Seasons

We pass through seasons with unique goals in mind. Many of us see spring as a closing of the school year, while summer is a time for vacations and fun. The traditional school calendar has shaped our expectations of spring as the closing of the school year whether we homeschool our children or they attend public or private schools. For homeschoolers, it may be a time for evaluations or portfolio assessments.

Each state has it's own requirements for compliance with it homeschooling requirements. Here in Florida, parents have these five options:

1. Porfolio & student conference
   
2. Nationally normed test
3. FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test)
4. Psychological Evaluation
5. Virtual School Transcript

For parents and children who are new to homeschooling, state compliance requirements can be intimidating, while pioneers of homeschooling have a firm understanding of legal rights and responsibilities as homeschoolers. Through personal contact with homeschooling parents, the discussion of homeschooling requirements always leaves me with the impression that parents who are not certified teachers are intimidated by the process of evaluations & assessments.

As a Florida state certified educator in Elementary Education K - 6th, I am able to help parents meet the requirements for homeschooling by serving as an evaluator of portfolios and administrator of nationally normed tests; however, I am not employed by the local county school board. It is my hope to ease parents anxiety of the compliance requirements, while offering any professional advice they seek. My goal, also, is to help make the evaluation process pleasant for parents and the assessment environment peaceful & comfortable for children.

Homeschooling is a vast, open playing field. As we all have learned, curriculum choices and homeschooling styles are plentiful. Each family has a unique purpose for making the decision to homeschool. The one thing we may all have in common is a law that we must comply with to meet educational requirements. Here in Florida, the end of spring marks the time of year when most homeschool families must submit proof of compliance.

Do you live in a place where you believe the state has strict or loose requirements for homeschooling? How do you meet the requirements and do you believe they are reasonable?

If you are new to homeschooling, it is highly recommended that you become familiar with the Home School Legal Defense Association, which is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed. http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1