Parents will need to fill out a Notice of Intent to Homeschool form and bring it to the School Board by August 15th of the year you intend to homeschool. At the end of each year you homeschool you will be required to turn in standardized test scores (for each student of school age), or a portfolio representing your child's best work for the year, or have an evaluator come and assess your child's progress. This page only has a brief overview of the law. Details about all aspects the Virginia homeschool laws including the Virginia Standards of Learning (for those without a degree, tutor, or approved program of study), may be found at: http://www.heav.org/law.htm Standardized testing standards are: A student must score above the 23rd percentile (average) to continue homeschooling freely. A score below 23% will put the student on "probation" for the following school year. Their scores must be higher the following year for the student to continue.

Parents who are concerned about a student with a learning disability may prefer to use an evaluator or portfolio for their annual assessment. You may choose an evaluator yourself, and submit their name to the school board for approval. Some examples of good choices are: retired school teachers, someone with a background in child development or social work, or a degree in education. If you have someone of this description in mind, or another adult who you believe would make a good evaluator, check with the school board.

Portfolios consist of your student's best work from the beginning, middle, and end of the year, showing their progress. These should include the core subjects and may include electives. They can be fancy or plain. A tape recording of a young child reading may be included as well as photos of children's creations or activities. You will want to make a copy before sending these in, because you can never be sure of something being returned in good condition, I am not familiar with policy about returning portfolios. A call to the school board will answer any questions about this.

There are no requirements or conditions placed upon families with religious exemption in the state of Virginia. There are no specific graduation requirements for homeschoolers under the law, but those pursuing college will do well to take the classes in high school that their college of choice requires. Those following SOL guidlines in math and english need to continue these through high school. SOL's in high school math are non-specific concerning which course or which year(s) a course is taken.

There are no requirements concerning which hours or days or number of days or credits the student must take in order to constitute a school year. However, a transcript of credits (completed work in a given subject) and grades or a portfolio, and standardized tests such as SAT or ACT, are helpful for college admission.

If neither parent has a college diploma, a teaching certificate, is using an approved correspondance curriculum, or is claiming religious exemption, they will need to agree to follow the SOL guidelines for the state of Virginia in Math and English. Along with the Notice of Intent, they will need to provide a Letter of Intent showing their ability to teach their children (see example at link above), and attach a scope and sequence or tables of contents of textbooks they will be using for the year. Remember, you only have to follow their guidelines for Math and English. You may teach what you like in the other subjects.