How do I begin homeschooling in Ohio?
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Have you decided that you want to homeschool your child? Great, but now how do you go about doing it? For homeschooling in Ohio you will need to meet certain qualifications, submit a NOI, teach required hours and subjects, and get an assessment at the end of the school year. I will outline these below in a little more detail for you.
***This information should not be taken as legal advice. While I have tried to be thorough I still encourage you to read the code for yourself. Ohio homeschooling regulations can be found here:
Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3301-34: http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/3301-34
Are you qualified to homeschool in Ohio?
In Ohio you are required to have a high school diploma or GED. If you don’t have these don’t despair – you may still homeschool under the direction of someone who holds a bachelors degree or you can take a standardized test that demonstrates a high school equivalency.
How do I Apply for Homeschooling in Ohio?
It is not so much applying as it is just letting the school district know. You will need to submit a notification on intent (NOI) to the superintendent of the school district that you live in. This is not a letter asking permission, it is a letter legally required to excuse your child from compulsory attendance. This needs to be done every year. The letter needs to be submitted no later than 1 week before the public school starts where you reside. It also needs done within one week of moving into a new school district, or when withdrawing a child from public school. Some excellent printable forms can be found on Ohio Homeschooling Parents: https://ohiohomeschoolingparents.com/ohio-forms
How many hours of homeschooling are required in Ohio?
The required hours for homeschooling your child in Ohio is 900 hours per school year. There is no need to log hours or days in Ohio, this is done on the honor system. Does this mean you need to be sitting down with worksheets, and a designated curriculum for 900 hours during the school year? It does not. There are so many experiences every day that can turned into learning experiences, from reading American Girl books for history to baking a cake for math and science. Sometimes your just need to give a little extra thought and perhaps some research how to maximize the learning throughout your day.
What subjects are required?
Required subjects to be taught in Ohio are:
- Math
- Science
- Language
- Reading
- Spelling
- Writing
- Geography
- History
- United States
- Ohio
- Government
- National
- State
- Local
- History
- Health
- Physical Education
- Fine Arts
- Including Music
- First Aid, safety, and fire prevention
How you want to teach these is up to you. There are many different homeschooling styles, so do what works best for you and your child.
Will my homeschooler need tested or assessed?
Your child will need to be assessed at the end of their school year, or at least at some point before you submit your NOI for the following school year if you school year round. There are three options for your assessment. They are taking a standardized test, written narrative, or less commonly an alternative agreement with the superintendent from the school district with in which you reside.
Take a standardized test. These include timed and untimed tests.
Get a written narrative from a qualified individual who performed a portfolio assessment on your child’s work from the school year. Different assessors have different techniques of assessing your child’s progress and you just need to find one that works with you and your homeschooling style. A list of recommended assessors can be found here: https://ohiohomeschoolingparents.com/recommended-assessors
Agree upon an alternative assessment with the superintendent from the school district you reside in. Most people will chose from the first two options, but it is nice to know that there may be another option if the other two options do not work for whatever reason. This will also depend on the willingness of the superintendent.
Note: Your signed assessment form will be sent in with your notification next school year. It does not need to be submitted with your first NOI, just all subsequent ones.
In conclussion
More and more people are homeschooling nowadays and with a little preparation you can be on your way to homeschooling your child. Make sure you meet the qualifications (or get the help of someone who does until you can qualify) and submit your NOI. Then let your homeschooling journey start and get that assessment at the end of the year. I hope you have a great school year with your child!
Want More?
Helpful resources for getting started homeschooling – From online resources, to meeting fellow homeschoolers, to some great books. I list what many others and myself have found most useful for our homeschooling journey.
Don’t forget to check out my educational activity ideas, and printables to try out with your homeschoolers. Have fun learning!
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