For any of a possible host of reasons you have made the decision to homeschool.  It may be one of your kids or all of them.  The reasons to do so are too numerous to enumerate, but some of the more important ones center around providing more customization of schedule, curriculum and activities for the child; fostering the concentration, focus and pacing that can not be achieved in large overcrowded classrooms; and controlling the academic, social, cultural and/or religious setting of the learning environment.  But, before you can get to the details of your homeschooling game plan, you must meet the statutory requirements mandated by your state or local municipality or governing body.

In general, the statutory requirements surrounding home schooling center around four things:  registration (approval within the governance of a law or statute), curriculum, testing (standardized or non-standardized), and record keeping.  Depending on your state, registration or approval within the governance of a law or statute may come under the purview of a state homeschool statute, a board of education regulation, or private school or church school laws. 

Meeting the statutory requirements of your state’s homeschool law insures that your efforts are sanctioned by the body that has governance over the homeschooling process.  So, your first step should be to determine where you need to register your intention to homeschool.  There are lots of organizations that can help you in this regard. 

Nationally, there is the HSLDA or Home School Legal Defense Association, and the American Homeschool Association (AHA).  The HSLDA is a nonprofit homeschool advocacy organization that focuses on federal legislation, grassroots lobbying, and research.  The American Homeschool Association is also an advocacy and support organization.  Both the HSLDA and the AHA can put you in touch with home school support groups in your local area. 

Your local groups can assist with the paperwork specifically required by your state, and they can also offer other resources that are very helpful when you are getting started.  They can pass along to you the experience of the larger community of home educators that have gone before you, and also give you advice on such matters as curriculum choices, text books, testing modalities, attendance requirements, and how you should structure any required record keeping.

In my home state of Maine, our homeschoolers have two options.  We can operate under the homeschooling statute that was enacted in 2003.  Or we can operate as part of a homeschool group, which qualifies to allow operating under either the homeschool statute or the private school law.  Maine allows standardized testing, but also provides an alternative to testing in the form of annual parent evaluations and annual certified teacher portfolio evaluations.  Curriculums are segregated into two sets, one for grades 1 through 8, and the other for grades 9 through 12.  Maine’s homeschool attendance requirement is a minimum of 175 days of instruction.  Record keeping via a structured portfolio is highly recommended, especially if you plan to take part in an annual evaluation by a certified teacher.

It can be a bit nerve racking putting together all of the forms, applications and documents required to meet the statutory requirements for home education in your locality, but after they are all completed and submitted the fun can really start.  Here at Academic Boot Camp Tips, you can follow along with our community of learners and educators as we participate in the adventure of discovery.   I hope you will participate with us as we engage in this experience in the days and weeks to come.