November 14, 2003

Know the Requirements

It's important as we home school to know what our state's requirements are in regard to educating at home.

Since we live in Oklahoma, there are few requirements, thankfully! (Our's is the only state with a constitutional provision guaranteeing the right to home school!)We are required to fulfill 180 days of schooling with no requirements for teacher certification, inspections, or standardized testing. Required subjects are: reading, writing, math, science, citizenship, U.S. Constitution, health, safety, physical education, and conservation.

Of course, even with these limited requirements it is always a good idea not only to keep accurate attendance records, but also to keep sufficient records of subjects studied, test scores, and samples of each student's work. We keep all of each student's work throughout the year (filed by school term in large three-ring binders) just in case there is ever a question.

The Home School Legal Defense Association has a list of requirements for every state. They provide both a general synopsis of each state's requirements (in layman's terms) as well as a legal description of the state's laws regarding home schooling. If you don't know what your state's requirements are, visit their web site to find out.