Policies and Guidelines for Homeschool Umbrella Review
St. Peter the Rock Education Corporation (SPR) offers homeschooling review for families currently enrolled in St. Peter the Rock Tutorial on an annual basis. The annual year will begin on September 1 and continue until the family concludes their annual school year or until June 30, whichever comes first. To continue with SPR as your umbrella for supervision and review, each family must be in “good standing,” submit a Renewal Enrollment annually, complete a Portfolio Review each semester, and remit the current renewal fee.
SPR is registered with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to supervise home instruction (as an Umbrella Program) for portfolio reviews under regulation .05 of the home instruction regulations, COMAR 13A.10.01 for Home Instruction in Maryland.
Enrollment Period for 2022-2023:Returning famlies: June 1 - August 31, 2022; New Families: June 1 - August 31, 2022 Returning familes will be emailed the password on or before March 12, 2022 to complete the online Renewal Enrollment form.
New families will be given the password for the online Registration Form after contacting:
Grades K-8: Ella Rice at ella.rice@stpetertutorial.com
Grades 9-12: Aileen Hahne at ahahne@stpetertutorial.com
Fee Schedule for 2022-2023.
We are keeping the fees for this year low to help with any financial burden families may be facing.
For high school students: $50 per student with a max of $130 per family.
For students K-8: $25 per student with a max of $100 per family.
If you have a mix of high school and K-8 students, use the per-student cost until you hit a max of $130 or less.
Requirements and Policies:
Each family is responsible for abiding by the Maryland State Law requirements for homeschooling under the supervision of an umbrella such as SPR. According to the law (COMAR 13A.10.10.05), “a parent or guardian who chooses to teach a child at home shall sign a notification statement prescribed by the State Department of Education” which is called the Maryland Homeschool Notification Form, linked here: http://www.mhea.com/files/N_FORM04.pdf. Please wait for confirmation of enrollment with SPR before you submit this form to the Superintendent’s Office. Families can also search for the Home School Notification form by county to submit their form electronically.
A New Enrollment Application must be completed in full online and signed by the parent or guardian with the appropriate fee sent to St Peter the Rock c/o 3206 Blackwalnut Drive, Annapolis, MD 21403.
A Pre-Enrollment Conference must be conducted for all newly enrolled families before an enrollment application can be confirmed. The main purpose of the Conference is to address any questions about homeschooling according to Maryland laws and SPR policies for enrolled students.
Families with students currently enrolled in SPR Tutorial may include all other children within their family on their application.
There will be one reviewer for grades 8-12, and a different reviewer for K-7. This will allow more clarification for students enrolled in SPR Tutorial and incorporate feedback from tutors regarding each student’s progress toward graduation. Every effort will be made to conduct these reviews on the same day.
”Maryland law, Education Article, §7-301, Annotated Code of Maryland, Compulsory Attendance, and COMAR 13A.10.10.01 states that each child who resides in Maryland and is 5 years old or older and under 18 shall attend a public school regularly during the entire school year unless the child is otherwise receiving regular, thorough schooling during the school year in the studies usually taught in the public schools to children of the same age. Maryland recognizes nonpublic schools and home schooling as options to public school enrollment for students to receive regular, thorough instruction.” Each family shall maintain a portfolio of each child’s work that demonstrates the student has received regular, thorough instruction in each subject typically taught in public schools in your county of residence. For grades K-8, these subjects include: English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education. For ninth through twelfth grade, courses taken for high school credit must fulfill the minimum credits to graduate:
Maryland State Requirements for high school graduations are a minium of 21 total credits with the following subject requirements:
English: 4 credits,
Math: 3 credits (must include Algebra 1 and Geometry),
Science: 3 credits (must include Biology with lab, 2 others with lab. For PG County one of these must be a Space Science)
Social Studies: 3 credits (1 in US History, 1 in World history, 1 in local, state, national governent)
Fine Arts: 1 credit
PE: 0.5 credit
Health: 0.5 credit
Tech Ed: 1 credit
Others: 2 credits foreign language or 2 credits American Sign Language or 2 credits advanced tech ed
Electives: 3 credits
In addition to Maryland State requirements, SPR requires a religious education course each year K-8.
If a family fails to cover the required subjects during any school year, it will be given probationary status. This family will need to prove that students are meeting the requirements by the end of their academic year or they will be removed from SPR.
For high school students, in addition to a portfolio review, parents are expected to submit a credit report for any courses taken outside SPR Tutorial by May 30th. SPR Education Corporation will then create a transcript including all high school courses taken each year.
As a private corporation, SPR Education Corporation has sole decision-making responsibilities regarding membership in the umbrella review program. As such, SPR retains the right to deny membership to any family for any reason.
We do not offer enrollment services outside of our limited field of membership. As a private organization, SPR legally sets its own membership base. Our field of membership includes parishioners of Sacred Heart Cathoic Church, Bowie, MD and current families enrolled in St. Peter the Rock Homeschool Tutorial, Bowie, MD.
We are not a registered tax-exempt or non-profit organization. Fees paid for services are not tax-deductible.
SPR is not an accredited school and does not award diplomas. As homeschooling parents you can use the transcript provided as proof of course work completed.
To request a transcript, send an email to ahahne@stpetertutorial.com
“Of all holy works, the education of children is the most holy.”
- St. Theophan the Recluse
The Right and Duty of Parents Regarding Education - as written in Familiaris Consortio by Saint Pope John Paul II: The task of giving education is rooted in the primary vocation of married couples to participate in God's creative activity: by begetting in love and for love a new person who has within himself or herself the vocation to growth and development, parents by that very fact take on the task of helping that person effectively to live a fully human life. As the Second Vatican Council recalled, "since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. For it devolves on parents to create a family atmosphere so animated with love and reverence for God and others that a well-rounded personal and social development will be fostered among the children. Hence, the family is the first school of those social virtues which every society needs. "(99)