West Virginia Homeschooling Laws
Homeschooling in West Virginia
The law in West Virginia provides that children between 6-16 years must attend school. Parents may choose the traditional school or homeschooling which are both legalized in the state. To begin homeschooling, the parent is required to file a letter with the superintendent of the board of education in one’s county on the intention to homeschool their student. Generally speaking, there are two options to homeschool in West Virginia:
Homeschooling by seeking school board approval
Homeschooling by submitting a notice of intent. If choosing this option, you must:
1. Make sure that the instructor has the required qualifications
2. File a notice of intent with your school board or superintendent
3. Test the student yearly
4. Submit certain tests and assessments
Other requirements to homeschool are available on this page.
· The letter of intent to homeschool in West Virginia
· Recordkeeping for homeschoolers in West Virginia
· Requirements for homeschool graduation
· Switching from homeschool to public school
*This information is by no means intended as legal advice; its purpose is merely informational. It is each parent’s responsibility to get informed and understand the applicable homeschooling laws which regulate homeschooling in his or her state.
Requirements and Laws on Homeschooling in West Virginia
Parents who seek the school board’s approval to start homeschooling are required to:
· Have the homeschool located where the board shall approve
· Keep a record of the child’s progress, information on attendance and the instruction given and shall provide the information upon request
· Have the school board approve the curriculum they intend to use as well as the instruction provided for the student
· Have an assessment method that the school board approves
· Have the student attend 180 days of instruction every year
An approval is not guaranteed, the board may deny the application giving a justification that is good and reasonable.
Notice of Intent to Homeschool in West Virginia
Parents are required to file with the board of education in their county or the office of the superintendent a letter of their intention to homeschool their child. For the children withdrawing from public schools, it is advisable to file the intent to avoid truancy issues. The parents are required to have the following attached to the letter:
· Particulars of the child, that is the name, age and address
· The parent’s educational credentials, that is either a high school diploma or any higher credential they have
· The instruction plan that the parent intends to use
· A declaration that the child will be engaged in the educational assessment every year that is either a standardized achievement test that is taken nationwide as a norm, have a teacher who is certified evaluate the child using the school work undertaken by the student or giving the child tests that are standardized in their local school system.
Recordkeeping for Homeschoolers in West Virginia
The law provides that parents and guardians should have copies of child’s academic progress well-kept for at least 3 years. Parents are required to submit to the superintendent of their county the assessment results for 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th grades before 30th June of the year the evaluation took place.
A homeschool portfolio has been rated the most effective method to track the child’s progress. It should be accurate and detailed especially on what the student has covered and retained during the program. Parents may consider adding the following in their portfolio:
· A homeschool transcript for the students in high school
· The grades awarded after taking the standardized tests
· The work undertaken by the student
· A detailed curriculum showing the topics and subjects covered by the student.
Lernsys Homeschooling makes it easy to keep a summary of the curriculum used including grades, topics covered, quiz and test scores, teacher credentials, etc.Requirements for Graduation in West Virginia
The West Virginia Department of Education Policy 2510 provides that students must complete a career/academic plan known as a personalized education plan that goes for 5 years. The chart below shows a comparison between public school and homeschool graduation.
The chart below shows the comparison between graduation requirements in public school and homeschool in West Virginia.
| Public/Private School | Homeschool | |
|---|---|---|
|
Diploma requirements in West Virginia |
For a student to get a diploma, they must have 24 credits, 18 for the credits prescribed by law and 6 credits that are personalized for each student. |
Parents in West Virginia have the liberty to determine when their student will graduate. They then proceed to award the high school diploma under their own terms. |
| Testing requirements in West Virginia | West Virginia does not have requirements regarding testing to graduate. |
There is no law in West Virginia that compels or forces homeschoolers to undertake a test as a requirement in order to graduate high school. |
|
West Virginia high school transcripts |
The high school the student attends creates the transcripts. |
Parents in West Virginia can create the homeschoolers’ transcripts which may include information they considered relevant to institutions the homeschoolers may intend to apply to. This may include schools, colleges, workplace organizations, or the military. |
|
High school course credits in West Virginia |
The credits one must complete are 4 English credits, 3 science credits, 4 math credits, 1 physical education credit, 1 fine arts credit, 4 social studies credits, 1 health education credit and 6 other credits the student chooses. |
Many parents in West Virginia choose to specify or assign academic credits to the courses taken during the homeschooling period as this may aid during the transcript creation process. |
|
Eligibility for GED in West Virginia |
The Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) is what the schools are currently using to determine whether or not the student has gained comparable skills as any other high schooler |
When the student turns 17, he/she is required to take a high school equivalency test. Homeschoolers are eligible for state promise scholarship regardless of whether they have obtained a GED or not. |
Homeschool High School Transcript Template
Track your homeschooler’s credits, courses, and accomplishments with this free homeschool high school transcript template.
Switching from Homeschooling to Public School in West Virginia
Parents who transfer their child from homeschooling to public school are required to file a notice of termination of their homeschool with the superintendent of schools in their county. The transfer process is unique to each school district. Some districts may test the student to determine the most appropriate grade the student will be placed to. Whether or not homeschool high school credits will be accepted is also unique to each district and school.
Lernsys Homeschooling makes it easy to keep a summary of the curriculum used including grades, topics covered, quiz and test scores, teacher credentials, etc.
Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in West Virginia
Have other questions about homeschooling in West Virginia? You may find the following pages helpful.
