NYS Homeschool Regulations 

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Welcome to Homeschooling from Dutches BOCES

Dutchess BOCES partners with school districts throughout the county to help their home-school students achieve success while adhering to current NYS home schooling regulations. All communications between families and Dutchess BOCES is conducted on behalf of the school district and Superintendent of Schools.

The home schooling process

Step 1:
Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to homeschool. A LOI needs to be submitted every year you home school.  Upon receipt of your LOI, a formal acknowledgement letter will be issued and a Home Instruction Manual will be sent for you to use as your guide.

Step 2:
Submit an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP). An IHIP needs to be submitted every year you home school. The requirements for an IHIP are different for elementary, middle, and high school grades.  An IHIP is due within 4 weeks of submitting your LOI.
Upon receipt of your IHIP, we will review the IHIP to confirm it complies with current NYS Home Instruction regulations(link is external) and respond with either an approval or a disapproval letter.

Step 3:
You need to provide the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction each school year (900 hours for students in grades K-6, 990 hours for students in grades 7-12) and you need to keep attendance records throughout the school year (dates/hours of instruction in each subject).

Step 4:
Submit quarterly reports throughout the school year. The four dates you submit the quarterly reports are determined by you (on the IHIP) but should be spread evenly throughout the school year.
Upon receipt of your quarterly reports, we will review the report to confirm it complies with current NYS Home Instruction regulations(link is external) and respond with either an approval or a disapproval letter.

Step 5:
Submit an annual assessment at the time of submitting your 4th quarterly report. An annual assessment needs to be submitted every year you home school. You will need to make arrangements for your home school student to take an annual assessment before the end of each school year. The annual assessment must be a commercially published norm-referenced achievement test or an alternative evaluation in the form of a written narrative.
The commercially published norm-referenced achievement test shall be selected from the following list:

  • Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
  • California Achievement Test.
  • Stanford Achievement Test.
  • Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills.
  • Metropolitan Achievement Test.
  • A State Education Department test.
  • Another test approved by the State Education Department.

An alternative evaluation in the form of a written narrative is only allowed by regulation in grades one through eight.  Families can choose to select the alternative format yearly in grades one through three and not more than every other year in grades four through eight.  Please refer to the 100.10 Home Instruction Regulations(link is external) for additional information.
ALL home schooling correspondence (LOIs, IHIPs, reports, etc.) should be emailed to homeschooling@DCBOCES.org(link sends e-mail) or mailed to Home Instruction, 5 BOCES Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

 

A brief overview of New York Homeschool Law is provided by HSLDA below.