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The accrediting agency may choose to use the Texas state teacher certification or may develop its own standards, as long as they are higher than those for the Texas state teacher certification. The accrediting agency also has the option of recognizing out-of-state credentials. Homeschool students may participate in the local public school extra-curriculars, such as band, if the local school board allows it. The state suggests parents complete the Intent to Homeschool form for each child annually and submit it to the Superintendent’s office for signature, but asks parents to check with their local school district.
If your child has never been enrolled in public school, simply obtain curriculum and begin. It is also to your advantage to find a local support group to help you in this endeavor. For more help on how to get started in your homeschool , visit HomeEducator.com. This web page, which provides information about home schooling, was created by the Texas Education Agency as a courtesy to parents interested educating their children at home.
Assessment and Diplomas
Many times, school forms ask for information that is not required. Also, voluntary compliance with an unlawful request can lead to the request becoming mandatory. THSC has compiled a list of the most commonly asked requirements to homeschool in Texas, just for you!

Screening to detect abnormal spinal curvature is mandatory for private school children in grades six and nine. The Texas Department of State Health Services may coordinate screening activities and provide technical assistance and educational materials to assist private schools. You are not required to administer any of the state achievement tests, such as the STAAR, but you should periodically test your child in each of the school subjects the child is taking. You do not have to report the results from any test, unless personally required by legal investigation. You may administer ANY expired state achievement test (CAT, ITBS, TAAS, TAKS, …) without being a licensed teacher. You may give a current state achievement test by a licensed teacher.
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You may also be able to find more information on Texas homeschool requirements through your local school district. If your child has never attended a public school, do not contact your local school. There is no one that you need to get permission from and no forms you need to fill out in Texas. The parent, as the administrator of the homeschool private school, is responsible for determining when his or her student has met the academic requirements for graduation.
When creating homeschool diplomas and transcripts or filling out applications for college, financial aid, or other official documents, we recommend that you simply list “Homeschool” in the name field. Today, Texas law is clearly on our side on every front. Families who homeschool in compliance with Texas law are legally protected.
Legal
You can also find many different homeschool groups on Facebook. The flexibility to go on more field trips is one of the many perks of homeschooling. This page provides links to all proposed new rules, proposed amendments to existing rules, and proposed repeals approved for first reading by the State Board of Education and filed with the Texas Register. And offer suggestions for everything from choosing a curriculum to establishing a daily homeschool routine. Click the image below to Texas Homeschool Groups by county. Jessica Lovett is the Lead Writer and Editor for THSC.

A public school district may ask parents to provide assurances in writing that they intend to home school their child. In most cases, homeschooled students entering public school will have to take placement assessments so that the school district can determine appropriate coursework levels and award any credit. Alternatively, or along with the placement tests, the curriculum or work of homeschooled students may also be reviewed to establish credit. Homeschooled students should be treated like their peers who have attended unaccredited private schools (TEC, §74.26). These policies state that homeschool students enrolling in public school should be treated the same as all students transferring from non-accredited private schools.
Teaching good citizenship should develop the character qualities and the mindset of a good citizen. They ultimately fail the definition of homeschooling provided by the Leeper case and by the Texas Education Code. 100,000 students, charging each of them between $99 and $1,000 for bogus high school diplomas. As of 2010, parents no longer have the option of choosing whether the student must take a driving test administered by DPS once he or she has completed driver education. Check the first box, indicating your student is enrolled in a homeschool. However, in 2017, lawmakers removed homeschoolers and homeschool expenses specifically from a bill that gave more freedom to 529 account holders, indicating an intent that homeschoolers not be included, even for homeschool co-op tuition expenses.
Under Title 19, Texas Administrative Code , §74.26, students transferring from home schools should be afforded the same treatment as students transferring from unaccredited private schools. Awarding of credit for courses taken may be determined by reviewing the curriculum and/or work of the student, or by using appropriate assessments. Because Texas law considers homeschools to be a type of private school (Texas Education Code 5.001(6-a)), U.S. federal statute allows for Coverdell accounts to be used for certain homeschool expenses for Texas homeschool students. That homeschooling was legal and that homeschool students were included under the same exemption from compulsory attendance statutes as private school students. Yes, Texas homeschoolers may take both the PSAT and Advanced Placement assessments at the school district where they would attend based on their home address.
Tell your children that in such a situation they should ask for the questioner’s identification. Rather than answering the questions, your child should refer the questioner to you unless, of course, it is a uniformed police officer. HSLDA is the trusted movement leader that makes homeschooling possible by caring for member families and protecting and securing the future of homeschooling. However, if you are a foster parent, the option of homeschooling may be determined by your caseworker. Should you have any issues from the school, you should contact an attorney or you can seek legal guidance from a homeschool group that provides legal representation.
The UIL and MaxPreps.com have teamed up to make results, records, team information and stats from UIL sports available using MaxPrep's sports information system. Students are allowed to participate on non school teams and non school related activities. Remove the 25% voter turnout requirement in local elections. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 , amended as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 , aims to close the achievement gap between groups of students through greater accountability and increased flexibility and choice. Field trips attended, including those taken with support groups. However, between June 1 and Labor Day, they may work between the hours of 7 a.m.
After these first six weeks of competition have elapsed, the student must abide by no pass – no play requirements in order to remain eligible to compete. The homeschool instructor would need to submit in writing to the school where the student is participating, assurance that the homeschool student is passing all of the classes in their homeschool curriculum. There is no need to register or in any way contact the local school or the state government prior to homeschooling, unless your student is currently in public school . The curriculum must include the five basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship.Good citizenship is similar to civics.

The full text of the law regarding homeschooling is found here, from the Texas Constitution and Statutes site. The Texas Education Agency has published the Commissioner’s Informational Homeschool Letter with further generalized information. We absolutely have more freedom than homeschoolers in other states. If you are curious, here is an overview of some of the things that other homeschooling families have to bend over backward to follow in other states. Some states seem to treat their homeschoolers more like criminals than like free citizens.
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