The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.
The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.
NOTE: This article reflects the changes to the Home Instruction Statute which went into effect on July 1, 2008. The changes primarily affect families who use option (ii) (provide an evaluation or assessment). For more information on the 2008 changes, please see the FAQs about 2008 Changes to Home Instruction Statute and the 2008 Home Instruction Statute Changes pages for more information.
Option (ii) of the Home Instruction Statute (§22.1-254.1 C) provides an alternative method of meeting the evidence of progress requirement. Alternative methods which have been accepted under option (ii) in the past include:
To read the complete text of the law: §22.1-254.1 Declaration of policy; requirements for home instruction of children
Under option (ii), Superintendents have discretion over what they will accept. For example, some school divisions will only accept independent evaluations and will not accept portfolios. Effective July 1, 2008, superintendents are now required to consider letters, report cards, and transcripts as valid forms of proof of progress. However, the superintendent still has the right to determine if what you have submitted constitutes adequate proof of progress. You may wish to contact experienced local homeschoolers to determine what is commonly accepted in your school division. See Virginia Homeschool Support Groups for a list of statewide and local support groups.
Option (ii) requires the superintendent to make a determination, based on the evaluation, that the child is achieving an "adequate level of educational growth and progress." While this determination is subjective, most superintendents are fair and reasonable.
There are no "state-approved" evaluators or requirements for evaluators. Effective July 1, 2008, any person who has a valid teacher's license from any state or a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline may write a letter of evaluation. However, the superintendent still has the right to determine whether the evaluation letter constitutes adequate proof of progress.
Note: The law does not directly address whether parents with valid teacher's licenses or master's degrees can write letters of evaluation for their own child. However, as this option is at the discretion of the superintendent, a parent-evaluated letter may not be deemed acceptable, since schools strongly prefer independent evaluation. VaHomeschoolers recommends considering this when deciding who is to evaluate your child.
Before choosing an evaluator, get recommendations from local homeschoolers. Interview prospective evaluators to determine their style and expectations, and to ensure that they match your needs. Make sure that the evaluator you choose is comfortable with your approach to homeschooling. If your child has special needs, you should find an evaluator familiar with these needs.
For a list of evaluators, see Virginia Homeschool Evaluation Providers.
Note: Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement from VaHomeschoolers. Contact experienced local homeschoolers for additional options in your community.
Evaluations vary depending on the evaluator. Some include testing, some use portfolios, and others may use a combination. Most include an interview (or conversation) with the student. The evaluator will write a letter attesting to the "educational progress" of your child. Most evaluators are looking for what you did "right." They recognize that an education extends beyond the workbooks.
The law does not define what subjects should be covered in the evidence of progress; however, many nationally normed standardized tests cover only math and language arts and as those tests are acceptable under option (i), they would be the only subjects required.
As a result, most school divisions have come to request evidence of progress in only these two subject areas regardless of whether you choose option (i) or (ii). Since subjects are not specified in the law, superintendents could ask for evidence in other subject areas if you choose option (ii).
You may wish to contact experienced local homeschoolers to determine what is commonly accepted in your school division.
There is no minimum or maximum length for a letter of evaluation. Whatever is submitted has to be sufficient for the superintendent to make a judgment. We recommend that the letter of evaluation include a copy of the credentials of the person doing the evaluating, verification that the evaluator has actually met with the child and/or reviewed his/her work, and information that indicates that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress. Simply saying, "I have a master's degree and the child is making progress" may not be enough.
One longtime Virginia evaluator typically writes two pages summarizing her assessment of the child's progress in language arts and mathematics, followed by a summary of her findings and a list of her professional qualifications
You are not required by law to teach to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs), nor are you required to reference the SOLs in an evaluation. Some professional evaluators believe that letters which reference the SOLs are more likely to be accepted by school divisions; while other evaluators choose not to mention them in their letters. Before hiring an evaluator, talk to him or her about what role the SOLs play in their assessments and how that might affect your family.
Many option (ii) filers choose to create portfolios of their child's work. Some parents share the portfolios with an independent evaluator, while others submit the portfolios directly to the school division.
While you may under law submit a portfolio directly to the school division to fulfill the requirements of option (ii), VaHomeschoolers does not recommend it. Unevaluated portfolios can be lost, misplaced, or misinterpreted, and are less likely to be routinely accepted by the superintendent than a letter of evaluation.
If you do choose to submit a portfolio directly to the school division, we strongly recommend sending it by certified mail with a return receipt. Keep a copy of the portfolio for your records.
Portfolios can be very simple or as elaborate as you choose. It does not have to be a daily record. It does need to include examples from the beginning, middle and end of the year.
Possible items to include:
Make copies of everything and keep the originals. If you are submitting the portfolio directly to the school division, include a brief cover letter to clarify the purpose of what you are sending should the mail be opened and sorted by an assistant unfamiliar with the homeschooling requirements.
It is easiest to create a portfolio if the organization is kept up with at least monthly but as long as you have samples from throughout the year it can be done all at once.
VaHomeschoolers works hard to protect your homeschool freedom and empowers you by giving you the information that helps you homeschool with confidence. This is all a free service to you. But providing these services does cost money without which we could not maintain this site, cover our lobbyists' expenses while they work for you at the Virginia General Assembly, or produce and mail the VaHomeschoolers newsletter. Show how much you value the indispensable services VaHomeschoolers provides you--by joining or donating to VaHomeschoolers! If you are already a member, check out our give-back programs where purchases you normally make can earn money for VaHomeschoolers at no cost to you. When you join or donate to VaHomeschoolers, you are supporting the Old Dominion's only fully inclusive, member directed, and volunteer driven state homeschool association.
The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers is a non-profit public charity with 501(c)(3) status; your donation is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.