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A.  A parent or legal guardian shall apply to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval of a home study program.  An initial application must be made within fifteen days after commencement of the program.  A renewal application must be made by the first of October of the school year, or within twelve months of approval of the initial application, whichever is later.  The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon receipt of such initial or renewal application, shall immediately notify the city or parish school superintendent within whose jurisdiction the home study is being conducted of such application and also shall notify said superintendent of subsequent actions taken by the board on the application.

B.  An initial application for participation in a home study program shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the birth certificate of the child.  A short-form birth certification card shall be acceptable as a certified copy of the birth certificate.  The initial application or, during the 1984-1985 school year, a renewal application, shall be approved if the parent certifies that the home study program will offer a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.

C.(1)  After the 1984-1985 school year, a renewal application for participation in a home study program shall be approved if the parent submits to the board satisfactory evidence that the program has in fact offered a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.  To substantiate this fact, the parent shall submit with the renewal application a packet of materials which includes such documents as:

(a)  A complete outline of each of the subjects taught during the previous year,

(b)  Lists of books and materials used,

(c)  Copies of the student’s work,

(d)  Copies of standardized tests,

(e)  Statements by third parties who have observed the child’s progress, and

(f)  Any other evidence of the quality of the program being offered.

(2)  If the material submitted is inadequate, the Department of Education shall notify the parent of the deficiencies and request additional materials.

(3)  On the basis of all the information submitted, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall determine whether the program offers a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered in public schools at the same grade level and shall approve or disapprove the application accordingly.

D.  After the 1984-1985 school year, a renewal application shall be approved if, in lieu of submission of the packet of materials provided in the previous Subsection, the parent submits with the application any one of the following:

(1)  Verification that the child has taken the competency-based education examination provided in La. Rev. Stat. 17:24.4 and scored at or above the passing level established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for public school students at his grade level.

(2)  Verification that the child has taken the California Achievement Test (CAT) or such other standardized examination as may be approved by the board and the child has scored at or above his grade level or the child has progressed at a rate equal to one grade level for each year in home study program.

(3)  A statement from a teacher certified to teach at the child’s grade level that the teacher has examined the program being offered and that, in his professional opinion, the child is being taught in accordance with a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level or, in the case of children with mental or physical disabilities, at least equal to that offered by public schools to children with similar disabilities.  Any such teacher evaluation provided for in this Subsection shall be subject to review and approval of the State Board of Education.

E.(1)  In May and September of each year and on such other dates as may be determined by the city or parish superintendent of schools, the local school board shall, upon request of a parent whose child is participating in a home study program, administer the competency-based education examination to the child.  The test shall be administered with the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public schools.

(2)  The local school board may charge a fee for this service not to exceed thirty-five dollars.

(3)  The certified teacher administering the examination shall promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child’s score and whether he passed the examination.

F.(1)  In May and September of each year and on such other dates as may be determined by the state superintendent of elementary and secondary education, the Department of Education shall, upon the request of the parent, administer the competency-based education examination to any child enrolled in a home study program or enrolled in a private school.  The test shall be administered with the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public schools.

(2)  The Department of Education may charge a fee for this service not to exceed thirty-five dollars.

(3)  The certified teacher administering the examination shall promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child’s score and whether he passed the examination.

G.  Notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or other provision of law to the contrary, a high school diploma awarded by a home study program approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall be deemed by all public postsecondary educational institutions, all state departments, agencies, boards, and commissions, and all other state and local governmental entities to have all of the rights and privileges afforded to a high school diploma awarded by a state-approved nonpublic school.

Acts 1984, No. 446, §1; Acts 1988, No. 837, §1; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 118, §2, eff. April 19, 2000; Acts 2010, No. 677, §1.