FAQ
New to homeschooling in Minnesota?
HOW DO I START HOMESCHOOLING MY CHILD?
That is a great question! The short answer: discuss your decision as a family and then jump! Esther's Place will be here to help.
The long answer: It is legal in the state of MN for any parent to educate their child at home, with some very managable state requirements. Minnesota Statue 120A.22 You do not need to report your home educating child to your local district until the October 1st the year your child is 7 years old. So if you have a child younger than 7, you can dip your toes in those sweet homeschooling waters. Parents need to notify the district their intent to homeschool for all children over the age of 7 by October 1. Esther's Place highly recommends this form from MACHE. If you are switching to homeschooling from another school option, you will want to inform the child's school of the switch. If you decide to continue homeschooling, parents need to submit the intent to continue homeschooling form (included on the MACHE link) each year they have a home educating child over the age of 7.
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If you are pulling your child mid school year, you need to submit the Initial Report within 15 days to avoid truancy.
WHAT ABOUT TESTING?
Ahhh, the standardized test. Minnesota students over the age of 7 need to take a yearly standardized test. The freedom you have as the homeschooling parent is you get to choose the test. You also do not need to show the results of the test to anyone. Just make sure to keep them for your records. Visit the MACHE website for their list of test recommendations.
DO I NEED TO KEEP RECORDS OF WHAT WE DO?
Yes, you will want to keep a record of what you child is learning in your homeschool. The law is not specific on what those records need to be, so the general recommendation is records of instruction (think a notebook where you write what you did each day), copies of materials you used (think completed workbooks), and your results of your annual testing. Formal record keeping for the high school level is a whole other ball of wax. But don't panic! It can be done.