Changes to the Pennsylvania Homeschool Law~Act 196 of 2014

IMPORTANT UPDATE: In spite of the favorable changes to the law that took effect almost 2 years ago, many school administrators persist in requesting portfolios, test scores or proof of evaluator qualifications. If you are new to homeschooling, I urge you to educate yourself about exactly what is required by law. This article and website […]

PA Homeschool Evaluation

We’ve already discussed the elements that are required in the portfolio, including a log, samples of the child’s work and standardized test scores in grades 3, 5 and 8. One final requirement is to obtain an evaluation and submit the evaluator’s certification that an appropriate education is occurring for the school year under review no […]

Standardized testing requirements PA homeschool law

Testing Requirements Under PA Homeschool Law

If your child is in grade 3, 5 or 8, the portfolio must include the results of a standardized achievement test for reading/language arts and math. The list of approved tests (as of the date of publication of this article-please check the PDE website for updates) can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website […]

Samples of Work for the Portfolio

Although Pennsylvania homeschool law no longer requires the supervisor of a home education program to submit a portfolio to the superintendent, a qualified evaluator must still review a portfolio during (or before) an interview with the student in order to certify that “an appropriate education is occurring.” In addition to standardized test scores in grades […]

Keeping a Log

One component of a portfolio is a log. Let’s look at the language of the provision with only the part related to a log in bold: “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 […]