A friend asked if I was prepared to develop a transcript to show my child’s home school learning. Thankfully, I had already given this some thought. See, our state’s statute regarding “compulsory education” is rather vague. The provision says that parents and guardians must ensure that children “regularly attend the public school of the district … or receive equivalent instruction elsewhere.” The latter part of the provision is what permits a parent or guardian to educate a child at home, but does not provide any guidance on what “equivalent” means.
The local board of education “is not authorized to review or approve the curriculum or program of study chosen for home schooling.” In addition, the local board of education “is not required or authorized to monitor the outcomes of the child.” In our state, when parent or guardian chooses to educate a child, they are solely responsible for the educational outcomes of the child. This responsibility is both freeing and daunting. How can I maintain a choice in our home school curriculum, while preventing an overflow of home school ideas, courses, and programs? Simple. Look to schools or districts that I may want our child to attend in the future.
A local school district posts their curriculum guides online. These guides are a fantastic resource. They include units of study, key lessons, pacing guides, learning outcomes, and recommended resources. I am able to use these guides to design a home school curriculum that includes a range of topic, activities and assessments. I found designing my own curriculum based on state standards more comforting than ordering a pre-packaged curriculum from a third party provider. Working within a specific framework will allow me to easily prepare a record of learning whenever my child returns to public or private school.