IL ·
6
None specified.
Illinois homeschools operate as private schools under 105 ILCS 5/26-1 (Compulsory Attendance) and the IL Supreme Court case People v. Levisen (1950). Compulsory attendance is ages 6 (turned 6 by Sept 1) through 17. Parents must teach the required branches of education in English, equivalent to public school instruction. No registration, notification, teacher certification, or standardized testing is legally required, though notification to the ROE/local school is recommended.
Illinois does not legally require parents to register or notify before homeschooling. Homeschools are treated as private schools under People v. Levisen (1950). However, ISBE strongly recommends sending a dated written letter of intent to the local public school and Regional Office of Education (ROE) to avoid the child being marked truant. ISBE also offers a voluntary Home Schooling Registration Form.
Not legally mandated, but strongly recommended. Parents bear the burden of demonstrating their program covers the required branches of education equivalently if challenged by the regional superintendent. HSLDA and ISBE advise keeping attendance, curriculum, and work-sample records.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Biological and Physical Sciences
- Social Sciences (Social Studies)
- Fine Arts
- Physical Development and Health
· Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science (C3 Framework-based, but state-authored with Illinois-specific codes) · 108
| K | SS.CV.1.K | Describe roles and responsibilities of people in authority. |
| K | SS.CV.2.K | Explain the need for and purposes of rules in various settings, inside and outside of the school. |
| K | SS.EC.1.K | Explain that choices are made because of scarcity (because we cannot have everything that we want). |
| K | SS.G.1.K | Explain how weather, climate, and other environmental characteristics affect people's lives. |
| K | SS.G.2.K | Identify and explain how people and goods move from place to place. |
| K | SS.H.1.K | Compare life in the past with life today. |
| K | SS.H.2.K | Explain the significance of national holidays and the heroism and achievements of the people associated with them. |
| 1 | SS.CV.1.1 | Explain how all people, not just official leaders, play important roles in a community. |
| 1 | SS.CV.2.1 | Identify and explain how rules function in various settings, inside and outside of the school. |
| 1 | SS.EC.1.1 | Explain and give examples of when choices are made that something else is given up. |
| 1 | SS.EC.2.1 | Describe the skills and knowledge required to produce certain goods and services. |
| 1 | SS.EC.FL.3.1 | Explain how people earn pay or income in exchange for work. |
| 1 | SS.G.1.1 | Construct and interpret maps and other representations to navigate a familiar place. |
| 1 | SS.H.1.1 | Create a chronological sequence of multiple events. |
| 1 | SS.H.2.1 | Describe individuals and groups who have shaped a significant historical change. |
| 1 | SS.H.3.1 | Compare perspectives of people in the past to those of people in the present. |
| 2 | SS.CV.1.2 | Explain what governments are and some of their functions. |
| 2 | SS.CV.2.2 | Describe how communities work to accomplish common tasks, establish responsibilities, and fulfill roles of authority. |
| 2 | SS.EC.1.2 | Demonstrate how our choices can affect ourselves and others in positive and negative ways. |
| 2 | SS.EC.2.2 | Explain the role of money in making exchange easier. |
| 2 | SS.EC.3.2 | Compare the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities. |
| 2 | SS.EC.FL.4.2 | Explain that money can be saved or spent on goods and services. |
| 2 | SS.G.1.2 | Construct and interpret maps and other graphic representations of both familiar and unfamiliar places. |
| 2 | SS.G.2.2 | Identify some cultural and environmental characteristics of your community and compare to other places. |
| 2 | SS.G.3.2 | Explain how people in your community use local and distant environments to meet their daily needs. |
| 2 | SS.H.1.2 | Summarize changes that have occurred in the local community over time. |
| 2 | SS.H.2.2 | Compare individuals and groups who have shaped a significant historical change. |
| 2 | SS.H.3.2 | Explain how different kinds of historical sources (written documents, objects, artistic works, and oral accounts) can be used to study the past. |
| 3 | SS.CV.1.3 | Describe ways in which interactions among families, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and government benefit communities. |
| 3 | SS.CV.2.3 | Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms. |
| 3 | SS.CV.3.3 | Compare procedures for making decisions in the classroom, school, and community. |
| 3 | SS.CV.4.3 | Describe how people have tried to improve their communities over time. |
| 3 | SS.EC.1.3 | Compare the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities. |
| 3 | SS.EC.2.3 | Generate examples of the goods and services that governments provide. |
| 3 | SS.EC.FL.3.3 | Describe the role of banks and other financial institutions in an economy. |
| 3 | SS.EC.FL.4.3 | Explain that when people borrow, they receive something of value now and agree to repay the lender over time. |
| 3 | SS.G.1.3 | Locate major landforms and bodies of water on a map or other representation. |
| 3 | SS.G.2.3 | Compare how people modify and adapt to the environment and culture in our community to other places. |
| 3 | SS.G.3.3 | Show how consumption of products connects people to distant places. |
| 3 | SS.H.1.3 | Create and use a chronological sequence of events. |
| 3 | SS.H.2.3 | Describe how significant people, events, and developments have shaped their own community and region. |
| 3 | SS.H.3.3 | Identify artifacts and documents as either primary or secondary sources of historical data from which historical accounts are constructed. |
| 4 | SS.CV.1.4 | Distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at the local, state, and national levels. |
| 4 | SS.CV.2.4 | Explain how a democracy relies on people's responsible participation, and draw implications for how individuals should participate. |
| 4 | SS.CV.3.4 | Identify core civic virtues (honesty, mutual respect, cooperation) and democratic principles (equality, freedom, liberty, respect for individual rights). |
| 4 | SS.CV.4.4 | Explain how rules and laws change society and how people change rules and laws in Illinois. |
| 4 | SS.EC.1.4 | Explain how profits reward and influence sellers. |
| 4 | SS.EC.2.4 | Describe how goods and services are produced using human, natural, and capital resources (e.g. tools and machines). |
| 4 | SS.EC.FL.3.4 | Analyze how spending choices are influenced by price as well as many other factors (advertising, peer pressure, options). |
| 4 | SS.EC.FL.4.4 | Explain that income can be saved, spent on goods and services, or used to pay taxes. |
| 4 | SS.G.1.4 | Construct and interpret maps of Illinois and the United States using various media. |
| 4 | SS.G.2.4 | Analyze how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places in Illinois change over time. |
| 4 | SS.G.3.4 | Describe some of the current movements of goods, people, jobs, or information to, from, or within Illinois, and explain reasons for the movements. |
| 4 | SS.H.1.4 | Explain connections among historical contexts and why individuals and groups differed in their perspectives during the same historical period. |
| 4 | SS.H.2.4 | Using artifacts and primary sources, investigate how individuals contributed to the founding and development of Illinois. |
| 4 | SS.H.3.4 | Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments in Illinois history. |
| 5 | SS.CV.1.5 | Distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places. |
| 5 | SS.CV.2.5 | Examine the origins and purposes of rules, laws, and key U.S. constitutional provisions. |
| 5 | SS.CV.3.5 | Compare the origins, functions, and structure of different systems of government. |
| 5 | SS.CV.4.5 | Explain how policies are developed to address public problems. |
| 5 | SS.EC.1.5 | Analyze why and how individuals, businesses, and nations around the world specialize and trade. |
| 5 | SS.EC.2.5 | Discover how positive incentives (sale prices, earning money) and negative incentives influence behavior in our nation's economy and around the world. |
| 5 | SS.EC.3.5 | Determine the ways in which the government pays for the goods and services it provides. |
| 5 | SS.FL.4.5 | Explain that interest is the price the borrower pays for using someone else's money. |
| 5 | SS.G.1.5 | Investigate how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places within the United States change over time. |
| 5 | SS.G.2.5 | Describe how humans have utilized natural resources in the United States. |
| 5 | SS.G.3.5 | Analyze the effects of specific catastrophic and environmental events as well as technological developments that have impacted our nation and compare to other places. |
| 5 | SS.G.4.5 | Compare the environmental characteristics of the United States to other world regions. |
| 5 | SS.H.1.5 | Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time. |
| 5 | SS.H.2.5 | Use information about a historical source (maker, date, place of origin, intended audience, and purpose) to judge the extent to which the source is useful for studying a particular topic. |
| 5 | SS.H.3.5 | Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments in U.S. history. |
| K-2 | SS.IS.1.K-2 | Create questions to help guide inquiry about a topic with guidance from adults and/or peers. |
| K-2 | SS.IS.2.K-2 | Explore facts from various sources that can be used to answer the developed questions. |
| K-2 | SS.IS.3.K-2 | Gather information from one or two sources with guidance and support from adults and/or peers. |
| K-2 | SS.IS.4.K-2 | Evaluate a source by distinguishing between fact and opinion. |
| K-2 | SS.IS.5.K-2 | Ask and answer questions about arguments and explanations. |
| K-2 | SS.IS.6.K-2 | Use listening, consensus-building, and voting procedures to decide on and take action in their classrooms. |
| 3-5 | SS.IS.1.3-5 | Develop essential questions and explain the importance of the questions to self and others. |
| 3-5 | SS.IS.3.3-5 | Determine sources representing multiple points of view that will assist in answering essential questions. |
| 3-5 | SS.IS.5.3-5 | Develop claims using evidence from multiple sources to answer essential questions. |
| 3-5 | SS.IS.6.3-5 | Construct and critique arguments and explanations using reasoning, examples, and details from multiple sources. |
| 6-8 | SS.CV.1.6-8.LC | Identify roles played by citizens (examples: voters, jurors, taxpayers, military, protesters, and office-holders). |
| 6-8 | SS.CV.2.6-8.MdC | Explain the origins, functions, and structure of government with reference to the U.S. Constitution, Illinois Constitution, and other systems of government. |
| 6-8 | SS.EC.1.6-8.LC | Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society. |
| 6-8 | SS.G.1.6-8.LC | Use geographic representations (maps, photographs, satellite images, etc.) to explain relationships between the locations (places and regions) and changes in their environment. |
| 6-8 | SS.H.1.6-8.LC | Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity. |
| 6-8 | SS.H.3.6-8.MdC | Detect possible limitations in the historical record based on evidence collected from different kinds of historical sources. |
| 6-8 | SS.IS.1.6-8 | Create essential questions to help guide inquiry about a topic. |
| 6-8 | SS.IS.2.6-8 | Ask essential and focusing questions that will lead to independent research. |
| 6-8 | SS.IS.4.6-8.MdC | Determine credibility of sources based upon their origin, authority, and context. |
| 6-8 | SS.IS.7.6-8 | Critique the structure and credibility of arguments and explanations (self and others). |
| 9-12 | SS.CV.1.9-12 | Distinguish the rights, roles, powers, and responsibilities of individuals and institutions in the political system. |
| 9-12 | SS.CV.4.9-12 | Explain how the U.S. Constitution established a system of government that has powers, responsibilities, and limits that have changed over time and are still contested while promoting the common good and protecting rights. |
| 9-12 | SS.EC.1.9-12 | Analyze how scarcity and incentives influence choices to consume or produce for different individuals and groups. |
| 9-12 | SS.EC.FL.1.9-12 | Analyze the costs and benefits of various strategies to increase income. |
| 9-12 | SS.EC.FL.5.9-12 | Evaluate risks and rates of return of diversified investments. |
| 9-12 | SS.G.1.9-12 | Use maps (created using geospatial and related technologies), satellite images, and photographs to display and explain the spatial patterns of physical, cultural, political, economic, and environmental characteristics. |
| 9-12 | SS.G.12.9-12 | Evaluate how competition for scarce natural resources contributes to conflict and cooperation within and among countries. |
| 9-12 | SS.H.1.9-12 | Evaluate how historical developments were shaped by time and place as well as broader historical contexts. |
| 9-12 | SS.H.11.9-12 | Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past. |
| 9-12 | SS.H.8.9-12 | Analyze key historical events and contributions of individuals through a variety of perspectives, including those of historically underrepresented groups. |
| 9-12 | SS.IS.1.9-12 | Address essential questions that reflect an enduring issue in the field. |
| 9-12 | SS.IS.4.9-12 | Gather and evaluate information from multiple sources while considering the origin, credibility, point of view, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources. |
| 9-12 | SS.IS.6.9-12 | Construct and evaluate explanations and arguments using multiple sources and relevant, verified information. |
| 9-12 | SS.IS.8.9-12 | Use interdisciplinary lenses to analyze the causes and effects of and identify solutions to local, regional, or global concerns. |
| Anthropology (HS supplementary) | SS.Anth.4.9-12 | Analyze the elements of culture and explain the factors that shape these elements differently around the world. (Note: code-to-description pairing approximate due to source table layout.) |
| Psychology (HS supplementary) | SS.Psy.2.9-12 | Identify scientific methodologies utilized in psychological research. (Note: code-to-description pairing approximate due to source table layout.) |
| Sociology (HS supplementary) | SS.Soc.1.9-12 | Identify and apply the sociological perspective and a variety of sociological theories. (Note: code-to-description pairing approximate due to source table layout.) |
Is homeschooling legal in Illinois?
Yes. Illinois homeschools operate as private schools under 105 ILCS 5/26-1 (Compulsory Attendance) and the IL Supreme Court case People v.
Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Illinois?
No. Illinois does not require parents to file a notice to begin homeschooling. Illinois does not legally require parents to register or notify before homeschooling. Homeschools are treated as private schools under People v. Levisen (1950). However, ISBE strongly recommends sending a dated written letter of intent to the local public school and Regional Office of Education (ROE) to avoid the child being marked truant. ISBE also offers a voluntary Home Schooling Registration Form.
Is standardized testing required for homeschoolers in Illinois?
No annual test is mandated for homeschoolers in Illinois. The state test (Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) for ELA/Math; Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) for science; ACT for high school (transitioned from SAT)) is not required for home-educated students.
What subjects are required for homeschooling in Illinois?
Illinois requires instruction in: Language Arts; Mathematics; Biological and Physical Sciences; Social Sciences (Social Studies); Fine Arts; Physical Development and Health.
Does Illinois have its own learning standards?
Math: CCSS-M (New Illinois Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core, Mathematics). ELA: CCSS-ELA (New Illinois Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core, English Language Arts/Literacy). Science: NGSS (Illinois Learning Standards for Science, incorporating the Next Generation Science Standards). Social studies: Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science (C3 Framework-based, but state-authored with Illinois-specific codes).