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For the most
current information on the Pennsylvania homeschool
laws, see PA
Homeschool Law information published on the
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
website. In Pennsylvania, the
homeschool law is written for those who are
homeschooled. You can also
visit the Pennsylvania Homeschool Education
Association's link for PA
Home Education. Children enrolled in a charter or cyber school fall under the public school jurisdiction, and do not fall under the law which is linked below. Children in a charter or cyber school are under the jurisdiction of that public school, and the schooling is set by that public school. It is the same with children receiving homebound public school instruction, or children enrolled in a public school. Children enrolled in a private school are under the private school law. In contrast, homeschoolers have an educational program set by their parents and are obliged to follow the tenets of the homeschool law.
Read
and be familiar with the law itself. (It's not
that long, after
all...)
When Must I
Do What?
Homeschooling parents whose child either a) is over 8 years old before the beginning of the school year or b) has ever attended public school must file a notarized affidavit for every such child prior to August 1 of each year declaring their intent to homeschool (and other facts). This is an affidavit form that is used by some of our members.
In addition to the notarized affidavit (above) parents must submit a list of objectives for the school year. However, the law specifies that "The required outline of proposed education objectives shall not be utilized by the superintendent in determining if the home education program is out of compliance with this section and section 1327." Note
that the affidavit above already attests that the
child is getting
adequate medical care. Therefore further
medical documentation is
not legally
necessary. However, since a) immunization
records in
particular
are often the target of further requests and b)
the Pennsylvania
Code explicitly allows
for exemption from immunization, this letter may
be a helpful addition
to the materials that you submit. The Portfolio At
the close of the year (by June 30) homeschooling
parents are also
required to submit "a portfolio of records and
materials." The
law further states that "the portfolio shall consist of a log, made
contemporaneously with the
instruction, which designates by title the reading
materials used,
samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or
creative materials
used or developed by the student and in grades
three, five and eight
results of nationally normed standardized
achievement tests in
reading/language arts and mathematics or the
results of Statewide tests
administered in these grade levels."
Evaluation The
law
requires "an annual written evaluation of the
student's educational
progress as
determined by a licensed clinical or school
psychologist or a teacher
certified by the Commonwealth or by a nonpublic school
teacher or
administrator." The evaluator's written report
should be included
as part of the portfolio.
Curricular Composition
The
law stipulates basic curricular subjects in the
following extent: (1)
At the elementary school level, the following
courses shall be
taught: English, to include spelling, reading and
writing; arithmetic;
science; geography; history of the United States
and Pennsylvania;
civics; safety education, including regular and
continuous instruction
in the dangers and prevention of fires; health and
physiology; physical
education; music; and art.
(2) At the secondary school level, the following courses shall be taught: English, to include language, literature, speech and composition: science; geography; social studies, to include civics, world history, history of the United States and Pennsylvania; mathematics, to include general mathematics, algebra and geometry; art; music; physical education; health; and safety education, including regular and continuous instruction in the dangers and prevention of fires. Such courses of study may include, at the discretion of the supervisor of the home education program, economics; biology; chemistry; foreign languages; trigonometry; or other age-appropriate courses as contained in Chapter 5 (Curriculum Requirements) of the State Board of Education. (d) The following minimum courses in grade nine through twelve are established as a requirement for graduation in a home education program: (1) Four years of English. (2) Three years of mathematics. (3) Three years of science. (4) Three years of social studies. (5) Two years of arts and humanities. |