Colorado home schooling laws aim for minimal state interference.
Some parents choose home schooling for a variety of reasons, including religious beliefs, the location of area schools or because they believe home schooling offers their child a better education. In Colorado, School Attendance Law 1963 Section 104.5 covers the requirements for home schooling. The law respects parental rights but also protects children's rights to an education, using an evaluation system.
Parental Rights
Colorado recognizes the right of parents to choose the most appropriate form of education for their children, and the state views home-based schooling as a "legitimate alternative" to traditional classrooms. The law also states that the regulation of home schooling should be sufficiently flexible to adapt to a variety of family situations and that state control over this schooling should be minimal.
Definition and Notification
The law defines home schooling as any program of education delivered by a parent, guardian or other adult relative. The person teaching the child is not subject to the requirements of the Colorado Educator Licensing Act of 1991. In other words, they don't need to be a certified teacher. The home-teaching program must amount to at least 172 days with a minimum of four hours of teaching a day. Any parent wishing to set up a home-based education program must notify the school district authority about it 14 days before the program starts. Parents must resubmit this notification annually. The notification should include the names of all children taking part in the program, the home address and the number of attendance hours.
Curriculum
The basic subjects taught must include reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science and the Constitution of the United States. Parents might choose to add other subjects, such as information technology, modern languages, art, music and drama, to name a few, but these are optional.
Evaluation
Each child in home schooling is evaluated at grades three, five, seven, nine and 11 using a nationally recognized standard achievement test, the SAT. Tests are sent to the local school district authority for evaluation. Alternatively, a qualified person will undertake the assessment. A qualified person is defined as a licensed teacher, a psychologist, someone with a graduate degree in education or a teacher employed by a local parochial or independent school. Parents have the right to select this person. If the results of the test fall below the 13th percentile, the school district requires that the child attend a public school until the next test. However, before that happens, the child can take an alternative test, chosen by the parents, from a list of state education board approved tests.
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