How to Fill Out and Submit the Hillsborough County Homeschool Evaluation Form

The Hillsborough County homeschool evaluation form is a one-page document you download from the district, have your chosen evaluator complete and sign, and submit to the Home Education Office by email, fax, or mail on or before the anniversary of the date you filed your Letter of Intent.¹

When the Form Is Due

Your deadline is personal to you. It falls each year on the anniversary of the date you first filed your Letter of Intent with the Hillsborough County superintendent. If you filed on March 14, every annual evaluation is due on or before March 14. Mark it on a calendar and work backward: your evaluator needs time to review materials, test the student, or write up results before signing the form.

Where to Get the Form

Download the current evaluation form from the district’s Home Education page, or request a copy from the Home Education Office.² It is a single page and covers all five evaluation methods in one layout, so the same form works regardless of which method you choose.

Choosing an Evaluation Method

Florida law gives you five options, and the form has a checkbox for each. You pick the method; the district does not assign one.¹

A Florida-certified teacher reviews your child’s portfolio and discusses the work with the student. The teacher must hold a valid regular Florida certificate in academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level, but can evaluate any grade regardless of the subjects or grade level on the certificate.³
Your child takes a nationally normed achievement test administered by a certified teacher. Common choices include the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Stanford Achievement Test, the California Achievement Test, and the Woodcock-Johnson. The test must have been administered within the past year.
Your child takes the state student assessment used by the district, administered by a certified teacher at a location and under conditions the district approves.³
A professional holding a valid, active Florida license as a psychologist or school psychologist under Florida Statute 490.003 evaluates the student.⁴
A record of grades from Hillsborough Virtual School or Florida Virtual School, covering a full year of both English/language arts and math.¹

The state statute also allows any other measurement tool the parent and superintendent mutually agree on. This route is uncommon and requires coordination with the Home Education Office before the evaluation happens.³

Filling In Each Section

Student Information

At the top of the form, enter the student’s name, date of birth, current address, and phone number. If your address or phone number has changed since your last filing, check the change-of-address box so the district updates its records.

Parent Attestation

Below the student information, print your name, sign, and date the parent attestation. Your signature states that the information on the form is accurate and reflects your child’s progress.

Evaluation Method

Check the single box next to the method you used. The evaluator fills in the matching signature block at the bottom.

Evaluator Credentials and the Progress Determination

For a certified teacher (portfolio review or standardized test administrator), the form requires the printed name, signature, Florida certification number, certificate expiration date, the date the evaluation was completed, and a phone number. For a psychologist, the same fields apply but with the Florida license number and license expiration in place of the certification details.

The evaluator must then indicate whether the student “has” or “has not” demonstrated progress at a level commensurate with their ability. That has/has-not selection is the core legal determination the district needs; no narrative report is required. Before the evaluation, confirm your evaluator’s certificate or license is current and active. A Florida teaching certificate can be verified through the Florida Department of Education’s online verification system.

Submitting the Completed Form

Once you and the evaluator have both signed, send the form to the Home Education Office using any of the three accepted methods:¹

Email a scan or photo of the signed form to home.education@hcps.net.
Fax the form to (813) 609-6825.
Mail it to the Home Education Office, 2704 N. Highland Ave., Room 309, Tampa, Florida 33602.

If you mail the form, send it early enough to arrive before your anniversary date, not just postmarked by then. Keep a copy of the signed form along with your proof of delivery: a sent-email confirmation, fax transmission record, or certified mail receipt. Those records protect you if the district ever questions whether you filed on time.²

What Happens After You Submit

The superintendent reviews the evaluation and accepts the results. If the evaluator marked that your child demonstrated adequate progress, you are set until the next anniversary date. The district does not send a separate approval; the signed form is your compliance record.

If the evaluator marked that your child did not demonstrate adequate progress, the superintendent sends you a written notice. From the date you receive that notice, you have one year of probation to provide corrective instruction, after which your child must be reevaluated using one of the same methods. Continuing in the home education program depends on the student showing adequate progress at the end of that probationary year.³

A single poor result does not automatically end your program; the statute builds in that structured year to address the gap. Not filing the evaluation at all is a separate problem, because it puts you out of compliance with the attendance requirements that home education registration satisfies.

The Final Evaluation When You End the Program

When your child finishes the program by graduating, enrolling in a traditional school, or aging out, you must file a written notice of termination with the Hillsborough County superintendent within 30 days. That termination notice must include the final annual evaluation for the student’s last year in the program.³ Send it to the same Home Education Office address, fax, or email you use for annual evaluations. Until that termination notice is on file, the district treats you as still homeschooling, and evaluations remain due every anniversary.

1
Hillsborough County Public Schools. Home Education Evaluation Form
2
Hillsborough County Public Schools. Home Education
3
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 1002.41 – Home Education Programs
4
Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 490.003 – Definitions