I am a homeschooling dad and an experienced home education program evaluator. I am now accepting new evaluees who will travel to my farm near Kittanning (50 miles NE of Pittsburgh). At the high school level I expect your child to comply with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Homeschoolers Accreditation Agency diploma. (Guide to PA Homeschoolers Diploma is available from our on-line store.)

Just call 724-783-6512 and we will arrange a time and place for an hour-long appointment which will take place during the second half of April or in May. I charge a base fee of $40 per evaluation, but I also charge $5 per family and an additional $5 for each student that is in high school. By the way, I also do individualized testing using the WRAT, at a charge of $35 per test, for people who need 3rd, 5th, or 8th grade testing.

During the hour-long evaluation interview I sit to the right of your child and take notes on my computer while you sit across from us. Your comments are always welcome. At the end of the appointment, I will answer any questions that you have.

I begin the interview differently depending upon whether the student is in high school or not. For the non-high-school interview, I first glance at the Parent Evaluation of Child's Progress that you have filled in prior to the interview so thatI can make sure that I don't miss the big story of the school year. Then I listen to your son or daughter read a selection from a book that he or she read and enjoyed during the school year. At the high school level, I first look over a Year's Work Checklist that your student has filled in prior to the interview so that I know which credits are being claimed.

During the interview I look through the portfolio, reading compositions that your child has written. I try to be responsive and appreciative of your student's work and efforts. I like to read the high school student's 2500 word paper during the interview, so I fine the student $5 (which must be paid out of the student's own money) if the paper is not yet done. You might find this fine to be a helpful incentive that gets your child to complete the paper in time for the evaluation.

Within a week of the evaluation, I will write up an evaluation letter which you can submit to your school district in which I try to bring out the good aspects of your home education program. If there is work that still needs to be completed for high school credits, I will send your student a letter with the evaluation which lists that tasks that still need to be completed and then send you a revised evaluation letter and a transcript (awarding credits) once those tasks have been completed.

If I do not think you are giving your child an appropriate education, I will tell you and will return your money. But, if I can certify that you are giving your child an appropriate education, I will stand completely behind you. If you are taken by your school district to a due process hearing (which has not yet happened for any of my evaluees), I would testify at the hearing on your behalf. I also write recommendations (at no cost) for college, summer programs, scholarship, and employment, for high school students that I have evaluated. Since I try to mention excellence in my evaluation letters, it is not difficult for me to put together such recommendations.

Howard Richman, PhD