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December 28, 2020

Dear Home Instruction Parent/Guardian:

As 2020 draws to a close, we hope this letter finds you healthy and able to enjoy the holiday season.

Per the Code of Maryland Regulations, (COMAR), home instruction families are required to participate in two portfolio reviews during each school year. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the first portfolio review for home instruction families will occur virtually. The second review will require that families complete and submit a Google review form which will be provided toward the end of the school year. Both the virtual review and the submission of the Google form in May/June are mandatory to maintain compliance with COMAR. Students who are not compliant with COMAR will be withdrawn from Home Instruction and must enroll in a private or public school for a minimum of one semester, prior to re-enrolling in home instruction.

We will soon start Round 2 of our virtual reviews. Round 2 runs from January 14 through February 17 and applies to families new to home instruction this school year with students whose last names begin with letters A-K. Appointments for the virtual review are made by parents/guardians using the electronic platform, Sign-Up Genius. By January 1, 2021, the link to Sign Up Genius Round 2 appointments will be posted on our website: homeinstruction in the righthand column under Announcements. Please check our website to select a convenient date/time and make your appointment(s) now. One appointment is required for each student, so scheduling siblings consecutively allows one reviewer to serve the entire family at once.

In order to accommodate approximately 3,000 students being supervised by AACPS, we need your cooperation and understanding. It is important to schedule before the start of the round and, if possible, select dates in the early weeks of the round. Waiting to schedule may result in few, if any, appointments remaining. Please do not cancel or reschedule your appointment for any but the most dire circumstances.

Prior to your appointment you will have the option of filling out an electronic portfolio review form. Following the structure and order of content areas on the form will prepare you for a successful review. A copy of this form can be found on our website near the Sign-Up Genius link under Announcements. You need to download the form into a program that reads pdfs, such as Adobe Reader or PDF Expert.  Only then is the form fillable. The password/lock field at the top of the form is for the reviewer’s use only. You will be able to fill out all needed sections without unlocking the form. Detailed directions about what to write on the form will appear as pop-ups on the electronic form.

On the day of your review the portfolio reviewer will send you, via email, a Google Meet link for your virtual meeting. The link will not arrive in your inbox until the time of your portfolio review appointment. If you have chosen to complete a portfolio review form ahead of time, you will be asked to email the form to your reviewer at the time of the review.

For help in preparing your child’s portfolio and knowing what to expect during the review, please look at the resources on our website. Check out the orientation video or click on Supervision in the left-hand column where you will find the ABCs of AACPS Home Instruction Supervision and Top Ten Tips for Creating a Home Instruction Portfolio.

If you do not have internet access or a computer that accommodates video conferencing, please call Mrs. Eileen Williams between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M. on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 410-693-5077. If you have internet access but have questions regarding the review process, please call Mrs. Williams or contact us via email at homeinstruction@.

Finally, in closing, if you did not receive a copy of this letter via email, we either do not have your email address on file or we have an email address that needs to be updated. The fastest, most efficient way to receive news and announcements regarding home instruction is via email. If you would like to provide or need to update an email address for this purpose, please contact our new registrar, Mrs. Sandra Sears, ssears@ . It is important to note that parent/guardian contact information is never shared with outside organizations or individuals not conducting official business for the Home Instruction Office.

Sincerely,

Sheila K. McEwan

Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives

Advanced Studies and Programs

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