Required Documentation
-
1 - Notice of Intent
due July 1 or within 14 days after commencing home instruction
Please contact your district’s registrar to establish residency within the school district if you have not already done so. Districts may also request evidence of compulsory age.
-
2 - Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP)
Due August 1 or within four weeks after commencing home instruction, whichever is later.
A separate, written IHIP must be submitted for each child being instructed at home. The required contents of an IHIP are set out in Commissioner’s Regulation 100.10(d). Information on required courses, by grade level, can be found in Commissioner’s Regulation 100.10(e).
-
3 - Quarterly Reports (K-12)
due by dates indicated by you on your IHIP (spaced in even and logical periods)
A separate, written Quarterly Report must be submitted for each quarter and each child being instructed at home. Please note any changes to physical/mailing address, district of residency, parent contact information, etc. Changes to instruction such as adjustment of content, subjects, or instructors should be reflected on a revised IHIP.
-
4 - Annual Assessment
due with 4th quarter report by June 30th
Requirements and guidelines for assessment are outlined in Commissioner’s Regulation 100.10(h). Standardized tests are required for children in grades 9-12 while a written narrative assessment is expected for children in grades 1-3. Children in grades 4-8 are required to take a standardized test at least every other year. Parents are responsible for the purchase of testing materials and arranging for them to be administered. Test results are due with the 4th quarter report so it is important to allow ample time for ordering, shipping (if applicable), and scoring. Only copies of official test results from the testing service will be accepted as evidence of testing.
2020-2021 NOTICE: Similar to 2019-2020, an amendment has been adopted by the Board of Regents which includes regarding Regents exams and annual assessment for home instruction. Additional NYSED updates can be found on the NYSED News 2021 page.
Are homeschool students eligible for Regents Examination exemptions?
No. Homeschool students are not enrolled in the high school, and do not earn diploma credit, which is a necessary component of eligibility for an exemption to a Regents Examination due to COVID-19. Homeschool students wishing to take a Regents Examination may be admitted to such examination during the next available examination administration.Homeschool students intending to use the Regents Examinations for the required annual assessment are not exempt from such annual assessment. However, Section 100.10(h) of Commissioner’s Regulations that requires annual assessment for students participating in a program of home instruction was amended to provide that an alternative narrative evaluation, in lieu of a standardized annual assessment, shall be permitted for all grades in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 schools year due to COVID-19.
Submit Paperwork
-
To submit completed paperwork, you may email the home instruction office or traditional mail it to:
Home Instruction Office
555 Warren Road, Building J
Ithaca, NY 14850
Local Organizations and Support Groups
-
4-H through Cornell Cooperative Extension
There are many opportunities for youth development through the Tompkins County 4-H programs.
- Club Program
- Urban Outreach
- Primative Pursuits
- Rural Youth Services
Check out the 4-H Youth webpage for more information or contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension office at 607-272-2292
-
Families Learning Science Together (FLST)
Families Learning Science Together is a hands-on science program for children ages 5 and up and their parents or caregivers. This program is lead by Cornell Center for Materials Research and co-sponsored with the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) in downtown Ithaca, NY.
The FLST hands-on workshops encourage children and their parents to explore how materials interact with each other. Faculty, post doctoral associates, graduate and undergraduate students from Cornell University present hands-on science modules on a variety of materials science topics. The FLST programs are aimed at children ages 5-13, though all ages are welcome.
Phone: (607) 592-4053
Email: ccmr_outreach@cornell.edu -
Family Unschoolers Network
The Family Unschoolers Network (FUN) has a library in downtown Ithaca that is available for use by any home-educating family. Membership is not required. Selections include parenting, homeschool how-to, text books, magazines, curricula, learning games and software.
Ithaca FUN Library: Email marloco@verizon.net or call 607-277-5516
-
Finger Lakes Homeschool
Finger Lakes Homeschool (FLH) is a non-profit group for homeschooling
parents and children of all ages. FLH aims to support the role of the
parent by offering meetings, special events, field trips, and weekly
co-op classes. We are a local, member-run organization that honors the
diversity of homeschoolers and provides a supportive community for our
members. Our reasons for homeschooling differ, as do our styles and
approaches to education, but what we share is a respect for all learners
and a desire to support one another.
Finger Lakes Homeschool is comprised of a number of families who choose
to educate their children at home in the Finger Lakes Region. We have a
weekly Co-Op in downtown Ithaca on Monday's from 10-2pm with classes for
all ages, including a nursery for even the littlest learners.
New to homeschooling and not certain what a co-op is? A Co-Op provides
supplementary education for our children that we cannot easily provide
ourselves, allows kids to learn accountability and study skills in a fun
group environment, and an opportunity to develop friendships. This
environment is a mixture of core classes (e.g., chemistry, biology),
enrichment classes (e.g., French & art) and fellowship for the children
and parents.
All families are welcome to join our group and our co-op, however, you
must recognize that we are at our core a Christian organization.
Although we choose to have no requirements for religion for our
membership, we agree to be considerate of Christian beliefs in our
programming. Curriculum content may be dependent on individual teachers
and parents should ask teachers before registering children for classes
if that is a concern.Please contact us if you have any questions:
info@FingerLakesHomeschool.com
Visit our website at www.FingerLakesHomeschool.com -
Hangar Theatre
Project 4: Artist in Schools Residency is designed to help fulfill NYS Arts and Social Studies curriculum requirements as well as strengthen literacy and storytelling skills. Children will explore the creative world of drama and develop through improvisation and playwriting exercises, and small scenes involving a curriculum topic of their choice. The residency culminates with with a showcase.
The residency can be adapted to homeschool groups of various size and age/grade-level. Contact for more info:
Hangar Theatre
801 Taughannock Blvd
Ithaca, NY 14850Phone: (607) 273-8588
E-mail: education@hangartheatre.org -
Loving Education at Home (LEAH)
LEAH is a faith-based organization which aims to provide support to parents who homeschool their children. The group’s website provides resources that offer parents a strong support system as they provide instruction at home.
Ithaca area contacts
Daniel & Heather Woodie
email: heather.woodie@ithacaleah.org
phone: 607-272-2838
www.ithacaleah.orgCortland area contacts
Peter & Jennifer Rogati
email: pnjrogati@gmail.com
-
Northern Light Learning Center
The Northern Light Learning Center is a nonprofit, non-sectarian organization focused on creating a cooperative learning community in the Ithaca area that provides home-schooled students with extensive educational and social opportunities. The organization hosts meetings and other activities for parents and students alike.
Email: info@nllchs.org
Phone:607 542-9892 -
Paleontological Research Institute
The Paleontological Research Institute is a national leader in the development of informal (i.e., outside the classroom) Earth science education resources for educators and the general public. These two local, public venues were established by PRI:
The Museum of the Earth provides an opportunity for scientists, science enthusiasts, families, and their children to learn about Earth in a fun and engaging way. There is always an exciting array of permanent and temporary exhibits to discover and a variety of rotating events to attend each month.
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: (607) 273-6623The Cayuga Nature Center provides an opportunity for nature enthusiasts of all ages to learn about environmental and outdoor education in a fun and engaging way.
1420 Taughannock Blvd
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: (607) 273-6260 -
Primitive Pursuits
Primitive Pursuits offers nature-based education through hands-on activities. Its naturalist educators work to provide students with skills and experiences that create lasting connections with nature.
607-272-2292, ext. 195
615 Willow Ave.
Ithaca, NY 14850
Email: primitivepursuits@cornell.edu -
Project Look Sharp
Project Look Sharp is a media literacy initiative of Ithaca College that develops and provides lesson plans, media materials, training, and support for the effective integration of media literacy with critical thinking into classroom curricula at all education levels, including integration with the new common core standards.
-
The Finnstitute - Center Ithaca
The Finnstitute provides opportunities for home school students to learn from an inspiring and creative teacher on a part-time basis.
Mike Finn has been working with children and their families in many educational and community based settings for more than 35 years. He has been a New York State Council of the Arts Poet in the Schools, a TST BOCES Enrichment Instructor (in Creative Writing, Science and Art), and a Waldorf Teacher for fifteen years. As a Lead Construction Consultant and Organizer for Leathers and Associates community-built playgrounds, he has worked with communities nationally and internationally, leading hundreds of thousands of volunteers, young and old, through the playground construction process. As Ringmaster for the Backyard Circus (Midway Caravan), Mike has brought participatory theater to thousands of children throughout the U.S. for the last 20 years. Mike is an Artist and Poet and shares his love of art, literature, music, drama, nature and humor with his students.
Mike: (607) 592-1481
Helene: (607) 592-1479
E-mail: finnstitute@gmail.com -
Tompkins County Public Library
The Tompkins County Public Library has many print and electronic resources available, some of which are listed below:
Youth Services
Teens
Middle School Must-Reads: Grades 6-8
High School Must-Reads: Grades 9-12
Suggestions from Area Home Instruction Families
-
Local Favorites
These sites were suggested by local homeschooling families. If there are additional resources you would like us to add, please let us know!
Discovery Education
Bartleby – Books Online
Elephant Learning
Kinderart
The Labor of Love
MESSENGER Mercury Mission Education & Public Outreach
Open Educational Resources
Smithsonian
Textbooks and Other Resources
-
eLearning/Online Materials
- Time for Learning
- Everyday Mathematics
- Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool
- Easy Peasy All-In-One High School
- Moby Max (grades K-8)
- SAS Curriculum Pathways
- Vital New York
- Teoria: Music Theory Web
- Music Theory
- Hoffman Academy: Learn to Play the Piano
- Thrive Art
- Open Culture
- TedED
- MentorMob: Free and Social Learning
- Memrise
- Learnist
- Social Media Test Drive
-
Publishers of Curriculum Materials
- A Beka Book
- Alpha Omega Publications
- American School (HS only)
- Christian Light Publications, Inc.
- Clonlara School
- Common Sense Press
- Griggs International Academy
- Hewitt Research Foundation
- HoltGWS, LLC
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (formerly Saxon Publishers)
- KONOS, Inc
- McGraw Hill
- Oak Meadow
- Pearson
- Seton Books
- A Reason For
- Homeschool.com