An evaluator can be a licensed clinical psychologist, or school psychologist, or a teacher certified by the Commonwealth. The certified teacher shall have experience at the elementary level to evaluate elementary students or at the secondary level to evaluate secondary students. The certified teacher must have two years of experience grading the major subject areas.
An evaluator may also be a non-public school teacher or administrator. A non-public school teacher or administrator shall have at least two years of teaching experience in a Pennsylvania public or non-public school within the last ten years. Such a non-public teacher or administrator shall have the required experience at the elementary level to evaluate elementary students or at the secondary level to evaluate secondary students.
At the request of the supervisor, persons with other qualifications may conduct the evaluation with the prior consent of the district superintendent. The evaluator cannot be the supervisor of the home education program or the spouse of the supervisor.
In no event shall the evaluator be the supervisor or their spouse.
(i.1) If the superintendent has a reasonable belief, at any time during the school year, that appropriate education may not be occurring in the home education program, he may submit a letter to the supervisor, by certified mail, return receipt requested, requiring that an evaluation be conducted in accordance with subsection (e)(2) and that an evaluator’s certification stating that an appropriate education is occurring for the school year under review, be submitted to the district by the supervisor within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the certified letter. The certified letter shall include the basis for the superintendent’s reasonable belief. If the tests, as required in subsection (e)(1), have not been administered at the time of the receipt of the certified letter by the supervisor, the supervisor shall submit the other required documentation to the evaluator and shall submit the test results to the evaluator with the completed documentation at the conclusion of the school year. If the certification is not submitted to the superintendent within thirty (30) days of receipt of the certified letter, the board of school directors shall provide for a proper hearing in accordance with subsection (k).
The following interviews with seasoned evaluators supply some helpful information regarding evaluators and evaluations: