If you live in Ohio, you are able to homeschool your kids, but not without meeting a few of these requirements.
Once you have all of your affairs in order, you will be able to start homeschooling as soon as possible.
We have created a complete guide to Ohio homeschooling that will help you on your journey, so read on to find out everything you need to know.
Requirements For Homeschooling In Ohio
In the state of Ohio, there are a few requirements you need to meet.
Each of these rules and requirements is very important to know, and it is in your best interest to have them sorted out before you start homeschooling.
The requirements for homeschooling in Ohio are as follows:
You must notify your local school superintendent every year that you plan on homeschooling.
Children who are homeschooled must complete 900 hours of instruction every year.
You must include and teach the required subjects in the state of Ohio as part of your homeschool curriculum (we will go into more detail about this later)
You are required to provide a yearly assessment of your children’s/student’s work.
You, as the parent, must at least have your high school diploma (or equivalent) in order to legally homeschool your children.
As long as you can meet these rules and requirements, you will have no issue in homeschooling your children in the state of Ohio.
If, for whatever reason, you do not have your high school diploma or an equivalent, you will need to get it before you start homeschooling.
Record Keeping In Ohio
In the state of Ohio, you are required by law to submit an annual assessment of your child’s progress to your local school superintendent, so you will need to keep up-to-date records in order to do this successfully.
The best and most effective way to keep records when homeschooling is to put together a portfolio. In this portfolio, you should include the following information:
Samples of your children’s work
An outline of the curriculum subjects and topics you have covered that year
If your children are at the high school level, you should keep a record of their high school transcript
The results of any standardized tests your children have taken.
This information will keep in line with the record-keeping laws and give you all the information you will need to pass on to your local school superintendent.
Qualifications For Homeschooling In Ohio
As we have previously mentioned, in order to homeschool in the state of Ohio, you will need to have your high school diploma.
Any qualifications that are equivalent to this are also fine, but if you do not have them, you will not legally be able to homeschool your children.
If you do not have your high school diploma (or equivalent) and you still want to homeschool your children, you will need to get it or an equivalent qualification before you can proceed.
Ohio Notification Form
School is compulsory for any children between the ages of 6 and 18 in the state of Ohio, so if your children are not in public school, you will need to make sure they are homeschooled in this age range.
When it comes to officially starting homeschooling, you must notify your local school superintendent.
You can get the Ohio notification form from the Department of Education on their website, and the form includes the following things you will need to fill out:
The names, addresses, and contact information of you the parents
The name and birthdate of each individual child you plan on homeschooling
A list of the curricula and teaching materials you will be using
Assurance that you will teach at least 900 hours of home education
Assurance that you will teach all of the required subjects listed in the state of Ohio
A summary/outline of your intended curriculum for that year
Proof of your qualification to homeschool (high school diploma or equivalent)
After you have filled out the initial form, you will then need to send a yearly notification that must also include an academic assessment of each child you are homeschooling. This assessment should include:
The final results of a nationally normed, standardized achievement test
Alternatively, it can include a written evaluation of each child’s academic process by an approved teacher.
OR, an alternative form of assessment that has been agreed upon by both the superintendent and the parents.
Required Subjects For Homeschooling In Ohio
In the state of Ohio, there are a few subjects that are considered to be compulsory and required in order to stick inside the perimeters of homeschooling laws.
You are free to create your own curriculum, but it should include the following subjects:
Language Arts
Ohio State History & US History
Geography
Math
Science
Fine Arts
Physical Education
Health & Safety
Government Studies
Remember, you will need to include these subjects in your record keeping for yearly assessments, so it is in your best interest to create a schedule and curriculum that can fit them all in.
Days Required For Homeschooling In Ohio
There are no specific number of days that are required for homeschooling in Ohio, but there are a number of set hours.
In this state, your children will need to complete 900 hours of homeschooling per academic year.
Which days and months you complete these hours is up to you, so take that into consideration when you are planning out your academic year and curriculum.
Remember, you need to make sure you are teaching the required subjects as well, so keep that in mind at all times.
It is entirely achievable, so just take your time in the planning stages and communicate with your children to see what works best.
Standardized Testing In Ohio
In the state of Ohio, homeschoolers are required by law to take standardized tests. These tests should be taken in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10.
The results of these tests also need to be kept on record for the end-of-year assessments you will give to your local school superintendent.
The test can be taken through a number of different providers, with some of the most well-known being the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the TerraNova.
It is up to you to do your research and talk to your local superintendent to learn more about the options available.
In some cases, your kids can even take these standardized tests online and at home through a provider such as Seton Testing or BJU Press Testing.
Graduation Requirements In Ohio
When it comes to homeschool graduation requirements, you, as the parent, are free to determine when and how your children graduate.
You will set the goals and requirements, and you will also administer your own high school diploma.
While you have lots of free reign in this situation, it is in your best interest to look at more traditional public school graduation requirements in order to create a template that your children can follow.
Look at academic requirements in public schools when working out the requirements for your homeschooler’s graduation.
Transferring Back To Public School
Homeschooling is not the right path for everyone. If you and your children agree that going back to public school would be the best course of action, you are able to do that in the state of Ohio.
It is important to check in with your children periodically to make sure you know what style of schooling they would prefer.
If you do decide to re-enroll your children back into public school, there are some things you will need to know first.
While there are no specific rules or regulations you need to follow in terms of Ohio state law, you will have to follow the rules set out by each individual school.
This is why it is important to research your ideal schools before you re-enroll them.
Some schools will require your child to be tested by the school district in order to place them in the correct grade level, while others may just require an interview.
It is important to set up a meeting with your chosen schools to find out all the necessary information you will need before re-enrolling your children.
Conclusion
Homeschooling in Ohio is pretty straightforward, and there are not too many rules and regulations you need to meet in order to do it.
Everything we have included in this guide will help you in taking the necessary steps in order to get set up for homeschooling.
If you feel like you need extra help or advice, don’t hesitate to contact your local school district and local school superintendent.
They will be able to provide you with any extra information and they will be able to point you in the right direction.
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