Maryland Homeschool Info by Time4Learning

Are you looking for information on Maryland homeschooling? Questions that all homeschoolers should ask are:

What homeschooling program to choose?
What are the state legal requirements?
What resources or PSG (parent support groups) are there to help me?

Choosing a homeschooling program

Maryland homeschoolers need to pick curriculum to see what works best for their child. However, families new to homeschooling can be baffled by the array of homeschool curriculum. Homeschool parents are famous for their endless discussions and shifting between different homeschooling programs as they mix and match homeschooling resources, trying to create the best match for their child.

To get started, we recommend focusing for the K-8 students on the core curriculum of language arts and math with the idea that you can layer in the other subjects after the first few weeks. We also believe that the best approach to homeschooling is "eclectic" meaning that you construct the best program for each child often taking from different approaches.

Time4Learning is a popular and versatile online homeschool curriculum used by thousands of homeschoolers around the country. Click here to see some lesson demos.

Legality of Homeschooling in Maryland

The Maryland Dept of Education on says this about homeschooling in Maryland:

Maryland recognizes nonpublic schools and home schooling as options to public school enrollment for students to receive regular, thorough instruction.

The Dept of Education of Maryland has a homeschool website which lists a contact if you have questions and provides several pages of convenient clear information such as:

A parent/guardian may instruct a child at home under the supervision of the local school system or through correspondence courses under the supervision of a nonpublic school. A nonpublic school may be a school/institution that offers an educational program operated by a bona fide church organization or a school/institution that has a certificate of approval from the Maryland State Board of Education.

Maryland Home School Laws

Summary: The state of Maryland requires compulsory school attendance of children between the ages 5 and 16. Parents who wish to home school their child, must submit a “Home Schooling Notification Form” to their local home schooling coordinator. No specific curriculum is mandated, but the state of Maryland suggest that the subjects of English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education be covered. Yearly standardized testing is not mandatory when homeschooling in MD. Parents have three options for legally homeschooling in the state of Maryland:

1. Portfolio Option – Maintaining a portfolio of relevant materials, such as instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of the child’s homeschool work. Providing this portfolio, as needed, to the local public school superintendent for review.

2. Church Umbrella Option – Operating under the direction of a church-affiliated umbrella school . The umbrella school, in turn, is required to supervise the instruction with pre-enrollment conferences, textbooks and lesson-plan review, an annual visit to the site of instruction, and periodic conferences with parents.

3. State Approved Umbrella School Option – Homeschool instruction is offered under the supervision of a certified non-public school, including supervision of textbooks, lesson materials, and an assignment of a school-based teacher to assist the home teacher. Assistance is also offered for progress reports, grading of papers, and testing.

For more information on specific homeschooling requirements in Maryland, visit one of these sites:

Maryland Homeschooling Laws by NHEN (National Home Education Network)
Home-Ed Magazine’s MD resource page -with information, articles, and state-specific resources
Home Education in Maryland by Ann Zeise.

Maryland Home School Resources

There are a range of Maryland specific homeschool groups. There are three statewide organizations:

Many counties in Maryland also have at least one local support group for homeschoolers, as well. We've listed a few of the starting points for finding out more about homeschooling resources in Maryland:

Maryland Homeschool Resource Network – A Yahoo Group for those homeschooling, or thinking about homeschooling in Maryland
About Homeschooling in Maryland -- a one-stop source for homeschooling in KY
The Maryland State Department of NonPublic Education Page - - state website of information and best practices for homeschoolers in MD
The Homeschool Mom’s MD page – various Maryland homeschool resources and lists

To add your group, please send an email to info@Time4Learning.com .

More Information on Time4Learning

Time4Learning is web-based learning service with stimulating interactive lessons.

Time4Learning is used by homeschool parents both as a primary curriculum and as a supplemental program to other materials such as Saxon, Singapore Math, and A Beka.

Time4Learning automatically grades more exercises and tracks progress so parents are freed from much basic lesson planning and grading. Time4Learning teaches by explaining, reinforcing and assessing the students at an appropriate comfortable pace.

Time4Learning is a flexible software-based homeschool system where students work at their own pace repeating lessons if they want to until they are comfortable with their mastery of the materials.

Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children, risk free! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.

I want to learn more about Time4Learning's Homeschooling Online program