HOME SCHOOLING
GUIDELINES
WILLAMETTE EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT
SERVING MARION, POLK AND YAMHILL COUNTIES
Contact: Jami Hammer, Home School Registrar, (503) 540-4482 FAX (503) 385-4875
The Willamette Education Service District (WESD)
is responsible for registering students in Marion, Polk and Yamhill
Counties whose parents or guardians intend to educate their children at
home. In addition, WESD provides general information about
home schooling, but does not provide curriculum, books or materials for
home school students.
REQUIREMENTS
Parents or legal guardians must meet the following requirements to home
school in Oregon:
NOTIFICATION: Parents/guardians of students between the ages of 7
(provided the birth date is on or before September 1) and 18 years of
age must notify the Willamette Education Service District (WESD) in
writing of their intent to home school. Notification must reach the WESD
within ten (10) days of beginning to home school, withdrawing the child
from public school, or moving to a new ESD county. The enclosed
“Notification of Intent to Home School” form serves this purpose:
Registration Form. After
receiving the notification form, the WESD will mail a confirmation
letter to the parents/guardians. Please note that annual notification is
no longer mandatory.
TESTING INFORMATION: Home schooled children must be tested before the
end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. The end of the grade is defined as before
August 15 following the end of that school year. If the child never
attended public or private school, the child must be tested before
August 15 following the end of grade 3. If the child was withdrawn from
public or private school, no testing is required for the first 18 months
of home schooling, even if during that 18-month period the child is in
grade 3, 5, 8, or 10. For example, if a student completed grade 4 in
public school and was withdrawn to be home schooled, the student would
not be required to be tested at grade 5 because grade 5 is within the
18-month period. The child would be required to be tested before August
15, following grade 8.
It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to arrange for a
qualified and neutral test administrator. A list of certified testers
who are currently registered with the Oregon Department of Education is
available here: Certified Testers
Required testing for home schooled students focuses on satisfactory
progress in academic areas. Academic content standards and curriculum
goals have been developed by the Department of Education and are
available on the Department’s website. These content standards provide a
framework for all content areas and are arranged as standards for grades
3, 5, 8, and 10. The department’s website address is
www.ode.state.or.us
or click on
ODE's Home School Web Page. Parents/guardians are not required to use the state content standards
and may teach programs other than those taught in public school.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS/CURRICULUM: The WESD and public schools are not
required by law to provide educational materials or services for
students being home schooled. Acquisition of these materials is the
responsibility of the parents/guardians. However, some school districts
may be able to provide materials on a loan basis or a deposit may be
charged. Various instructional materials are available on the Department
of Education’s website. Parents/legal guardians are responsible for the
acquisition and cost of all materials and curriculum. You may review
grade specific performance standards via the Oregon Department of
Education’s website
www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/standards.
DRIVER PERMIT/LICENSE: If your student is under 18 and would like to get
an Oregon drivers’ permit or license, the DMV requires all students to
show proof of school enrollment. A “Statement of Enrollment” is
available at WESD and can either be picked up or mailed to the
student. Please call 503-540-4482 to request this document. The student
must be registered as a home school student with the WESD in order to
obtain this form.
INTERSCHOLASTIC ACTIVITIES: A home school student wanting to participate
in interscholastic activities must reside within the district boundaries
of the school. Eligibility is contingent upon the student receiving a
test score at or above the 23rd percentile on all required examinations.
Examinations must be taken by August 15th of each school year and shall
be used to determine eligibility for the upcoming school year. The test
results must be submitted to the resident school district, not the WESD,
before activities commence. If a student has taken the examination and
is waiting for results, he/she may participate in activities, including
practicing with the team. Please contact your resident school district
if you have questions regarding interscholastic activities.
OTHER ISSUES
Course Credit/Graduation: Students who are over 16 and under 18 years of
age who do not have a high school diploma can participate in the GED
program at Chemeketa Community College (CCC). For more information on Chemeketa’s GED program, call (503) 399-5000.
Correspondence Schools: Students learning at home using the materials of
a correspondence school are considered home schooled students and must
be registered with the Willamette ESD.
Student Withdrawal from Home School: Please notify the Willamette ESD at
(503) 540-4482 when withdrawing your student from home school or moving
out of the ESD region.
Local Support Groups/Resources:
Oregon Christian Education Assoc. Network
(OCEAN) 503-288-1285 Website: www.oceanetwork.org
Oregon Home Education Network (OHEN), 503-321-5166 Website:
www.ohen.org
National Home Education
Network (NHEN),
Website: www.ohen.org
Polk Christian Home Educators Contact Heather Church, 503-375-9556
National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), 503-364-1490 (Website:
www.nheri.org)
Home School Info. & Services Network of Oregon (HISNET), 503-699-9241
NW Textbook Depository, 503-639-3193
Oregon Department of Education (to order state-adopted curriculum materials,
503-378-3600,
X2279) (Website:
www.ode.state.or.us)
GED/College Classes: Chemeketa Community College, 503-399-5224
State Approved Tests:
California Achievement Test (CAT) Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (IOWA) Metropolitan Achievement Battery Stanford Achievement Test Battery
Pertinent Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS’s): (website:
www.leg.state.or.us) 339.010 – Compulsory School Attendance 339.020 – Duty to Send Children to School 339.030 – Exemptions from Compulsory School Attendance 339.035 – Teaching by Private Teacher or Parent, Notice; Examination;
Effect of Failure; Appeal 339.460 – Home School Students Authorized to Participate in
Interscholastic activities 339.505 – Definitions for ORS 339.505 to 339.520 345.505 – Definitions for ORS 345.505 to 345.575
Pertinent Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR’s): (website:
www.leg.state.or.us) 581-21-026 – Examination of Children Instructed by Parent or Private
Teacher 581-21-027 – Determination of Satisfactory Educational Progress 581-21-028 – Administrative Review of Education Service District or
County School District Decision Made Under OAR 581-21-027 581-21-029 – Home Schooling for Handicapped Students 581-21-033 – Interscholastic Activities Eligibility Requirement for Home
School Students 581-21-034 – Administration of Interscholastic Activities
