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October 23, 2020

Dear Home Instruction Parent/Guardian:

Greetings! We hope that this letter finds your family healthy and well on your way in home instruction this year.

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 occurring between mid-November and early April 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 Students who are not compliant with COMAR will be withdrawn from Home Instruction and must enroll in a private or public school for a minimum of one semester, prior to re-enrolling in home instruction.

Due to the continued restrictions of the pandemic and the significant increase in the number of students participating in home instruction this year, we will conduct 3,000 virtual reviews. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation so that all remain healthy and the reviews run smoothly and efficiently.

Appointments for the virtual review will be made by parents/guardians using the electronic platform, Sign-Up Genius. 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. 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 a Google Meet link for your virtual meeting. 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.

Families have been divided into three groups, each of which has been assigned round one, two, or three to schedule their review. Each group has 4-6 weeks from which to select appointment times. Families are required to select an appointment date within those 4-6 weeks. Cancellations and rescheduling are not possible for any but the most dire circumstances. Parents/guardians will use a link to Sign-Up Genius to schedule the date and time of their review, making one appointment for each student. If you have more than one child, we suggest you schedule the appointments consecutively.

Links will be posted on our website one-two weeks prior to the start of each round of reviews. If a family is assigned to participate in round one, please see our website, homeinstruction to find the link to Sign-Up Genius under Announcements in the right-hand column. To best accommodate each family’s availability, it is important to schedule appointments as soon as the Sign-Up Genius link is posted, prior to the start of the round. Finding an appointment during the early weeks of the round is usually easier than finding one toward the end, when appointments tend to fill up and would be greatly appreciated.

Round 1: November 16, 2020 – January 8, 2021 All families who began Home Instruction prior to the 2020-21 school year

Round 2: January 15, 2021 – February 17, 2021 Families who began Home Instruction this school year (2020-21) and student’s last name starts with letters A-K

Round 3: February 26, 2021 - April 5, 2021 Families who began Home Instruction this school year (2020-21) and student’s last name starts with letters L-Z

Round 4: May 10 – June 4: ALL families will submit a Google form detailing students’ studies in the 7 required subjects

You will find a link on our website to the portfolio review form which may be downloaded and filled out prior to your review appointment. There are also additional resources to help prepare your child’s portfolio. 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, 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 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 registrar, Ms. Juanita Myers, jcmyers@ . 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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