What Pennsylvania actually asks of a family teaching their own children. Written plainly, and honest where the answer is that nobody asks for anything.
United StatesFiling requiredWho is in charge
Superintendent of the district of residence; a qualified home education evaluator performs the review
Who actually reviews your child
A QUALIFIED HOME EDUCATION EVALUATOR, a licensed clinical psychologist, a school psychologist, a Pennsylvania certified teacher with two years of grading experience at the relevant level, a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with two years of PA teaching experience in the last ten at that level, or a person with other qualifications approved in advance by the superintendent. The supervisor and the supervisor's spouse are BARRED from evaluating their own program.
Before the program commences and annually thereafter by no later than 1 AUGUST
Goes to: District superintendent
Covers the school year 1 July - 30 June. The affidavit requires NOTARIZATION; the unsworn declaration is an equivalent alternative that does not. PDE publishes samples of both.
Attached to the affidavit by 1 August
Goes to: District superintendent
Attached to the affidavit
Goes to: District superintendent
Records or a letter from the physician showing the child has received the medical services required for students, attached to the affidavit alongside immunisation evidence.
n/a
How often: continuous
Goes to: Reviewed by the evaluator; the school district's authority to review the portfolio was REMOVED as of 31 October 2014
Minimum contents: samples of the student's work; a log made CONTEMPORANEOUSLY with the instruction designating reading materials by title; evidence of either 180 days OR 900 hours (elementary, K-6) / 990 hours (secondary, 7-12); standardized test results for grades 3, 5 and 8; and the evaluator's written evaluation.
By 30 JUNE of each school year
Goes to: SUBMITTED by the supervisor to the district superintendent
Based on an interview of the child AND a review of the portfolio. Certifies whether an appropriate education is occurring.
Kept in the portfolio
How often: at those grades
Goes to: Not filed separately; the evaluator sees it
PSSAs or another nationally normed test from PDE's approved list.
Filing on time is the easy half. The harder half is the year in between: showing what your child actually learned, in words the reviewer recognises, without turning your home into a school.
That is what this app is for. You say what your child did, in a sentence. It maps that to the real curriculum for Pennsylvania and builds the record you can hand over the day someone asks. See how it works.