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Homeschoolers required to adhere to state regulations

Parents who teach their children at home have to register their students with the district.

Homeschoolers must follow accountability laws set by the state.

Homeschool parents register with their school district or an umbrella school which, for a fee, maintains and submits records to the state and often serves as a resource.

Parents are required to maintain portfolios of their children's work and provide results of annual evaluations, including standardized testing. According to the Florida Parent Educators Association Web site www.southcountyhomeschoolers.org national tests such as the SAT, CAT and ITBS vary in price from $50 in a group setting to $200 in a private setting; the state standardized test, FCAT, is administered at no cost but is not recommended by many homeschooling groups; portfolio reviews by a certified teacher or psychological evaluations are also required.

"I think there are probably growing numbers of supports for those doing home education and doing it well. It takes a certain kind of drive. It's a commitment," said Saybra Chapman, Supervisor of Student Services for the Pasco County School District.

Since July of 2002, Chapman has been overseeing the roughly 1,250 homeschoolers registered with the county. "There are those who are doing it (homeschooling) and doing it well - the way the law intended."

Still, says Chapman, "there are those who homeschool solely for the purpose of circumventing the attendance laws. They're the ones that give homeschooling a bad name.

"The efforts I put in are usually with those who are not meeting the guidelines. I'm concerned with those kids getting an education. By law, students with a record of truancy in the public schools who register for homeschooling are supposed to submit a portfolio review to the school district every 30 days.

"Realistically, it can take a year to catch up with them," said Chapman. "Sometimes they comply, sometimes they don't, and then we send out another letter."