How I Calculate an Academic Year

tldr: 180 days of instruction divided by 5 days (Monday-Friday) = 36 weeks

I began homeschooling very much in the mindset of Unschooling - living life with my kids, somewhat unstructured, but with a rich learning environment for them to explore. I had tried sticking to a curriculum for "kindergarten," which is the year before the mandatory reporting age (6 years old before December of the year). But my ADHD and exhaustion made it VERY difficult to follow regular schedules and planned mornings (ugh, not a morning person).

So how do you write an acceptable "IHIP" when unschooling? How do you even know how much to plan?

The answer is cryptically in the attendance requirements:

The substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction shall be provided each school year.

The cumulative hours of instruction for grades 1 through 6 shall be 900 hours per year. The cumulative hours of instruction for grades 7 through 12 shall be 990 hours per year.

There are to be 4 quarterly reports, so 180 divided by 4 equals 45. The expectation for each quarter is the equivalent of Monday through Friday attendance, so divide 45 by 5 and you get 9 weeks. Nine weeks per quarter results in 36 weeks of instruction to plan.

But life happens!

If you are like me and my family, stuff happens - illnesses, family events, holidays, unexpected catastrophes, snow days - and sometimes you're just inconsistent. I give myself a little wiggle room by planning an extra week or two per quarter before the quarterly reports are due. (You give the dates you'll have the reports in by on your IHIP.) I plan for 36 weeks of instruction, but give myself 40 to 44 weeks to complete the academic year. Does that make sense?

I referenced New York State Homeschooling Requirements at this link on the date I wrote this post: http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/10010-home-instruction