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KIRKSVILLE -- The requirements to become a home school teacher in the state of Missouri turn out to be fairly wide open.

Missouri does not require mandatory testing to become a home school teacher.

Here are some of the regulations based  under Missouri Law Section 167.031:

-A parent or guardian of a child between the ages of seven and 17 shall cause the child to attend regularly some type of school. Any parent in Missouri may educate a child at home. The parent does not need a teaching certificate or need to meet any education requirements in order to provide home instruction.

-The child must be offered 1,000 hours of instruction during the school year, with at least 600 hours of basics including reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. At least 400 of the 600 hours should occur in the home setting.

-A plan book must also be kept to record the child's studies and the parent's instruction.

-The school year lasts from July 1 and ends on June 30.

KTVO spoke with Rhonda Noe, Region 2 Director of Families for Home Education and former home school parent and she sent us this e-mail:

"One great thing about home education is that it can be tailored to fit the needs of the individual child and family. As home educating parents, we recognize the responsibility of training our children is ours and we take that responsibility very seriously. We have a strong desire to help our children be successful. We use many different venues to ensure our children are prepared and equipped to be productive adults. One way we do this is to teach them HOW to learn and instill in them a LOVE of learning. If we can do this, we have been successful."

To view more about home schooling visit the links below.

Missouri Home School Law

Missouri Department of Secondary Education

Familes for Home Education