Please understand there are 5 options to the Annual Evaluation (this can be confusing at times). You only need to pick one. A) Portfolio Evaluations (most popular) B) Nationally Normed Achievement Test C) State Assessment Test D) Psychologist Evaluation E) Any other valid measurement tool of agreed upon by the parent and district superintendent
@Living With Eve Question: What should I do? I received a letter stating they (School District ) are dropping my child from homeschooling because I didn't comply by providing an evaluation. Normally we do the psychological and educational test, my child has special ( I like to say higher needs) needs. Because of COVID-19 and the shut down we didn't get testing done. I thought that it would be waved or voided for last school year. Please help, I'm nervous 😓 Ps. Thanks for sharing, new Subbie 🤗
I am assuming this is your first letter. Call the district, explain your situation and ask for an extension. They usually give you 30 days, sometimes 60 depending on the district. You need to book an evaluator. They are pretty easy to get. Try to get together a portfolio and go that route. That is unless you can get in with the psychologist soon. The letters are usually there to scare you, but if you contact them they usually work with you, especially with the pandemic. And no, the state did not waiver the evaluation, unfortunately . They did extend it though. Hope that helps.
@@LivingWithEve thank you so very much blessings to you and your family. Ps. Will teachers do the evaluation over the phone ?😀 And are you available? Yes this is my first letter.
I’ve got September booked. The FPEA has a list. Also you can go to the Florida homeschool Facebook groups and just ask. You’ll get like 10 people offering services within the hour. Most of us are using zoom or FaceTime.
That’s really sad. The state we are coming from is so free. This feels like coparenting with the government 😭😭😭😭. We haven’t moved yet but may. I read up on HSLDA and then found this. This is a major deterrent to moving to FL and it’s pretty surprising given they have a reputation of freedom yet this isn’t even close to freedom. Thanks for making these videos it does make it easier to understand I’m just disappointed to learn these things. :(
It sounds scary, but it’s not. Most evaluators are homeschool moms that get it. And the ball is in your court. You pick your evaluator, you pick what you put in the portfolio, the evaluator is not allowed to tell you what you should do or don’t do. They just check to see if you did something. If you don’t want an evaluator, do an umbrella school. The act like a private school in Florida legally, but it’s basically homeschool. Florida is very free once you understand what the law actually says.
It’s not difficult. Most evaluators are homeschool parents. So it’s an easy evaluation. Some states require you to go to the school district once a year.
It has totally overwhelmed me too. So not use to having to have an evaluator, etc. We have far more freedom in NC. We are spoiled in NC! I'm sure once we get into it there it'll become easier but man I'm spoiled.
Thank you! My family is seriously planning on a move to Fl and homeschool laws are my highest concern. At first that annual evaluation totally freaked me out since my current state doesn't require any form of yearly eval.I really dont want the school system having any part of our homeschool 😜 But this video eased my fears a bit. I appreciate your channel!
Yeah I freaked out a bit too but I then realized that you aren't assigned an evaluator-- you get to pick so they aren't necessarily "the school system" if that makes sense
Register under a private school umbrella and you don’t have to follow any of the other requirements. We are unschoolers so we are going with the Florida unschoolers.
We came from IL and it doesn’t have any requirements so I was saddened to realize FL does but I was happy to see we can do the umbrella and skip all the other requirements.
You should do it! I'm not joking. If it is heavy on your heart, taking one year to try it won't do any damage. If fact you will be surprised at how amazing and supportive this community is.
You explained all the options brilliantly and it was actually really interesting. There are so many different rules and options from different states to differently countries, it’s crazy such the difference. Great information :)
This. Is. Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this in an easy-to-understand format. I've been reading, researching, and stressing, but this really helped me make the decision to home school. We're currently doing eLearning because of covid, and frankly, it SUCKS! They're really not learning anything. Let's do this!
The idea of an annual evaluation must be stressful for homeschooling parents in FL! But you explained the options very well and made it sound less daunting. I had always heard how hard it was to homeschool in FL but it doesn’t sound that bad.
Florida is actually suppose to be an easy state to homeschool in. We’ve just been in the new a lot lately, but HSLDA is working it out. They are amazing!
This is a great video. My kids are going to 2nd grade next year and I'm REALLY considering Home Schooling them. Thank you for taking the time to explain all this for us.
I am very interested in seeing a video about the norm testing plz!!! I'm going to be homeschooling my son starting next year and I'm very nervous about any issues I may run into with the state doing so, very helpful video thank you!!! 😁
@@LivingWithEve also, how would I go about getting a teacher to evaluate his progress of that is the route I wanted to take? Would it be wise to ask his teacher if she would do it in the future? Or should I go about finding a different evaluator?
Kristina Jakakas so if you decide to do the portfolio evaluation, most of the time your county will have a list of local evaluator and you can call them. You could also ask your friends or others in a local coop. You can also ask local FB groups. Of course I do them too so I could always Skype if your not local. I would not get a current public school teacher. Most of the time they do not understand the laws associated with evaluating a homeschooler. It could be way too stressful or a disaster! Most evaluator are homeschool Moms or previous homeschool Moms. There is nothing to be scared about especially since they are doing it also. It’s best to go with them. But do ask around! There are some amazing evaluators out there. When it comes to Norm Testing, understand that you do not necessarily have to show the state the scores, and honestly I advise parents not too. (We can message if you have more question about this.) Homeschooling is completely different than public school. The state doesn’t need your scores. When a parent chooses to test, they usually want to compare the grade from previous years, see improvement, see what they need to work on or something personal. If your child does poorly on the test, it doesn’t matter, the state will not see them most likely. So in a sense, the state will not have any issues at all with you if you choose to do the test. Does that make sense?
@@LivingWithEve oh my goodness, thank you very much! I'm glad I ran across your videos. I don't have a fb, or really any social media currently, I have managed to stay away from it for a while, however if there's a private way to exchange email I work like to so. I looked up the fpea that you mentioned to and send very helpful as well. Like I said, I've been nervous because I don't want to mess up my sons chance of getting into college or face any repercussions of not having him enrolled in a school in the district. I was even under the impression that in order to home school I needed to buy one of the online programs like the k-12 program, so this is kind of a breath of fresh air. Thank you for your advice. And plz, if there is a way to exchange email privately that would be great, plz let me know, and thx again. I'd like to reach out to you in the future if if I have any more questions once I have this process going. Also, does my son need to start doing work now for his portfolio, so the superintendent can see within the 15 days of his removal letter? In case they do ask to see it. Or can he start his portfolio when he's in the process of homeschooling? I printed out the removal forum from the fpea website and had intentions to send it at the end of this year. Sorry to bombard so many questions lol
For the Psychologist option if we have adhd/autistic kids who already see one i feel like that might be easier? adhd kids see one every month anyway if they're getting treatment.
Moving to Florida and all these rules make me nervous to homeschool there. I don't like the public school systems, though. It's so much easier to homeschool in Minnesota.
Do you have a video on umbrella schools? Thanks for the video! As a mom just starting to homeschool in Florida this was super helpful and easy to understand!
Aspiring Heights Academy is one of the best. You can call Jody Davis, who is the guidance counselor and it's so worth having an umbrella school vs. Dealing w/all the requirements you just heard in this video. I still keep my children's portfolio and their FLVS Flex transcripts but would not give up the benefits of our umbrella school. Best to you and your family.
Well it is really easy. You send in a Termination Letter to the County and then enroll them into FLVS or Public School. The FPEA website has a sample letter and most of the time the county will have one too.
Oh boy! 30 days notice beforehand. I want to file tomorrow (it took a virus to give us the push we needed) but I wonder if it is too late in the year to send a letter of intent.
No, go back and listen again 1:20 . When you withdraw your child from Public school you have 30 days to get your letter of intent turned in. No it is not to late to turn it in!! Summer does not count and there are are a lot of excuses because of this pandemic.
Filing the letter at 11:20pm 😅 now that I see the big support this movement has I'm not afraid to homeschooling my kids. A lot of great resources like this amazing video out there. I was a bit scared on how the evaluations are going to work out for my autistic son, but I'll be doing my best 🙌 thank you!
I think it's weird that people freak out over things like the portfolio. People SHOULD have to show that they are doing something and not being educationally neglected.
Just like anything, we you care about something and you want to present it well, you get nervous about it and want as much information on it as you can get so you can do a good job.
Yup! Anyone with a Florida Certification can evaluate in the state of Florida. Also I might be expanding my professionalism in the homeschool community, prayer form me because I want to make sure this is form .
i want to homeschool my kids but one thing I don't get, when I file the intent to homeschool do I put all of my kids even if they are not 5 or 6 years old as yet. i have a 2, 4, and 11 year old. my 4 is going to make 5 in oct. do i put her on the form too or not?
In regards to the annual assessment, if we receive Step Up funding, I don't believe we have any other option other then the state testing inside the school setting. Can you confirm? Have you heard anything about that?
No, there is a list on the step up for students website of test you can take. There are some online, I know I have administered the IOWA at a homeschool co-op. You don’t have to go into a school setting.
I want my kids to finish this school year, out at the end of May 2023. If I want to deschool for 6months since my oldest has been in public school for 6 years, do I submit the intent to homeschool at the start of the county school year in Aug 2023 even though we won't start homeschool until Jan 2024?
Florida is an amazing state... just have to say that. We have so many new comers, the housing market is crazy. In regards to homeschool, all you do is terminate your homeschooling in your previous state. Then within 30 days, send in a letter of intention to homeschool to your district. It doesn't matter when. That date, it could be September or April, that date is your yearly anniversary. Every year you have to turn in your evaluation on that month.
my daughter will turn 2 August 6, 2021. She does have Down. Syndrome. However so very intelligent! How would I go about Pre-school so to speak in FL. We actually just moved to Fort Myers a couple months ago... (which is weird bc I totally subscribed to your videos before I knew we were moving here! lol) I am so lost, but your info is super helpful, and I really appreciate it during this move/transition!
Not much, I believe the Gardiner scholarship starts at 3 years and once you get that they will give you money to pay for anything homeschool, education related. But enrolling with the state doesn't happen until they are older. Fort Myers is a great city. Much more relaxed than our city. Praying for your move. Hope it goes well.
@@LivingWithEve thank you, I'll look into it. Fort Myers is nice, I like that it's calm for the most part. Within the next year, we will be moving to Naples, which I like even more than here in Fort Myers.
Anytime within 30 days. So I would just withdraw now. Same is true when you withdraw them. If you withdraw them on October 1st you have 30 days to get the letter of intent turned in. So anytime between October 1st and October 30 they must receive that letter.
where is your video about the portfolio, also can you create video about the nationally normed testing? also, since I am starting at a kindergarden level this year, do I need a letter of intent? The web says age 6 is the required age for the letter of intent.
We are coming to a decision and want to keep my kindergartener home. He has school tomorrow but don’t want to send him and want to get on the roll of sending the letter if intent. In the mean time what do i do about his school? If we intend to keep him home do i have to call the school and just let them know we are deciding home school so he will no longer be participating and will be sending the letter. This is the part that confuses me. He’s only been in school for a 2 weeks and we are pulling him out and want to do that this week.
I just got this. Sorry. I hope you found an answer, if not..... So if you are going to pull him out to homeschool, yes, you will need to withdraw him from the school. You will then need to send in your letter of intent to the district within 30 days. There are form on the FPEA website. It's super easy.
Florida Flex Virtual School? So if your doing the Gardner scholarship, then it is considered being in Public School. However that's the only one who views it that way. Each district sees it as just a class your taking and your official status in homeschool. Everything in regards to paperwork, evaluations, all of this works as if you are homeschooled. Now if you enroll full time with FLVS... you are public school.
I need help for the last homeschool year we did not do well and I did not do an evaluation my highschooler is already 18 my question is can we continue to homeschool we would be starting 10th again? What should I do?
You can homeschool as long as you need to, however if they are 18 you do not need to do an evaluation. I have a lot of questions because I don't really know your complete situation. Can you email me? Livingwitheve@gmail.com
Thank you so much for all of the info! We will be moving to Florida in October and will have a couple of months done already in our current state. How would this work with the letter of intent? I am happy I found your channel!
Just send it in when you get here. That date will be your anniversary date, you have to have your yearly evaluation in by that date the following year. You can decide everything else, when you start, vacation, take off. The state doesn't care much about that stuff. They don't even care about attendance. They want to see improvements.
Can the NWEA Map test be used to evaluate your kid in FL? About to start kindergarten and all of the laws for fl homeschoolers seems like a lot. Also how do we advocate they change them? Lol
No The NWA is not a nationally normed test. The Florida homeschool laws are actually there to protect you. Believe it or not. The way they are written actually advocates for you to have complete control over your child's education. The portfolio evaluation is not scary, it's actually in your hands. You actually do not need to test at all, just do a portfolio evaluation with a homeschool-certified teacher. You get to pick them. And if you don't like their response you find another evaluator.
Do FL high school students need to take any testing's? We are looking at pert now for dual enrollment. I just don't understand the testing requirements. Do they need to take achievement tests or ACT? We use portfolios for evals. I just don't want my kiddos to get to 12th grade and realize they were supposed to have a specific test done prior to moving on. We moved here from PA so I'm learning (slowly) how everything is different.
You don't have to test for homeschool requirements, but colleges will want either SAT or ACTs for admissions. So its a good ideas to have those done if they want to go that route.
When homeschooling, unless you are part of an umbrella school, it doesn’t matter. You make the rules. We do sit down work for maybe 2 - 4 hours, but we are active with field trips, co-ops, and activities.
Hi Eve do you think you could do our annual evaluation, we are due in September 2022, this is our first year for us, and we are so nervous, and scared.
You are suppose to do your letter of termination (for sure) if you enroll them anywhere other than homeschool. Most make you do the final evaluation but some will not. Your suppose to, but you really just have to ask them.
If you are a licensed FL teacher can you serve as your child's evaluator? We are possibly moving from CA to FL and I also am a former public school teacher turned homeschool mom.
Can i start at mid year? I can have him finish in december and start homeschooling in january or does it have to start at the begining of the school year?
My daughter is home schooled in the state of Florida. She is just finishing her 9th grade year. She is interested in attending welding school after she turns 16. I read the 2020 Florida Statutes , especially 1007.27 and 1007.271. I believe she would be able to do duel enrollment and the state would cover the fees. When I contacted the school, they said no. What do you think?
I think some things were changed in regards to duel enrollment last year. But I am not quit sure because I have been dealing with that directly. I would go on a Facebook group and ask them. Sorry i couldn't be better help.
@@LivingWithEve Thank you so much!! My evaluator put the bug in my ear for dual enrollment. I never thought of it before. I contacted the assistant director at the school that denied her, I'm hoping to get a different answer. She was approved for another county though!! We'll see. Thank you so much for introducing me to the Statutes. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't know where to go and what to use!
Hi! The Tech school that denied me in my county contacted me. She will be able to go there also if we so choose! I guess they reviewed the Florida Statues? So happy!! Thanks for the info!!
I think you can download a summary or grade book from the website. Or you can take screenshots of his work and put it in a folder on your computer and do virtual portfolio. Some people actually have Facebook and Instagram portfolios where all of there work is online there.
How does the evaluations work for homeschooling an autistic child? Does it still work the same? I'm in Illinois and will start homeschooling my 5yr in 2 weeks. Here in Illinois we do not have to report anything. But we are considering moving to Florida in about a year?
It's exactly the same. But we do have the empowerment scholarship, which gives the homeschool students up to $10,000 a year if they have qualifying disabilities. (formerly called Gardiner Scholarship).
I have been having my mother home school my kids since October 2020. I received a letter in the mail yesterday stating that they had mailed me a letter requesting an evaluation and since I didn't comply, they say I have 3 days to enroll my kids in public school. I did not get their first letter. I'm devastated.... And they are all out of the office this week on holiday. Is there a possibility that they will give me an extension on this? :(
I just now read this. Call them and explain you never got their letter and that its first year and you didn't completely understand. (I am so hoping you did this already). Usually, they will work with you as long as you communicate.
Hi Eve, do I need to submit a Letter of Intent if I'm already homeschooling my child from out of state? Meaning that I would have disenrolled my child in order to homeschool prior moving to FL. Thanks so much for everything you do for the community!
I am new to this and plan on doing flvs flex starting in August. I keep seeing that the first step is to file the letter of intent but do I have to go to the actual school they attend now at the end of the year to unenroll them or does sending a letter of intent to the district take care of that?
@mrs.meowgi4879 when ever you want. There is not law on how early. Buy if you turn in the paperwork now the district may, by default, send you a letter telling you to turn it in next year. What you need to remember is that homeschool is different that public school. And that paper that you turn in, the notice of intent to homeschool, doesn’t dictate your school year or start date. You can start without having to turn on the paperwork. Just turn it in next year in August and start record keeping for the portfolio then. Plus by law, homeschoolers are not assigned a grade. So she can be at a 1st grade level at age 5. It doesn’t matter to the district. Now the only expecting is if you enroll in a public school class or Florida Virtual School. But then, it’s just a number, and you tell them that number and you decided that number. Hope that helps.
We were with one our first year. We had to supply medical forms with our application and track attendance to 180 days. Umbrella schools are considered private schools in FL, even though many have no additional requirements. We have since used only the county letter of intent and portfolio method.
Are there any differences when you’re homeschooling a special needs child who had an IEP in traditional school and was in the special ed room? We just moved to Florida are our daughter is currently going to ABA full-time.
@@LivingWithEve I guess I wouldn’t exactly no where to begin or how to know that I’m showing correct progress, shes technical supposed to be doing in 9th grade but she’s more like a kindergartener.. she has never thrived in traditional school and our experience with her was more like school was a bad babysitter if that makes any sense. So the autism center said I could homeschool her so that’s what I’m going to do but i have no clue what I’m doing 🙈
We live in Miami Dade. I enrolled my son in public school to start this Monday. But I just change my mind and I want to start homeschooling. Would I be able to file letter of intent and keep him enrolled in the public while I get the confirmation that they received letter?
You have 30 days. So technically you can go to the school, tell him that you are withdrawing and send in your Letter of Intent. They just have to receive the letter within 30 days of your withdraw.
Hi we are living on Long Island right now but we might move to Florida by next school year. My 5th and 6th graders are doing an online Christian Academy this year and my question is if we moved to Florida do we still need to be evaluated and keep portfolios? Also my daughter is 4 right now but we will probably continue to homeschool her if we move to Florida. Are we allowed to choose option 1 of homeschooling for her and option 2 for our boys?
No, that's my opinion. I would wait until the last moment. In the long run, it doesn't make any difference. Florida never requires you to report their grade level and they will never ask. So you could start schooling her now, and when she is ready to register for her first year with the county, she could be reading at a second grade level, it doesn't matter. By waiting you will save yourself stress and you will not need an evaluation until she is registered. If you do it early, you will have to do the evaluation early. Remember, they don't care about the grade level and they don't even count the years she is registered. In fact a lot of parents keep their high schoolers extra long so they can do Duel Enrollment. It's free college.
I'm so glad I found this channel? I'm in Tampa and I am disenrolling my two kids at the end of this year. They are currently doing the online learning. It's very instresting to see things this year because of the Covid Show. I see a lot of teachers and kids are " forced" into wearing masks which are against the law here in Florida. 876.12 876.13 876.14. 876.15 876.20 I mention those LAWS bc I notice they are being broken all over and I wondered what LAWS the state of FLORIDA follows? Since they are choosing not to follow some of the LAWS? Could a parent choose not to follow the homeschool LAWS as well? Thanks for the information. God bless you and your family.🕊️🙏🏽🇺🇲❤️🤍💙
I appreciate your comment and thank you. The laws for homeschooling are very relaxed and I believe you will really enjoy homeschooling. Also... You will find that homeschooling in Florida has a lot of support and a lot of fighters making sure School Districts do not break the laws. We have a wonderful organization of lawyers called HSLDA. And Brenda Dickenson with HEF www.flhef.org/about/ She is our only, but super amazing lobbyist. Since you are in Tampa, I do not know what area, but from what you said, I think you would really enjoy getting involved with some different homeschool coops. Check out Class Source in Lutz. Amazing resources, support and people. I have some others that you may be interested in, just let me know.
Hi Eve, firstly thank you for such an informative video 🙏 I hope you can answer this, my child just turned six in April and because of the pandemic, I never enrolled him in school and have ctually been homeschooling him through kindergarten instead. The compulsory age requirement confuses me, was I required to send a letter of intent last August or am I good with sending it this coming August when I move him in to 1st? Thanks so much🙏
You can send it in August, you should be fine. You can send now if you like. Thankfully the district will never ask you for their grade level unless you enroll them. So seriously, don't worry about that part.
@@LivingWithEve Thank you so much! All the legalities get to me 🙏 Btw, I saw you are an evaluator, would you be able to perform this virtually? I’m in Miami, not sure of your location. Thanks!
Thank you so much for doing this video ! Question - if I already submitted a letter of intent with -too much info- meaning that my son was in the 10th grade when I pulled him from school and I don’t believe he is at that level. Can I select a lower grade - I’m using time4learning for now while I fully decide what we will do .. any advise ? Can I change it? How would that impact us ?
By law, you do not need to tell the county their grade level. So they are completely out of it. With that being said, if you want to lower or raise his grade level, that is completely your call. He is still progressing because he is still learning new things everyday. Using Time4learing is a great program, and you may fall in love with it. Since he is high school, really think about College. Is he college bound, technical school bound, ect... That can really help you decide which way to go. If he is college bound - they will request transcripts and specific classes. And it varies from college to college sometimes. So talk to the colleges, technical schools, community colleges, ect... directly. You do not need to look at the State K-12 requirements. That is only for you. Yes you can change your curriculum whenever you see fit. If it doesn't work, don't hesitate to throw it out. I have done that many many times. It won't impact you in regards to the State requirements. They never need to know. This is between you and your evaluator, and really just you and your husbands. Your evaluator is just there to give you the thumbs up. For Curriculum, for High School, there is a lot! But you also have to look at his level and teaching style. I can give you some popular ones, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Also I don't know where you are faith wise, alot of curriculum is christian, I will give both. I'll put a (C) next to the Christian ones. Math: Teaching Textbooks, Shirman Creative Writing: IEW Literature: Moving Beyond The Page, Total Language Plus, Brave Writer History: Story of the World, Notgrass Science: Apologia (C) Complete Curriculums - Either broken up subject by subject or you can get it as a whole. Sonlight (C) BookShark BJU (C) Christian Liberty Press (C) ABEKA (C) Hope this helps.
Living With Eve thank you so much for your prompt and detailed response! I am so nervous with this transition but so excited for the opportunities to learn what we want! My high schooler has a learning/mental disability and autism. He is set in not going to college but I want to make sure he has the life skills to hopefully live on his own (even if it’s nextdoor). Any tips / tricks of people that you know that can help me find a “curriculum” that is not only academic but life skill based I would be so forever grateful. I’m not sure where in Florida you are located, I’m in Hernando county
Very informative video. I also live in Florida and want to homeschool. My kids were considered truant this past school year for being late/absent certain amount of days. Does this affect being able to homeschool? Also, to withdraw them from school, do I have to go personally or can I send a letter?
You will need to check with your district on this. If i am not mistaken, you will be allowed to homeschool on probation. But you for sure need to check. In regards to withdraw. Usually you go in person, however there may be an exception due to the pandemic. hope this helps.
If your enrolled full time, no. Contact the district and ask them how to report the grades and enrollment. I don’t know how each county does it but Hillsborough has a form. If you are taking a class or two through flex, then yes. You will still be considered homeschooled and must either get a portfolio review, test or psychologist review.
As far as I know, no state makes you put your kid in a curriculum. I know states like Texas say you have to teach certain subjects but they always let you teach how. Just check on your state’s requirements to find out how they need to evaluated or test or if they have to have anything at all. But lot of moms just read books, play play dough and clean together for kindergarten. Some people call that unschooling.
Please understand there are 5 options to the Annual Evaluation (this can be confusing at times). You only need to pick one.
A) Portfolio Evaluations
(most popular)
B) Nationally Normed Achievement Test
C) State Assessment Test
D) Psychologist Evaluation
E) Any other valid measurement tool of agreed upon by the parent and district
superintendent
A this apply to flv
A flex too?
@Living With Eve Question: What should I do? I received a letter stating they (School District ) are dropping my child from homeschooling because I didn't comply by providing an evaluation. Normally we do the
psychological and educational test, my child has special ( I like to say higher needs) needs. Because of COVID-19 and the shut down we didn't get testing done. I thought that it would be waved or voided for last school year. Please help, I'm nervous 😓 Ps. Thanks for sharing, new Subbie 🤗
I am assuming this is your first letter. Call the district, explain your situation and ask for an extension. They usually give you 30 days, sometimes 60 depending on the district. You need to book an evaluator. They are pretty easy to get. Try to get together a portfolio and go that route. That is unless you can get in with the psychologist soon. The letters are usually there to scare you, but if you contact them they usually work with you, especially with the pandemic.
And no, the state did not waiver the evaluation, unfortunately . They did extend it though. Hope that helps.
@@LivingWithEve thank you so very much blessings to you and your family. Ps. Will teachers do the evaluation over the phone ?😀 And are you available? Yes this is my first letter.
I’ve got September booked. The FPEA has a list. Also you can go to the Florida homeschool Facebook groups and just ask. You’ll get like 10 people offering services within the hour. Most of us are using zoom or FaceTime.
That’s really sad. The state we are coming from is so free. This feels like coparenting with the government 😭😭😭😭. We haven’t moved yet but may. I read up on HSLDA and then found this. This is a major deterrent to moving to FL and it’s pretty surprising given they have a reputation of freedom yet this isn’t even close to freedom. Thanks for making these videos it does make it easier to understand I’m just disappointed to learn these things. :(
It sounds scary, but it’s not. Most evaluators are homeschool moms that get it. And the ball is in your court. You pick your evaluator, you pick what you put in the portfolio, the evaluator is not allowed to tell you what you should do or don’t do. They just check to see if you did something. If you don’t want an evaluator, do an umbrella school. The act like a private school in Florida legally, but it’s basically homeschool. Florida is very free once you understand what the law actually says.
@@LivingWithEve ......Great relief to know the process. Bless you dear !!
Right. All we do if a yearly NOI. Thats it! We are looking at different states to move to.
Yikes this is literally more difficult and we are coming from Commie-fornia 😬
It’s not difficult. Most evaluators are homeschool parents. So it’s an easy evaluation. Some states require you to go to the school district once a year.
left all the social media channels,I am a conservative parent, glad finding you with my world views.
Wow coming from North Carolina where we have a ton more freedom in homeschool. This is SO much more than what I was expecting.
But it’s not scary. It’s just different. Most evaluators are homeschool moms, so they get it.
It has totally overwhelmed me too. So not use to having to have an evaluator, etc. We have far more freedom in NC. We are spoiled in NC! I'm sure once we get into it there it'll become easier but man I'm spoiled.
Super helpful! Moving from out of state and trying to figure it out!
I love seeing other homeschool laws. Great tip about dating your kids work it’s a great reminder for all.
I’m glad we don’t have to do evaluations in MO, but if we had to, I would like to have all these options!
Thank you! My family is seriously planning on a move to Fl and homeschool laws are my highest concern. At first that annual evaluation totally freaked me out since my current state doesn't require any form of yearly eval.I really dont want the school system having any part of our homeschool 😜 But this video eased my fears a bit. I appreciate your channel!
Yeah I freaked out a bit too but I then realized that you aren't assigned an evaluator-- you get to pick so they aren't necessarily "the school system" if that makes sense
Register under a private school umbrella and you don’t have to follow any of the other requirements. We are unschoolers so we are going with the Florida unschoolers.
We came from IL and it doesn’t have any requirements so I was saddened to realize FL does but I was happy to see we can do the umbrella and skip all the other requirements.
Wow i was so nervous❤ and your joyful direct accurate approach made things 1000% better keep up the good work Queen thanks!🎉
You explained everything so well! We homeschool in FL and have always done the portfolio review. It’s not as scary as it sounded at first!
Exactly. I think a lot of people worry because they expect more rules and guideline. But there aren’t many.
That was so informative and really clearly explained! I had no idea you had to be evaluated every year. I would love to homeschool!
You should do it! I'm not joking. If it is heavy on your heart, taking one year to try it won't do any damage. If fact you will be surprised at how amazing and supportive this community is.
You explained all the options brilliantly and it was actually really interesting. There are so many different rules and options from different states to differently countries, it’s crazy such the difference. Great information :)
Thank you so much! That means a lot.
Thank you for posting a video on the homeschool laws in Florida. I've been studying them to understand what I'll have to do when the time comes.
Thank you! 🙌 just starting homeschooling my kids. 🥰
This. Is. Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this in an easy-to-understand format. I've been reading, researching, and stressing, but this really helped me make the decision to home school. We're currently doing eLearning because of covid, and frankly, it SUCKS! They're really not learning anything. Let's do this!
Congratulation!!!!! Enjoy the process and relax into it. You are going to an amazing job!
Omg I’m in the same boat!!! Learning about homeschooling cause this distance learning is not for my littles !!!
You’ll do awesome! Enjoy the journey! And the FREEDOM!!!
@@LivingWithEve thank u! Learning more about what curriculum i want to chose
The idea of an annual evaluation must be stressful for homeschooling parents in FL! But you explained the options very well and made it sound less daunting. I had always heard how hard it was to homeschool in FL but it doesn’t sound that bad.
Florida is actually suppose to be an easy state to homeschool in. We’ve just been in the new a lot lately, but HSLDA is working it out. They are amazing!
This is a great video. My kids are going to 2nd grade next year and I'm REALLY considering Home Schooling them.
Thank you for taking the time to explain all this for us.
So you are in Florida. Okay... awesome.
Living With Eve Yes, we live in Miami 👍🏻
thanks for this very informative video..homeschooling is pretty rare over here in Austria..so it was great to learn everything about it !
This is really cool. We're pretty happy in California, but I love knowing what our options are in case we ever change our minds.
This is soooo awesome!! Thank you!! And yes, I would be interested in more info on the national evaluation tests.
Okay cool, I'm going to look into to doing more of that.
Please do more
im not from Florida, but the information was really useful, thanks!
Great video with lots of information! Thanks for sharing the Florida laws with us
Very informative! You always do such a great job in explaining things!
Thank you! ❤️
I’m so happy I found this channel!
Yeah! Me too, let me know if I can answer any questions.
Great job at being informative spreading on much needed info in your area, homschool rocks!
This was a very interesting and informative video for parents considering home schooling 😃 thanks for sharing! Big thumbs up & new friends here! 😊💖💜💖👍
this is pretty cool and learn some new things about homeschooling. Great job on this
I am very interested in seeing a video about the norm testing plz!!! I'm going to be homeschooling my son starting next year and I'm very nervous about any issues I may run into with the state doing so, very helpful video thank you!!! 😁
What state are you in?
@@LivingWithEve I'm in florida, and my son is currently in 4th grade
@@LivingWithEve also, how would I go about getting a teacher to evaluate his progress of that is the route I wanted to take? Would it be wise to ask his teacher if she would do it in the future? Or should I go about finding a different evaluator?
Kristina Jakakas so if you decide to do the portfolio evaluation, most of the time your county will have a list of local evaluator and you can call them. You could also ask your friends or others in a local coop. You can also ask local FB groups. Of course I do them too so I could always Skype if your not local. I would not get a current public school teacher. Most of the time they do not understand the laws associated with evaluating a homeschooler. It could be way too stressful or a disaster!
Most evaluator are homeschool Moms or previous homeschool Moms. There is nothing to be scared about especially since they are doing it also. It’s best to go with them. But do ask around! There are some amazing evaluators out there.
When it comes to Norm Testing, understand that you do not necessarily have to show the state the scores, and honestly I advise parents not too. (We can message if you have more question about this.) Homeschooling is completely different than public school. The state doesn’t need your scores. When a parent chooses to test, they usually want to compare the grade from previous years, see improvement, see what they need to work on or something personal. If your child does poorly on the test, it doesn’t matter, the state will not see them most likely. So in a sense, the state will not have any issues at all with you if you choose to do the test. Does that make sense?
@@LivingWithEve oh my goodness, thank you very much! I'm glad I ran across your videos. I don't have a fb, or really any social media currently, I have managed to stay away from it for a while, however if there's a private way to exchange email I work like to so. I looked up the fpea that you mentioned to and send very helpful as well. Like I said, I've been nervous because I don't want to mess up my sons chance of getting into college or face any repercussions of not having him enrolled in a school in the district. I was even under the impression that in order to home school I needed to buy one of the online programs like the k-12 program, so this is kind of a breath of fresh air. Thank you for your advice. And plz, if there is a way to exchange email privately that would be great, plz let me know, and thx again. I'd like to reach out to you in the future if if I have any more questions once I have this process going. Also, does my son need to start doing work now for his portfolio, so the superintendent can see within the 15 days of his removal letter? In case they do ask to see it. Or can he start his portfolio when he's in the process of homeschooling? I printed out the removal forum from the fpea website and had intentions to send it at the end of this year. Sorry to bombard so many questions lol
Or register under a private school umbrella and you don’t have to follow any of the other requirements.
Great video! 💗 I am interested in a homeschooling highschool video. Thank you bunches
Awesome! I have found some great resources and some experience parent to help me get their perspective.
It's interesting how the homeschool laws vary from state to state. Florida isn't as bad as I thought, for homeschooling.
It’s considered pretty easy. You just have to know the laws.
For the Psychologist option if we have adhd/autistic kids who already see one i feel like that might be easier? adhd kids see one every month anyway if they're getting treatment.
Moving to Florida and all these rules make me nervous to homeschool there. I don't like the public school systems, though. It's so much easier to homeschool in Minnesota.
It's not that scary, I promise.
Thank you 😊 this was really helpful !!
Do you have a video on umbrella schools? Thanks for the video! As a mom just starting to homeschool in Florida this was super helpful and easy to understand!
Not yet, I've never been a part of one, but i know some owners and families involved with them. Something to think about doing, thanks for the advice.
Aspiring Heights Academy is one of the best. You can call Jody Davis, who is the guidance counselor and it's so worth having an umbrella school vs. Dealing w/all the requirements you just heard in this video. I still keep my children's portfolio and their FLVS Flex transcripts but would not give up the benefits of our umbrella school. Best to you and your family.
I’ve really been loving this playlist! :D
Great info, thanks!
can you please make a video all about how hard or easy is to transfer a homeschool student to public school or FLVS.
Well it is really easy. You send in a Termination Letter to the County and then enroll them into FLVS or Public School. The FPEA website has a sample letter and most of the time the county will have one too.
Thank you🙏♥️
Thus was great !! Thank you
great details!!!
You say very well !
Oh boy! 30 days notice beforehand. I want to file tomorrow (it took a virus to give us the push we needed) but I wonder if it is too late in the year to send a letter of intent.
No, go back and listen again 1:20 . When you withdraw your child from Public school you have 30 days to get your letter of intent turned in. No it is not to late to turn it in!! Summer does not count and there are are a lot of excuses because of this pandemic.
@@LivingWithEve thank you very much for the thorough explanation! Maybe I shouldn't try to retain important information so late in the night 🤪
Filing the letter at 11:20pm 😅 now that I see the big support this movement has I'm not afraid to homeschooling my kids. A lot of great resources like this amazing video out there. I was a bit scared on how the evaluations are going to work out for my autistic son, but I'll be doing my best 🙌 thank you!
I think it's weird that people freak out over things like the portfolio. People SHOULD have to show that they are doing something and not being educationally neglected.
Just like anything, we you care about something and you want to present it well, you get nervous about it and want as much information on it as you can get so you can do a good job.
Great video.
I had no idea you were an evaluator
Yup! Anyone with a Florida Certification can evaluate in the state of Florida. Also I might be expanding my professionalism in the homeschool community, prayer form me because I want to make sure this is form .
Thanks so much!
Thank you!
i want to homeschool my kids but one thing I don't get, when I file the intent to homeschool do I put all of my kids even if they are not 5 or 6 years old as yet. i have a 2, 4, and 11 year old. my 4 is going to make 5 in oct. do i put her on the form too or not?
No, just the school age kids. When they younger kids read that age, send in an intent to homeschool.
In regards to the annual assessment, if we receive Step Up funding, I don't believe we have any other option other then the state testing inside the school setting. Can you confirm? Have you heard anything about that?
No, there is a list on the step up for students website of test you can take. There are some online, I know I have administered the IOWA at a homeschool co-op. You don’t have to go into a school setting.
I want my kids to finish this school year, out at the end of May 2023. If I want to deschool for 6months since my oldest has been in public school for 6 years, do I submit the intent to homeschool at the start of the county school year in Aug 2023 even though we won't start homeschool until Jan 2024?
Yes, but you can also keep track of what you do when you deschool. For example field trips, things that create, read, ect..
What if you move from another state to FL in the middle of the homeschool year? What laws do you go by? Thanks :).
Florida is an amazing state... just have to say that. We have so many new comers, the housing market is crazy.
In regards to homeschool, all you do is terminate your homeschooling in your previous state. Then within 30 days, send in a letter of intention to homeschool to your district. It doesn't matter when. That date, it could be September or April, that date is your yearly anniversary. Every year you have to turn in your evaluation on that month.
Where can I find the other highschool videos?
Specifically?
my daughter will turn 2 August 6, 2021. She does have Down. Syndrome. However so very intelligent! How would I go about Pre-school so to speak in FL. We actually just moved to Fort Myers a couple months ago... (which is weird bc I totally subscribed to your videos before I knew we were moving here! lol) I am so lost, but your info is super helpful, and I really appreciate it during this move/transition!
Not much, I believe the Gardiner scholarship starts at 3 years and once you get that they will give you money to pay for anything homeschool, education related. But enrolling with the state doesn't happen until they are older. Fort Myers is a great city. Much more relaxed than our city. Praying for your move. Hope it goes well.
@@LivingWithEve thank you, I'll look into it. Fort Myers is nice, I like that it's calm for the most part. Within the next year, we will be moving to Naples, which I like even more than here in Fort Myers.
how soon can I withdraw my child from public school, once I send in the letter of intent?, thank you., love your videos.
Anytime within 30 days. So I would just withdraw now.
Same is true when you withdraw them. If you withdraw them on October 1st you have 30 days to get the letter of intent turned in. So anytime between October 1st and October 30 they must receive that letter.
where is your video about the portfolio, also can you create video about the nationally normed testing?
also, since I am starting at a kindergarden level this year, do I need a letter of intent? The web says age 6 is the required age for the letter of intent.
Age 6 by Feb. 1st, if so, yes you will need to have a letter of intent turned in.
ruclips.net/video/qU89t2HMFK4/видео.html
Thank you 🙏🏼 god bless you for responding. I’m so nervous about this journey.
We are coming to a decision and want to keep my kindergartener home. He has school tomorrow but don’t want to send him and want to get on the roll of sending the letter if intent. In the mean time what do i do about his school? If we intend to keep him home do i have to call the school and just let them know we are deciding home school so he will no longer be participating and will be sending the letter. This is the part that confuses me. He’s only been in school for a 2 weeks and we are pulling him out and want to do that this week.
I just got this. Sorry. I hope you found an answer, if not..... So if you are going to pull him out to homeschool, yes, you will need to withdraw him from the school. You will then need to send in your letter of intent to the district within 30 days. There are form on the FPEA website. It's super easy.
Is flex the same as homeschooling? Thank you for this video
Florida Flex Virtual School?
So if your doing the Gardner scholarship, then it is considered being in Public School. However that's the only one who views it that way.
Each district sees it as just a class your taking and your official status in homeschool. Everything in regards to paperwork, evaluations, all of this works as if you are homeschooled. Now if you enroll full time with FLVS... you are public school.
I need help for the last homeschool year we did not do well and I did not do an evaluation my highschooler is already 18 my question is can we continue to homeschool we would be starting 10th again? What should I do?
You can homeschool as long as you need to, however if they are 18 you do not need to do an evaluation. I have a lot of questions because I don't really know your complete situation. Can you email me? Livingwitheve@gmail.com
Thank you so much for all of the info! We will be moving to Florida in October and will have a couple of months done already in our current state. How would this work with the letter of intent? I am happy I found your channel!
Just send it in when you get here. That date will be your anniversary date, you have to have your yearly evaluation in by that date the following year. You can decide everything else, when you start, vacation, take off. The state doesn't care much about that stuff. They don't even care about attendance. They want to see improvements.
@@LivingWithEve thank you so much for your reply! That helps so much and makes it a ton easier than I expected!
Hello, could someone give me some information about school funds intended for homeschool children?
Only for special needs and learning disabilities and low income. It’s through the website www.stepupforstudents.org
How can I connect with you for evaluations? I’m new to homeschooling and trying to get organized before I launch.
Email lei101978@hotmail.com
I am actually booking up pretty fast.
Can the NWEA Map test be used to evaluate your kid in FL? About to start kindergarten and all of the laws for fl homeschoolers seems like a lot. Also how do we advocate they change them? Lol
No The NWA is not a nationally normed test. The Florida homeschool laws are actually there to protect you. Believe it or not. The way they are written actually advocates for you to have complete control over your child's education. The portfolio evaluation is not scary, it's actually in your hands. You actually do not need to test at all, just do a portfolio evaluation with a homeschool-certified teacher. You get to pick them. And if you don't like their response you find another evaluator.
Do FL high school students need to take any testing's? We are looking at pert now for dual enrollment. I just don't understand the testing requirements. Do they need to take achievement tests or ACT? We use portfolios for evals. I just don't want my kiddos to get to 12th grade and realize they were supposed to have a specific test done prior to moving on. We moved here from PA so I'm learning (slowly) how everything is different.
You don't have to test for homeschool requirements, but colleges will want either SAT or ACTs for admissions. So its a good ideas to have those done if they want to go that route.
How many hours a day do the kids need to be working
When homeschooling, unless you are part of an umbrella school, it doesn’t matter. You make the rules. We do sit down work for maybe 2 - 4 hours, but we are active with field trips, co-ops, and activities.
Hi Eve do you think you could do our annual evaluation, we are due in September 2022, this is our first year for us, and we are so nervous, and scared.
Sure, just email me sometime in March
Does any of this stuff need to be done if a student is going to register at a private school verses public education?
You are suppose to do your letter of termination (for sure) if you enroll them anywhere other than homeschool. Most make you do the final evaluation but some will not. Your suppose to, but you really just have to ask them.
If you are a licensed FL teacher can you serve as your child's evaluator? We are possibly moving from CA to FL and I also am a former public school teacher turned homeschool mom.
Yes, you have to have a certificate from the Florida in order to evaluate and yes, you can evaluate your own children. I evaluate my own children.
Just moved to Florida and I am not sure how to go about finding someone to do the annual evaluation. Is there somewhere you can go to do that?
Well I do evaluation. But a google search of Facebook will help you. It usually all private.
Do you have to send vaccines/medical records to the county when you homeschool in FL? Looking forward to seeing the video on umbrella schools.
No you do not. In fact a lot of Mom homeschool specifically so they do not have to vaccinate. (Even though we still have a religious exemption.)
@@LivingWithEve Thank you
What about MAPS?
I am not very familiar with that test specifically. Sorry.
we recently moved here. the state we were in required keeping attendance. is that something required here??
No, you do not have to keep attendance.
Can i start at mid year? I can have him finish in december and start homeschooling in january or does it have to start at the begining of the school year?
Absolutely! Just turn in your paperwork for the country (intent to homeschool) and withdraw him in January.
My daughter is home schooled in the state of Florida. She is just finishing her 9th grade year. She is interested in attending welding school after she turns 16. I read the 2020 Florida Statutes , especially 1007.27 and 1007.271. I believe she would be able to do duel enrollment and the state would cover the fees. When I contacted the school, they said no. What do you think?
I think some things were changed in regards to duel enrollment last year. But I am not quit sure because I have been dealing with that directly. I would go on a Facebook group and ask them. Sorry i couldn't be better help.
@@LivingWithEve Thank you so much!! My evaluator put the bug in my ear for dual enrollment. I never thought of it before. I contacted the assistant director at the school that denied her, I'm hoping to get a different answer. She was approved for another county though!! We'll see. Thank you so much for introducing me to the Statutes. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't know where to go and what to use!
Hi! The Tech school that denied me in my county contacted me. She will be able to go there also if we so choose! I guess they reviewed the Florida Statues? So happy!! Thanks for the info!!
Puedes ayudarme ,soy de otro pais
Cómo puedo ayudar
Is it ok to submit the letter of intent on line?
You can email it to the district, usually.
Hi! If my son is doing something daily like time4learning how do I show that work in a portfolio?
I think you can download a summary or grade book from the website. Or you can take screenshots of his work and put it in a folder on your computer and do virtual portfolio. Some people actually have Facebook and Instagram portfolios where all of there work is online there.
How does the evaluations work for homeschooling an autistic child? Does it still work the same? I'm in Illinois and will start homeschooling my 5yr in 2 weeks. Here in Illinois we do not have to report anything. But we are considering moving to Florida in about a year?
It's exactly the same. But we do have the empowerment scholarship, which gives the homeschool students up to $10,000 a year if they have qualifying disabilities. (formerly called Gardiner Scholarship).
I have been having my mother home school my kids since October 2020. I received a letter in the mail yesterday stating that they had mailed me a letter requesting an evaluation and since I didn't comply, they say I have 3 days to enroll my kids in public school. I did not get their first letter. I'm devastated.... And they are all out of the office this week on holiday. Is there a possibility that they will give me an extension on this? :(
I just now read this. Call them and explain you never got their letter and that its first year and you didn't completely understand. (I am so hoping you did this already). Usually, they will work with you as long as you communicate.
Hi. Do you know if I can use the Coverdell saving account for pay for homeschooling even if I don't use an umbrella School?
I have never heard of that. Maybe you can call or ask?
Hi Eve, do I need to submit a Letter of Intent if I'm already homeschooling my child from out of state? Meaning that I would have disenrolled my child in order to homeschool prior moving to FL.
Thanks so much for everything you do for the community!
Yes, once you officially move to Florida and become a Floridian, you have 30 days to submit your intent to homeschool.
Would you need letter of intent for K12 ? I’m in Orlando and I was able to sign up and it’s for kinder-garden
K12 is actually considered a Public Institution. I would contact them and ask.
Yes u can im also in orlando i just did it
Is there any reason why a family member / or friend can’t complete the eval as long as they have a teaching cert?
Yes, family members can do the evaluations. I do my own kid.
I am new to this and plan on doing flvs flex starting in August. I keep seeing that the first step is to file the letter of intent but do I have to go to the actual school they attend now at the end of the year to unenroll them or does sending a letter of intent to the district take care of that?
You should unenroll stop the school.
I have a 4 year old who wont be 5 until April. Can i still start kindergarten with him come this Aug
You can start reading and gently teaching if he’s ready. However I would wait to turn in the homeschool form to the state.
@@LivingWithEve but legally when's the age you can start kindergarten. Hypothetically could a 4 year old start on record
@mrs.meowgi4879 when ever you want. There is not law on how early. Buy if you turn in the paperwork now the district may, by default, send you a letter telling you to turn it in next year.
What you need to remember is that homeschool is different that public school. And that paper that you turn in, the notice of intent to homeschool, doesn’t dictate your school year or start date. You can start without having to turn on the paperwork. Just turn it in next year in August and start record keeping for the portfolio then. Plus by law, homeschoolers are not assigned a grade. So she can be at a 1st grade level at age 5. It doesn’t matter to the district. Now the only expecting is if you enroll in a public school class or Florida Virtual School. But then, it’s just a number, and you tell them that number and you decided that number. Hope that helps.
What is it like to be under an umbrella school in Florida? Which has less requirements?
I honestly don't know. I have heard the Florida Unschoolers Umbrella School is really relaxed.
We were with one our first year. We had to supply medical forms with our application and track attendance to 180 days. Umbrella schools are considered private schools in FL, even though many have no additional requirements. We have since used only the county letter of intent and portfolio method.
Can the Nationally Normed Achievement Test be taken at home?
For it to count towards your evaluation, you have to have a verified teacher administer it. I have done this at several homes.
Are there any differences when you’re homeschooling a special needs child who had an IEP in traditional school and was in the special ed room?
We just moved to Florida are our daughter is currently going to ABA full-time.
Than from a non special needs? Legally? No.
@@LivingWithEve I guess I wouldn’t exactly no where to begin or how to know that I’m showing correct progress, shes technical supposed to be doing in 9th grade but she’s more like a kindergartener.. she has never thrived in traditional school and our experience with her was more like school was a bad babysitter if that makes any sense. So the autism center said I could homeschool her so that’s what I’m going to do but i have no clue what I’m doing 🙈
We live in Miami Dade. I enrolled my son in public school to start this Monday. But I just change my mind and I want to start homeschooling. Would I be able to file letter of intent and keep him enrolled in the public while I get the confirmation that they received letter?
You have 30 days. So technically you can go to the school, tell him that you are withdrawing and send in your Letter of Intent. They just have to receive the letter within 30 days of your withdraw.
Hi we are living on Long Island right now but we might move to Florida by next school year. My 5th and 6th graders are doing an online Christian Academy this year and my question is if we moved to Florida do we still need to be evaluated and keep portfolios? Also my daughter is 4 right now but we will probably continue to homeschool her if we move to Florida. Are we allowed to choose option 1 of homeschooling for her and option 2 for our boys?
Yes to all of your questions. But I will admit that portfolios are not at all intimidating.
Do u need to register your child for grade K if they are 4yr. I read that it's good to register even though your child is not of age yet
No, that's my opinion. I would wait until the last moment. In the long run, it doesn't make any difference. Florida never requires you to report their grade level and they will never ask. So you could start schooling her now, and when she is ready to register for her first year with the county, she could be reading at a second grade level, it doesn't matter. By waiting you will save yourself stress and you will not need an evaluation until she is registered. If you do it early, you will have to do the evaluation early. Remember, they don't care about the grade level and they don't even count the years she is registered. In fact a lot of parents keep their high schoolers extra long so they can do Duel Enrollment. It's free college.
Great. Thank You 😊
I'm so glad I found this channel? I'm in Tampa and I am disenrolling my two kids at the end of this year. They are currently doing the online learning. It's very instresting to see things this year because of the Covid Show. I see a lot of teachers and kids are " forced" into wearing masks which are against the law here in Florida. 876.12 876.13 876.14. 876.15 876.20 I mention those LAWS bc I notice they are being broken all over and I wondered what LAWS the state of FLORIDA follows? Since they are choosing not to follow some of the LAWS? Could a parent choose not to follow the homeschool LAWS as well? Thanks for the information. God bless you and your family.🕊️🙏🏽🇺🇲❤️🤍💙
I appreciate your comment and thank you.
The laws for homeschooling are very relaxed and I believe you will really enjoy homeschooling. Also...
You will find that homeschooling in Florida has a lot of support and a lot of fighters making sure School Districts do not break the laws. We have a wonderful organization of lawyers called HSLDA. And Brenda Dickenson with HEF www.flhef.org/about/ She is our only, but super amazing lobbyist.
Since you are in Tampa, I do not know what area, but from what you said, I think you would really enjoy getting involved with some different homeschool coops. Check out Class Source in Lutz. Amazing resources, support and people. I have some others that you may be interested in, just let me know.
@@LivingWithEve I would to know the other resources and supports and how do we chose our evaluator?
You don’t have to do any of these if you find a private school umbrella to enroll them in then u just continue to homeschool.
Hi Eve, firstly thank you for such an informative video 🙏 I hope you can answer this, my child just turned six in April and because of the pandemic, I never enrolled him in school and have ctually been homeschooling him through kindergarten instead. The compulsory age requirement confuses me, was I required to send a letter of intent last August or am I good with sending it this coming August when I move him in to 1st? Thanks so much🙏
You can send it in August, you should be fine. You can send now if you like. Thankfully the district will never ask you for their grade level unless you enroll them. So seriously, don't worry about that part.
@@LivingWithEve Thank you so much! All the legalities get to me 🙏 Btw, I saw you are an evaluator, would you be able to perform this virtually? I’m in Miami, not sure of your location. Thanks!
Thank you so much for doing this video ! Question - if I already submitted a letter of intent with -too much info- meaning that my son was in the 10th grade when I pulled him from school and I don’t believe he is at that level. Can I select a lower grade - I’m using time4learning for now while I fully decide what we will do .. any advise ? Can I change it? How would that impact us ?
By law, you do not need to tell the county their grade level. So they are completely out of it.
With that being said, if you want to lower or raise his grade level, that is completely your call. He is still progressing because he is still learning new things everyday.
Using Time4learing is a great program, and you may fall in love with it. Since he is high school, really think about College. Is he college bound, technical school bound, ect... That can really help you decide which way to go. If he is college bound - they will request transcripts and specific classes. And it varies from college to college sometimes. So talk to the colleges, technical schools, community colleges, ect... directly. You do not need to look at the State K-12 requirements. That is only for you.
Yes you can change your curriculum whenever you see fit. If it doesn't work, don't hesitate to throw it out. I have done that many many times. It won't impact you in regards to the State requirements. They never need to know. This is between you and your evaluator, and really just you and your husbands. Your evaluator is just there to give you the thumbs up.
For Curriculum, for High School, there is a lot! But you also have to look at his level and teaching style. I can give you some popular ones, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Also I don't know where you are faith wise, alot of curriculum is christian, I will give both. I'll put a (C) next to the Christian ones.
Math: Teaching Textbooks, Shirman
Creative Writing: IEW
Literature: Moving Beyond The Page, Total Language Plus, Brave Writer
History: Story of the World, Notgrass
Science: Apologia (C)
Complete Curriculums - Either broken up subject by subject or you can get it as a whole.
Sonlight (C)
BookShark
BJU (C)
Christian Liberty Press (C)
ABEKA (C)
Hope this helps.
Living With Eve thank you so much for your prompt and detailed response! I am so nervous with this transition but so excited for the opportunities to learn what we want!
My high schooler has a learning/mental disability and autism. He is set in not going to college but I want to make sure he has the life skills to hopefully live on his own (even if it’s nextdoor). Any tips / tricks of people that you know that can help me find a “curriculum” that is not only academic but life skill based I would be so forever grateful. I’m not sure where in Florida you are located, I’m in Hernando county
Does the law require an evaluation or assessment before starting homeschool?
No, it’s only one year after you submit your intent to homeschool form to the district.
Very informative video. I also live in Florida and want to homeschool. My kids were considered truant this past school year for being late/absent certain amount of days. Does this affect being able to homeschool? Also, to withdraw them from school, do I have to go personally or can I send a letter?
And if I can send the letter of withdrawal, where can I send it to?
You will need to check with your district on this. If i am not mistaken, you will be allowed to homeschool on probation. But you for sure need to check. In regards to withdraw. Usually you go in person, however there may be an exception due to the pandemic. hope this helps.
do you still need a portfolio evaluator if you have your child enrolled in Florida Virtual School r?
If your enrolled full time, no. Contact the district and ask them how to report the grades and enrollment. I don’t know how each county does it but Hillsborough has a form.
If you are taking a class or two through flex, then yes. You will still be considered homeschooled and must either get a portfolio review, test or psychologist review.
So you don’t have to put your kindergarten child in a curriculum you can teach them with books at home?
Yes
Living With Eve wow thank you I didn’t know that I have had people tell me I was wrong for not putting my 6 year old in a curriculum
As far as I know, no state makes you put your kid in a curriculum. I know states like Texas say you have to teach certain subjects but they always let you teach how. Just check on your state’s requirements to find out how they need to evaluated or test or if they have to have anything at all. But lot of moms just read books, play play dough and clean together for kindergarten. Some people call that unschooling.
Living With Eve I’m in the state of Florida! Thank you so much for your feedback it’s greatly appreciated!
Lol I just saw that. Sorry! Then you are super lucky to be in one of the most homeschool friendly states with the easiest requirements.
hi eve if my child never been in the school system do i still need a letter of intent?
Yes, this way they will be officially recorded as a home education student. If he doesn’t, and it found out, they would be considered truant.
Thankyou so much.