Registration
Q: Do I have to register my student(s) again this year, if we were registered last year?
A: Yes
Education Plan
Q: Since the goals on the Written Education plan are broad in nature, can I use the same ones I used last year on this year’s plan?
A: No. The goals should be different each year as your child(ren) is a year older and has had a year of learning since last year’s goals were made. While a few may be similar, there should be differences representing the growth made the previous year.
Q: I have more than one child in at home learning, and we plan to study some of the same content for some subject areas. Can I then have the same goals for my children in their individual Written Education Plans?
A: No. While some of the goals may be similar, each child must have goals that are unique to him/her.
Although the philosophical approach of the home-based education programs will mostly be common to all home-based learners on the programs, with allowance for younger home-based learners, the three broad annual goals in each area of study and the means of assessing and recording the educational progress shall be specific to each home-based learner on their individual program.
(Saskatchewan Home-based Education: Policy and Procedures Manual)
Q: Can you give me an example of what different goals would look like for children of different grades studying the same overall content?
A: Goals are broad statements identifying what students are expected to know and be able to do upon completion of the learning, in a particular area of study. A common question from parents has been how to differentiate between goals for children of different grades studying similar content. Several examples have been provided below. Keep the following in mind when writing goals:
Example One: Language Arts – Learn to write paragraphs (original goal)
Grade 3 – Write to communicate ideas, information and experiences with a clear purpose, correct paragraph structure and interesting detail.
Grade 1 – Write and share stories and short informational pieces in a minimum of five sentences.
Example Two: Social Studies – Learn about government (original goal)
Grade 10 – Analyze why some groups’ claims to power are accepted while others are rejected and discuss why the political process is needed within society.
Grade 7 – Investigate the structures and processes of democratic government in Canada and the strengths and weaknesses of democracies, dictatorships and oligarchies.
Grade 4 – Demonstrate an understanding of the Saskatchewan provincial system of government, the First Nations system of government and the Métis system of government.
Example Three: Science – Learn about Forces and Motion (original goal)
Grade 2 – Investigate factors (like friction) that affect the motion of objects and analyze methods of determining the position of objects relative to other objects.
Grade 5 -Analyze the effects of gravitational, magnetic, and mechanical forces (including friction) on the movement of objects and investigate the characteristics of simple machines.
Grade 8 – Examine the effects of forces in and on objects in fluids; investigate and represent the density of solids, liquids and gases based on the particle theory of matter.
Example Four: Mathematics – Learn about Shape and Space (original goal)
Grade 6 – Demonstrate understanding of angles; extend and apply understanding of perimeter of polygons, area of rectangles, and volume of right rectangular prisms.
Grade 9 – Demonstrate understanding of circle properties; extend understanding of area to surface area of right rectangular prisms, right cylinders, right triangular prisms, to composite 3-D objects.
Q: On the Written Education Plan, there is a section under each set of goals that says: “Means of Assessing These Broad Goals and Recording of Educational Progress.” What does this mean?
A: “Means of Assessing These Broad Goals” is asking you to identify the ways that you will assess or measure whether or not your child has met their learning goals. What will you use to determine if they have learned the knowledge, skills and understandings that you intended them to learn?
“Recording of Educational Progress” means the way that you will track and record-keep their progress, so you know what new learning targets to set.
Terminating a Home-Based Education Program
Q: I plan to send my children back to our neighbourhood school during the school year. What do I need to do to terminate my HBE program and complete my child’s records?
A: You will need to do three things:
1. Register your child in the school he/she will be attending
2. Prior to starting at the school, notify the LOCCS HBE Coordinator, in writing that you are terminating your HBE program. You may do so by letter or email. Your notification must include the following information:
(Saskatchewan Home-based Education: Policy and Procedures Manual)
3. Prior to them starting at the school, submit a Progress Report detailing progress toward each child’s learning goals up to the date of the termination of your program. This report will include a Portfolio of Work. If the program is terminated between May 1 and June 15, the Annual Progress Report will be submitted. If previously completed, an option for the Annual Progress Report may be the results of a nationally normed standardized achievement test.
Distance Learning Courses
Q: My high school student has never taken distance learning courses before. How many will he/she be approved for?
A: Your child is eligible to take one course at $500 per semester and will receive reimbursement upon completion of the course.
Annual Progress Reporting
Q: What kind of information goes on the Periodic Log and the Summative Record?
A: The Periodic Log is a record of the educational activities your child has completed in relation to their Written Education Plan. You may not be able to record everything you have done each month but keep a record of activities that directly supported their learning goals.
The Summative Record is a detailed summary statement of the educational progress of your child in relation to their Written Education Plan. For each area of study, discuss their learning goals and how you feel they did in achieving their goals this year. What knowledge, skills and understandings did he/she achieve? Where did he/she struggle?
Q: How much of my child’s work do I have to keep and for how long?
A: Home-based educators are required to maintain a Portfolio of Learning (Periodic Log plus one of the following: Detailed Summative Record; Sufficient Work Samples; or Detailed Summative Record and Sufficient Work Samples) for each child, each year, whether or not that is the option chosen for annual progress reporting. Please note that a Detailed Summative Record means you have reported on how the student has progressed and what they are able to do, or may need continued support with. It must be detailed rather than say something like “Achieved” - with no further details.
Each Portfolio of Learning must be kept for at least two calendar years after the end of the year in which the work was created. If you choose to terminate your home-based program sometime during the school year, then you would submit the current year’s portfolio, to date of the termination, to the HBE coordinator.
