Homeschooling

Competent Private Instruction (CPI), commonly known as homeschooling, is private instruction provided for at least 148 days during the school year. Competent private instruction means providing instruction using an approved plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public or organized accredited non-public school. The provider of competent private instruction is not required to be licensed or a formally trained teacher. CPI allows educational services to be provided by a parent, guardian or legal custodian of the child receiving the instruction.

Parents, guardians and legal custodians who have elected to homeschool their children may access Heartland AEA services on the same basis as a teacher under the guidelines outlined in the Iowa Code 299A and Iowa Rules Chapter 31.

Heartland AEA:

  • ensures that parents/guardians receive the annual competent private instruction notification from each district,
  • provides special education services for students on an IEP and
  • administers standardized testing services for homeschooled children.

For additional information about homeschooling (competent private instruction), visit:

Iowa Department of Education

Important Contacts

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Susie Meade

Susie Meade

  • Chief Academic Officer

Education: Bachelor’s degree, secondary education; Master’s degree, special education; Doctorate degree, educational administration

Experience: Family & consumer science teacher; Special education teacher; School administration: assistant middle school principal, elementary principal, director of special education, assistant superintendent, superintendent; AEA administration: chief administrator, chief academic officer
Joined Heartland AEA in 2023

Expertise: Leadership of systems and system development, general education and special education

Professional affiliations: School Administrators of Iowa, American Association of School Administrators

How I’ve made an impact: As a school leader, I’ve led successful school improvement processes which resulted in buildings and districts identifying key needs/priorities, developing implementation plans and sustaining school improvement efforts so that all students were able to exhibit growth and improve academically initially and over time.

Homeschooling