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Evaluation of the Elementary Level Student

Evaluation of the Secondary Level Student

Evaluation of the Special Educational Needs Student

Finding a Qualified Evaluator

Is Your Evaluator Qualified?

How to Write an Evaluation
Methods for Evaluators

Elementary Level
A teacher or administrator who evaluates a portfolio at the elementary level (grades K-6) needs to have at least two years of experience grading any of the following subjects:

• English, to include spelling, reading, and writing
• Arithmetic
• Science
• Geography
• History of the United States and Pennsylvania
• Civics

The term "grading" means evaluation of classwork, homework, quizzes, classwork-based tests, and prepared tests related to classwork subject matter.

The portfolio is to include an annual written evaluation of the student's educational progress from any of the following:

• A licensed clinical or school psychologist
• A teacher certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• A non-public school teacher or administrator who has at least two years of teaching (grading) experience in a Pennsylvania public or non-public school within the last ten years.

Both the certified teacher and non-public teacher are to have the required experience at the elementary level (K-6) to evaluate elementary students or at the secondary level (7-12) to evaluate secondary students.

The evaluation is based on an interview of the child and a review of the portfolio and shall certify whether the appropriate education is occurring.
"Appropriate education" shall mean a program consisting of instruction in the required subjects for the time required in the home-school law and in which the student demonstrates sustained progress in the overall program (not necessarily in each subject).

At the request of the supervisor (parent), persons with other qualifications may conduct the evaluation with the prior consent of the district of residence superintendent.

The evaluator cannot be the supervisor (home-schooling parent) or his/her spouse.

See the actual law.

• English, to include language, literature, speech, reading, and composition
• Mathematics, to include general mathematics, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and geometry
• Science, to include biology, chemistry, and physics
• Geography
• Social studies, to include history of the United States and Pennsylvania, world history, economics, civics
• Foreign language

The term "grading" means evaluation of classwork, homework, quizzes, classwork-based tests, and prepared tests related to classwork subject matter.

The portfolio is to include an annual written evaluation of the student's educational progress from any of the following:

• A licensed clinical or school psychologist
• A teacher certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• A non-public school teacher or administrator who has at least two years of teaching (grading) experience in a Pennsylvania public or non-public school within the last ten years.

Both the certified teacher and non-public teacher are to have the required experience at the elementary level (K-6) to evaluate elementary students or at the secondary level (7-12) to evaluate secondary students.

The evaluation is based on an interview of the child and a review of the portfolio and shall certify whether the appropriate education is occurring.
"Appropriate education" shall mean a program consisting of instruction in the required subjects for the time required in the home-school law and in which the student demonstrates sustained progress in the overall program (not necessarily in each subject).

At the request of the supervisor (parent), persons with other qualifications may conduct the evaluation with the prior consent of the district of residence superintendent.

The evaluator cannot be the supervisor (home-schooling parent) or his/her spouse.

Students with Special Educational Needs
A specialized evaluator is NOT required for students with special educational needs (this has been confirmed by a representative of the PA Department of Education); however, the law does state that a written approval from a teacher certified to teach special needs or a licensed clinical or certified school psychologist needs to be submitted annually with the affidavit. The law does not specify that your child have a meeting with the individual writing the approval of your objectives. Therefore, it would be permissible if you can find a certified special needs teacher or licensed clinical or certified school psychologist willing to review your objectives and return them to you via mail with a signed, dated statement such as, "I have evaluated John Doe’s educational objectives and have determined that they meet his specific needs." You may use our form to send to the psychologist/teacher that you have chosen to review the objectives for your child.

A representative of the PA Department of Education wrote, "Prior to beginning a home education program with a child who has been identified as having special educational needs, a certified special education teacher or licensed clinical or certified school psychologist must approve of the educational program to be provided. The evaluation is not required to be done by a special education teacher or psychologist. "

However, a supervisor (parent) would only need to obtain the written approval if his child has been evaluated and identified by the school district as a special needs child in accordance with the Education of the Handicapped act. If the child was evaluated privately, there is no need to obtain the annual written approval of your student's objectives. (This is one reason Home School Legal Defense Association recommends that parents obtain a private evaluation of their child.) See HSLDA's reply

You may send this form to the psychologist/teacher that you have chosen to review the objectives for your child.

Finding a Qualified Evaluator

It is very important that you choose your evaluator carefully because, according to the representative of the PA Department of Education whom we interviewed, using a non-qualified evaluator could result in your child being considered truant; and, in her words, "Ignorance is no excuse."

Our " Evaluator Questionnaire" will be helpful for you to locate a qualified evaluator. Also, if you choose an evaluator who is not familiar with evaluating, you may have them visit our evaluator's page where they will find a sample evaluation and tips to help them with their evaluation.
If you are having difficulty opening the PDF file, right-click on the link and choose "save target as." Once the file is saved to your computer you should have no difficulty opening it.

Is Your Evaluator Qualified?

Hello. I'm wondering what the PA homeschool law requires of evaluators. I have heard so many different "interpretations." We are in the process of switching our current evaluator to another evaluator who is accepted by our diploma program. I want to be sure that they are qualified according to the homeschool law and not because they have been "approved" by the diploma program itself.

It is possible that even some diploma program evaluators or leaders might not be legally qualified (perhaps through their own misunderstanding) and are evaluating a wider range of students than is permissible by law or, in other cases, have passed their ten-year termination date. This is an area where parents, by and large, have trusted others to verify qualifications. Yet, the PA Department of Education's representative made it clear that this is the supervisor's (parent's) responsibility; for it will be your child that will be considered truant if the evaluator does not have the proper credentials.

We recommend that you have your chosen evaluator fill out the Evaluator Questionnaire, even if he/she has been evaluating for years. You may be surprised to find he/she is not a legally qualified evaluator. (Your evaluator may be surprised, too, as he/she examines the law more carefully.) Any legally-sound evaluator, however, should be happy to fill out this form to verify his/her credentials and to help maintain the integrity of the home-schooling movement. You can also use the questionnaire to determine if your psychologist or teacher friend (or family member - as long as it is not the student's parent or guardian) is qualified to evaluate your child. It is a good idea to place the completed Evaluator Questionnaire in your portfolio to verify to your superintendent that all is in order.
Evaluator Questionnaire
If you are having difficulty opening the PDF file, right-click on the link and choose "save target as." Once the file is saved to your computer you should have no difficulty opening it.

It is up to you as a parent to verify the credentials of your evaluator. Please note that the law does not appear to indicate that the superintendent is responsible for researching the evaluator's credentials, nor does it make a diploma program responsible because diploma programs emerged considerably after the passage of the law. These privately organized diploma programs are not even mentioned in the law and, in fact, are subject to renewal every five years with the PA Department of Education.

If you wish for a non-qualified person to evaluate your child, the law states that the parent (not the evaluator) may request prior consent from his/her superintendent each year the non-qualified evaluator is utilized. If you discover your evaluator is no longer qualified by law, and he/she insists that he/she has permission from your superintendent to continue evaluating your student, request a copy annually (for your protection) of the written permission from your school district superintendent.

• Organizing your school year
• Keeping a log
• Grading your students' work
• Testing
• Portfolios
• Evaluations