Resources on Homeschooling and Hybrid Schooling

Georgia Homeschool Education Association: ghea.org
Southeast Homeschool Expo: southeasthomeschoolexpo.com
Georgia Cyber Academy: k12.com/Georgia
Education and Blended Learning

“Blended Learning” is an area that traditional public and private schools and hybrid schooling have in common.

The Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank, says that blended learning is “anytime a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick and mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path and/or pace.”

The six blended learning models outlined in Innosight’s report, titled “The Rise of K12 Blended Learning,” include:

Face-to-Face Driver: Teachers and students meet face-to-face, with the teacher using online learning to supplement lessons.
Rotation: Students rotate on a fixed schedule between one-on-one online learning and traditional face-to-face classroom learning
Flex: An online platform provides most of the instruction, while teachers provide on-site support as needed. This method is often employed with dropout-recovery programs.
Online Lab: This platform delivers all of the course instruction online, but in a brick-and-mortar lab environment. Usually this method uses online teachers as well.
Self-Blend: Used mostly by high school students, this structure allows students to take one or more courses online to supplement their traditional school curriculum. Courses are taken remotely, which separates this method from the Online Lab model.
Online Driver: Students usually work remotely, with an online platform, and virtual teacher directing the curriculum. Some of these programs may use brick-and-mortar extracurricular activities.
The Basics

The following are Georgia’s basic requirements for homeschooling. Visit doe.k12.ga.us for a more comprehensive list of state laws and regulations.

Parents or guardians who wish to homeschool their children must annually submit a Declaration of Intent to the Georgia Department of Education by September 1 or within 30 days of establishing their program.
The teaching parent or guardian must have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED).
Homeschool programs must provide a basic academic educational program that includes (but is not limited to) instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science.
Programs must operate the equivalent of 180 days or at least 4.5 hours per day.
Nationally normed assessments must be given at the end of third, sixth, ninth and 12th grades.
Parents must write annual progress assessments for their child in each required subject area.
Georgia does not require an exit exam for homeschooled high school students seeking to graduate.
Submission of attendance reports is no longer required; however you should retain your own attendance records.

Sources: gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Pages/Home-Schools.aspx; ghea.org/pages/testing/law.php