NYC Homeschooling Paperwork Help
IHIP and Quarterly Report
Examples and Templates
New York State has some of the most demanding homeschooling regulations in the USA, but it only feels daunting at first. It’s particularly easy to file in NYC, where everyone’s paperwork goes to one central office, and local homeschool support groups are always ready to share their experience. Every time you do it, the paperwork gets easier. The first time I filed my IHIP, I was so overwhelmed that I worked for more than a week on the report and wrote a full page on each subject. But within a year or so, I was able to complete an IHIP or quarterly report in about an hour, keeping it one or two pages long.
The paperwork can do more than fulfill state requirements. It can provide you with the information necessary to create a resume or transcript needed when applying to special programs, college or university. Legal proof of homeschooling can also get you discounts and an educator’s library card.
For new homeschoolers
If your child attended or is registered at school, you must formally withdraw your child from school. This will help you to avoid harassment from child protective services. There is nothing in the homeschooling regs about having to inform the school. Sending the school a copy of the Letter of Intent should suffice, but it is best to go down to the school in person, with a copy of your Letter of Intent, or your Letter of Compliance if you have already received it, and formally withdraw the child from the school in person. You can legally do this at any time during the year. It will help the school to close the student’s file. Do not expect the Homeschooling Office to inform the school.
Parents who are new to homeschooling in NYC, or whose children have never attended a NYC public school, are currently required to submit copies of birth certificates and proof of residence with their initial paperwork only. An insurance card may be accepted in place of a birth certificate. Theoretically, any proof of age, such as a passport or perhaps even tax records, should suffice. Proof of residency can be provided with a copy of a rental agreement, utility bill, or letter written by the landlord or primary tenant.
If your child does not have an official NYC school ID# one will be given by the homeschooling office.
Paperwork Requirements
DUE DATES
Letter of Intent
Due by July 1 or within two weeks of your decision to homeschool.
You can begin homeschooling at any point during the year. Every year you homeschool you must send in the Letter of Intent.
IHIP - Individualized Home Instruction Plan
Due by August 15, or within four weeks of submitting your Letter of Intent.
Quarterly Reports (4)
Four reports must be sent during the year. You can choose your own dates, but I recommend submitting these reports on the standard dates used by most homeschoolers: November 15, January 31, April 15, June 30. If you begin homeschooling mid-year, you only need to send quarterly reports for the remaining quarters.
Year-end Assessment
The assessment is either a test score or narrative report, submitted with the fourth quarterly report.
Test scores are required every other year in grades 4-8 and every year in 9-12. Find Testing Tips and Resources here. The assessment or test score does not have to prove grade level!
Paperwork Templates & Examples
The NYC DoE Homeschooling Page has paperwork forms. Scroll down and click on the language to download the form. Click on “Select Language” in the upper right corner of the page to view the entire page in any language available through Google Translator.
You do not have to use the forms supplied by the DoE (Dept. of Education). You can create your own forms, which is what I did. Below are IHIP templates that I created. This allowed me to write the reports on my computer, and write over previous reports (saving the originals), which made the process quicker and easier.
Information on these IHIP templates was taken from the New York State homeschooling regulations, 100.10 Home Instruction and Home Instruction Questions and Answers from the New York State Department of Education.
Feel free to modify these templates and make them your own. All requirements for each set of years are included on the template. Words in italics or parentheses should be removed as you complete the template. Any topic or elective that is not required for your child’s current year and not applicable to your child’s IHIP can be deleted.
Letter of Intent
The Letter of Intent must include your child's name, age and grade level and a statement that you intend to homeschool for the coming year. In NYC it should be emailed to letterofintent@schools.nyc.gov by July 1st or within two weeks of your decision to homeschool.
IHIP - Individualized Home Instruction Plan with Templates in Word Format
NYC homeschoolers should submit the IHIP to homeschool@schools.nyc.gov . In the subject line, include: IHIP, your child’s name and NYC student ID Number (if you have one).
TIP #1: You can write a flexible or child-led IHIP. You can change your plan during the year as needed. (See "Have a Plan, below.)
TIP #2: Grade level content is NOT a requirement! You do not have to use standardized curriculum or follow the Common Core. You can do whatever is best for you and your child!
TIP#3: Encourage your child to help choose topics and resources. Make planning and paperwork a team project.
Find free and recommended curriculum resources, including examples of interest-based curriculum, on the Resource Page.
Find hands-on educational activities and field trips on the Articles Page.
Kindergarten is not a requirement for homeschoolers. For information about early childhood education, and filing non-required paperwork for Kindergarten, go to this page. (Link to be added.)
IHIP template for grades 1 – 6. The first subject, math, has been filled in with a list of first grade math goals, which might vary for your child. This is an example of listing content, which could also be written as a short paragraph. Replace this math content with something appropriate for your child.
IHIP template for grades 9 – 12
TIPS for the High School IHIP: New York State high school requirements may be different from college requirements. For example, only two years of math and science are required in the homeschool regs, but to enter a business or science program in college you likely would need four. Feel free to do more than is required. My kids did art of music every year, more electives than required, at their choice. The 1/2 year requirement of health can be like an intro to pre-med, studying a particular disease or aspect of medicine of their choice in depth.
Examples of IHIPs accepted by the NYC DoE
Here are actual IHIPs accepted in New York, written in a range of styles and approaches. They are here as examples, and are not meant to be copied. The I in IHIP stands for Individualized! Create an IHIP that is personalized for your child!
For grades 1-6 (requirements are the same for 1-6)
1st Grade IHIP using free online curriculum
IHIP for grade 3 , interest-based on gardening and archeology
IHIPs for grades 7-8 (requirements are the same for grades 7 and 8)
IHIPs for Grades 9-12
IHIP for grade 9, posted on the Well Trained Mind Forum
IHIP for Grade 10, interest-based on African American studies and art
IHIP for Grade 12, with no science or math since those requirements were fulfilled, this student spent most of her senior year auditioning and performing, writing and taking photographs. (The following year, she took a gap year to travel and then went to college.)
Have a Plan
The P in IHIP stands for Plan. This is where you write down your plan for the year. During the course of the year, you can change the content, the texts, the manner in which the child learns, and still fulfill your IHIP if the required subjects and the number of hours are covered. During the year, I often changed the content of our IHIP and sometimes even the topics being studied, taking advantage of new interests and opportunities. I wrote what we did in the quarterly reports without mentioning what we did NOT do, and never had a problem with the NYC DoE.
Quarterly Reports
Four times a year you must submit Quarterly Reports that state progress with the goals in your IHIP. These reports must also record the number of hours of instruction . The required hours are 225 per quarter or 900 per year in elementary school; the number of hours is increased for grades 7-12 to 247.5 hours per quarter or 990 per year. For attendance I always put down zero. Our actual number of hours far exceeded the requirement, since my kids learned on weekends, evenings, vacations, and even when they were sick they would read or watch videos in bed.
The IHIP templates above can be adapted for quarterly reports. Change “materials planned” to “materials used.” Don’t try to include everything, just a brief outline or summary in a short paragraph of what was covered or done, with a few main resources. Be brief!
It is also possible to submit a one-paragraph generalized quarterly report. If you want a vague IHIP, the homeschooling office may object to a vague and generalized quarterly report. However, if you submit a detailed IHIP and stick with that plan (or most of it), then a shortened, generalized quarterly report is acceptable.
Email the quarterly report to homeschool@schools.nyc.gov . Include in the subject line: QR, your child’s name and NYC student ID Number (if available).
Examples of Quarterly Reports
You may want to document the homeschooling journey in detail for personal reasons, but for the purpose of submitting paperwork to the DoE, you can fit it all on a single page, two at the most.
Example of Generalized Quarterly Report (for grade 9) (see the example below of a narrative assessment extended into a generalized quarterly report)
Quarterly Report for Grades 4 (long), posted on a NYC homeschooler’s blog
Quarterly Report for Grade 5 (long), posted on a NYC homeschooler’s blog
Sample Quarterly Report for 8th grade, posted on a NYC homeschooler’s blog
Year-End Assessments
Example of Narrative Assessment:
[Heading:] Student’s name, age, grade, ID#, date, Narrative Assessment.
[Body of letter:] << [Student’s name] has met or exceeded all of the goals as set forth in her/his IHIP for the current school year [date to date]. >> signed and dated by the parent or guardian.
The following is an example of a a narrative assessment that can be extended into a generalized quarterly report.
<< [student] is progressing at a satisfactory level or above in all subject matter. >> Then they add the required courses and include the number of hours. Here’s an example of required subjects for grades 1-6. << We have had instruction in all the following areas, as per Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education and Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP): Reading, Writing, Spelling, Language Arts, Arithmetic, U.S. History, Geography, Science, Health, Physical Education, Music, and Visual Arts. >>
Testing as a year-end assessment is required every other year in grades 4-8 and every year 9-12. My kids tested in grades 5, 7, and 9-12. Testing Tips and Resources can be found here.
What to Expect from the NYC DoE
The DoE will check your paperwork to make sure that all requirements are there. However, the NYC Homeschooling office is overworked and understaffed and does not have the time to carefully read the paperwork, or compare an IHIP to a quarterly report. Their job is to check each document and make sure nothing was left out.
SAVE a copy of everything you send to the DoE. Keep a record of the date it was sent. The NYC homeschooling office has requested that all paperwork be sent by email, and not to send duplicate submissions. Send it once, and keep a record of the email you sent.
Don’t worry if the DoE doesn’t respond to let you know your submission has been received. Sometimes they are so overloaded that replies are delayed or forgotten. The most important response from the NYC DoE Homeschooling Office is the Letter of Compliance, also known as the IHIP Approval Letter. This letter states your child’s name and grade level and is proof that you are in full legal compliance with the Department of Education and the homeschooling regulations. This Letter of Completion is useful if Child Protection Services (or anyone else) questions why the children are not in school, or if you want to get educators discounts or an educator’s library card, or as protection for your traveling teens if they are stopped by a truant office.
TIP: Make copies of the Letter of Compliance. Carry one with you, keep one by the door, and give one to any homeschooler traveling independently, along with a letter of permission signed by you.
If, for any reason, you receive a letter from the NYC DoE that states you are not in full compliance, the solution is to update your paperwork and send it in. If you are late, the solution is to send in the missing paperwork.
Confused? Still need help with paperwork?
Contact a local homeschool support group, where you will find experienced homeschoolers who can answer your questions.
Contact Laurie to request a consultation or referral.