Hi Earthschoolers! As you have probably discovered by now, every area of the world and every state in the United States has a different set of rules for how they want to regulate your homeschooling experience. Some areas simply require that you submit a short list of what you are doing for the year, other states require that you consult with a teacher each month and other states require more detailed documentation. We have designed this page as a resource page for Earthschooling members so you all can find the resources you need to fulfill the requirements in your area. This is an ongoing project and one that is “in progress” at the moment so if you have information to share please share. The more contributions we receive the more complete this page will be!

General Resources

We can only provide resources that are specific to Earthschooling or help answer questions about how Earthschooling can fit into your state’s requirements (if you send them to us, we do not have the staff to do the research for you). To find resources specific to your state, forms, local groups that can help you and more you can check the HSLDA website HERE.

 

What Earthschooling Can Provide

1. Graduation Certificate in English for any curriculum purchased with us and a statement that your student has completed it.
2. Transcript in English
3. Sent to you by e-mail or regular mail at specific times of year (see below)
4. Letter of Attendance
5. Letter of Recommendation for Student (e-mail only and you need to provide content)
6. Letter of Good Character for Student (e-mail only)
7. Core standard charts 

What Earthschooling Cannot Provide

1.Translation Services. Any documents we send need to be translated by you. You can translate yourself or use an official translation service that is accepted by your school board.
2. Rush services or special shipping services.
3. Personal pick up and delivery.
4. Any documents not listed on the list above.
5. Certificates or transcripts from curriculum not purchased from us.

See below for details…

How Are Students Assessed for Documents?

We serve as the administration and you are the teacher. Just as in a regular public or private school the teacher submits the grades and assessment to the administration and the administration sends documents to the student. Just as in a school, there is no assessment done by the administration. Assessments are all done by the teacher (we work with parent-teachers, private and public school teachers) and we assume that the information submitted to us is done in a professional manner.

Graduation Certificates and Transcripts

Earthschooling can provide your family with these documents. They can be sent to you or directly to your state. Let us know. You can order these items HERE.

NOTE THAT WE SEND OUT OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS IN  JANUARY and JUNE EACH YEAR. If you need documents at another time of year please submit a request before you make a purchase so we can confirm a delivery date with you. We are not able to accommodate “urgent” requests so please plan ahead when requesting official documents. Also note that we may not even see your request until June or August as all our e-mails are filed by a staff member and we do not usually check the folder until we start fulfilling requests.

We can adapt the look of the certificate our transcript or what is written on the certificate or transcript to the language required by your area. Since members live in different areas of the world we realize that the needed language may differ. Please let us know if you need any modifications to the documents or they will be sent as they appear in the photo. Once you have made your purchase we will need the following information:

1. Student Name as it should appear on the certificate/transcript
2. Date of graduation
3. Grade completed at graduation
4. Classes completed at Earthschooling
5. Additional classes completed outside of Earthschooling
6. Address to send transcript and certificate

Will Colleges Accept Your Transcripts?

“I just heard from SNHU and they are accepting Nils’ transcripts.” – Christa F.

Yes, colleges will accept our transcripts. Over the past five years an increasing number of colleges have accepted homeschooling transcripts. With the increase in home education brought on by the pandemic this percentage has reached almost 100%. Our certificates and transcripts go beyond a “homeschool” transcript. So, although most colleges do not require them, they will help your student go “above and beyond” and they are accepted. 

Colleges in the UK, Canada, Europe, and Australia have also accepted our documents. However, as there are different rules in each country you will need to check with your local school board or college to see what their document requirements are. You may want to refer them to our school page here so they can see how many accredited schools we work with.

Letters of Attendance/Shelter School

We can provide a letter addressed to you or your supervising organization that states your student(s) are attending Earthschooling. This letter is on letterhead and is signed by the dean of students. It can be mailed by USPS, scanned and e-mailed, or e-mailed to your address or the address of your supervising organization. You can see a sample letter below. If you need a similar letter please let us know the following:

1. Do you need us to make any changes to the standard format we use below (different states, regions or countries might require different wording)?
2. What is your child’s full name?
3. What grade of Earthschooling are they currently enrolled in?
4. These letters are provided by e-mail to all members (upon request) for free. Which e-mail address(es) do you need this letter sent to? Should it be addressed to a specific person?

Sample Attendance Letter

 

Other Sample Letters

The letters below are samples without the details of the student filled in. These samples are to show you what you can request for your student to see if it suits your needs. Also note that the letters below can be modified to fit your needs

Letter of Recommendation for Student Certificate of Good Moral Character for Student

 

Returning to Public School or Enrolling in College

*It has come to our attention that since the COVID-19 situation there are companies that are purposely taking advantage of new homeschoolers by giving them misinformation. The truth is that your rights as a homeschooler have been increasing for the past ten years, are usually considered to be EQUAL to those of a public school student, and have only become stronger since the COVID-19 situation. Please read this page for more details…

Earthschooling works with many private and public schools around the world. As our curriculum is accepted in many schools we have not found that students have ever had an issue with our certificates and transcripts being accepted at their schools or colleges. Transition from Earthschooling back to public school or to college is seamless. 

However, in most cases you do not even need to order a transcript or certificate from us. Some online education academies try to convince parents that they need a special kind of accreditation or certification to be able to return to school. This is often used as a ‘selling point’ or it gives them an excuse to charge extra money for their program or require the purchase of certificates. 

We do not make these claims and requirements as they are not necessary. As a homeschooler your rights are clear in each state, region, and country you are in. In the United States this means that homeschooled children are treated the same as public school children when they transfer back to public school or when they enter college. All you need to do to enjoy these benefits is one of two things:

OPTION ONE: Do nothing. We take care of it all. Check with your state, region, or country’s laws. Some areas have laws that say that as long as you provide documentation and records (we provide those for you) that your education for the year is accepted.

OPTION TWO: Register as a homeschooler in your state, region, or country. This is always an easy process and we can help you with it. 

NEW! ID Cards Now Available

You can download the provided blank templates below and create your own card. To do this:

1. Download the template by clicking on the image to take you to the larger version and then download it.

2. Use any image program to “white out” or “erase” anything you do not need

3. Use the same image program to insert your own child’s information.

4. Laminate your card at home.

5. If you are unable to do steps 1-4 at home you can order a personalized electronic version from us for $5.00. You can make a payment here and then e-mail: CustomerService@TheBEarthInstitute.com with: Child’s Name, Birth Date, & Grade. We will assume your school year starts in August of the current year and ends in June of the next year unless you state otherwise. You can send us a picture of your child or you can insert a photo on your end after you print the badge and before you laminate it.

Blank Templates…

Accreditation

Earthschooling works with certified teachers, provides core standard charts to administrators, and weekly contact with a certified teacher. Earthschooling can also provide certificates and certified transcripts to students. This is sufficient to fulfill most regional requirements for accreditation. If your region/state has specific requirements for your student please check with them to make sure these are sufficient. Note that most states in the United States, Canada and Australia do not have accreditation requirements for homeschooled students. These services are usually used by our International students.

Earthschooling is used in schools around the world and has been approved for use in some public as well as private schools. You can see a list of these schools here. The curriculum had to go through an approval process at each school to show it reaches suitable standards. In this way, Earthschooling has been accepted and accredited by individual schools. However, because of our international audience we have not sought accreditation by one entity as it would not apply to all of our students, parents, teachers, and schools.

Consultations with a Teacher

We offer you the opportunity to consult with one of our teachers on a regular basis to fulfill your state requirements or to get regular help from a certified teacher. You can purchase these services HERE.

Basic Documentation 

Iowa (my state) requires only that I provide them a simple list of concepts we are using each year. I submitted portions of the document below to my state teacher. She was very happy. Other years I have given her the indexes. However, now that we are not using the indexes you can also just print out the web-pages to show them what you are doing for the year. We have provided a sample below…

Simple List of Curriculum Concepts

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Advanced Documentation

Some states require that you show how Earthschooling meets their common core curricula standards. We can help you through this process. All you need to do is submit a list of your state’s common core curricula standards in the format below. You can submit data for one grade, more than one grade, one subject or whatever you need.

You can easily find a list of core standards for your state or region by going to a search engine and using the terms “(Region), Core Standards”. For example, to search for Iowa core standards I put in the term “Iowa Core Standards” and it takes me to this website here: https://iowacore.gov. Usually the page you are looking for will end in .gov and will come up at the top of the search engine page. Some states/regions have a more organized website than others. The Iowa website required that I go to multiple pages to download what I needed. Other states have everything on one page.

Be sure to check at the bottom of this page to see if we have already done your state. Once we do a state/region we post it below so other members can use it.

This is the format you need to submit to us in (You can download this example and cut and paste your own state/region’s information into it to make it easier):

Grade Two Core Standards in Ontario, Canada

OR another example (with the links to show you how I cut and pasted from the original):

Grade Two Core Standards in California, USA

We will then return it to you in the format below. Below you will find all the ones that have been submitted which we have finished. You are welcome to use any of the documents below for your state if you happen to live in a place that has an Earthshooling core standard already.

 

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California

Grade One Core Standards in California Grade Two Core Standards in California Grade Five Core Standards in California

Colorado

Colorado Common Core Standard Chart for Kindergarten Colorado Common Core Standard Chart for 4th Grade

Iowa

Fifth & Sixth Grade Grade Core Science Standards for Iowa, USA

Pennsylvania

Educational Objectives Chart for 9th Grade in Pennsylvania

Wisconsin

Fourth Grade Core Standards for Wisconsin, USA

Canada

Second Grade Core Standards for Ontario, Canada Sixth Grade Grade Core Standards for Alberta, Canada Second Grade Grade Core Standards for Alberta, Canada

Australia

Kindergarten Regional Requirements (Core Standards) for NSW, Australia Stage 1:First & Second Grade Regional Requirements (Core Standards) for NSW, Australia Stage 2: Third & Fourth Grade Regional Requirements (Core Standards) for NSW, Australia Stage 4: Earthschooling Outcomes for Stage 4 (Grade 7-8) NSW Australia

 

Homeschooling Requirements with Your State

If you have information on how you filed with your state as a homeschooler or what the main website you use for your state (or country/region) is please let us know by sending an e-mail to: CustomerService@TheBEarthInstitute.com. We can then share this information with other members to help them!

California

We work with many charter schools, schools, parents, and teachers in California. Most of our members register with the state as homeschoolers. However, we provide them with detailed schedules, core standard charts, and transcripts to make their record keeping easy. The form to fill out in California is extremely easy to use. It is only one page HERE and is called a “Private School Affidavit”. Members that are using it have found it very easy to transition from public to homeschooling status.

To find updated information on your state or country please link here.