Description of Curriculum

This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!

Q. What is the best way to address the description of curriculum on my Notice of Intent? How much detail should I give?

A. School districts have different policies regarding the description of curriculum requirement. A few districts require no curriculum description, while others require a minimal list of subjects to be taught and textbook titles, or want descriptions that go beyond the scope of the law. For this reason, it’s important to know what the law requires.

§22.1-254.1(B) states, “Any parent who elects to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance shall annually notify the division superintendent in August of his intention to so instruct the child and provide a description of the curriculum to be followed for the coming year and evidence of having met one of the criteria for providing home instruction as required by subsection A…”

As you can see above, the homeschool law requires notification (a Notice of Intent form or a letter can be used) along with a description of the curriculum the parent intends to use the following school year.

A curriculum is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as a listing of “all the courses of study offered by an educational institution.” The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines curriculum as “the group of subjects studied in a school, college, etc.” Based on these definitions, a curriculum description should include a list of all the subjects or courses included in a plan of study.

Your Notice of Intent form or notification letter should include the following information in an attachment:

• A curriculum description for each child you plan to teach; and
• A list of ALL the courses or subjects you plan to teach each child.

Here are some things the law does NOT require:

• You are not required to describe the detailed content of each course.
• You are not required to supply a list of  textbook titles or the resources you plan to use.
• You are not required to teach particular subjects for each grade level. Although subjects are decided by each parent, most parents teach the traditional subjects, i.e., language arts, math, science, history, etc.
• You are not required to notify the superintendent’s office if you decide to make changes to your educational plan during the school year.
• You are not required to include the SOLs in your curriculum. Some parents may choose to refer to the SOLs to see what government schools include at a particular grade level.
• You are not required to obtain your superintendent’s “approval” of your curriculum. Neither the superintendent nor his designee is given authority to “approve” or “disapprove” a parent’s curriculum choices. They cannot make any judgment on the type of curriculum, the methods, or the content of the subjects you plan to teach.

Your Notice of Intent and curriculum description must be submitted to your local division superintendent by August 15 each year. It is good to keep a copy for your records and mail the NOI “return/receipt” to verify they have received your notice. This must be done each year by those who comply with the homeschool statute.

View more information–and a sample notice of intent–on HEAV’s Notice of Intent to Homeschool in Virginia page.

Yvonne Bunn @ June 29, 2011   |   Homeschool Q&A  |   Comments (0)

Northern Virginia Driver Education Course Requirements and Location

This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!

Q. Who is required to view the new 90-minute driver’s education movie, and where is it offered?

A. Only the families in Northern Virginia’s Planning District 8 are required to view the additional 90-minute video in order to obtain a driver’s license. District 8 includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park; and the towns of Dumfries, Herndon, Leesburg, Purcellville, and Vienna.

Families in Planning District 8 ( regardless of the school division in which they reside in Planning District 8 ) may register to view the 90-minute required driver’s education video through Fairfax County’s Adult Community Education (ACE) program. There is a $30 fee to view the video; see below for the dates and times listed on the ACE website.

According to http://fcps.edu/aceclasses/DriversEd.htm, these video showings are for “students registered in an ACE summer classroom driver education class, students who are homeschooled, or students who have taken classroom driver education with another provider.”

Register online, by phone, or in person at an ACE Customer Service Center.

Yvonne Bunn @ June 22, 2011   |   Homeschool Q&A  |   Comments (9)

Low Test Scores

Q. If my child’s achievement test scores were low this year, should I test him again? What test scores are within the acceptable range for my school district?

A. A score in or above the 23^rd percentile is acceptable in ALL school districts for homeschooled students. If your scores were above the 23^rd percentile, you have met the requirements of the law regarding educational progress and should not be concerned that your district will question the results. It is not necessary to retest or use another method of evaluation.

NOTE: A composite score is made up of the mathematics and language-arts components of the test. You are not required to take the science or history portions.

Yvonne Bunn @ June 15, 2011   |   Homeschool Q&A  |   Comments (5)

We have WINNERS!

THANK YOU for your patience and participation in HEAV’s first Facebook Party & Blog Giveaway! We all had a wonderful time. Therefore, without further ado…we have WINNERS!!!

(We have listed the first names of our winners for privacy. You will be notified from the sponsor of your giveaway with further details and instructions on claiming your prize.)

Katie won a copy of Kids Love Virginia: A Family Travel Guide to Exploring “Kid-Tested” Places in Virginia…Year Round from KidsLoveTravel.com!

Katrina won a copy of How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids from Apologia!

Jane won a copy of the Astronomy Presentation, “Tour of the Solar System” from Home School Astronomy!

Holly won a copy of HomeSchool-HomeStudy kit from The Five Finger Paragraph!

Lynda won a “Set of 4 Small Charts” from Doorposts!

Lisa won a hard copy and an audio book (so Mom can read and Dad can listen on his commute!) of Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys from Raising Real Men!

Sheri won a CD of Hero Tales from Raising Real Men!

Victoria, Christine, and Angela won a Schoolhouse Planner on CD (each winner will be allowed to choose the planner she would like) from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

Robert, Michele, Shannon, Jennifer, and Tamala all won a one-year subscriptions to the Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

Joy won an activity book (her choice of either the one for ages 2-6 or for ages 6-12) from Character Tales!

Amy won two of the ten Character Tales Posters from Character Tales!

Melissa won The Core by Leigh A. Bortins from Classical Conversations!

Jennifer won Classical Christian Education Made Approachable from Classical Conversations!

Ashley won a free T-shirt from Liberty University!

Alyssa and Erin each won a $15 gift certificate from Sign with Me VA!

Meghan and Mae each won a 3-week class (does not include books and materials) from Sign with Me VA!

Kristina won an e-audio talk titled “Humor & Other Motivators in Teaching” from The Institute for Excellence in Writing!

Candace won a copy of Rick Green’s “Leader’s Edge” Communication Package from Rick Green of WallBuilders!

Kari won a copy of Lives of the Signers of the Declaration from Rick Green of WallBuilders!

Homeschoolfamily won the book Freedom’s Frame from Rick Green of WallBuilders!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER!!!
Courtney won a FREE, three-day couple’s convention registration to the HEAV Virginia Homeschool Convention!!!

Congratulations!!!

(Our thanks again to Melanie Young with Raising Real Men for her encouragement and suggestions and for contributing two wonderful giveaways, and to all our exhibitors who contributed so many fabulous giveaways! Be sure to visit their websites and stop by their booths at the convention…as well as browse the rest of the Exhibit Hall! There will be 176 different companies (311 booths) there with all sorts of FABULOUS resources!)

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 4, 2011   |   Convention, General  |   Comments (3)

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!!

Here it is folks: the GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!!

~ 1 FREE three-day couple’s convention registration! ~

Go ahead–leave your comment for a chance to WIN!
(Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so we can notify if you win! Winners will be chosen Friday, June 3, 2011.)

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 2, 2011   |   Convention, General  |   Comments (74)

KIDS LOVE TRAVEL Giveaway!!!

Are you looking for fun “kid-tested” locations to visit with your children this summer? This is the e-book for you!

“Family Travel Mom” and best-selling author of KIDS LOVE TRAVEL books, Michele Zavatsky, has visited over 5,000 kid-friendly places.

Leave your comment below for a chance to win KIDS LOVE TRAVEL‘s giveaway: One FREE KIDS LOVE VIRGINIA – A Family Travel Guide to Exploring “Kid-Tested” Places in Virginia…Year Round!

(Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so the company can notify if you win! Winners will be chosen Friday, June 3, 2011.)

Don’t miss KIDS LOVE TRAVEL at this year’s convention! They’ll be in booth 104.

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 2, 2011   |   Convention, General  |   Comments (72)

The Institute for Excellence in Writing GIVEAWAY!

The Institute for Excellence in Writing is offering an e-audio talk titled “Humor & Other Motivators in Teaching.”

Comment below for your chance to WIN!
(Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so the company can notify if you win! Winners will be chosen Friday, June 3, 2011.)

Don’t miss Institute for Excellence in Writing at this year’s convention! They’ll be in booth 401.

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 2, 2011   |   General  |   Comments (50)

The Five Finger Paragraph Giveaway!

A big thank to The Five Finger Paragraph for giving away a HOMESCHOOL/HOMESTUDY KIT, Grades K-12, e-book!

The HomeSchool/HomeStudy Kit of The Five Finger Paragraph© are applicable to all grades — K-12. This e-book kit is 100+ pages in length and is 4.3 MB in size. The HomeSchool/HomeStudy Kit contains:

• 1 Parent Edition
• 1 Student Edition
• 5 WallCharts
• Bonuses -Bookmarkers and Quick Guide Cards®

Leave a comment below for a chance to win!
(Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so the company can notify if you win! Winners will be chosen Friday, June 3, 2011.)

Don’t miss The Five Finger Paragraph at this year’s convention! They’ll be in booth 719.

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 2, 2011   |   Convention, General  |   Comments (59)

Classical Conversations Book Giveaway!

Classical Conversations (CC) is offering two books to be given away. Here’s you chance! Enter your comment below. We’ll be selecting two winners from those who comment!

The Core by Leigh A. Bortins
Product Description
In the past, correct spelling, the multiplication tables, the names of the state capitals, and the American presidents were basics that all children were taught in school. Today, many children graduate without this essential knowledge. Most curricula today follow a haphazard sampling of topics with a focus on political correctness instead of teaching students how to study. Leigh Bortins, a leading figure in the homeschooling community, is having none of it. She believes that there are core areas of knowledge that are essential to master. Without knowing the multiplication tables, children can’t advance to algebra. Without mastery of grammar, students will have difficulty expressing themselves. Without these essential building blocks of knowledge, students may remember information–but they will never possess a broad and deep understanding of how the world works. In this book, Bortins gives parents the tools and methodology to implement a rigorous, thorough, and broad curriculum based on the classical model, including the following:

• Rote memorization to cement knowledge
• Systematic learning of geography, historical facts, and timelines
• Reading the great books and seminal historical documents instead of adaptations and abridged editions
• Rigorous training in math and the natural sciences

Classical Christian Education Made Approachable
Product Description
As a modern parent, are you intimidated at the prospect of building a classical, Christian education for your family? Let this booklet show you a blueprint for the tools of learning! Learn how you too can build your family’s home-centered, classical education using the building blocks of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Go ahead…enter your comment for a chance to WIN!
(Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so the company can notify if you win! Winners will be chosen Friday, June 3, 2011.)

Don’t miss Classical Conversations at this year’s convention! They’ll be in booth 507.

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 2, 2011   |   Convention, General  |   Comments (71)

Doorposts Giveaway!

O.K., here’s your chance to win something from Doorposts that every family could use–a Set of 4 Small Charts!!!
Product Description: Set of four laminated, color, page-size charts. Includes the If-Then Chart, the Blessing Chart, the Brother Offended Checklist (with book), and the Go-to-the-Ant Chart. These 8.5″ x 11″ versions are offered in response to requests for smaller charts. If you’re tight on wall space, or looking for a more durable version of these helpful charts, you’ll love this new format!

Enter a comment below for your chance to WIN!
(Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so the company can notify if you win! Winners will be chosen Friday, June 3, 2011.)

Don’t miss Doorposts at this year’s convention! They’ll be in booth 731.

(This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)

jstewart @ June 2, 2011   |   Convention, General  |   Comments (72)