Homeschool benefits: Schuylkill Valley School District
Schuylkill Valley School District lets homeschooled residents apply for career and technical education (CTE) programs at Berks Career and Technology Center on the same basis as its enrolled students, under Board Policy 137.3. Your child can also ride an existing district bus route to the program when there is room.
Who qualifies
Lives in the district
Policy 137.3 limits participation to home education students who are residents of Schuylkill Valley School District.
Meets the program prerequisites
Your child must meet the CTE program's eligibility criteria or prerequisites, or their equivalent. Proof can include attendance records, portfolio records showing completed curriculum, or other documents.
Follows CTE and district rules
Your child follows Berks Career and Technology Center and district conduct rules and the program's attendance and sign-in and sign-out procedures.
Takes the required courses
Home education students take the program's required courses on the same basis as enrolled students, unless an exception is granted under board policy.
What the policy gives you
The terms come from Schuylkill Valley Board Policy 137.3, Participation in Career and Technical Education Programs by Home Education Students.
- Placement at Berks Career and Technology Center
- Equal chance to apply
- District-run CTE programs
- Equal chance to apply
- Academic courses a district CTE program requires
- Allowed
- Transportation to and from the program
- Existing routes, if space
- Grades and attendance records
- Sent to you and the district
The policy does not mention tuition or fees.
From applying to keeping it
- Before you apply
Check the prerequisites
Pick a program and confirm your child meets its eligibility criteria or prerequisites.
- Application
Apply for a seat
Apply for placement in an available Berks Career and Technology Center program or a district CTE program.
- Before enrolling
Send proof of eligibility
Submit the required documents and written proof of eligibility or completed prerequisites to the Director of Pupil Services and the building principal.
- Seat decisions
Compete for limited seats
Seats follow the district's prioritization rules, which may weigh academic achievement, skills, and conduct. Homeschooled students compete on equal terms.
- During the program
Keep grades in the portfolio
The center sends you and the district a grade for each course and attendance records, and you keep them in your child's portfolio.
What it includes
Included
- Equal chance at CTE seats
- Required academic courses for district CTE programs
- Bus rides on existing routes when space allows
- Course grades and attendance records
Not included
- Guaranteed seats in full programs
- Special bus routes for homeschooled students
- Students who live outside the district
Who to contact
Curriculum and Learning, led by Director Jenny Rexrode, handles home education filings and can point you to the right person for CTE placement.
610-916-0957 Home education page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Pennsylvania
You must file a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent before starting and by August 1 in subsequent years. Include educational objectives and required health and immunization documentation or exemptions. Certify that the supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody have no conviction for the listed statutory offenses in the preceding five years.
Pennsylvania sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach in English the subjects required for elementary or secondary home education, including English, math, science, geography, history/civics, health, PE, art, music, and ongoing fire-safety instruction. Provide 180 days or 900 elementary/990 secondary hours annually.
- Testing: Include reading and math test results in the portfolio in grades 3, 5, and 8. Obtain an annual evaluation and submit the evaluator’s certification to the superintendent by June 30. The supervisor, parent or guardian may not administer an alternative approved standardized test.
- Records: Keep a portfolio with a reading-materials log, work samples, required test results, and the annual evaluation. Document the required instructional days or hours.
- Teachers: The supervisor must be the parent, guardian, or legal custodian with a high-school diploma or equivalent. The supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody must meet the statutory five-year criminal-conviction condition.
Read the Pennsylvania homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Pennsylvania
Questions parents ask
- What proof will Schuylkill Valley want for a CTE application?
- Written proof that your child meets the program's eligibility criteria or prerequisites. The policy names attendance records and portfolio records showing completed curriculum as examples.
- Does Schuylkill Valley pay the Berks Career and Technology Center cost?
- The policy does not say. Ask Curriculum and Learning whether the district pays the Berks Career and Technology Center cost for a homeschooled student the way it does for enrolled students.
- Are seats guaranteed?
- No. Some programs have a set number of seats, and the district ranks applicants by criteria such as academic achievement, skills, and conduct record.
- Who keeps the grades?
- Berks Career and Technology Center sends grades and attendance records to both you and the district, and you keep them in your child's home education portfolio.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Local classes cover the subjects they offer. We teach the remaining subjects, so a local class can stay part of the year without becoming the whole curriculum.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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