Curriculum Descriptions
VaHomeschoolers frequently receives queries from homeschoolers about how to write the curriculum description required by law to be submitted with the annual Notice of Intent. A curriculum description is required no matter which filing option is used. (Code of Virginia, §22.1-254.1 B)
As amended, §22.1-254.1 B reads,
“Any parent who elects to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance shall annually notify the division superintendent in August of his intention to so instruct the child and provide a description of the curriculum, limited to a list of subjects to be followed during the coming year …”
You do not need to provide any additional information such as book lists, lesson plans, curriculum scope and sequences, or copies of textbook tables of contents, though in the past some superintendents have requested this. If your school division requests additional information beyond a list of subjects to be studied, please direct them to this web page and ask that they email VaHomeschoolers for clarification. You can also direct them to the language of the home instruction statute itself.
VaHomeschoolers contacted every school division in Virginia to ensure that they were aware of the specific language in the amended statute guiding the curriculum description requirement.
If you experience any difficulty with your school division, please direct them to this web page, and ask that they email VaHomeschoolers for clarification. You can also direct them to the statute itself.
Understanding the law is the best foundation for homeschooling with confidence. The curriculum description requirement is written in the statute itself, and homeschooling families cannot be required by their school divisions to provide more information than the law requires. Furthermore, the law does not give public school superintendents or their staff the authority to make judgment about the merits of your curriculum. The role of the school division is to ensure that homeschooling families have complied with the law by submitting a curriculum description that lists the subjects to be studied during the upcoming year.
Note: Regardless of which filing option you choose, parents do not have to include the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) in their curriculum description.
Amended Statute
Effective July 1, 2012, Virginia’s Home Instruction Statute defines the curriculum description with specific language that was designed to eliminate confusion on the part of both homeschooling families and school division personnel.
Previously, the statute included a curriculum description requirement with no definition of the level of detail that should be included in the description.
As amended, the statute clarifies the requirement to be “a list of subjects to be followed during the coming year …”
VaHomeschoolers lobbied in support of companion bills in both the House of Delegates (HB 1208, Pogge-R) and the Senate (SB 564, Black-R) that created this change in the Home Instruction Statute.
Sample Curriculum Descriptions
Click the radio buttons for a few examples of curriculum descriptions that VaHomeschoolers believes meet the requirement of the Home Instruction Statute. Each one includes a listing of courses or subjects to be studied. We have included examples that reflect a broad array of student ages and homeschooling approaches. Please note that if your family uses a student-led educational approach, listing the subject areas that your child will be learning as distinct areas (even though they may be learning in overlapping areas much of the time) is useful in helping school divisions to recognize your curriculum description as satisfactory under the law.
Kai plans to continue their progress in writing composition this year. They also will be focusing on consumer and household mathematics and economics. They will further her study of Japanese culture and history through modern anime art and literature, and will extend her ecological and life sciences program.
This information is provided as a courtesy of The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers. It is not intended as legal advice. For legal advice, contact a licensed attorney.
VaHomeschoolers is a non-profit public charity with 501(c)(3) status; your donation is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.