The purpose of the Seminole County Home Education website is to provide information on the requirements to establish and maintain a Home Education program in Florida.
WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW BEFORE ENROLLING IN HOME EDUCATION
Home education is a non-public school option. By enrolling in home education, the parent is assuming all educational responsibilities regardless of the mechanism used to educate their child. In essence, the parent is becoming the teacher, guidance counselor, ESE specialist, and principal of their home education school. Home Education is 100% parent driven.
Please note that this responsibility includes the submission of an Annual Evaluation, all correspondence curriculum, books, or on-line curriculum (e.g., FLVS, SCVS). Home Education students are not considered to be Seminole County Public School students. The Home Office does not have access to any third-party educational records of students.
Upon deciding to establish and maintain a home education program for your child, you will be governed by Florida Statutes regarding compulsory school age attendance laws as they relate to home education. Florida Statute 1002.41 specifies the responsibilities of parent who establish a home education program.
This program does not provide, books, curricula, materials, or laptops.
Students enrolled in the Home Education Program do not receive a high school diploma or certificate of completion.
Know the Difference between Seminole County Virtual School, FLVS and Home Education.
Seminole County Virtual School (SCVS) http://virtualschool.scps.k12.fl.us/
Florida Virtual School (FLVS) https://www.flvs.net/
Florida Department of Education Home Education https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/other-school-choice-options/home-edu/
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the state laws and policies regarding Home Education?
Click here to access section 1002.41, Florida Statutes. This section of law contains the requirements for establishing, maintaining, and ending a Home Education program.
Click here to access a Florida Department of Education web page regarding Home Education.
Click here to access an information sheet published by Seminole County Public Schools.
How do I enter my student in Home Education?
Florida law requires the filing of a notice of intent to establish a Home Education program. Seminole County Public Schools provides a form for parent convenience. Submit the completed notice to our office by U.S. mail, fax, scan and email, or in person.
If you provide an email address on your notice of intent, a confirmation letter will be sent to you electronically. We will also mail a confirmation letter if you provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
What are the annual educational evaluation requirements?
Florida law requires all Home Education programs to submit an annual education evaluation. There are multiple ways to meet the evaluation requirement. These options are explained within this information sheet published by Seminole County Public Schools. An annual evaluation form is also provided by SCPS for parent convenience.
How do I withdraw my student from Home Education?
Florida law requires the filing of a notice of terminationof the Home Education program. Seminole County Public Schools provides a form for parent convenience. Submit the completed notice to our office by U.S. mail, fax, scan and email, or in person.
Testing Information
State Assessments
Home Education students are required by section 1002.41(1)(c), Florida Statutes to submit an annual evaluation of your student's educational progress to the school district. The statute provides several options for completion of the annual evaluation.
One of the options you may choose to meet this requirement is participation in the spring state assessment program. Please go to https://flfast.org/families.html for more information and to access sample tests available to the public.
Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, Florida's statewide, standardized assessments in Reading, Mathematics, Algebra 1 and Geometry will be aligned with the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.). The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), which includes VPK through grade 10 Reading and VPK through grade 8 Mathematics assessments, will be administered as a progress monitoring (PM) assessment, which students will participate in three times per year. B.E.S.T. assessments that are not part of the FAST progress monitoring program include grades 4-10 Writing, grades 5 and 8 Science, and end-of-course (EOC) assessments in Biology 1, Civics, and U.S. History.
Parents/Guardians planning to return their student to a public school for next year and/or prior to high school graduation should remember that some state assessments are used for course placement or graduation requirements.
If you wish for your student to participate in the state assessments, please complete the online registration form. Registration forms need to be submitted at least one-month prior to the test administration date (see below). If you have any questions pertaining to the state assessments, please contact Daphne Turner at 407.320.0270 or [email protected]
PSAT/ACT
Your student recently participated in the Algebra 1 BEST End of Course (EOC) assessment and did not earn an on-grade level of level 3 or above. Florida Statute 1003.4282 requires that students earn a level 3 or above score on the Algebra 1 EOC or use a comparative score to meet high school graduation requirements.
Students may utilize any of the following options to meet the Algebra 1 EOC high school graduation requirement:
Students needing to meet the mathematics high school graduation requirement may:
- Earn a passing score on the Algebra 1 BEST EOC (Level 3+/Scale Score 497+); or
- Earn a passing score on the Geometry BEST EOC (Level 3+/Scale Score 499+); or
- Earn a comparative score on one of the following assessments:
- PSAT/NMSQT Math Score of 430+
- SAT Math Score of 420+
- ACT Math Score of 16+
The next opportunity to participate in the Algebra 1 EOC and/or Geometry EOC is:
- Monday, July 10 – Wednesday, July 12: Algebra 1 & Geometry (One 160-minute session in 1 day)
You can choose to test at one of the following high school sites: Lake Howell, Lyman or Seminole (test sites may be added or removed based on student registration).
If you would like your student to participate in the summer test administration, please complete the Summer 2023 Online Registration Form: (https://scps.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9MsxyjzWVmALhbg) by June 23, 2023.
If your student is unable to attend the summer EOC administration, there will be multiple opportunities to meet the requirements in the coming school year, beginning with the fall EOC testing window in September 2023.
Algebra 1 Practice Tests
To help your student become comfortable with the item types and response formats the practice tests and answer keys are available at https://flfast.org/families.html.
Important Information about State Assessments
Prior to your student’s test date, please review the policies located at: https://www.scps.k12.fl.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=1854109&pageId=2044631
For more information about the statewide assessment program, please visit the Florida State Assessment Portal at https://flfast.org/fast.html.
EOC Summer Assessments 2023
Florida Statute 1003.4282 requires that students participate in End-of-Course assessments and that the results of the assessments constitute 30% of the students’ final course grades. Your student was enrolled in a course associated with an EOC during the 2022-2023 school year and did not meet this requirement. As a result, your student’s final grades and high school credit are withheld pending your student’s participation in the EOC. Your student has the opportunity to take the [Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology 1, U.S. History EOC assessment(s)] on
- Monday, July 10 – Wednesday, July 12: Algebra 1 & Geometry
- One 160-minute session in 1 day
- Thursday, July 13: Biology 1 & U.S. History
- One 160-minute session in 1 day
You can choose to test at one of the following high school sites: Lake Howell, Lyman or Seminole (test sites may be added or removed based on student registration).
If you would like your student to participate in the summer test administration, please complete the Summer 2023 Online Registration Form: (https://scps.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9MsxyjzWVmALhbg) by June 9, 2023.
If your student is unable to attend the summer EOC administration, there will be multiple opportunities to meet the requirements in the coming school year, beginning with the fall EOC testing window in September 2023.
Practice Tests
To help your student become comfortable with the item types and response formats the practice tests and answer keys are available at https://flfast.org/families.html.
Important Information about State Assessments
Prior to your student’s test date, please review the policies located at: https://www.scps.k12.fl.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=1854109&pageId=2044631
For more information about the statewide assessment program, please visit the Florida Statewide Assessments Portal at https://flfast.org
Links