It is legal in Nevada as it is in the other 49 states to home-school your child, if you wish. Generally speaking, so long as you declare your intention to the state's Department of Education, you do not have any legal hoops to jump through. However, in the off-chance that you run into difficulty regarding your child's home-schooling situation, it is best to seek the advice of a lawyer. The form required to register your child as home-schooled in Nevada is available through individual school districts as well as being downloadable from the website "Homeschooling in Nevada." The form is provided to school districts by the Department of Education in Nevada, and it is the only form that is legally allowed.
There are more curriculum choices available for homes-schoolers, as well as more flexibility within each curricula itself. Possible ideas include having "unit studies" where your child focuses on one specific topic and studies it in-depth. This offers the chance to develop multiple learning skills, as well as research and presentation skills on a topic of their own choosing. Unit studies can be in areas as diverse as mathematics, history, science and even philosophy. A literature based curricula teaches language, history and grammar skills through the study of literature. Other curricula topics could include: geography, biology, natural sciences and other languages. For a full list of required areas of study, contact your local school board. For online suggestions, "Homeschooling in Nevada" provides many options. As well, online resources now offer interactive education programs for specific subject areas for home-schooled children.
Formal regular testing is not required for home-schooled children. However, it is strongly advised by the Nevada Department of Education to test your child regularly to confirm their level of learning matches the expectations for their age and grade group. Testing and content standards are available through local school districts, as well as through the Nevada Department of Education. Local public and private schools offer scheduled college entrance examinations that are open to all students, including home-schooled children.
Making sure that you have community support for your home schooling efforts is important, as you do not want it to become an isolating experience. As well, it offers you the chance to introduce your children to peers who are also home-schooled. The Homeschooling in Nevada website is a resource for parents who are interested in home schooling their children. It offers advice on how to begin home schooling, establish a curriculum and tips for parents new to home schooling.