Ohio home school students must attend school from age six until they turn 18 or graduate. During these learning years, the parent educator must provide at least 900 hours of instruction per school year. Parents are responsible for keeping track of these hours of instruction and many free and low-priced computer programs can help with this task. Most parents include hours of actual instruction, independent reading, home school co-op meetings, field trips, library visits and sports participation as a part of these 900 hours. It is a good idea to sit down once per week and record each day's hours of instruction and how they were allocated. This will prevent any problems if the superintendent should try to challenge the level of education being received by the children in a home school family.
In order to home school in the state of Ohio, a parent must meet minimum qualifications. The parent must have graduated from high school or received a GED. A parent who does not have either of these qualifications must find someone who has at least a bachelor's degree from college to oversee the home school environment. This person can help the parents choose curriculum, tutor the students in areas the parents are struggling in and can even help the parents themselves study for the GED test so that they will meet this qualification.
All home schooled students must be assessed each year. Parents can have their children participate in standardized testing. If this option is chosen, the test must be given by an approved person such as a teacher at the local school district or a person the superintendent recommends to the home educating parents. Another option is the student portfolio. This is a binder filled with samples of the child's work throughout the school year in each subject matter tackled. There should be samples from the beginning, middle and end of the year in each subject to show the child's growth and development through the year. If neither of these options seem acceptable to the parents, they can sit down with the superintendent and together come up with a way to assess student progress.
Every year home school parents in Ohio must submit a letter of intent to the local superintendent. The parent must reveal the plans for the school year for each child, including where they live, the children's names and birth dates, which subjects they will cover during the year and what textbooks they will use to cover the material. Any subjects that will not be covered due to religious beliefs should be clearly stated in this letter of intent. The superintendent has the right to deny permission to home educate based on the letter of intent if he feels the child is not receiving adequate instruction to meet state minimums. Parents can fight these denials in court.
The state of Ohio requires that children between the ages of six and 18 learn a variety of subjects. They must learn to read and also work on other language skills, such as spelling and writing. For social sciences, students must cover at least the history of the United States and also the history of Ohio, government and geography. Math and science must be covered, but no specifications are given as to specific content that must be taught. Health education must include physical education, first aid and safety. Children must also take art or music classes.