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Well, welcome to part two of Q&A. We’ll be looking at over 20 additional questions that we oftentimes get, so I definitely wanted to share these answers with you. So let’s just start at the very top, and this I’ll read the question and then I’ll answer it.

Registration and Records
Question number one: Will you need, meaning will they need the parent to give a copy of the birth certificate again with each school year?

No, you don’t need to give us the birth certificate every year. We will keep your birth certificate or whatever kind of ID document that you’ve sent to us. So the identification document does carry over from year to year, but with each year we will need a new copy of the notification form and the program plan.

Next question: Who will tell the previous school that my child has been enrolled at that we will now be home educating?

Well, we will do that. The common practice and the official practice regarding this topic is for the receiving school program or home ed program, such as THEE, to contact the, what I call, the sending school or the losing school. What’s called a committed cumulative file request, and so that is the official way of one school letting the other school know that a student who used to be enrolled or registered or notified at that school has transferred to a new school program. So we will take care of that. By all means, you can certainly tell the school administration that you are switching over to THEE, but if you’d rather have us tell the school authority that you’ve done that, we will be doing that anyway. We have to, that’s the official way of getting your child’s academic record as well. You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. You don’t have to tell the school that you’re leaving if you don’t want to.

Funding and Purchases
Next one concerns receipts used for reimbursement: How early prior to the upcoming school year may a parent purchase a learning resource and have that resource be reimbursed?

So how early can you start buying for the next school year and have those early purchases paid for on the next school year’s funding? Well, we at THEE, and really I believe most home ed programs in the province, will accept receipts from the previous school year. Some I’ve heard will say that the date on the receipt has to be on or after you’ve notified with that program. For us, we don’t have that stipulation. We accept a valid, when I say valid, if it’s eligible, of course, for reimbursement from any time during the previous school year. What is most common is for parents to purchase curriculum, let’s say the HEA convention in Red Deer, and they want the parents want to use next year’s funding to pay for those purchases, and it’s very wise to make your purchases ahead of time because if you wait until August or even September to buy your materials, you’re going to be waiting a while because most publishers are sold out by that time or at least have don’t have a full inventory of learning resources. So don’t wait until August or September to start buying your materials. So with that in mind, just keep your receipts. We also offer early purchase agreement to our returning families, so if you’ve been with us for one or more years, you can sign an early purchase agreement, and that is just an agreement between the two of us that if you you can access your next year’s funding early, and that means early I mean early means before September 30th, which is the count date. So if you choose to leave us before the count date and go somewhere else, we obviously don’t get the funding for your children. So if you’ve already spent your funding early, then this agreement just says that you will pay us back for any money that you’ve spent before the funding arrived. But doing all that to say, you can start spending, we honor receipts from the previous school year anytime during the previous school year.

Next question has to do with our direct deposit option: I highly recommend that you fill out the direct deposit form and then send us a copy of a void check so that we can send to you your reimbursement funds electronically, directly from our bank account to yours. That’s quick, easy, you know, check hardcopy checks don’t get lost, you get the reimbursement immediately. So the question says, “I don’t have any void checks and sign at the time, right?” We, a lot of people don’t have physical checks anymore, so if you don’t have a physical check, you know, am I able to still participate in the direct deposit option? Yes, you can. You just need to get a copy, some type of bank document. Each bank will likely call this document something different from one another. They’ll have their its own name for it, but it’s basically a statement that shows your bank account number, the routing number of the bank, and the branch number of the bank, the bank address and phone number. So we just need to have something official from the bank stating your bank account information because we have to make sure that we have the your bank account information exactly correct. We’ve oftentimes received bad information when a family would hand write it, so you know, yeah, just you know, you forget a number or you you switch to numbers or something like that. So because of past problems, we have had to require the parent to send us either a voided check or a document from the bank that has the needed information on there.

Academic Calendar and Requirements
Next question: As homeschoolers, do we need to follow the public school academic calendar in terms of start and end dates or even holiday dates?

No, remember as a home ed family or you have established a school in your house. So you are on your calendar, not anybody else’s. Now with that said, we do follow Albert Ed’s calendar in terms of a ten to ten months school year before admin, a straight of things, and I know funding things like that. But in terms of your home ed program, you’re learning, all of that, that’s happening in your home, that is up to you, and you establish your own calendar for that part.

Next question is: Can we start in August and end in April?

Absolutely, you can start and finish whenever you can whenever you decide to do so. That’s your program plan, so that’s your schedule as well.

Next question: Other than fulfilling the learning outcomes, are there any other requirements such as a certain number of days or certain number of hours that my children need to have in the year?

No, you don’t have to keep up with attendance. You don’t have to keep up with how many hours have learned, I’ve been studying a particular topic. None of that’s required. So no, you do not have to record and track any of that type of information for your children.

High School and Transcripts
Next question: What is your opinion of the GED?

Well, I’ll give you my opinion, you are certainly free to disagree with my opinion. I don’t have a, I don’t think the GED is helpful. Certain programs will say that they will accept a GED or maybe they’ll say “high school diploma or equivalent” is accepted, and then you ask for an equivalent, an example of an equivalent, and this place of business or learning institution won’t answer your question, “what is it equivalent?” They won’t say GED. They won’t say anything. They just don’t give you an answer. I’ve seen a GED not be accepted, or I know it’s just anecdotal information. In my opinion, I don’t think it’s worth the time or effort. I think if you’re going for to establish credentials for admission to a particular institution, that you talk to that institution and find out what it is that they require or will accept. Ask them bluntly, “Does a GED help?” right? Ask them. It’s very hard to give answers to a question like this because it’s so broad. It just depends on the learning institution and their admission standards. So what is my opinion of the GED? I don’t think it’s that helpful.

Next question: Does having a transcript that shows courses that did not result in the student earning a diploma…

…oh well this mom was asking, “what if my son or daughter starts courses, high school courses, Alberta Ed courses, like Math 10C or English 32 or something like that, and they had, the student earns, that say, 60-70 credits but doesn’t earn the diploma? Does having a transcript that shows credits but not the diploma, does that hurt the student? Should the student, if the student isn’t going to earn the diploma, should this student even try to get course credits?” And I say yes, please do. Encourage your son or daughter to earn course credits. If that’s what they want, in homeschooling through high school series of videos here on this website, I look at the different options. So my answer is in the option of earning a high school diploma or any course credits while your son or daughter is a home ed student. So in that context, if that’s what they’ve chosen to do, yes, by all means encourage them to earn as many course credits as possible while they home educate. If they don’t earn the diploma, they still earned course credits. They still have a solid transcript of courses on which they can, or to which they can add it later in life if they want to. But they need a diploma later in life, they can always add to it. They’re not having to start from scratch in that scenario, right? So it’s far better to have 60 or 70 credits than have zero at a time when you realize, “Oh, I need a diploma.” So sure, it’s not an all-or-nothing issue. So if you want to earn course credits as a homeschool student, go for it. If you end up earning a diploma, great. If not, it’s still worth your while to earn earn course credits if that’s what you want to do.

Next question: Can a student change his or her decision?

Oh, and then the part B of this question was, “Will a post-secondary institution look at that transcript that did not show a diploma but does show, let’s say, 60 or 70 course credits? Will a post-secondary institution actually look at that and think, ‘Oh, the student just dropped out or couldn’t hack it, couldn’t get the diploma’?” And in that situation, “would having a transcript that did not show a diploma actually hurt the student?” In my opinion, I don’t think so. I would doubt it. But again, it’s hard to answer that question because every institution is going to be different. Call the institution that your son or have your son or daughter talk to the admissions person, find out what that specific institution prioritizes, and ask them what what’s a what what hurts and helps a student’s application. Oftentimes volunteer opportunities will really help as well. That was not a question here that was asked.

Next question: Can a student change his or her decision regarding earning or not earning high school credits during any year within the high school years?

Sure, a student can change his or her mind at any time. Your son or daughter can drop a high school course or junior high course, let’s say they’re taking it through Alberta distance learning, at any time. Your son or daughter can drop that class, not a problem. It will show on the DAR, DAR, the detailed academic record. It will show on your child’s DAR that he or she enrolled in a course and then dropped it, but it won’t show on the transcript. So there’s no record of your son or daughter dropping the class on the transcript.

Roles and Curriculum
Next question: Do I as a home education parent have to assign a grade level to my child?

Yes and no. It depends on what you mean by assigning a grade level. You do need to tell us which grade level your son or daughter is in, only for administrative purposes. Essentially at the beginning of the school year, we have you on the notification form, you have to give a distinct grade level. That is purely for Alberta Ed’s database, student database in our database. So we have to have a grade level. That’s just how the database system has been set up. So on the notification form, be sure that you choose one grade level. We oftentimes see notification forms that say, “Indicate the child’s grade level,” and it would be “6-7” or you know, “3-4.” “3-4,” like some some courses in grade three, some course in grade four. So you put “3-4” like that’s that’s not what that form’s asking. So we need a definite grade level, but that’s just for our database and for registration notification purposes. Once you complete that, completed the notification form and given us that grade level, you don’t have to think about the grade level again until the next school year. So another part B of that, or something I want to add to that, is that that because this sometimes gets asked about eligibility for funding, your child’s eligibility for funding is based on your child’s age and not grade level. So sometimes families, our parents, ask a particular question related to grade level because they’re thinking, “Well, my son or daughter, well, we’ll skip or we’ll lose a year of eligibility.” Again, eligibility is based on your child’s age but not grade level.

Next question: Is THEE not a good fit for a certain type of home education family?

And I would say THEE is not a good fit for any family who, and it sounds harsh, but any family who’s trying to hide out or run from something. We really don’t want those types of families with us. Please don’t use home education as a way to hide from whatever you’re going to hide from. And we don’t want a family who refuses to meet with their home ed facilitator or just makes it difficult to schedule the required meetings. So we definitely want a family that’s going to cooperate with us and work with us for those required items.

Next question: Do we provide parents with the opportunity to give marks on courses toward a transcript in high school?

So this is a touchy, this one in the next, well, I’ll combine it in this Q in this question. The issue is a little touchy because home ed families in parents are accustomed, rightly so, of giving final grades on their child’s coursework, especially in high school. So the question that is, “Can the parent,” let’s say the scenario is, a child homeschooling student is wanting to course challenge a course to earn high school credits. Let’s say Johnny’s been studying math on his own through Saxon or Math U See or Teaching Textbooks at a grade 10 level and been doing very well and the mom or dad or both, maybe even a tutor that has been in there marking assignments and even using the publishers provided exams and tests, keys and marking everything, that’s awesome. You know, more power to you. But the question is, “Can the parent then send me an email, say, ‘Well, Johnny has I think Johnny because of how he did on the Saxon course should get an 86 in Math 10C'”? And I can’t, I can’t accept that. Administratively, I can’t, professionally I can’t, and ethically I can’t accept that. That’s not how it works. Because what’s happening is you’re using, you’ve got home ed over here in Alberta, and over here, and there’s a chasm in between the two. Their separate parent-directed, teacher-directed. Saxon and Math U See, all that stuff that you’re doing over here in home ed under parent-directed is your domain. You’re absolutely in control of that. But the parent is wanting to walk over to Albert Ed’s side and then get credit for her son or daughter from Alberta Ed. And you can’t transfer one doesn’t transfer. The home ed side doesn’t transfer over. You’ve less, you have left one Kingdom and walked over to another, and they’re not compatible. Saxon Math U See, Teaching Textbook, Singapore Math, they’re amazing, they’re great programs, but they’re not based on Alberta Ed. And so the parent is asking me to put my professional credentials on the line and say that I am vouching for Johnny having earned all of Math 10C’s outcomes. Well, I don’t know that. I don’t know Saxon Math U See, Singapore Math, Teaching Textbooks, you know, when you fill in the blank. I don’t know all those curriculums that well and to know exactly how those outcomes one for one match up with Math 10C. I just can’t, it doesn’t work that way. So some families get very upset. They actually leave us and say, “Well, I’m going to go over here because they’ll accept my mark.” Maybe so, but that’s that that program’s decision. The leadership of that program has made that decision. Here, I cannot accept a mark given to me by a parent for an Alberta Ed course, just I can’t do that. Now, you the parent can create a transcript, a parent-created transcript, and use that mark all day long. That is your transcript because your transcript is is recording what’s happening over here on home ed side and you are totally in control of the home ed parent-directed side. So sure, you can use those marks on your home ed transcript all day long, and many institutions will accept a parent created transcript. That’s completely valid for many programs. Please don’t ask me to, well, you can always ask, but just know I can’t accept a parent mark. We do provide challenge exams. I do cover this in one of the videos in the homeschooling through high school series. I talked about challenge exams or in the context of the broader context of course challenge. So challenge exams, yes, because that exam is based on the outcomes of Math 10C or whatever Alberta Ed course it is. That’s why it’s an exam because it’s it’s based on Alberta Ed. It’s it’s based on this side of the chasm, right? So apples to apples, oranges to oranges, but apple to orange, it doesn’t work. It just doesn’t work that way.

Next question: My daughter currently has an IPP, or Individual Program Plan, in place at her school. Is this something we would continue to do while homeschooling?

Yes. The required education program plan for a homeschool student is like this IPP. So you the parent are creating your own IPP. In home education, it’s just called an education program plan or just program plan. So you, by default and by requirement as a home ed parent, are going to create a program plan that is customized to your child’s learning needs and plans and you know accommodations. All the kinds of things, you’re going to make those accommodations at home anyway because your child’s home educating. So your education program plan serves the same purpose as an IEP would in school, or at least a similar role.

Next question: What is my role as my what is the parent’s role as their teacher?

Well, yeah, basically parents ask me what I need to do. So I would answer, I’ve answered that, “Well, your role is teacher, principal, superintendent, you know, board member.” You have complete authority to create your own program, to administer your own program, to manage your program, to sequence your program, to provide resources or select resources for your program, etc., etc. So you are going to have complete dominion over your program. So it’s hard to say exactly, you know, nuts and bolts, what your role is because every family will approach a little bit differently and use different terms in terms of their role, but you’ll be teacher, encourager, you’ll be a tutor, you’ll you’ll be the PE teacher, maybe. I mean, all those things rolled into one. So the parent will be wearing many different hats. You’ll be the administrator, you’ll be the procurement officer, many, many roles for sure.

Next question: What is the curriculum like?

Well, that question really will depend on what you choose. Again, we don’t, some people ask us if we provide the curriculum or the learning resources, and I have to tell that parent, “We’ll know that’s not what home education is.” You the parent are responsible and free to select those learning resources. We’re not like the ADLC or some of these other programs that will send to you ready-made, usually Alberta Ed-based, learning materials and workbooks. That’s not home education as we see it. We see home education as parent-directed, parent-chosen. I should Becca if that’s what you the parent want, sure, no problem. But to say that that program is going to provide you with what you’re going to do, basically telling you what you’re going to do, that’s not home education. We don’t tell. No program should be telling you what you’re going to use in terms of learning resources. No program should be telling you how your child’s going to be evaluated if the program is home education. So this question to me lets me know that the family is likely coming from a program that kind of situations itself or promotes itself as a home education program but then tells the family what the child is going to learn and how the child would be evaluated and the school sets all these terms. The parent is just on the receiving end. That to us is not home education. So no, we do not provide curriculum. That’s your prerogative to choose and then course to use your home ed funding to buy.

Next question: What costs are there?

Well, that depends on what you choose to do for each child’s program plan. Costs can be minimal, or say, the younger the child, usually the lower the costs, but really that’s a question that I just have to say, “Well, it depends on what you buy.” Without trying to sound sarcastic or flippant, it really will just depend on which you purchase. If you stick with workbooks, secondhand textbooks, secondhand that you know library resources, materials that your older homeschooling children used, yeah, your cost could be low. If your child’s involved in group lessons and tutoring, your costs are going to be higher.

Next question: How much funding is available per student?

Well, for the upcoming school year of 2020-21, the amount of home ed funding per student is $850.

Next question is related to that and that question is: How do I access that funding?

Well, there are two ways you can access that funding. One is by sending to us the reimbursement form along with the receipts, and the other is by using the purchase order number. And we have videos that explain the reimbursement form in its process and the PO number process as well. So I won’t repeat that here, but please do watch those videos if you’re interested in learning more about those two methods.

Support
And finally the last question is: What type of support can I expect to receive from THEE?

Well, you can expect to receive support from us here at the office and from your home education supervisor or teacher facilitator. We use the term “facilitator” because we want to recognize at every opportunity the fact that you are the teacher. We are your support. We can be your consultant, we could be your QA person if you ask, but we want you to know that we are here to help you and that help comes from fellow home educators. So we, to include myself, are either currently homeschooling our children or have homeschooled our children. So your facilitator is going to know what you’re going through, or at least can relate to what you’re going through, and has likely seen it or and likely even dealt with it. So the type of support, it’s very personal support, and then here at the office, you have an administrative support as well. So we have all kinds of supports during the school year. So from the beginning of school to the end, you definitely have access to your facilitator, and then typically during the summer, your facilitators will take, they’re very well earned, summer holidays, and then we in the office will stay and help you as well during the summer. So you have supports at every turn, and that’s our definitely our goal to do that for you. So that’s it for this round of Q&A, and I’m sure there’ll be more in the coming months of stay tuned.