To begin the home school process in Georgia, parents or guardians must submit a "Declaration of Intent to Utilize a Home Study Program" each year you home-school your child. Contact your local school district superintendent to request this form, which must be delivered to the superintendent by September 1 or within 30 days of starting the home school program. The declaration will require the following information: Names and ages of all home-schooled children, the address where the program is held and the home-school year dates.
If you are planning to teach children in a home school program, you are required by the state of Georgia to have at least a high school diploma or a general educational development (GED) diploma. If you do not meet this requirement, you are allowed to have a tutor who meets the educational standard to come to your home and teach.
Home school students must be taught certain subjects to meet the state requirements for education, including language arts, reading, science, social studies and mathematics. However, additional courses and subjects are permitted for home school students. The home school year of instruction is required to be equal to 180 days of a minimum of four and a half hours each day. An exception is made for students who are physically incapable of meeting this requirement. You are required to maintain attendance records and report back to the local superintendent monthly. Attendance forms are available upon request from the superintendent.
The Georgia Home Education Association states that by Georgia home study law, home-schooled students are required to take a nationally recognized standardized test to measure achievement. Home-schooling parents are responsible for having their students tested without assistance from the local school system. Any nationally recognized standardized test is acceptable, including the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), California Achievement Test (CAT), Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) or the Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS). Each test can be purchased from a testing company to be administered at home, and parents are responsible for all testing costs. The ITBS and SAT require the administrator to hold a four-year baccalaureate degree, and parents who meet the requirements can administer the tests. It is recommended to use the same test every time you test the student so you can compare achievement scores. The testing schedule for administering standardized tests begins at the end of the third grade. Standardized testing is required every three years. While you are not required to submit the testing scores to their local school superintendent, you are required to keep a file of the scores at home for at least three years.