Homeschooling parents must follow the same general education requirements by which traditional schools must abide. State statute says that children must be enrolled in school from the ages of 7 through 16. They must also receive instruction in the following subjects: reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, government, health and physical education. These rules hold whether children are taught in traditional schools or are homeschooled.
To gain permission to homeschool their children, parents in Minnesota must meet one of six possible requirements:
They must have a Minnesota teaching license in the field and grade in which they are teaching, be directly supervised by a licensed teacher, complete a competency exam or provide instruction in a school that has been accredited or recognized by the Minnesota State Board of Education.
Parents can also homeschool their children if they hold a baccalaureate degree or is the parent of a child who takes an assessment test that determines whether she has acquired the knowledge that students at her current grade level in traditional schools have acquired.
Parents who homeschool their children must provide evidence to their local school district that they are teaching their children the subjects required by the state. This evidence includes copies of the class schedule that homeschooling parents are following, the materials used to teach the required subjects, a written description of how the parent is teaching the subject matter and the method that the parent is using to test students' progress.