school that is a member of the S.C. Assn. of Independent Home Schools	180 days		High school diploma or GED
Home school that is a member of a home school association with at least 50 members
South Dakota	Equivalent to public schools (generally a 9-month regular term)	Language arts and math	None

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
Tennessee
Home school	180 days, 4 hours/day	Grades K-8:  None Grades 9-12: College preparatory courses required for admission to state-operated four-year colleges or general studies courses as required by the state for high school graduation	Grades K-8:  High school diploma or GED Grades 9-12: College degree or exemption from education commissioner
Home school associated with church-related school	180 days	As prescribed by the church school	Grades K-8:  None Grades 9-12: High school diploma or GED
Satellite campus of church-related school			None
Texas	None	Reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship	None
Utah*
Home school approved by local school board	Same as public schools	Same as public school core curriculum	Local school board may consider teacher’s ability in approval
Vermont	None	Reading, writing, math, citizenship, history, U.S. and Vermont government, physical education, health, English, American and other literature, science, and fine arts	None
Virginia*
Home school	Same as public schools (180 days)	If operating under teacher qualification #4, math and language arts.  Otherwise, none.	1) High school diploma, (2) teaching certificate, (3) use an approved correspondence course, (4) submit evidence that parent can teach, or (5)use curriculum that includes state objectives for math and language arts
Home school not operating under religious exemption		None	None
Private tutor		None	Teacher certification
Washington
Home school	180 days or in grades 1-12, an annual average total instructional offering of 1,000 hours	Occupational education, science, math, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, music, and art appreciation	(1) Be supervised by certified teacher, (2) have 45 college credit hours, (3) completed a course in home education, or (4) be deemed qualified by local superintendent
Extension program of an approved private school designed for parents to teach their children at home			Supervised by certified teacher employed by private school

Table A: -Continued-

State	Attendance	Subjects	Teacher Qualifications
West Virginia
Home school	None	None, but must be assessed in certain subjects	High school diploma
Home school approved by local school board	Same as public school (180 days)	As required by board	Deemed qualified to teach by local superintendent and school board
Wisconsin	875 hours of instruction per year	Sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, math, social studies, science, and health. Curriculum need not “conflict with program’s religious doctrine”	None
Wyoming	175 days per year (but statute is vague on application to home school)	Basic academic educational program providing sequentially progressive instruction in reading writing, math, civics, history, literature, and science	None

*These states have other legal options with no requirements.

Source: Home School Legal Defense Association

Table B: States with Notice or Record Requirements

State	Notice
Alabama
Church school	File a notice of enrollment and attendance with the local superintendent on a provided form (not required annually)
Private tutor	File a statement showing children to be instructed, the subjects taught and the period of instruction with the local superintendent
Alaska*
Qualify as a religious or church school	File a "Private School Enrollment Reporting Form" with the local superintendent by the first day of public school; also file a "Private and Denominational Schools Enrollment Report" and a "School Calendar" with the state department of education by October 15 each year
Arizona	File an affidavit with local superintendent within 30 days of start or end of home schooling
Arkansas	File written notice with superintendent by August 15^th for fall, December 15^th for spring semester, or 14 days before withdrawing student mid-semester. Thereafter, annually at beginning of school year
California*
Qualify as private school	Annual affidavit with county superintendent between October 1^st and 15^th
Independent study through public school	Part of enrollment process.
Colorado*
Home school	Notice of intent with local superintendent within 14 days before start of home school and annually thereafter

Table B: -Continued-

State	Notice
Delaware
Single- or multi-family home school	Must report attendance information to the Department of Education on or before July 31 each year
Home school providing instruction approved by state board of education and local superintendent
District of Columbia	None, unless the child is being removed from public school
Florida*
Home school	Notice of intent with local superintendent within 30 days of establishing
Georgia	Declaration of intent to superintendent within 30 days after beginning home schooling and by September 1^st annually thereafter
Hawaii*
Home school	File prior notice with principal of public school child would otherwise attend; notify same principal within five days after ending home school
Iowa	File two copies of form with local school district by September 15^th or within 14 days of withdrawing from school
Indiana	None unless specifically requested by state education superintendent
Kansas*
Home school operated as a nonaccredited private school	Register name and address of school with state board of education
Kentucky	Notice to local school board within two weeks of start of school year
Louisiana
Home school approved by board of education	Application and copy of child’s birth certificate to board of education within 15 days after start of home school and annually thereafter
Home school operated as private school	Notify state education department within first 30 days of the start of the school year
Maine
Home school	File initial notice of intent within 10 days, each subsequent year file letter indicating whether child’s home school will continue, and submit a copy to both the local school board and the commissioner of education
Home school as part of a non-approved private school	Annually by October 1, file letter with commissioner
Maryland
Home school	Notice to state education department at least 15 days before starting, verify annually whether program will continue and notify of any status changes
Supervised home instruction through church school or state-approved correspondence course
Massachusetts	Operation of home school requires advance approval by local school committee or superintendent, so no additional notice is required
Michigan*
Home school operated as nonpublic school	Submit statement of enrollment to local superintendent and Department of Education at start of each school year
Minnesota	File name, age, and address of each student with local superintendent by October 1 annually
Mississippi	File certificate of enrollment with district attendance officer by September 15^th annually

Table B: -Continued-

State	Notice
Montana	File annual notice with county superintendent.
Nebraska	Annual notice of intent with state education commission by August 1^st annually or 30 days before start of home school
Nevada	File a one-time notice with the local superintendent. The notice must include the name, age, and gender of the child; the name and address of the parent; a statement signed by the parent that he has legal control of the child and accepts responsibility for the child's education; and an educational plan.
New Hampshire	Within 30 days of withdrawing from public school or moving into the district, file a written notice of intent with private school principal, state education commissioner, or local superintendent
New Mexico	File notice of intent with state superintendent within 30 days of establishing and by April 1^st of each subsequent year.
New York	File annual notice of intent with local superintendent by July 1^st or within 14 days if home schooling starts mid-year; complete and submit Individualized Home Instruction Plan form provided by district
North Carolina	File notice of intent with state division of nonpublic education upon starting home school
North Dakota
Home school	Annual notice with local superintendent within 14 days before start of home school or within 14 days of establishing residency in the district. For developmentally disabled students, also file a copy of the child’s diagnosis from a licensed psychologist along with an individualized education program developed and followed by the child’s school district and parent or by a team selected and compensated by the parent.
Home school operating as county- and state- approved private school	Part of approval process
Ohio	Annual notice of intent to local superintendent (and to new district upon moving)
Oregon	Notify education service district in writing when home schooling starts
Pennsylvania
Home education program	Notarized affidavit with local superintendent before starting home school and by August 1^stannually
Private tutor teaching children in same family, providing a majority of instruction, and receiving pay or other consideration	Copy of certification and criminal history record to local superintendent
Home school operated as satellite or extension of church or religious day school	School principal files notarized affidavit with state education department.
Rhode Island	Requirement for home school approval by local school board serves as notice.
South Dakota	Submit notarized application to local superintendent using form provided by state education department. If submitting an application for first time, include certified copy of child's birth certificate or affidavit notarized or witnessed by two or more witnesses, swearing that the child identified on the request for excuse is the same person appearing on the child's birth certificate.

Table B: -Continued-

State	Notice
Tennessee*
Home school	Notice to local superintendent by August 1^st each year
Home school associated with church-related school	Grades 9-12: Register with local school district each year
Utah*
Home school	The parent must file an affidavit for each minor taught at home each year. The affidavit must contain a statement that the minor will be instructed in the subjects that the State Board of Education requires in public schools and that the minor will be instructed for the same length of time as minors are required by law to receive instruction in public schools.
Vermont	Written notice of enrollment with education commissioner any time after March 1^st for following year
Virginia
Home school not operating under religious exemption law	File an annual notice of intent with local superintendent by August 15^th; if starting mid-year, file notice as soon as practicable
Home school operating under the religious exemption	File a request to acknowledge the religious exemption with the local school board chairperson
Private tutor	Letter to local superintendent asking him to recognize that parent (tutor) has the required credentials (i.e., teacher certificate)
Washington*
Home school	Annual notice to superintendent by September 15^th or within two weeks of the start of any public school quarter.
West Virginia
Home school	File notice with local superintendent two weeks ahead
Home school approved by local board	Part of approval process
Wisconsin	File statement of enrollment with state education department by October 15th annually.
Wyoming	Annually submit to local school board a curriculum showing basic education program is being provided

* These states have other legal options with no requirements.

Source: Home School Legal Defense Association

Table C: States Requiring Testing and Evaluation for Students Taught at Home

State	Testing
Alaska* Qualify as a religious or other private school	Administer a standardized test in grades 4, 6, and 8
Arkansas	State-mandated norm-referenced tests given to public school students in grades 3 through 9
California* Independent study programs	As prescribed by the program

Table C: -Continued-

State	Testing
Colorado* Home schools	Administer standardized test for grade 3,5,7,9, and 11 or have the child evaluated by a “qualified person. . .selected by parent”
Private school that allows home instruction	As prescribed by program
Florida* Home schools	Annually (1) administer any standardized test or state student assessment test (must be given by a certified teacher); (2) have the child evaluated by a certified teacher or licensed psychologist; or (3) have the child evaluated by another valid, mutually agreed-upon tool
Georgia	Administer and retain the results of a standardized test every three years beginning at the end of the 3^rd grade
Hawaii Home school	Administer a standardized test of the parent’s choice in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10; submit to the local school principal an annual report of the child’s progress consisting of (1) the standardized test results, (2) a written evaluation by a certified teacher, or (3) a written evaluation by the parent
Superintendent-approved alternative educational program	Participate in statewide public school testing program
Iowa Home school	Complete by May 1 and submit to the local district by June 30 (1) test results from an acceptably administered standardized test or (2) a portfolio for review
Home school supervised by licensed teacher	Meet with supervising teacher at least twice per quarter (one meeting may be by phone)
Kansas* Home school satellite of accredited private school	As prescribed by the supervising private school
State board of education-approved religious exemption in high school grades	As prescribed in the approval process
Louisiana* Home school approved by board of education	Submit with renewal application documentation that program is at least equal to that offered in public school
Maine Home school	Annually, (1) administer a standardized test, (2) take a local test, or (3) have the child’s progress reviewed by a certified teacher, a superintendent-selected local advisory board, or a home school support group that includes a certified teacher
Home school as part of a non-approved private school that teaches at least two unrelated students.	Must give parents four progress reports annually

Table C: -Continued

State	Testing
Maryland* Supervised home instruction through church school or state-approved correspondence course	As prescribed by the supervising program
Massachusetts	Not required by state law, but may be a negotiated condition of approval
Minnesota	Administer an annual standardized test agreed to by the local superintendent
New Hampshire	By July 1, file (1) the results from a standardized test or from a state student assessment test used by the local district, (2) a written evaluation by a certified teacher, or (3) results from another measure agreeable to the school board
New York	Annual assessment must be filed with local superintendent by June 30^th.  Must be from a standardized test every other year for grades 4-8 and every year for grades 9-12.  Student must score above the 33^rd percentile or the program can be placed on probation. For other years, the requirement may be met by a standardized test or a written narrative evaluation prepared by (1) a certified teacher, (2) home instruction peer review panel, or (3) other person chosen by the parent with the superintendent’s consent.
North Carolina	Annual standardized test that measures achievement in English, grammar, reading, spelling, and math. Results must be available for inspection
North Dakota	Standardized achievement test in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10.  Test must be administered by a certified teacher and results supplied to the superintendent.  A composite score below the 30^th percentile requires a professional assessment for learning problems and a plan of remediation submitted to the superintendent.
Ohio	Annual standardized test, written narrative showing satisfactory academic progress, or an approved alternative assessment
Oregon	Participate in an approved comprehensive test in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 administered by a qualified neutral person.  If the child was withdrawn from public school, the first examination must be administered at least 18 months after the date the child was withdrawn from public school. If the child never attended public or private school, the first examination must be administered to the child prior to the end of grade 3.
Pennsylvania* Home school	Administer standardized test in grades 3, 5, and 8 and submit results as part of a portfolio
Rhode Island	Annual assessment may be required. Preference of parent as to type of assessment must be honored.
South Carolina* Home school approved by local school board	Participate in the annual statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program
South Dakota	Standardized test administered in same grade levels tested under state testing program (grades 2, 4, 8, and 11). Results must show satisfactory progress.
Tennessee Home school	Standardized tests in grades 5, 7, and 9.  Must be given by education commissioner, his designee, or a professional testing service approved by local school board.
Home school associated with church-related school	Administer the same annual standardized achievement test or Sanders Model assessment used by the local school district for grades 9-12
Satellite campus of church-related school	As prescribed by church-related school
Vermont	Submit (1) an annual assessment from a certified Vermont teacher, (2) a report from a commercial curriculum publisher together with a portfolio, or (3) the results of an acceptably administered standardized test

Table C: -Continued

State	Testing
Virginia* Home school not operating under religious exemption statute	For those six years or older on September 30^th, administer a standardized test or have child otherwise evaluated every year; submit results to local superintendent by August 1^st
Washington Home school	Annual state-approved standardized test administered by qualified person or have the child evaluated by a certified teacher currently working in education
Extension program of an approved private school designed for parents to teach their children at home	Progress must be evaluated by a certified teacher employed by the approved private school
West Virginia Home school	Annually (1) administer standardized test, (2) have portfolio evaluated by a certified teacher, (3) assess progress by another agreeable means, or (4) participate in a state testing program
Home school approved by local school board	As prescribed in the approval process

*These states have other legal options with no requirements.

Source: Home School Legal Defense Association

SC:ts