1988Giana wrote: Hello,
What steps must I follow to homeschool in Alberta? Thanks for the help.
Hello, Homeschooling in Alberta is quite simple, notwithstanding this, you must meet a few steps before you start to homeschool. Actually, homeschooling in Alberta is believed to be one of the best provinces to homeschool in the country as it requires little government control. Families who want to homeschool in Alberta are at liberty to have control over the majority or all of the items they deem appropriate for their homeschooler to learn. A parent homeschooling their homeschooler at home is not required by law to be licensed as a teacher in Alberta. Having said this, studying with curriculum developed by a certified teacher is highly recommended even if the certified educator is not an Alberta teacher. In Alberta, the homeschool laws and regulations are few compared to other provinces which might require some type of evaluation or annual testing. Alberta allows a couple of different options for homeschooling in Alberta:
Home education program supervised by school authority (funded)
Home education program not supervised by school authority (notification only, non-funded)
Parents who choose to homeschool in Alberta are required to choose between a couple of pretty basic choices:
• Home education program supervised by school authority (funded). Each year, parents must notify their supervising school authority of their intent to home educate their child through the Home Education Notification Form – Supervised by School Authority. Parents and legal guardians may start a home education program at any time but should consider looking for a supervising school authority in the spring before the upcoming school year. Parents choosing home education have the primary responsibility for planning, managing, providing, evaluating and supervising their children’s courses of study. If a parent requests it, the associate private school must provide assistance and advice to improve student learning and arrange for certificated teachers employed by the associate board or private school to conduct at least two formal evaluations each school year including a review of the student portolio and to provide recommendations or suggestions. In order to receive their portion (50%) of the home education grant, if a parent has chosen to home educate with a supervising school authority, the parent must have notified and been accepted by an associate board or associate private school regarding the home education program by September 30.
• Home education program not supervised by school authority (notification only, non-funded)
Each year, parents have the responsibility to notify the Minister of Education of their intent to home educate their child. There are two available options including the Home Education Notification Form – Not Supervised by School Authority or through an online form in the Provincial Approach to Student Information (PASI) accessible in myPass website. Parents choosing home education have the responsibility for planning, managing, providing, evaluating and supervising their children’s courses of study. Parents choosing to home educate their children without the supervision of a school authority are not eligible to receive any Alberta Education funding. See here for more information:
Alberta Laws and Requirements