Home-based Education
Families living within the Prairie Valley School Division electing to provide home-based education must register with the Prairie Valley School Division before commencing their program. Home-based educators must also submit the Notice of Intent and Registration Form for Home-based Education along with their Written Education Plan to fulfill requirements for registration - see below for details and templates. Completed forms and all general inquiries may be made via email to [email protected].
Note: Parents are required to give at least 30-days notice to the school division before commencing a new home-based education program, whether at the beginning or in the middle of a school year.
Registration Deadlines
Registration is valid until the end of the school year for which registration is granted. This means registrations and renewals for each school year must be completed by August 15 and must contain a written education plan.
A conference may be scheduled at the time of renewal if deemed necessary by the superintendent responsible for home-based education or if requested by parents.
Your Written Educational Plan
The intent of the written educational plan is for home-based educators to demonstrate that there is a positive and constructive approach to the education of their children. The plan should be age and ability appropriate and consistent with The Goals of Education for Saskatchewan.
The written educational plan is focused on the outcomes of the home-based learner and includes:
- The reason for and philosophical approach of the program.
- A minimum of three broad annual goals in each of the four areas of study for each student.
- The means of assessing and recording the educational progress of each annual goal.
- The services that the home-based educator wishes to access from the school division.
Educational Plan Templates
Prairie Valley's official responsible for home-based education is available to help home-based educators with the written educational plan.
Your Annual Progress Report
Home-based educators must also provide an annual progress report by June 15th of the school year unless other arrangements have been made. All submitted forms may be sent to [email protected].
The annual progress report must include a portfolio of work or test results as outlined in The Home-Based Education Program Regulations. The portfolio of work includes:
- A periodic log and;
- One of the following for each of the broad annual goals (see examples below):
- a detailed summative record;
- sufficient samples of work; or
- a summative record and samples of work.
A summative record summarizes the learner's educational progress at the end of the year. It is an assessment of your own program and refers back to your education plan. It may include:
- Comments on what the student enjoyed about the subject matter and what learning activities were completed.
- Comments on what concepts or understandings are now in place.
- Comments on areas that have been challenging for the student and will continue to be addressed the following year.
Test results must include the home-based learner's results from a nationally normed standardized achievement test. If the home-based educator does not administer the test, another qualified person may administer the test. The tester's qualifications must be provided to the school division prior to the test being administered. Prairie Valley will provide the Canadian Achievement Test (CAT) Version 4 for families who wish to use this as a testing option.
Annual Progress Report Tools and Templates
Upon request, conferences may be scheduled to review a portfolio of the home-based learner's work and cumulative record.
Services and Supports
Home-Based Education Reimbursement Practices
Expense reimbursement allocations are reviewed annually by Prairie Valley School Division. For the current school year, expenses for Kindergarten have been set at $250.00 and for Grades 1 to 12 at $500.00.
These amounts are pro-rated at a monthly rate for receipt of Notices of Intent and Educational Plans (eg., if registration is completed at the end of January, midway through the year, then the amount for reimbursement for the student would be half the yearly amount).
Expense reimbursements will only be processed after year end paperwork is completed by the family for each student in a home-based program and reviewed for completeness by the School Division. Reimbursement for expenses will be done only through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Families should complete the EFT Authorization Form below.
Other Services Provided by Prairie Valley for Home-based Learners:
- Contact and Support – administration, consultation, monitoring and assessing educational programs and developing adaptive instructional plans.
- Educational Resources – access to school textbooks and teacher professional resources.
- Student Services and Assessment – speech and language and/or occupational therapy screening, social work support.
- Distance Learning Courses – 2 courses per year for Grades 10 to 12 students.
- Assessment Tools – CAT 4 Assessment as requested.
- Participation in school-based courses – dependent on school-level availability and demand.
- Access to Prairie Valley school facilities – gymnasiums and libraries where and when available.
- Participation in extra-curricular activities – including administration, equipment, transportation (excluding fees paid by school-based students).
- Driver Education - Prairie Valley School Division is reimbursed by SGI for costs related to Driver Education.
School Division's Role
Prairie Valley School Division has a responsibility to monitor the progress of all home-based learners. The official responsible for home-based education ensures home-based education programs operate in compliance with The Education Act, 1995 as well as The Home-Based Education Regulations and AP-2700 – Home-Based Education. The division will:
- Monitor home-based education programs.
- Provide educational consultation.
- Assess progress on home-based educational plans.
- Develop adaptive instruction plans in collaboration with home-based educators.
Contact and Support
The official responsible for home-based education is available to meet with home-based educators and assist them through the process of home-based education. Please contact the Prairie Valley School Division office at 306-949-3366 or email [email protected].
Click below for a printable version of the above explanations.