Florida law requires home education students to be evaluated once a calendar year (or within 30 days of ending homeschooling) to verify that the students have been educated.
A portfolio review is a type of evaluation that is a simple look at records (or a sampling) kept of the child's learning to verify that learning has occurred.
We offer three options
for
virtual homeschool
portfolio review evaluations.
 1. Evaluation via our online form and/or email
with a brief follow-up phone call.

This is the fastest option for those in a hurry and our most popular option.
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Click icon for more info.
Ready to start an online/email evaluation?
Click here.
2. Evaluation via
live video call
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Click icon for more info.
 Ready to schedule
a video evaluation?
Click here.
3. Evaluation with Extra Support
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Click icon for more info.
An option for those who want to begin the evaluation months in advance and get extra support.
(Not available from May 15 until Sept. 1)
Go to Evaluation with Extra Support for our form.
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Click icon to begin
 We provide consultations
(i.e., Choice Navigation in the language of the new
PEP program that takes effect July 1, 2023)
for those who need more in-depth or personalized assistance in planning their homeschooling, choosing curricula, organizing records, proofing transcripts, etc. than provided here or on our Facebook pages FLHomeschoolEvaluations and HomeschoolingFloridaStyle
 Florida Dept. of Education's
official
Home Education FAQ
gives official Home Education policy.

There are two versions of the official Home Education FAQ: one directed at parents
and another at school districts.
Homeschool Vouchers?

In March 2023, Florida's Governor signed a school choice law that's being touted as vouchers.
What does this mean for homeschooling?
Florida has two scholarships.

1. The Family Empowerment Scholarship: Unique Abilities (i.e., the Gardiner) is for students with certain special needs. Students using this to homeschool will still follow home education laws.

2. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship:  was not previously available for homeschooling. It opened inJuly 2023 for those who want to homeschool using a new homeschool option called a Personalized Education Plan.

This PEP program provides government funding, requires a plan upfront, and requires testing each year.

We can help families get started homeschooling under this plan. A consultation with us is reimbursable under the scholarship as Choice Navigator services.
 A portfolio review evaluation is NOT a test.
 If your child is regularly learning and you've kept records of that learning, passing the evaluation should not be a worry.
 Our online/email evaluation requires a follow-up phone call with the child. This is not a quiz or test, but rather a quick chat.
View video for more details.
Late? Missed Your Evaluation Deadline?
Use our email evaluation option to send some photos or scans of your records and get the evaluation done quickly.
Sending an email to your school district letting them know you are getting it done may help buy you some time.
Once you send in the evaluation,
all should be well. 

Florida Empowerment Scholarship: Unique Abilities

We are a
direct pay provider
through
Step Up for Students
using the Florida Empowerment Scholarship: Unique Abilities
(previously known as the Gardiner Scholarship).

Include a copy of your child's Gardiner ID card or
Gardiner Student ID# OR
ask for a receipt for reimbursement instead.
School districts are prohibited from adding any additional requirements to
FL Home Education law.
Districts cannot set a deadline for all evaluations nor require district forms
Keeping a Portfolio

Florida law requires the parent to keep records called a portfolio. This video shows the start of our child's portfolio with tips on options for keeping records that meet Florida legal standards.
(See our Portfolio Examples page for more information.)
Need Help Getting a School or School District to Comply with Florida Law?

Sandy Eggers,
the Home Education Director for the Florida Dept. of Education,
and her staff can help.
Their office is tasked with, among other things, providing information, evaluating any proposed policies to ensure they won't add regulations to homeschoolers, and serving the interests of home education students and parents.
They can be valuable if districts try to overstep their bounds.

DOEHomeEducation@fldoe.org
Missed (or about to miss) a deadline due to hurricane, flooding, illness (or other problem)?

If you can, email your home education contact (use button below) to let them know that you are aware of the evaluation deadline and are in contact with an evaluator and will get the paperwork to them once you are able. That should grant you extra time.

Even if the district doesn't specifically grant extra time, once the evaluation is turned in, all should be well.
 Yes! We do evaluations year-round.
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Homeschooling Florida Style is our Facebook support group's name and now we have a fun shirt to go with it.
 Finished Homeschooling?
If your child has graduated or if you are ready to put your child in a school or you move out of state, a Letter of Termination should be sent to the no more than 30 days after finishing homeschooling. The Letter of Termination is sent to the district's home education contact and an evaluation should be sent either with the Letter of Termination or within 30 days. A school will likely want a grade report and/or transcript.

If you are moving from one Florida district to another Florida school district and are continuing to homeschool, use the transfer request form so an extra evaluation is not required. The new district should keep the same evaluation deadline.
FL Homeschool Evaluations has worked from our beginning to help homeschool parents by providing accurate, up-to-date information on homeschooling laws and policies, and practical help. We have answered thousands of questions online, including via our Facebook page, our huge Facebook group, our Instagram page, and our email, and posted lots of information to help homeschool families. We have successfully helped parents fight back when district officials have over-stepped their bounds. We have helped vet, correct, and improve the Florida Dept. of Education's official Home Education FAQ and other information.

We consolidated a lot of  this information here and add more as we can. Please browse the site to find more...


And some information about us and our services:
Cheryl Trzasko
Homeschool mom and evaluator since 2003 
 Florida home educated students must be evaluated
once a year
by the anniversary of their
Letter of Intent (or within 30 days of ending homeschooling.) The evaluation might be a test. But it doesn't have to.

Parents choose from 5 evaluation options.

Some options involve testing but not all are tests.

1. Public school testing done during regular state assessment testing.

2. Nationally-normed achievement testing administered by a FL certified teacher.
Some homeschool support groups offer testing sessions with a certified teacher--the cost is usually around $50-$80 a child.
Scores above the 35th percentile are considered passing per the Craig Dickinson Act.

3. Psychologist evaluation which is likely testing.
----
4. The portfolio review is an option which is NOT a test; instead a FL certified teacher reviews records of the child's learning to verify that the child has been educated.This is the type of evaluation we offer.

5. Any other type of evaluation the parent and district agree on.
 New to homeschooling?

Start Homeschooling

If you've just started homeschooling, an evaluation won't be needed for almost a year
(or within 30 days of finishing homeschooling if you stop sooner than a year).

We do have an
Evaluation with Extra Support option for those who want to begin the evaluation process much sooner to help make sure they are on the right track.

Go here for information on getting started.

We have pages with information on curriculum and/or unschooling,
high school and graduation requirements,
special needs,
and more. See the Homeschool Information tab for more information.
boy sitting in woman's lap in living room and working in a workbook
Learning at home together in our house.

  Busy Season Is Winding Down                                      Sep. 18, 2023

    The busiest busy season ever in Florida home education evaluations is winding down. We are catching up on messages sent to us and we are getting evaluations done that were sent to us in the past 3 weeks as the numbers wind down. We brought in an experienced evaluator, Dana, who helped complete evaluations for us when the numbers became too much--she's been a valuable addition to our team.

We have plans in place to change some of our forms and processes in the upcoming months to make the process more efficient during the next busy season--especially in regard to questions about receipt of evaluations and other questions about evaluations as we were not able to keep that up this year as we have in the past.
   
   If your deadline is here (or has passed or you've received a message from the district that says you've been removed from their roster), send an email to the district telling them that you are working with an evaluator and will get the evaluation to them as soon as you can. That will buy you extra time. We don't encourage lateness but there is nothing in the law that allows them to reject an evaluation for being late.

    If you are terminating a home education program to sign up for the PEP or to enroll a child in school, you can send a Letter of Termination to the district's Home Education Contact and tell them an evaluation will be coming. You have 30 days to get it in.

    If you decide to cancel an evaluation, please notify us first so that we don't spend time on that evaluation.

Thank you for your understanding,
Cheryl Trzasko

The Trzasko Family

Cheryl & Mark Trzasko
(pronounced Trahs-koh) have always homeschooled their children; two graduated high school, as homeschoolers, with college credit.
Both Cheryl and Mark are long-time Florida certified teachers. Together, they are a team of experienced evaluators with a passion to help other homeschool families.

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What homeschooling parents have said...

I have found FL Homeschool Evaluations to be very efficient and accommodating. Very knowledgeable in Florida law regarding home education. Non-judgemental and encouraging, allowing parents to maintain control of their child's education. Fairly priced, prompt, good communication. Quick turn around on completed forms. We have been well pleased with our experience" Michelle L.

"Mrs. Cheryl is absolutely amazing. Always there to help answer any questions and helps me and my daughter feel comfortable during evaluation. I recommend her to anyone in Florida." Yesenia

"I am so glad I chose Cheryl to evaluate my children. We finished our first homeschooling year in October, and Cheryl made the process painless, and has made me even more excited to homeschool my kids this year. I was so nervous leading up to the evaluation. But Cheryl is great, and is very informative and to the point. I am so thankful I found her. And will definitely be using her again. Thanks again Mrs. Cheryl!!" Mary

"This was our first year homeschooling in Florida. Cheryl and Mark were very helpful answering questions and helping us through the process. I highly recommend FL Homeschool Evaluations."
Jeremy J.

"I highly recommend Cheryl and Mark Trzasko for your evaluations. We have used them for the past 2 years. They make the whole process so much easier and stress free. They are happy to answer any questions you may have. They are great about getting your evaluation done in a quick and timely manner." Amanda M.
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