I am reading the frequently asked questions and everything seems simple.  Is there more to this?

• The frequently asked questions cover every situation.  Nothing is left out.  However, this does not mean that conducting a homeschool or a private school is easy.  Parents, School Administrators, Teachers, and children work very hard.

How do I register to have a homeschool?

• In order to homeschool you first must register with the Dept of Education using this form:  Single-Family Homeschool Registration Form.  From this point, YOU will be responsible for the curriculum of your child. When you send the registration form in you will receive an acknowledgement in the mail.  This acknowledgement is what you use to withdraw your child from public school. 

When do I receive the Enrollment form and Attendance form?

• Enrollment is sent out towards the end of September and the Attendance form is sent out towards the end of June.

This is a new school year, do I need to register again? 

• No, you must wait for the enrollment form.

I have a homeschool that one of my children are attending.  I would like to withdraw my other child from Public School so that they can also attend my homeschool.  I how do I do this?

• If your school is still open then you take the Homeschool Acknowledgement document (the document that you received when you registered that has your School Code, School Name, and the date that you opened your school) to the school and tell the school that you are withdrawing your child to your homeschool.  This is all that is needed to withdraw your child from public school.  You will not get anything from the DE Dept of Education highlighting which children are being homeschooled.

I didn't receive an attendance or enrollment form, what happened?

• This means your school is closed.  The most common reasons are because the state has not received either enrollment forms or attendance forms.  You must register your school again.

Can I homeschool another person's child?

• Yes.  You need to use the Multi-Family Homeschool form.

I need my diploma and the school I attended is closed, does the DE Dept of Education have my diploma?

• No.  We do not have diplomas for Nonpublic Schools.

I have a Social Security form that has a place for the School Official to sign.  Is that the Nonpublic Schools Coordinator?

• No.  If you have a Single family homeschool, Multi-Family Homeschool, or Private School, YOU are the School Official and must sign the document.  The DE Dept of Education will not sign these documents.

Can DE Dept of Education help me choose a curriculum, recommend one for me, or tell me if there are homeschool groups that could help me?

• No.  The State does not get involved in the Nonpublic School curriculum.  We strongly encourage following the National Common Core State Standards for English Language Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics and Delaware Recommended Curriculum for all other content areas. Downlod Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and ELA and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Studies - K-12 ELA standards by grade-level. Access the Delaware Common Core State Standards for ELA and Mathematics.  For ELA, the Literacy Concept Organizers were created to assist teachers in aligning instruction to the Common Core State Standards in ELA. These Literacy Concept Organizers are a resource from which teachers can select appropriate Knowledge, Understandings, and Dos to develop their own unit(s) of instruction. For Mathematics, the Delaware Learning Progressions were created in a KUD format for grades K-12. These can be used to assist in unit planning at a grade level.

My child is under 16.  I am homeschooling my child, do I have to register with the DE Department of Education?

• The Delaware Code requires all nonpublic schools to register with the Department of Education (DOE), even if the child is registered with an online school.  Schools must report enrollment information as of September 30 to the DOE by October of the same year and attendance information on or before July 31 of the same school year. Once you have registered with DOE, a school code will be issued and you will be placed on our database, which in turn ensures that the proper forms are sent to you in the fall and spring. You will receive notification within ten (10) business days that your registration form has been received and what school code has been issued to you.

My child is 16 or older.  I am homeschooling my child, do I have to register with the DE Department of Education?

• No.  However you are welcomed to register with the DE Dept of Education.

I need to find out if the school I want to attend is accredited?  Does the DE Dept of Education have a list of schools that they accept credits from?

• No.  You must investigate the school yourself and ask if they are accredited.

Can I homeschool my child in coordination with the district?

• No, this method is no longer being used by the district.

Who is responsible to teach my child if I am homeschooling?

• The Parent/Guardian is responsible for the curriculum of your homeschool and using whatever resources (including online schools, the Internet, libraries and book stores) to ensure that their child is properly educated.  Please review Common Core Standards, which is used by Public schools.  We recommend keeping an accurate portfolio, including Tests, Quizzes, and assignments.  An accurate portfolio will be helpful if the child is enrolled in Public School, since it is the district's decision which grade your child is placed. 

Do homeschoolers take any state tests like DCAS?

• No.  This is not available to homeschoolers.

Which form do I need to use, I am homeschooling my child myself?

• Single Family Homeschool Form

I am joining a Multi-Family or Umbrella Homeschool, do I register with the Dept of Education?

• No.  Register with the school and they will report to us.

Can my children participate in public school sports?

• According to DIAA Reg 1008 2.3 Homeschools students cannot participate.

I have a homeschool, when my child graduates who will give the diploma?

• The Diploma will come from the parent or guardian in charge of the Homeschool school unless your child is enrolled in a GED program (or adult high school), a school that issues diplomas or your are using a curriculum from a company that issues diplomas. The state does not issue diplomas to homeschooled children.

When my child finishes a year, how does my child go to the next grade?

•   The decision is yours as far as the grade of the child.  You will indicate this on the Enrollment form in October.

I am homeschooling my child for part of high school. Will my child have problems enrolling in public school again?

• Just a couple of words of caution: with high school grades, it gets a little more complicated because it is very difficult for a school to look at what you've done in homeschool and award high school credit - so be very careful in the high school years if you do not intend for your child to be homeschooled throughout the 9-12 grades.

How do I enroll my child for public school?

• You must go the public school with your Homeschool Acknowledgement document and an accurate portfolio of what was taught to the child.  It is the district's decision what grade your child is placed.  The DE Dept of Education cannot show any grades to the district or prove that your children should be at a certain grade level.  When the child has been successfully registered in Public School, contact the DE Dept of Education to let them know that the child is no longer homeschooling.

Who creates the report card for my child?

• The parent because the parent is the teacher if it is a Single-Family Homeschool.  If it is a Private school or Multi-Family homeschool it is the School Administrator.

The School I went to closed, how do I get my report card or diploma?

• You must contact the principal the school.  We have some contact information that we can give you but it is your responsibility to retrieve your diploma or report card(s).

What are our legal obligations to the State afterward submitting the Single-Family Homeschool Registration form?

• You are responsible for responding when we send you the Attendance and the Enrollment Forms and letting us know if your child goes back to Public School.

I want a copy of the information I sent to the DE Dept of Education, can I have a copy of it?

• This is not possible but we encourage you to retain a copy of whatever you send to the DE Dept of Education.

Can we change our School Name?

• This is not possible since the School name is associated with the school code. 

 

If there are any further questions?

Contact Info.
Mr. J. Goodwin, M.I.S.
Nonpublic Schools Coordinator
Phone: (302) 735-4157
Email: jgoodwin@doe.k12.de.us