Maryland asks for regular, thorough instruction in eight subject areas. The first four are the ones families plan for. The last four are the ones they panic about the week before a review — usually without cause, because they have been doing them all year without labeling them.
The eight, and what counts
English
Reading, writing, grammar, spelling, literature, handwriting, narration. A reading list, a few writing samples across the term, and a spelling or grammar workbook page or two is plenty of evidence.
Mathematics
Whatever level fits your child. Curriculum pages, worked problems, a test if you give them, or photos of hands-on math with manipulatives, money, or measuring.
Science
Life, earth, or physical science. Experiments count. So do nature journals, a documentary followed by a written narration, a garden, and a trip to a science center with a page about it.
Social studies
History, geography, civics, current events. Timelines, map work, a museum or historic-site visit, a short report, a family discussion of an election written up in a paragraph.
Art
Drawing, painting, clay, crafts, art appreciation, a museum visit. Photograph three-dimensional work rather than trying to store it — a photo page in the portfolio is ideal evidence.
Music
Listening and discussing, singing, an instrument, a composer study, a concert. Lessons outside the home absolutely count; note the teacher and what was covered.
Health
Nutrition, safety, hygiene, body systems, first aid, sleep, screen habits. A cooking-and-nutrition week, a fire safety lesson, or a body-systems unit is exactly right.
Physical education
Sports, swimming, dance, martial arts, hiking, biking, active play. A short activity log with dates and what you did is more than enough.
Make Maryland paperwork the easy part
Pennsole keeps your portfolio, review dates, subject coverage, and notices in one calm place — and the Home Instruction Notification generator is free.
More Maryland guides: requirements · free notification generator · umbrella school directory · where to submit · free portfolio checklist
General guidance, not legal advice. Always confirm details with your local school system or umbrella.
Three things that make this easy
One, label as you go. The single biggest cause of a thin portfolio section is not missing instruction — it is work that never got filed under the right subject.
Two, let one activity count once. A trip to an aquarium can be science, and the drawing your child made afterwards can be art. Put the photo in science and the drawing in art rather than counting the same page twice.
Three, remember there is no hour minimum. Maryland sets no statewide minimum of days or hours. "Regular and thorough" means the subject shows up through the year, not that it fills a set number of minutes per week. A music section with a composer study each month reads as regular; a single April worksheet does not.
What is not required
- No standardized testing.
- No teacher certification or degree.
- No statewide day or hour count.
- No written yearly plan or quarterly reports filed with the state.
- No sworn affidavit.
Eight subjects, evidence spread through the year, a binder that is easy to flip through. That is the whole Maryland job.