Iowa
• Compulsory Attendance Ages: Between 6 and 16 as of September 15. If a child turns 16 on or after Sept. 15, he is of compulsory attendance age until the end of the school year if he is enrolled (might include dual-enrolled) in a public or accredited nonpublic school when he turns 16. (§ 299.1A)
• Required Days of Instruction: 148 days, with 37 days each school quarter
• Required Subjects: None,
• Standardized Tests: Families without a supervising teacher must assess their children by May 1 and submit the results to the school district and the Dept. of Education by June 30. There are three options.
1. Standardized test. Any nationally-standardized achievement test. Tests may be administered by a school district or a non-public, non-accredited school. If by a non-public, non-accredited school, the parent may administer the test if the "terms or protocol of the test publisher" are satisfied. (§ 281-31.4 (2)(c)) A child must score at or above the 30th percentile in each subtest area (reading, math, and language arts and, starting in 6th grade, science and social studies) AND either (a) score at or above grade level for the child's age or (b) show 6 months progress.
2. Portfolio. An Iowa licensed teacher may write an assessment after reviewing the child's portfolio.
3. Accredited Correspondence School. A report card or other assessment from an accredited correspondence school
• Inadequate progress. If adequate progress is not shown, the family may submit another assessment before the next school year begins. If adequate progress is not shown, the child must be enrolled in school unless the Department of Education approves a remediation program. (§ 299A.6)
1. Parents who home school must annually submit a "Competent Private Instruction Report Form". Two copies must be turned in to the school board secretary by the first day of school in the resident district (§ 281-31.2(1)), or no later than 14 calendar days after removing the child from school.
The form asks for the name and age of the child, the number of days to be spent in schooling, an outline of the course of study, texts used, and the name and address of the instructor. "Outline of course of study" means subjects covered, lesson plans, and time spent on the areas of study (there is no mandated minimum time for any area of study). The form also requires evidence of vaccinations (which could be satisfied by a medical or religious exemption) for children being home schooled for the first time.
2. For children age 8 or older (as of September 15). Parents must either: (a) provide instruction by or under the supervision of an Iowa licensed teacher; or (b) provide instruction which results in the student making "adequate progress."
a. Licensed Teacher. Under this option, families meet with the teacher whom they have chosen twice per 45 days of instruction (Reg 31.3(2)a), but do not submit an assessment to officials. One of these meetings may be conducted via telephone; one must be face to face. The teacher acts as a consultant to the family. A parent with a teaching license may be the supervising teacher for their own home school.
b. Annual Assessment. Families who do not choose a licensed teacher must annually submit a standardized test or portfolio review.
3. For children age 7 (as of September 15). Parents must either use a licensed teacher or submit a baseline assessment to allow measuring of progress in subsequent years. Proof of adequate progress is not required this year per Dept. of Ed. administrative determination.
4. For children age 6 (as of September 15). Parents are not required to use a licensed teacher or submit any type of assessment per Dept. of Ed. administrative determination.
5. If a child has been "identified" as requiring special education, parents must obtain approval from the special education director of the local AEA.(§ 299A.9)
6. Confidentiality. Effective July 1, 2006, all homeschool information and records that officials hold are confidential to the same extent as the records of public school students. (§ 299A.11, § 22.7.1)
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Iowa State High School Graduation Standards:
The State of Iowa defers to each school district to determine and monitor High School Graduation requirements. A comprehensive list of requirements, district-by-district, can be found at the Iowa Department of Education
Important Note: State and District Graduation requirements are not necessarily the best guideline for homeschoolers to use. They have been included here as a guideline for what a typical public school student would need to complete in order to graduate.
A more important guideline may be the College Entrance requirements for where your student would like to attend college. While colleges have differing requirements, there are many colleges that publish requirements for homeschool graduates.
Related Pages:
Homeschool Support Groups in Iowa
Colleges in Iowa