Home Schooling In Tennessee

Homeschooling is legal and fairly common in Tennessee. “A home school is a school organised by parents or guardians for their own children.” 

Homeschooling is a teaching modality in which parents or guardians take on the role of teaching their children. it can be said to be a parent-directed education from the comfort of your own home.

In Tennessee, it is common for parents to decide not to send their children to school, Due to unique lifestyles, and poor standards in public schools they look for alternative education for their children.

Homeschooling provides tremendous flexibility while maintaining rigorous educational standards at the proper pace for your child and allows you to choose what, where, and how your children are educated

In this article, we will put you through homeschooling in Tennessee, the advantages and the rules gilding it.

Laws And Requirements For Homeschooling In Tennessee

If you want to start homeschooling your children, make sure you make a good research about the laws and requirements specifically for Tennessee

In Tennessee, Homeschooling is permissible by enrolling your student in one of the three types of schools: Independent Home school, Church-Related School (CRS), and Accredited Online School.

Here we will focus on the requirements of an Independent Home School which is likely the most common:

1. Proof Of Immunisation

You will provide Photocopies of immunization records from a licensed healthcare provider or clinic.

Immunization proof or a medical/religious exemption for your child is required to accompany your notice of Intent. The only documentation that can be used is a current Immunisation History Statement

2. Hours Of Instruction
When homeschooling in Tennessee, you are required to provide instruction for at least 4 hours per day, for 180 days (each academic year).


3. Teaching Qualification
There is really nothing much to bother about your qualification, you may not need to have 2-3 years of experience in teaching for you to home-school your kids. A minimum of a high school diploma is all that is required

4. Attendance Records
This is very important in homeschooling, you might feel reluctant to take attendance very seriously but you have to submit them at the end of each school year to the LEA. An attendance reporting form is available on the Tennessee Department of Education’s website. 

These records must be available for inspection at all times.

5. Notice Of Intent
Before the start of each school year, Parents must file a notice of intent to homeschool their local school district’s superintendent (LEA – Local Education Agency). The required detail includes students’ names, ages, and grades as well as the location of your home school and the curriculum you will be using (specific subjects are not required).  

You will need to include the proposed hours of instruction as well as your qualifications (A high school diploma or GED is required).

6. Standardized Testing 

In grades 5, 7, and 9, your child must take a standardized test based on the grade level state curriculum in Reading/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. This is to ensure that the child is following up with the curriculum.

How To Homeschool In Tennessee

First of all, Homeschooling in Tennessee is totally legal and acceptable and thousands of people use this educational option.

1. Registering under an umbrella school is very important as an “independent homeschool”. Immediately you withdraw your child from a public school the first tithing you should do is to either register with the Local Education Agency (LEA) -OR- with a church-related “umbrella” school -OR- with an “accredited online school.”  

The majority of TN homeschoolers register under a church-related umbrella school.  This is where you will send your grades and attendance records each year. 

2. Decide what approach you will take, anywhere on the spectrum from formal “school-at-home” to unschooling. Explore and decide upon curriculum.  

The most overwhelming way to do this is to attend a used curriculum sale like SHAPE’s sale each summer, or a homeschool convention like Teach Them Diligently or the Great Homeschool Convention!

3. Complete 180 educational days per year (just like TN public schools) with a minimum of 4 instructional hours per day.  Some of that time may be “teacher preparation” or planning days, time spent reading and exploring interests and hobbies, and field trip days absolutely count as “school”!

Advantages Of Homeschooling

Homeschooling is legally permitted in over 60 countries, most of which require an annual assessment of students receiving this form of education. There are many advantages to homeschooling over the traditional school structure. Check out:

1. Differentiated attention: in homeschooling, the person responsible for education always has an idea of ​​what the student knows or does not know about a subject. That way, it can immediately help you with questions and difficulties.

2. Flexible schedules: another benefit of homeschooling is flexibility in schedules and deadlines. In this way, those responsible can organize the study routine according to the needs of each student, identifying which part of the day he or she is most productive and the best times for a break.

3. Focus on knowledge, not grades: students who attend traditional schools need good grades to pass the year. The absence of graded assessments in homeschooling encourages homeschoolers to focus on learning for the sake of knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When did homeschooling become legal in Tennessee?

The legality of homeschooling was settled by legislation signed by then-Governor Lamar Alexander in 1985

2. What is another name for homeschooling?

It is also known as home education or elective home education 

3. Can you homeschool a foster child in Tennessee?

No. Foster parents do not have educational rights or any other rights in regard to the foster child.

4. What percentage of Tennessee is homeschooled?

In Tennessee, an estimated 13.2% of students were homeschooled last year, according to U.S. Census data. 

Conclusion

Deciding to homeschool your children can be frightening. If you are starting to homeschool in Tennessee for the first time, we believe this article has eased your fear.

Different parents have various reasons for homeschooling their children but are scared of doing that because they feel that will limit their chances of excelling in education.

Please note that homeschooled students are successful and they don’t perform worse than other students or seem to be disadvantaged in any way

Finally, Homeschooling in Tennessee is legal and growing in popularity. If you’re planning on homeschooling in Tennessee, now is a great time to start! Good Luck

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