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WASHINGTON
Compulsory Attendance Ages: “eight years of age and under eighteen years of
age.” Revised Code of Washington Annotated § 28A.225.010.
Required Days of Instruction: 180 days or in grades 1-12 “an annual average
total instructional hour offering of one thousand hours.” However, “the nature
and quantity of instruction and related education activities shall be liberally
construed.” Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.225.010(4) and (5), § 28A.195.010(1),
§28A.150.220 (1)(b).
Required Subjects: Occupational education, science, math, language, social
studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of an
appreciation of art and music. Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.225.010.
Home schoolers have two options. They can qualify under the home school
statute or operate as an extension of a private school.
Option I: Home School Statute. Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.225.010 and §
28A.200.010.
1. Home-based instruction consists of “planned and supervised instructional and
related educational activities, including a curriculum and instruction in the
basic skills [listed under Required Subjects above].”
2. Parents must provide a number of hours of instruction “equivalent” to the
program hours established for approved private schools. (See above.)
3. Instruction may only be provided by a parent who is either:
a. instructing his child only and is supervised by a certificated person (i.e.,
the certificated person and the parent plan educational objectives; the
certificated person has a minimum each month of an average of one contact hour
per week with the child; and the certificated person evaluates the child’s
progress); or
b. instructing his child only and has either forty-five college quarter credits
or the equivalent in semester credits (approximately 30 semester credits. 1
quarter credit=2/3 semester credit); or
c. instructing his child only and has completed a course in home-based education
at a post-secondary institution or a vocational-technical institute (these
courses generally do not require an extensive time commitment); or
d. instructing his child only and is “deemed sufficiently qualified to provide
home-based instruction by the superintendent of the local school district.”
4. The requirements above “relating to the nature and quantity of instructional
and related educational activities shall be liberally construed.” §
28A.225.010(5).
5. Parents must file an annual signed declaration of intent to home school by
Sept. 15 of each year “or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school
quarter, trimester, or semester” with the local superintendent or with the
superintendent of a nonresident district which accepts the home school student
as a transfer student under § 28A.225.220. “The statement shall include the name
and age of the child, shall specify whether a certificated person will be
supervising the instruction, and shall be written in a format prescribed by the
superintendent of public instruction.” Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.200.010(1).
6. “The state hereby recognizes that parents who are causing their children to
receive home-based instruction under RCW 28A.225.010(4) shall be subject only to
those minimum state laws and regulations which are necessary to insure that a
sufficient basic educational opportunity is provided to the children receiving
such instruction. Therefore, all decisions relating to philosophy or doctrine,
selection of books, teaching materials, and curriculum, and methods, timing, and
place in the provision or evaluation of home-based instruction shall be the
responsibility of the parent except for matters specifically referred to in this
chapter.” § 28A.200.020
Option II: Alternative Statute Allowing for Home Instruction. §
28A.225.010(1)(a), 28A.195.010(4). An approved private school may operate an
extension program for parents, guardians, or persons having legal custody of a
child to teach children in their custody. These students are considered to be
private school students.
Teacher Qualifications: If using Option I, see #3 above. If using Option II,
same as 3(a) above.
Standardized Tests: Under Option I, either:
a. Parents must ensure that a standardized test approved by the state board is
administered annually to the child by a “qualified” person or,
b. Have the child evaluated by a certificated person. § 28A.200.010(3).
c. Neither the results of the standardized achievement test nor the evaluation
results need to be submitted to the public schools. The results must be retained
by the parents as part of the child’s permanent records. § 28A.200.010(3).
Under Option II: Each student’s progress must be evaluated by the certificated
person. § 28A.195.010(4)(d).
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