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County Apologizes for Error
Loudoun County homeschoolers were surprised when they received a letter from the pupil services coordinator asking for information not required under Virginia law. The letter notified families of the option to use the public school for end-of-year testing, but also stated that they were required to notify the pupil services coordinator if they were going to use an end-of-year evaluation option other than testing through the public school, the Stanford 10 Achievement Test, or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
After helpful conversations with Loudoun County Pupil Services Coordinator Brenda Blue and a representative of the Virginia Department of Education, Home School Legal Defense Association uncovered an erroneous state publication informing local school officials that homeschool families were required to contact the school district in advance if they wished to use an assessment other than the test offered by the public school. In fact, the publication contradicted State Superintendent’s Memo No. 105 of June 6, 1984, which explains that homeschoolers may use the standardized test of their choice.
Since the Virginia Legislature recently made many favorable changes to the state homeschool law, HSLDA will be working with the department of education to revise its publications. The erroneous publication became obsolete when the revised laws took effect on July 1, 2006.
— by Scott A. Woodruff
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