Home Instruction

Parents may choose to provide home instruction for their school-age child instead of school attendance, in accordance with §22.1-254.1 of the Code of Virginia. For detailed information, please refer to the following links on home instruction guidelines. Additionally, you can consult the Virginia Department of Education's guidelines for home instruction.

Home Instruction Guidelines for Fauquier County Public Schools

Notice of Intent: Parents/guardians must submit a Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction no later than August 15 each year.
Evidence of Progress: By August 1 each year, parents/guardians must submit Evidence of Progress as required by §22.1-254.1 for any child who has received home instruction and has not yet turned 18.
Review Process: The Office of Home Instruction will review the submitted documentation and send either an acknowledgment of compliance with the Code of Virginia or a request for additional information if needed.

All required documents, including the Annual Notice of Intent and Annual Evidence of Progress, can be submitted via email at: homeinstruction@fcps1.org.

Important Note: A parent who moves into Fauquier County or begins home instruction after the school year has started must provide notification as soon as possible and meet all notification requirements within 30 days.

Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction Form

Home Instruction Annual Notification Requirements and Guidelines

Any parent/guardian of a child who will turn five on or before September 30 of any school year and who has not yet turned 18 may choose to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance if:

The parent/guardian holds a high school diploma;
The parent/guardian is a teacher with qualifications prescribed by the Board;
The parent/guardian provides a program of study or curriculum for the child, which can be delivered through a correspondence course, distance learning program, or other methods; or
The parent/guardian provides evidence of their ability to offer an adequate education for the child.

Any parent who elects to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance must annually notify the division superintendent by August of their intention to do so. This notification should include a description of the curriculum, which may be limited to a list of subjects to be studied during the coming year, as well as evidence that the parent meets one of the criteria for providing home instruction as specified in subsection A of the Virginia Code.

Annual Evidence of Progress Requirement and Guidelines

The parent who elects to provide home instruction shall provide the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year in which the child received home instruction with either:

Evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT, or PSAT; or
An evaluation or assessment that the division superintendent determines indicates that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress, including:
- An evaluation letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person with a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline, who is knowledgeable of the child's academic progress, stating that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; or
- A report card or transcript from an institution of higher education, a college distance learning program, or a home-education correspondence school.

If evidence of progress as required in this subsection is not provided by the parent, the home instruction program for that child may be placed on probation for one year. Parents shall file with the division superintendent evidence of their ability to provide an adequate education for their child in compliance with subsection A and a remediation plan for the probationary year that addresses any educational deficiency. Upon acceptance of such evidence and plan by the division superintendent, home instruction may continue for one probationary year. If the remediation plan and evidence are not accepted or the required evidence of progress is not provided by August 1 following the probationary year, home instruction shall cease, and the parent shall make other arrangements for the education of the child that comply with § 22.1-254. The requirements of this subsection do not apply to children who are under the age of six as of September 30 of the school year.

The requirements for Evidence of Progress shall not apply to children who are under the age of six as of September 30 of the school year.

While other tests and evaluations may meet the requirements of this section of the law, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) does not maintain a list of approved tests and evaluations. VDOE encourages parents to consult with school divisions and other resources, such as home instruction parent organizations, to determine which test or method of evaluation best meets their needs and provides sufficient information. This consultation is for informational purposes only, as parents may use any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or an ACT, SAT, or PSAT test as evidence of academic achievement.

TESTING RESOURCES

https://heav.org/virginia-homeschool-laws/testing/

https://heav.org/virginia-homeschool-laws/testing/resources/

https://heav.org/virginia-homeschool-laws/testing/resources/choosing-standardized-tests/

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