Every year, parents who homeschool in Georgia must submit a Declaration of Intent to Utilize a Home Study Program to the superintendent of the school district in which they reside. Normally, this form should be submitted by the first of September, but it can be submitted within 30 days of the parents setting up the homeschool program. According to the Georgia Home Educator Association, this is only required if your child has already attended public school for 20 days.
Parents are also required to keep attendance records. Except for cases where a child has a disability that prohibits his being able to meet the requirements, children must attend homeschool for 4 ½ hours each day for the traditional 180 days a year. An attendance report should be submitted to the superintendent at the end of every month. The attendance form and the Declaration of Intent form are both available on the Georgia Department of Education website (see References).
Parents can homeschool their children if the parent teaching the children holds a minimum of a GED or high school diploma. Parents can also choose to hire a tutor who holds a minimum of a GED or high school diploma. Parents are not required to employ the tutor for a specific number of hours.
A homeschool curriculum must consist of reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. Other subjects may be taught as well. Parents are free to select the curriculum of their choice as long as those subject areas are taught. According to the Georgia Department of Education, parents are required to write a progress report for each of these subjects once a year. However, HSLDA, a home school advocacy organization, points out that the Georgia Attorney General says that the superintendent may request this and other documents, but may not require their submission.
Homeschool students are required to take a standardized test every three years, beginning when the student is finishing third grade. The standardized test should be administered by a professional who is able to interpret the results of the test. The test scores do not need to be given to the school district, although the Georgia Department of Education requests that parents keep the records.