Learning Is For Everyone! - Home Education

Reads the Home Education page of the Dept. of Education:” Home Education is a parent-directed educational option that became effective by law in 1985. Parents have the freedom to determine their child's educational path and the plan for reaching their goals. Students have the opportunity to explore and learn at their own pace, in any location or at any time. More than 55,000 students in approximately 37,000 families are in Home Education Programs in Florida.”

There is an informative DOE Home Education FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) online at http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/home_education/faqs.asp , which can also be requested in hard copy.

Because home education is a fully parent directed educational choice, it’s important to stay informed about your choice and connected with others who practice it. Education Policy Analyst Christopher Fenton , is the FL DOEs Home Education Specialist and can be contacted via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (850) 245-0502.

Visit LIFE of Florida to learn more about our statewide homeschool support group.

Q.I think I want to homeschool. How do I do that?
A. First, please take time to inform yourself about homeschooling laws. And then realize that there are no right or wrong ways to homeschool. There are as many ways to homeschool your children as there are homeschoolers (55,000 in Florida, now pushing 2 million nationally, according to recent statistics). There are endless resources for exploring methodologies, including "unschooling" (no particular method at all), on the web. We have a comprehensive overview on our website, in our Homeschool Resource Guide.

Q. What are the laws for homeschooling in Florida? Do they vary from county to county?
A. Great questions . First, homeschooling is overseen by state laws, not county ones. While counties may vary in their interpretation of those laws sometimes, the long and the short of it is that your personal homeschool practices are guided by inviolable state laws.

Learning is for Everyone has a complete overview of education in Florida at our state page at http://www.learningis4everyone.org/content/category/7/45/39/ . You can learn specifically about homeschooling in FL by clicking on the Home Education section (http://www.learningis4everyone.org/content/view/94/39/0).

Florida has pretty "user-friendly" homeschool laws, and a great Department of Education website section devoted to providing you with a wealth of information about all the whys and wherefores of home education in the Sunshine State: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/home_education/

1) A "home education program" is defined in s. 1002.01. The parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida teaching certificate.

a) The parent shall notify the district school superintendent of the county in which the parent resides of her or his intent to establish and maintain a home education program. A written notice of termination of the home education program shall be filed in the district school superintendent's office within 30 days after said termination.

The notice shall be in writing, signed by the parent, and shall include the names, addresses, and birthdates of all children who shall be enrolled as students in the home education program.

1. the names of your school age kids, (ages 6 – 16 only please – newborns to five year olds are not of compulsory attendance age and your eagerness to educate them notwithstanding, they cannot be legally enrolled in the home education program, and early requests are often returned)

The notice shall be filed in the district school superintendent's office within 30 days of the establishment of the home education program.

A written notice of termination of the home education program shall be filed in the district school superintendent's office within 30 days after said termination.

· Okay, the portfolio is a disproportionately discussed and stressed over thing, for some reason. A “portfolio,” by definition, refers to “a personal collection of information describing and documenting a person’s achievements and learning.” That means it’s different for everyone, for each child in your family, and that you and your child have complete creative license in creating one. Portfolios can be

o an accordion folder with a selection of items in it across several subjects like writing, geography, history, art, etc.;

The portfolio shall consist of the following:
· Put this stuff in it:

1. A log of educational activities that is made contemporaneously with the instruction and that designates by title any reading materials used.

2. Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student.

The portfolio shall be preserved by the parent for 2 years and shall be made available for inspection by the district school superintendent, or the district school superintendent's agent, upon 15 days' written notice. Nothing in this section shall require the district school superintendent to inspect the portfolio.

(c) The parent shall provide for an annual educational evaluation in which is documented the student's demonstration of educational progress at a level commensurate with her or his ability. The parent shall select the method of evaluation and shall file a copy of the evaluation annually with the district school superintendent's office in the county in which the student resides.

o automatically at the end of the public school year, unless that’s the anniversary of when you opened your program, nor

[That means a teacher can look at the portfolio and discuss it with the student and parent, and then sign a statement that says the child he or she reviewed proved to have progressed commensurate (along ) with ability as per state law – and that’s the evaluation statement you send your county. Many people choose this method of assessment because it’s relaxed and personal, and gives everyone in the family a good opportunity to evaluate the year.]

[That means your child can take any of the typical achievement tests as long as it’s administered by a certified teacher. The results DO NOT need to be included in the evaluation report, only a comment by the teacher or parent advising that student results showed progress commensurate with ability, as per state law. ]

[Sort of a restatement of the above, but with respect to state assessment tests, like the FCAT, rather than national tests. PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to have your child evaluated using the FCAT, those results are automatically submitted to the county school board and that will be your annual evaluation, whether your child did well or didn’t do well. ]

[Your child can be evaluated by a psychologist or a school psychologist using whatever assessment tools you agree upon, and then a statement to that effect can be submitted to the school district.]

[You can meet with or talk to your county school superintendent and discuss any other method you feel might be best for your child.]

If the student does not demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with her or his ability, the district school superintendent shall notify the parent, in writing, that such progress has not been achieved.

o You send in test scores each year and one year the test scores are worse than those of the year before;

o Or a teacher evaluating your child alerts the school board to the fact that perhaps your child isn’t learning as desired.

o Not sending in test scores, especially if your child doesn’t test well. It also helps to be informed about the law and to be ready to remind the county that *low* test scores (should you actually be choosing to send such in) do not immediately translate to poor progress, especially if test scores, however low, are still higher than the previous year’s. But there really isn’t any need to send test scores in anyway.

o Sending in your evaluations in a timely fashion! Don’t make the school board come looking for you.

o Making sure you select a teacher who understands homeschooling. Most teachers are very accommodating and understanding these days, and most homeschool support groups have lists of teachers who do evaluations.

1006.15 says home education students can participate in public school extracurricular activities at the public school at which they’d normally be assigned, or to which they’d normally be eligible under school choice options, or under any agreement with a private school, if they:

o Demonstrate, during the period of participation at a school, educational progress in all subjects taken in the home education program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the parent and the school principal

o Meet standards of behavior and conduct required by the school in which they are participating in programs

o Register with the appropriate school with his or her intent to participate in a program

A few additional details can be read in FS1006.15, regarding decisions to enroll in the public school, and inability to maintain academic eligibility, but the above are the most relevant.

(6) Home education students may participate in dual enrollment programs in accordance with the provisions of ss. 1007.27(4) and 1007.271(10).

Another great option for all Florida students, dual enrollment allows high school students to enroll in post secondary courses in state colleges, tuition free. Eligible students may even complete their final year of high school at a local college.

As per the Bureau of Public School Options (http://www.fldoe.org/flbpso/otherpubschopt/dualenrollment.asp ) , “[Dual Enrolled students] earn credit toward high school graduation and at the same time earn credit toward a college degree or technical certificate. All 28 public community colleges and some of the state universities in Florida participate in dual enrollment. Students are permitted to take dual enrollment courses on a part-time basis during school hours, after school, or during the summer term. Dual enrollment students do not have to pay registration, matriculation, or laboratory.”

(7) Home education students are eligible for admission to community colleges in accordance with the provisions of s. 1007.263.

Both of those just mean home education students can apply to attend state colleges and universities just like everyone else. Some good resources for homeschool students coming into post secondary education with a non-traditional background include:

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), at http://www.nacacnet.org, features an excellent article on its website called,
“College Admission for the Home-Schooler” ( or http://tinyurl.com/ftvao ) that provides a comprehensive overview of how homeschoolers can most successfully apply for college enrollment.

An ERIC Digest from 2003 includes some useful information for the college bound as well: http://www.ericdigests.org/2005-2/homeschooling.html

(9) Home education program students may receive testing and evaluation services at diagnostic and resource centers, in accordance with the provisions of s. 1006.03.

Q. Speaking of Exceptional Education, homeschooling looks like it might work pretty well for my special needs child. Do I have to do anything special with respect to enrolling her in the home education program?

A. Technical Assistance Paper 312790 , at www.fldoe.org/ESE/pdf/y2006-16.pdf , issued in June 2006, deals with just this issue. In November 2006, the FL DOE clarified some points in the ruling. The memo reads:

"In an effort to improve the quantity and quality of educational outcomes for students with disabilities, the Bureau developed a technical assistance paper (TAP) 312790 dated June 2006, entitled Serving Students with Disabilities through Modified Schedule and/or Home Instruction.

"Providing instruction in the parent's home or mutually agreed upon location would require parental permission as the parent or guardian would have to make accommodations. Such permission may be documented through the individual educational plan (IEP) conference notes or some other informal means at the district's discretion. On page three of the TAP it previously stated, "Prior written notice of change of placement would have to be completed because services would be different from current services." The TAP also stated, "parental consent would be required." This is not to be interpreted to mean a formal parental consent. The TAP 312815, dated August 2006, has been revised to reflect this clarification and replaces the original TAP 312790, dated June 2006."

You can contact Dr. Lee Clark, Program Specialist with the Florida Department of Education, by telephone at (850) 245-0478 or by electronic mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have additional questions.

A. For the most part, yes, as long as you keep in mind that the state will consider your children private school students if you choose this route.

“Umbrella school” is something of a misnomer, and typically refers to a private school that offers a self-directed home learning option. Private schools can do that here because the state of Florida maintains a pretty much “hands off” policy with respect to private schools.

You can read more about private schools in our Florida Private Schools section. And you can find listings of private schools that offer home based learning options at various sites, including A to Z Home’s Cool website at http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/FloridaUmbrella.htm, and at FloridaSmart at http://www.floridasmart.com/education/homesch_schools.htm .

Keep in mind though, that private schools are free to make their own rules regarding attendance and record keeping, and can range from minimalist to mind-boggling. The DoE also maintains a list of private schools , although many of these are traditional brick and mortar private schools: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/Private_Schools/default.asp?whichView=parent So if you go that route, be sure to be educated about your private school choice, and stay up to date on private school legislation.

Also, be aware that if you want access to things like Florida Virtual School, or certain other things available only to public or homeschooled students, sometimes those are only available to specially registered private schools.

A.Florida Virtual School (www.flvs.net) is not a private school, or a correspondence school. It’s a distinctly different offering from the state’s two other public school virtual school offerings, Florida Virtual Academy and Connections Academy, which are available only to public school students.

FLVS is a public online middle and high school equally available to all state residents. Since it is not a degree granting school, state testing (i.e. the FCAT) is not mandated.

The state describes FLVS thusly in a Policy Memo:(http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/virtual_schools/files/FLVS_Policy_Memo.pdf ):

“Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is a fully-accredited public virtual school that offers free online courses to middle and high school students in Florida. All FLVS teachers are Florida-certified in the subjects they teach and all courses are aligned with Florida’s Sunshine State Standards.

“Florida Virtual School provides options for students, parents, school districts, and schools. Through FLVS, parents and students have expanded access to courses, and school districts have options to help ease overcrowding and/or to provide their students with additional course and acceleration opportunities.

“Students with limited or no access to a specific course are given priority for enrollment. Florida Virtual School may also be a good fit for students who have medical or behavioral issues that may limit success in the traditional classroom or for students needing a more flexible schedule due to training for other extra-curricular endeavors.

The Florida School Code establishes Florida Virtual School as an educational choice and an acceleration option for parents and students. Approximately 96 percent of FLVS students exercise this option as a supplement to their public, home, or private school education and average 1.1 courses per student.” ( Read the entire memo at the link above to see a good Q&A about the school)

Some people really like it and some people really don't. But there's no cost involved, and you can take classes a la carte, as interested and able, and easily un-enroll if the program

doesn't work for your children. Transcripts from FLVS classes can be used in annual evaluations, and useful for transfer reasons, as well.

Related statutes can be reviewed here: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/virtual_schools/Statutes.asp

In the past year, FLVS franchised operations to some state school districts for the purposes of streamlining participation for public school students. You can see a list of the franchises here: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/virtual_schools/District_Franchises.asp

All this means is that residents in those counties can select to take classes either with their county, or with the main Florida Virtual School program. For the most part, there is little difference between the two choices, although some counties have different drop policies and different instructors. Regardless of your choice, you may get a message that your homeschooled child’s course records are being filed with your county. This is an administrative detail with no bearing on your home education program. You can read an informative FAQ about the franchise issue at our website at http://www.learningis4everyone.org/content/view/96/39/1/1/ .

A. The short answer to the last question is “Yes.” The short answer to the second question is: No. Diplomas are not absolutely necessary (when’s the last time anyone looked at yours?). If you really want one for your child, you can make your own, but be aware that colleges, if they look at a diploma, typically want to see one from an accredited school.

Diplomas are less important than transcripts, which are less important than a well rounded, articulate and self assured student with a good portfolio of academic and real life experiences. Colleges are more often looking for self-motivated, responsible and self-sufficient students than anything else, and where they went to high school is less important than how they present themselves and what they can do.

While some of the details are a little blurry and open to interpretation, what the rule basically says is that any homeschooled child entering or reentering public schools shall be accepted on the grade recommendation of the homeschooling parent, and that recommendation will be validated if the child maintains a 2.0 grade point average during the child’s first grading period.

If your child has difficulty upon admission, the rule provides for some alternative methods of validation and assessment. For younger children, schools decide on placement upon re-enrollment, but will often take a parental documentation and homeschool history into account when doing so.

A. Throw a couple of more exclamation marks in there and I’ll tell you who they are. “They” are largely folks like “you and me”, with the sometimes unfortunate reality of having to work for the county.

Let’s face it – bureaucracy stinks, for us and often for the bureaucrats. Things get lost. Files end up in the wrong place. Everybody yelled at you all day, and the coffee was stale and bitter. Most home education district contacts are overworked and underpaid. Many handle home education as just one of many district duties. Some just got there and haven’t a clue as to how the whole thing works.

It’s usually best to assume an error has occurred and to handle things with grace, dignity and professionalism. A simple and polite letter advising the powers that be of their error – providing a copy of your evaluation that you sent in perfectly on time six months ago; or a note reminding them of the date you opened your program, along with a copy of the relevant statute – usually does the trick. You don’t need lawyers. You just need a good dose of humanity to share.

And there’s always the possibility that they may be right. In that case, just send them a note thanking them for the reminder and advise them that you’ll be sending along whatever is needed as soon as possible. Most are just happy for a civil reply. Keep as much of your communication as possible on paper, for good record keeping, and save copies of everything. Always request a return receipt when using written communications with your school district , to ensure that your notes are received.

Of course, you may occasionally encounter the district curmudgeon. If becomes clear that no amount of civility will crack the hard shell of years of government employment, then head to the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (IEPC) and talk to the Home Education director there: 1-800-447-1636 . They’ll be glad to help.

Of course, you may occasionally encounter the district curmudgeon. If it becomes clear that no amount of civility will crack the hard shell of years of government employment, then head to the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (IEPC) and talk to the Home Education director there: 1-800-447-1636. They’ll be glad to help.

And if you don’t feel they’re helping as they should, then call in some citizen support. We, at Learning is for Everyone, (www.learningis4everyone.org )will be happy to help you, as would folks with other support groups like Florida Parent Educators Association (www.fpea.com/) .

So there you have it. Relax, and have a great time with your kids! Browse our site for tons of great statewide homeschooling resources and don’t forget to check out our support group listings so that you can connect with others in your area.

There are emails going around, on both sides of the fence, about virtual school program legislation currently under consideration in FL (SB 534 and HB 7067). Some of the emails encourage signing a petition to allow home educators to participate in School District Virtual School Programs (SDVIP) without previous enrollment in public school, and others protest the legislation.

All home educators are urged to become informed about virtual school choices in Florida, whatever your opinion or preference regarding the schools, and to make sure you have all the facts (or as many as you can find) rather than acting on fear based or uninformed arguments on either side.

Support for SDVIP Enrollment Expansion
With respect to the petition, found at http://www.flvirtualfamilies.org/petition/ and this particular phraseology: "In looking at this law, it is a great tool for those parents that would choose to homeschool." …

It's important to remember that SDVIP is great tool for those interested in having a *public school education option that they can administer from home*. Participants need to understand that the laws under which those enrolled in this program would provide that education are different from homeschooling laws.

The petition calls on Florida representatives "to change the portion of House Bill 7067 that states a child must attend public school for one year to qualify for this program. We feel that this discriminates against children that previously home schooled or that would have to come out of private school that would want to use this program. Parents of all children should have the option to use this if they so chose. Treat all children fair"

Grammar issues aside, the bill doesn't actually discriminate against homeschooled children or anyone else. This is a procedural issue, not a home education issue . Transferring to SDVIP should be handled as any public, private or homeschool program transfer is handled, using existing Florida State Board of Education transfer rules.

Opposition to SDVIP
Long time home and private school lobbyist Brenda Dickinson, of the Home Education Foundation, is concerned about the Senate version of SDVIP legislation, SB 534, for other reasons, principally her contention that SDVIP "will lead to the demise of home education as we know it."

In a recent email, referencing a Christian Broadcasting Network article titled "Online Charter Schools Proving Popular" she contends:

" Parents are going to be more confused about virtual education than they were last year if Charter Virtual Schools are created in Florida. This year some parents who have enrolled their children in the School District Virtual School Programs (SDVIP) are forming their own support groups and asking for membership in the Florida Parent Educators Association. They think they are home educators. However, students enrolled in a SDVIP, using K-12, Inc and Connections Academy are not home educated students; they are public school students. I believe in a short time this confusion will lead to the demise of home education as we know it.

"...SB 534 is filed for the 2010 Session and will create the same virtual charter school in Florida described in the article .... My question is: How long will home education parents be able to direct their children's education if these schools are established in Florida? Many parents are afraid to step out on their own to take over the education of their children under the home education law, so this highly structured program will appeal to those parents. Within a few years, there will be almost no one in the elementary grades who develops their own curriculum and tailors it to their own child's interest, pace and learning style. Most parents, new to home education, will be persuaded that this is the only way to teach your child at home."

The virtual school induced death knell has been rung for homeschooling for almost ten years now, with no significant evidence of deliterious effect to home education. Almost identical complaints were leveled at Florida Virtual School at the time, even though now, FLVS is lauded by many of the same homeschoolers as a model virtual program for home educators. If trust parents to make an intelligent and informed choice to homeschool, we must also trust that they're making an intelligent and informed decision if they select the use of a public virtual school.

Home education is, in fact, changing and has been since its inception. But that's different from suffering a "demise." More people than ever are aware that they can in some great measure influence and direct their children's education, perhaps not as completely as some of us have chosen, but more than many more people ever would have considered doing.

A future now suggests itself where everyone tailors his or her education to best suit individual needs, interests and abilities. This has the potential to bring a far higher quality of family life and education to more people than does circling the wagons to protect "home education as we know it." Life as people knew it a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years ago no longer exists. While some good things are lost to time and history, many more good things have been gained: civil rights, greater longevity, multiculturalism, fascinating and useful technology, and more access to knowledge than ever before.

Get the Facts
With any of the virtual school arguments or supplications, important points of clarification should be:

Advocating and empowering all families to make informed educational decisions for themselves and their children is, in the long run, the best way to protect homeschooling.

You can read more about HB 7067 at

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=39535

www.fldoe.org/GR/Bill_Summary/2008/HB7067.pdf

www.fldoe.org/gr/li/Q&A-DistrictVIP.pdf (Q&A)

to read the proposed legislation. Both bills are identical, and this seems to be the text in question, regarding students eligible for Bright Futures:

(b) Has attended a home education program according to s.1002.41 at least during grades 11 and 12 and has attained a score of at least 100 points higher than the score identified by rules of the State Board of Education under paragraph (a) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; or has attended a home education program according to s. 1002.41 at least during grades 11 and 12, has documented successful completion of a college-preparatory curriculum as outlined in paragraph (a) through a Florida public school, a private school registered with the Department of Education, or dual enrollment pursuant to s. 1007.271, and has attained at least the score identified by rules of the State Board of Education under paragraph (a) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;

Essentially, the changes are saying homeschooled students *without* public ed credits from FLVS, or from part time or dual enrollment, can qualify for BF with "a score of at least 100 points higher than the score identified by rules of the State Board of Education under paragraph (a)..."

But those using FLVS, part time enrolled at a public school, or at an "approved" private school, or dual enrolled at a local college can qualify by having successfully documented "completion of a college-preparatory curriculum as outlined in paragraph (a) through a Florida public school, a private school registered with the Department of Education, or dual enrollment pursuant to s. 1007.271," and can then earn a BF with the same college entrance score as public school students ("at least the score identified by rules of the State Board of Education under paragraph (a)."

LIFE encourages you to make educated decisions about legislation that may affect you and to get all the facts necessary to make those decisions.