Home Schooling

No, you only have to show that you are able to provide “thorough and efficient” instruction.

Yes.  You will need school committee approval before you begin home instruction.

You need to present your proposed home schooling program to your local school committee for approval.  Your plan will need to show that you will teach the required subjects.  There should be agreement between you and your local school committee regarding how your child’s academic progress will be evaluated.

You may copy the public school curriculum or use correspondence courses, or you may design your own curriculum.  Please check with your local school committee and/or school department.

Check with your local school department or public library.  There are also magazines and web sites that offer information on home instruction.

State law requires that you teach reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, history of the United States, history of Rhode Island, principles of American Government, health and physical education. Also, beginning with fourth grade, history and government of Rhode Island must be taught. In high school, the U.S. Constitution and Rhode Island Constitution must be taught.

Local school districts must loan textbooks in science, math, and modern foreign languages, as well as texts for some other subject areas. However, the only books that can be loaned are books being used in the public schools of Rhode Island. Other instructional materials will have to be purchased by you.

The same number of hours public school is in session in your district – generally five and one half hours per day, for at least 180 days per year.

You must keep attendance records.  If you and your school committee agree that you will test at home, you must keep progress reports/test scores.

The parent and the school committee must agree on a way of evaluating your child’s progress in all required subjects.

The site of testing is subject to agreement by you and representatives of your district.  Testing at the home is an option you should discuss with district representatives, if you’re interested in this.

Not necessarily. You may propose testing at a site off school premises, and your district may agree.

Regular reports should be submitted to the person in charge of home schooling in your district.

While the Commissioner of Education has encouraged all school districts to allow participation when space is available, each school committee has authority to decide whether or not to allow a home-schooled child to participate in public school programs and public school extra-curricular activities.  Additional requirements must be met by children who wish to participate in Rhode Island Interscholastic League athletic programs.

No, but your child may take the G.E.D. test to receive a high school equivalency diploma.  Instead of a diploma, some districts issue a “certificate of completion.”

Some colleges do not require a high school diploma and will accept home-schooled students. You will have to research which colleges permit this.

If your child is eligible for special education services, you should discuss this with the Special Education Office of your local school district to determine how these needs will be met.

For general information, call the Superintendent’s Office at your local school department.  For information on home instruction for a child with special education needs, call the Special Education Office at your local school department.

The school committee’s decision may be appealed to the Commissioner of Education.