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Record Keeping Requirements
All parents must keep and submit an accurate record of their student's attendance. The academic records you must submit depend on the program in which your student is enrolled.
Documenting and Reporting Attendance
Parents must keep complete and accurate attendance in order to remain in compliance with Florida's compulsory school attendance laws. We will attach a customized attendance recording form to your enrollment confirmation email. Attendance records are due at the end of the academic year (June). You are welcome to send us your student's attendance records more often.
- How do I keep attendance?
We will send you a customized PDF or XLSX attendance form on enrollment. You will log the days and total number of hours your child is in school. You must keep complete and accurate attendance records that document the minimum compulsory attendance requirements required by law. Attendance records are due at the end of your child's term or current grade, whichever comes first.
- How often do we have to report our child's attendance?
Attendance is reported at the end of each academic year (in June). You are welcome to send us your child's attendance more often. We have parents that send it to us monthly, quarterly, and biannually. Just keep one record (per child) and update it throughout the school year.
- Why do we need to log both days and hours? My last umbrella school didn't require this.
Private school students must maintain regular attendance as defined in Florida Rule 6A-1.09512 to be deemed in compliance with Florida's compulsory attendance laws. Recording both days and hours of attendance specifically documents that your child is meeting the state's requirements.
- We school at different hours and take breaks throughout the day. Do we need to keep track of the specific times our children are in school?
No. You only need to record the total number of instructional hours for the day.
- Does my child have to be in school for a specific number of hours each day?
No. Your child's daily instructional hours may vary, but your child must meet the required net number of instructional hours by the end of the school term.
- What counts as a school day?
As a supervisor of your child's education, you decide what counts as a school day. Field trips, classes at museums and science centers, library activities, co-op classes, and online lessons, to name a few, all count. Instruction does not have to take place in the home.
- Do we have to keep a log of our activities or the curriculum we use?
Maybe. If you are enrolling your child in our academic program, you will need to keep records for your child's portfolio review. If you are enrolling your child in our diploma program and your child is seeking credits by portfolio, you will need to keep records for credit verification. If you are enrolling your child in our standard program, you do not necessarily need to keep records, but we recommend you do. You may find them helpful at some point, especially should your child enter or return to a public or traditional private school.
- Do we have to keep a portfolio?
You may need to keep a portfolio if your child is enrolled in our academic program or diploma program, but otherwise no. This said, we encourage you to do so. We especially recommend you keep a portfolio documenting Kindergarten, since successful completion of Kindergarten is required for entry into public school first grade. We also encourage you to keep a portfolio documenting high school coursework, since some colleges and universities require applicants who complete a home school program or graduate from a non-accredited high school to submit portfolios (and/or transcripts) to be considered for admission.
- My child has already started his school year. Can we count his attendance from his last school?
You're welcome to include a note on your child's attendance form if you want to include your child's attendance at his former school as part of the 180 day requirement.
- Does my child have to wait until the end of the school term before advancing to the next grade level?
Not necessarily, but please contact us in case your child needs to be re-enrolled. It may be fine for the level of your child's curriculum to differ from your child's grade level.
- When will my attendance record be due?
Your child's attendance record will be due at the end of the academic year (in June) or on grade completion, whichever comes first. We'll email you a reminder near the end of the academic year.
- How do we submit attendance records?
Attendance records may be mailed, emailed, or attached to one of our submission forms.
Documenting Attendance
You begin recording your student's attendance (or absence) at Aspiring Heights Academy the day your student's school term begins. If your student is enrolled mid-year, you may include a note on your student's attendance form to include attendance at your student's former school or homeschool. You do not need to report the specific time of day that your student is receiving instruction or what is being learned. You only need to record the total instructional hours for each school day. Your student's daily instructional hours may vary.
To be deemed in compliance with the compulsory attendance requirements of Section 1003.21(1)(a), Florida Statutes, your student must maintain regular attendance during the entire school term as follows:
| Grade Level(s) | (AVERAGE) Instructional Hours | Actual School Days | Net Instructional Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 3 hours per school day | 180 days | 540 hours |
| Grades 1–3 | 4 hours per school day | 180 days | 720 hours |
| Grades 4–12 | 5 hours per school day | 180 days | 900 hours |
| Rule 6A-1.09512, Equivalent Minimum School Terms for Compulsory Attendance Purposes | |||
Reporting Attendance
Attendance records may be mailed, emailed, or submitted with our online forms. To re-enroll your student for the new school year contemporaneously with attendance reporting, please see Current and Former Student Re-Enrollment.
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By MailIf you will be mailing your student's attendance record, be sure to keep a copy for your records. Mail your student's attendance record to Aspiring Heights Academy, PO Box 1041, Englewood, FL 34295. If your carrier requires a physical address, please mail them to us at 950 S River Rd # 1041, Englewood FL 34295.
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By Email
If you will be emailing your student's attendance record, please be sure it is clearly readable and is in PDF, JPG, or XLSX format. We cannot accept photos taken with a mobile device. Please use a flatbed or sheet-fed scanner if possible. If you use a scanning app, please correct any perspective and lighting issues and crop your document before saving. If you used Numbers, please export your document as a PDF or Excel file.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. your student's attendance to us or attach it in a reply to your reminder email. -
By Online Submission Form
If you will be re-enrolling your student for the new school year, you may submit your student's attendance record with our online enrollment form. If you're not ready to re-enroll, you may submit your student's attendance record with our document submission form. If you will be withdrawing your student from Aspiring Heights Academy, you may submit your student's attendance record with our online withdrawal form.
Documenting Coursework
The academic records you must keep and submit to us depend on the program in which your student is enrolled. Regardless of the program, we recommend you keep a portfolio containing a chronological log of activities, a detailed list of books and resources used, samples of your student's work, projects, test results, grade reports or homeschool transcripts, and earned certificates. For books, textbooks, and workbooks, keep copies of the title page and table of contents. For online curriculum, keep copies of the course's scope and sequence and assignment list as well as printouts of your student's progress, grades, and time logs. For extracurricular activities, consider keeping programs, brochures, photos, and anything else that documents your student's learning experience. Your student's portfolio is for your records. You do not send it to us.
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Standard Program
If your student is enrolled in our Standard Program, you are responsible for keeping and maintaining your student's academic records. You do not provide them to us unless requested.
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Academic Program
Please see our Academic Program page for tips on documenting your student's coursework and how to report your student's progress. You will need to provide detailed curriculum information and a brief narrative summary of your student's performance for each course not documented on school transcripts. You may need to arrange for a portfolio review with a Florida certified teacher.
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High School Diploma Program
Please see our High School Diploma Program page for what academic records you need to keep and how to document coursework for high school credit. Core courses must be documented on school transcripts. Electives may be documented in a portfolio and validated by a Florida certified teacher.
