Home Education

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Contact: (813) 794-2782

General Information

To establish a home education program, you must notify the superintendent of schools of the county in which the parent resides of your intent. The notice must be in writing, signed by the parent, and include the names, addresses, and birth dates of all children who will be in the home education program. This notice must be received by the superintendent within 30 days from the start of your home education program. For your convenience, we have developed a Home Education Information Packet which includes a form that you may choose to use in order to notify the superintendent of your intent (click on “intent” to get to letter) to establish a home education program. You will be notified that a home education program has been opened following the receipt of your letter of intent or information form. At the time you initiate a home education program, please withdraw your child from school.

Please note that the parent/guardian is responsible for maintaining a portfolio of materials and records for each child in the home education program. The portfolio is to be preserved by the parent for two years and must be available for review by the school district.

Additionally, an annual educational evaluation of each child’s academic progress is required and must be submitted to the school district within one year of the beginning of your home education program. The evaluation must be received by the District office by the anniversary date of the letter of intent, not from the date of the last evaluation.

*Note: There is no guarantee that your child will receive credit for the home education program if he or she is re-enrolled in a public school. Standards are extremely difficult to meet for grades 9-12.

Florida Statutes require that you notify the school district in writing if you move to a new location in Pasco County or if you close your home education program.

TRANSFERS FROM HOME EDUCATION PROGRAMS K-8

When a student who meets legal age requirements transfers from a home education program, the principal is responsible for appropriate placement. Placement in the same grade as that recommended by the parent/guardian is not automatic. A four to six week screening period will be allowed from the time of enrollment, in order to assist with placement adjustments. An administrative placement decision may be made in consultation with the teacher(s), other appropriate staff, and parents/guardians. Serious consideration is to be given screening results.

TRANSFERS FROM HOME EDUCATION PROGRAMS 9-12

High School

High School students who transfers in as a full-time District School Board of Pasco County student from a home education program will be awarded credits based on official transcripts and shall be accepted at face value subject to validation if required by the receiving school’s accreditation.

If validation of the official transcript is deemed necessary for accreditation purposes by the receiving school and the student is a home education student, then credits or grades shall be validated through performance during the first grading period. A student transferring into a school shall be placed at the appropriate sequential course level. A high school student should have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 after the first grading period in order to receive credit.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is home education?

A home education program is sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent or guardian in order to satisfy the requirements of ss. 232.01 and 232.0201.

2. What kinds of records are parents supposed to maintain?

For each student, a portfolio should be maintained. The portfolio shall consist of the following:

A. A log of educational activities which is made along with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used.

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

The portfolio should be kept by the parent for two years and be made available to the superintendent for inspection upon 15 days written notice.

3. What is an annual evaluation?

A student in a home education setting must be evaluated once a year to demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with his or her ability. “Annually” is defined in Florida Statute as one year from the date of the letter of intent, not from the date of the last evaluation.

Evaluation options include:

A. A teacher selected by a parent or guardian shall evaluate the student’s educational progress upon review of the portfolio and discussion with the student. The teacher shall hold a VALID REGULAR FLORIDA CERTIFICATE to teach academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level.

B. The student may take any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher. *Note: In Pasco County the nationally normed test used is the Stanford Achievement Test.

C. The student may take a state student assessment test used by the school district and administered by a certified teacher, at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district.

D. The student may be evaluated by a psychologist holding a valid, active license pursuant to the provisions of Statute 490.003(3) or (7).

E. The student may be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the school superintendent of the district in which the student resides and the student’s parents or guardian.

The school superintendent shall review and accept the results of the annual educational evaluation of the student in a home education program. If the student does not demonstrate progress at a level commensurate with her or his ability, the superintendent shall notify the parent or guardian, in writing, that such progress has not been achieved. The parent or guardian shall have one year from the date of receipt of the written notification to provide remedial instruction to the pupil. At the end of the one year probationary period, the student shall be reevaluated as specified above.

Continuation in a home education program will be contingent upon the student demonstrating educational progress commensurate with her or his ability at the end of the probationary period.

4. What type of diploma do home education children receive?

School districts, adult high schools, and community colleges are not authorized to provide regular high school diplomas to students who complete a high school course of study as home education students. A home education student may take the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) test at an education center and be awarded a GED diploma by the State of Florida if the student receives a passing score. Also, the parent may have utilized a curriculum provider (e.g., a correspondence school) that offers a credential to the student.

5. Do home education students have any trouble being accepted into colleges or universities?

Students who complete their high school course of study as home education students sometimes have difficulty being admitted to community colleges and four-year universities. Post secondary institutions usually have an alternate method of admission that allows students to be admitted if they do not have a high school diploma. Taking and passing the GED test and receiving a GED diploma may be one of the criteria that are used for alternative admission. Colleges, especially four-year universities, may also require that home education students take college entrance tests like the SAT and ACT and obtain scores high enough to show that they have the academic knowledge and skills that will allow them to be successful in college.

6. Can home education students attend public schools part time or for selected courses?

Secondary (Middle and High School) level students are entitled to enroll on a part-time basis at their zoned school so long as:

A. The class requested has space to accommodate the student

AND

B. The principal approves the enrollment.

7. Does the state or local school district determine the curriculum or course of study for students in home education?

No. The local school district and state are not required to determine curriculum, provide guidelines, materials, books, or other resources.

Navigation

Download: Home Education Information Packet
Letter to Open Home Education Program (español)
Letter to Close Home Education Program

Students in Transition Program/Homeless Students: Please contact Erika Remsberg, Homeless Liaison for Pasco County Schools
813-794-4980

Florida's central web resource for students and parents. Visit FACTS.org and ePEP for your "one stop" shopping for high school and post secondary academic career explanation, decision-making, and planning.