Are you officially a “homeschooler”? The law in Maryland requires that you let your local county public school system know of your intent to provide home instruction to your child. Since Christiana is NOT an umbrella or oversight group THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. If you have already submitted this form you do not need to do it again, although you may need to let your local county or umbrella group know of your intent to continue each year, usually in the spring.
Here are a few tips when filling out the form:
Section I/Part A. Christiana starts 09/06/2023! (Note: If you have not submitted this form yet it must be done 15 days prior to starting your home instruction… which is next week!)
Section II/Part B. Most CHA families do NOT participate in the standardized testing. But that is completely up to you.
Section III/Part C. Christiana is NOT a MSDE registered oversight group. If you have signed up with a church or another organization for your oversight (sometimes called “umbrella group”) check Program Type B and list their name. If you don’t have an oversight group check Program Type A and set up your reviews with the county.
I would guess that 50% of CHA families have an umbrella group and 50% are reviewed by their local county. So it doesn’t matter what you decide to do. I can tell you that Carroll County is very familiar with the CHA binder system!!! But being a part of a church oversight group might get you access into extracurricular activities, electives, or even sports. So, your call.
Here is a link to a list of MSDE registered oversight groups:
http://nonpublicschoolsdb.marylandpublicschools.org/nonpublic/home_instruction/DisplayLocationsByCounty.asp
(This list can be overwhelming and we know of at least one group that is no longer operating. If you are looking for an umbrella group, ask other CHA families for a reference! Reach out on Facebook or find someone at Dismissal and strike up a conversation!)
Here are links to the local counties Home Instruction web pages:
Carroll County
https://www.carrollk12.org/student-services/student-support/home-instruction
Baltimore County
https://www.bcps.org/curriculum/programsandoptions/educational_opportunities/home_schooling
Howard County
https://www.hcpss.org/parents/home-school/
Frederick County
https://www.fcps.org/home-instruction
Harford County
https://www.hcps.org/departments/studentservices/homeinstruction.aspx
What about Pennsylvania?
Mary Haines, a resident of Hanover, tells us that this is what she has to do every year:
“I have to contact my local school district. I have to print an affidavit (that I can find on the website), fill it out and get it notarized. I have to add what the curriculum will look like for the year, I just print it off of the CHA website for the appropriate grade. Then I return it to the admin office. I only have one evaluation at the end of the year.
Just make sure that you contact your school district before you do anything else. Every district may be different.”
This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series.
Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered? Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]
Here are a few tips when filling out the form:
Section I/Part A. Christiana starts 09/06/2023! (Note: If you have not submitted this form yet it must be done 15 days prior to starting your home instruction… which is next week!)
Section II/Part B. Most CHA families do NOT participate in the standardized testing. But that is completely up to you.
Section III/Part C. Christiana is NOT a MSDE registered oversight group. If you have signed up with a church or another organization for your oversight (sometimes called “umbrella group”) check Program Type B and list their name. If you don’t have an oversight group check Program Type A and set up your reviews with the county.
I would guess that 50% of CHA families have an umbrella group and 50% are reviewed by their local county. So it doesn’t matter what you decide to do. I can tell you that Carroll County is very familiar with the CHA binder system!!! But being a part of a church oversight group might get you access into extracurricular activities, electives, or even sports. So, your call.
Here is a link to a list of MSDE registered oversight groups:
http://nonpublicschoolsdb.marylandpublicschools.org/nonpublic/home_instruction/DisplayLocationsByCounty.asp
(This list can be overwhelming and we know of at least one group that is no longer operating. If you are looking for an umbrella group, ask other CHA families for a reference! Reach out on Facebook or find someone at Dismissal and strike up a conversation!)
Here are links to the local counties Home Instruction web pages:
Carroll County
https://www.carrollk12.org/student-services/student-support/home-instruction
Baltimore County
https://www.bcps.org/curriculum/programsandoptions/educational_opportunities/home_schooling
Howard County
https://www.hcpss.org/parents/home-school/
Frederick County
https://www.fcps.org/home-instruction
Harford County
https://www.hcps.org/departments/studentservices/homeinstruction.aspx
What about Pennsylvania?
Mary Haines, a resident of Hanover, tells us that this is what she has to do every year:
“I have to contact my local school district. I have to print an affidavit (that I can find on the website), fill it out and get it notarized. I have to add what the curriculum will look like for the year, I just print it off of the CHA website for the appropriate grade. Then I return it to the admin office. I only have one evaluation at the end of the year.
Just make sure that you contact your school district before you do anything else. Every district may be different.”
This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series.
Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered? Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]
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