Oregon
• Compulsory Attendance Ages: Between 7 and 18 (ORS § 339.010)
• Required Days of Instruction: None.
• Required Subjects: None.
• Teacher Qualifications: None.
• Home School Statute: ORS §§ 339.030(1)(d) and 339.035; Or. Admin. Rules 581-021-0026 and 581-021-0029.
Children are exempt from public school if they are "being educated in the children's home by a parent or legal guardian." (ORS § 339.030 (1)(d)). A parent may home school under this law provided the requirements below are followed:
1. The parent or guardian must notify the education service district (ESD) in writing within 10 days when a child is taught at home or is withdrawn from a public school to be taught at home. When a child moves to a new ESD, the parent or guardian must notify the new ESD in writing within 10 days of such occurrence. Annual notification is not required. (ORS § 339.035 (2). OAR 581-021-0026 (4)) The notice must include the child's and parent's names and addresses, the child's birth date, and the name of the school the child is presently attending or last attended or, if the child has not attended school, the name of the public school district where the child resides. (OAR 581-021-0026 (1)(f))
2. The ESD is required to acknowledge receipt of the notice of intent in writing within 90 days of receipt of the notification. (ORS § 339.035 (2) and OAR 581-021-0026 (4)(a))
3. The parent of a child who turns seven (7) after September 1 shall not be required to provide notice of intent to home school until the beginning of the next school year. (OAR 581-021-0026 (11))
4. A home school cannot be a private school. (ORS § 345.505(2))
• Standardized Tests: (ORS § 339.035(3)-(5))
1. Parents must choose one of the comprehensive examinations approved by the State Board of Education which must be administered in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 by "a qualified neutral person," as defined by the State Board of Education. (ORS § 339.035(3)). Testing shall occur no later than August 15. (OAR 581-021-0026 (5)+
2. If the child was withdrawn from public school, the first examination must be administered at least 18 months after the date the child was withdrawn from public school. If the child never attended public or private school, the first examination must be administered to the child prior to the end of grade 3. (ORS § 339.035(3); OAR 581-021-0026 (5))
3. The person administering the examination shall score it and report the results to the parent or legal guardian. Test results are reported to the ESD only if the superintendent of the ESD requests them. (ORS § 339.035(3)(c) and (d);
OAR 581-021-0026 (5)(b) and (c))
4. If the composite score on the examination is below the 15th percentile, the child must be given an additional examination within one year. If the score on the second examination is a lower percentile than the previous examination, the child must be given an additional examination within one year of when the second examination was given, and the superintendent of the ESD may place the education of the child under a certified teacher selected by and at the expense of the parent or guardian. (ORS § 339.035(4); OAR 581-021-0026 (7)(a) and (b))
5. If the composite score on the third examination continues to decline, the superintendent of the ESD may: (1) allow the home schooling to continue under the supervision of a certified teacher selected by the parent or guardian and require an additional examination within one year; (2) allow the child to be taught by the parent, guardian, or private teacher and require an additional examination within one year; or (3) order the parent or guardian to send the child to school for a period not to exceed 12 consecutive months. (ORS § 339.035 (4); OAR 581-021-0026 (7)(c))
6. If the composite score on an examination is equal to or greater than the percentile score on the prior test, the child may be taught by a parent, guardian, or private teacher without any previous restrictions imposed because of a declining score. (ORS § 339.035 (4)(d); OAR 581-021-0026 (7)(e))
• A child with disabilities is to be evaluated for satisfactory educational progress according to the method recommended in the individualized education plan (IEP) or privately developed plan. No testing of these students is required unless recommended in their respective plans. (ORS § 339.035 (5); OAR 581-021-0029)
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Oregon State High School Graduation Requirements:
- English units: 3. Must include "the equivalent of one unit in Written Composition."
- Eff. Class of 2010: 4.
- Math units: 2
- Eff. Class of 2010: 3
- Eff. Class of 2014: 3 units Algebra I and above
- Social studies units: 3. Must include history, civics, geography and economics (including personal finance).
- Science units: 2
- Eff. Class of 2012: 3, incl. 2 lab units
- P.E./Health units: 2. 1 unit each health and physical education.
- Arts: 1 unit applied arts, fine arts or foreign language.
- Eff. Class of 2012: 3 units chosen from arts, foreign language and professional technical education.
- Foreign language: 1 unit applied arts, fine arts or foreign language.
- Eff. Class of 2012: 3 units chosen from arts, foreign language and professional technical education.
- Electives units: 0
- Other units: 1 unit applied arts, fine arts or foreign language.
- Eff. Class of 2012: 3 units chosen from arts, foreign language and professional technical education.
- Eff. Class of 2010: 24. 15 state-determined units and 9 district-determined units or electives.
- Eff. Class of 2012: 18 state-determined units and 6 district-determined units or electives.
Other diploma options: State does not offer differentiated diploma pathways. State has policy on awarding proficiency-based credit. A January 2007 memo from the department of education states, "A key feature of the future [2012 and 2014] diploma will be wider use of proficiency, ensuring that all students will have the opportunity to choose to earn credit by demonstrating proficiency based on state content standards."
Eff. Class of 2007: In addition to course requirements, each student must (1) "develop an education plan and build an education profile"; (2) "build a collection of evidence, or include evidence in existing collections, to demonstrate extended application"; (3) "demonstrate career-related knowledge and skills in the following areas: personal management, problem solving, communication, teamwork, employment foundations, and career development"; and (4) "participate in career-related learning experiences outlined in the education plan...." Eff. Class of 2010: Student who does not complete 3 years of math or 4 years of English may still be awarded a diploma if the student "has met or exceeded the the academic content standards for mathematics or English established by the [local] board" or "displays proficiency in mathematics or English at a level established by the board."
OR. ADMIN. R. 581-022-1130, -1120, -1131; 2005 H.B. 3129; Oregon Department of Education Memo #011-2006-07, Changes and Implementation to High School Diploma
Important Note: State Graduation requirements are not necessarily the best guideline for homeschoolers to use. They have been included here as a guideline for what a typical public school student would need to complete in order to graduate.
A more important guideline may be the College Entrance requirements for where your student would like to attend college. While colleges have differing requirements, there are many colleges that publish requirements for homeschool graduates.
Related Pages:
Homeschool Support Groups in Oregon
Colleges in Oregon