It has come to our attention that the Ohio Department of Education has released guidance that conflicts with what we previously told you.
The ODE recently released this statement:
Ohio’s emergency legislation makes a short-term change to reporting requirements for 2019–2020. Typically, parents must send the local superintendent an academic assessment report for the child for the previous school year. That report must include one of three things: the results of a nationally normed, standardized test; a written narrative indicating that a portfolio of samples of the child’s work has been reviewed and that the child’s academic progress meets the child’s abilities; or an alternative academic assessment of proficiency mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent.
Section 17(L) of H.B. 197 exempts the requirement to provide the results of the nationally normed, standardized test to the resident district as a condition of the district continuing to allow the student to be homeschooled in the 2020-2021 school year. However, the parent must still meet one of the other two requirements.
We previously wrote that the Director of Non-Public School Options at the Ohio Department of Education had informed CHEO’s legislative liaison that the intent of Section 17(L) of House Bill 197 was to waive all assessments for homeschoolers, and that it would publish guidance to that effect. It is now unclear whether the ODE will release the guidance it had originally promised.
We will be working with CHEO to contact legislators and ODE staff with our concerns about this. We hope the legislature will clarify its intent regarding homeschooling assessments.
We appreciate your support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to use with your questions or concerns.