|
1.
How and where does Idaho
law address education?
Idaho Constitution, Article 9, Section 1
requires the state legislature
to establish and maintain a
general, uniform and thorough
system of public, free, common
schools.
Idaho Code, Title 33,
Section 101-116 provides for a
state board of education with
general supervision and control
of all state education
institutions and the public
school system.
For the most part,
Idaho’s
education laws are found in
Title 33 of the Idaho Code (http://www3.state.id.us/
- select Idaho Statutes; Title
33)
2.
Who is responsible for the education of a child in Idaho?
Parents are responsible for providing for their
children’s education.
Idaho Code, Title 33, Section 202: The parent or
guardian of any child resident
in this state who has attained
the age of (7) years at the time
of the commencement of school in
his district, but not the age of
sixteen (16) years, shall cause
the child to be instructed in
subjects commonly and usually
taught in the public schools of
the state of Idaho.
3.
What choices do parents or
guardians have under the law
regarding their child’s
education?
Parents may send their child to
a public, private or parochial
school or they can provide
education at home. (See Idaho
Code 33-202 in this packet)
4.
What action can be taken against parents or guardians who might
appear to violate the
Compulsory School Attendance mandate identified in Idaho Code 33-202?
Proceedings may be brought against such parent or
guardian under the provisions of
the juvenile corrections act
20-510 and 20-522.
5.
Must parents or guardians be certified teachers or meet other
qualifications in order to teach
their child at home?
No. Idaho has no teacher
certification requirement for a
parent/guardian who chooses to
provide a comparable education
for his/her child at home.
6.
Are parents or guardians obligated to report attendance and/or
grades to the local school
district office or to a state
agency?
No. It
is the sole responsibility of
parents or guardians to monitor
their child’s progress and
attendance in a home school.
7.
Is there a requirement to conduct home school instruction on the
exact same days the public
schools are open?
No.
A parent or guardian has
the responsibility of setting
hours of instruction per day and
deciding what days of the week
instruction occurs.
Parents should be aware
of the instructional time
requirements for public schools:
§
Kindergarten, four hundred fifty
(450) hours per year;
§
Grades one through three (1-3),
eight hundred ten (810) hours
per year;
§
Grades four through eight (4-8),
nine hundred (900) hours per
year; and
§
Grades nine through twelve (9-12), nine hundred ninety (990) hours
per year.
8.
What subjects must parents or guardians include in their child’s
education in order to be in
compliance?
The State Board of Education’s
Administrative Rules list core
instructional requirements for
public schools:
§
Language Arts and Communication
§
Mathematics
§
Science
§
Social Studies
§
And a variety of other subjects
such as fine arts, health, and
physical education.
To review this rule in its entirety, please visit
http://adm.idaho.gov/adminrules/rules/idapa08/0203.pdf;
select 100-Basic Curriculum.
The State Department of Education has developed the
Idaho Content Standards, which
fully outlines the knowledge,
skills and abilities expected of
Idaho
students by grade level and
course subject. This is a
resource that can be used to
measure a student’s academic
development. They can be found
at:
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/content_standards/.
9.
How does a parent determine the content of age or grade level
appropriate
curriculum?
At this time, the State of
Idaho
does not have state-mandated
curricula for the public
schools. Each
public school district in Idaho develops district
standards that align with the
state content standards and
appropriate curricula for that
district. Most schools (and
school districts) will share
their grade-level standards and
curricula with home school
instructors upon request.
10.
Where can a parent or guardian get the material/textbooks for home
schooling?
Curriculum material/textbooks are available at
school supply stores located
throughout the state.
There are also mail order
companies that specialize in
home school curricula.
11.
Who is responsible for costs associated with home schooling?
The parent or guardian is responsible for all costs
associated with home schooling.
The Idaho State
Department of Education does not
provide funds or materials for
home schools.
|
12.
Is it possible for a home-schooled child to participate in public
school classes or
extra-curricular
activities?
Yes.
Idaho Code, Section
33-203 (commonly
known as the Dual
Enrollment Law): The
parent or guardian
of a child of school
age who is enrolled
in a nonpublic
school or public
charter school shall
be allowed to enroll
the student in a
public school for
dual enrollment
purposes.
Contact the
school or district
for more information
on enrollment or
policies.
13.
May a home-schooled child participate in statewide tests or
assessments?
Yes.
Home-schooled
students may
participate in
statewide tests
along with public
school students. If
parents or guardians
wish their
home-schooled child
to participate in
the testing, the
parent or guardian
must notify the
public school at the
beginning of the
school year.
(The public
school will include
the child in the
number provided to
the state when
ordering test
materials.) Test
results will be
available from the
school.
For more information regarding statewide testing
dates, please go to
our website at
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/testing_dates/.
In addition, the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators (ICHE)
provides the Iowa
Test of Basic Skills
(ITBS) to member
families in March of
each year.
Registration
with the ICHE must
be completed by the
beginning of
September.
14.
Who is responsible for determining the placement (grade-level) of a
student transferring
from home school to
public school?
It is the responsibility of the school (or district)
to place transferred
students in an
appropriate grade.
The Idaho
State Department of
Education does not
dictate policy to
school districts
regarding the
placement of
students. Examples
of what a district
may use for
determining
placement include
testing, review of
home school
coursework and/or
records, or
provisional
placement in an
age-level grade.
15.
If parents decide to home school their child, how do they withdraw
their child from a
public school?
Parents should contact the school office, in person
and/or in writing,
to let the school
know that the child
will be instructed
at home and is being
withdrawn from
public school.
The school
may have a
withdrawal form to
be completed by the
parent or guardian.
If a parent
does not withdraw
the child, the child
may remain on the
school attendance
list and may be
considered truant.
16.
Can a home-schooled student receive a high school diploma from the
state or from a
public school?
No. Idaho does not have a
state diploma, and
school districts
issue diplomas for
students who have
taken their course
work in that school
system and completed
the district’s
requirements for
graduation.
Parents or
guardians can learn
more about specific
school district
policies on home
instruction by
contacting the
district in which
they reside.
17.
What is the obligation of the school district in providing credit
for home-schooled
students?
Districts have no obligation to acknowledge or
accept credit from
any non-accredited
educational agency
or from a home
school transcript.
High schools
accredited through
the Northwest
Association of
Accredited Schools
(NAAS) accept
credits earned from
those
distance-learning
programs and other
educational agencies
accredited through
NAAS or any of the
other five regional
accrediting
associations.
However,
school districts
have considerable
flexibility in
developing local
policy concerning
the number of
distance education
credits that can be
recognized towards
the awarding of a
diploma from their
high schools.
18.
If I choose to use my own curricular materials in instructing my
child at home rather
than utilize an
accredited distance
education program,
is there a way that
my students could
get a high school
diploma if they
enter the high
school at a later
date, i.e. their
junior or senior
year?
Districts may, but are not obligated to, use
proficiency tests in
selected subject
areas to accommodate
students who have
been home schooled.
In these situations
a home-schooled
student could
challenge the
content of the
course by passing
the test and be
given credit.
District policy
determines which
courses can be
challenged and the
extent to which such
credit earned might
be recognized
towards a high
school diploma.
Again, parents
should check with
local school
districts concerning
their policies in
recognizing or
awarding credit
earned through
non-accredited
programs or home
schools.
19.
Are other options available to home-schooled students who have
completed their
education?
At the age of eighteen (18) a student may take the
General Education
Development (GED)
test and, upon
successful
completion of all
requirements, may
apply for a GED
Certificate or an
Idaho High School
Equivalency
Certificate. There
are exceptions to
the age criteria.
For testing
locations and more
information, please
call (208) 334-3216.
20.
If a child does not graduate from an accredited high school, can he
or she attend a
public college or
university in Idaho?
Yes, a home-schooled student may attend an Idaho college or
university after
attaining a
satisfactory score
on an entrance
examination or
passing a GED
examination. The
student may be
enrolled on a
provisional basis
that could change to
regular enrollment
status after
successfully
completing a number
of semesters.
Contact the public
college or
university
admissions office
for specific
enrollment
requirements.
21.
What about the “Driver’s License Law” and how does a parent or
guardian show the
Idaho Department of
Transportation that
a child is being
instructed at home?
Idaho Code, Title 49, Section 303A
requires
verification that a
minor, younger than
age eighteen (18),
is enrolled in
school or has a high
school diploma in
order to receive a
driver’s license.
Home-schooled
students will need
to have a
Verification of
Compliance form
completed when they
apply for a driver’s
license which is
available at:
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/driver_edu/.
|
