Factors to be considered in the Education Plan 

as stated in the Charles Decision.

1. the proposed curriculum, the length of the homeschool year and the number of hours of instruction in each of the proposed subjects

2. the competency of the parents to teach the children

3. access to the textbooks, workbooks, and other instructional aids to be used by the children and to the lesson plans and teaching manuals to be used by the parents

4. a periodic form of assessment of the children to ensure educational progress and the attainment of minimum standards.  Once a year is sufficient.

What to include in your Educational Plan

• Name, & age of student. (or date of birth)   

• WPS requests that you give the grade level of student. 

• Parent's/guardian's name and address, phone number.

• Optional email address

• List of text books, curricula, workbooks, teaching manuals and other instructional material to be used.  

• Competency of parents (Charles states that Superintendent may inquire about the qualifications BUT parents do not need any special qualifications or college degrees.) Other teachers do not need to be considered as they are not mentioned in case law.  In practice, most parents will use the sentence "Parents/Guardians are of competent ability and good morals." taken from Brunelle.

• The length of the school year and the total number of hours of instruction in each subject.  "the perception and use of time... are different." (Brunelle 518).  Many parents simply state that they will provide the "equivalent of the 180 days, 900/990 hours"  See DESE requirements for schools here.

• The form of yearly assessment will be used at the end of the year to ensure minimum standards of academic progress. Options include dated work samples, progress report, report cards, or standardized testing. Other options may be agreed upon with school officials. Only ONE method of reporting is required. What you  state here is not binding - you can use another method at the end of year if it suits your learning method better.

• You may wish to add privacy notices to be sure your child's information is not included in data bases submitted by the school system to other agencies. More information is available here.

• The subjects that your child will study during the year.    The subjects taught over the course of the child’s education should include “orthography, reading, writing, the English language and grammar, geography, arithmetic, drawing, music, the history and Constitution of the United States, the duties of citizenship, health education, physical education and good behavior.” No particular subject is required to be taught in any given year.  (General Laws. c. 71 s.1) (Charles 338)

• Access to the textbooks does not mean home visits.  Brunelle states that home visits by school officials are not essential to the state's interests.  Home visits are not required for approval.

• Parent or guardian's signature and the date

Here is a sample of what an education plan might look like.  

Feel free to adapt, change, reformat or simply use as loose inspiration.  

***

A few more notes and their sources in case law

(*1) Textbooks, curriculum, workbooks, and instructional aids may include many other things beyond printed books.  Brunelle states that educational aids do not need to be tangible and may include "...travel, community service, visits to educationally enriching facilities and places, and meeting with various resource people...." (Brunelle 518).  The educational materials are not "approved" by the school authorities.

(*2) The total number of hours must equal in "thoroughness and efficency" (Charles 337, GL c 76, s1) that of the public schools. Following a schedule is not necessary, as Brunelle states "perception and use of time in a home school are different." (Brunelle 517).  You do not have to give a weekly summary of how many minutes or hours are spent in each subject.  You can find more about the requirements for Massachusetts schools at the DESE website here.  Notice that the number of hours are 900 for elementary schools and 990 for secondary schools.  The WPS form has a higher number of hours but these are apparently "sample" numbers, not an official requirement.

(*3) Annual assessment methods mentioned in Charles are standardized testing, periodic progress reports, dated work samples. Other methods usually accepted are portfolios and report cards. "Other means of evaluating the progress of the children may be substituted for the formal testing process, such as periodic progress reports or dated work samples, subject to the approval of the parents. " (Charles 340).  The WPS website says "scope and sequence" is an accepted reporting method.

According to Charles (340), reporting may be required to "ensure educational progress and the attainment of minimum standards"

Again: only one method of reporting is required.  Schools may not ask for work samples in addition to narrative reports as a standard procedure.  

(*4) School officials may ask for information regarding "qualifications of the parent or parents who will be instructing the children," (Charles) but the parents are not required to have any specific educational credentials. "General Laws c. 71, Sec. 1, provides that teachers shall be 'of competent ability and good morals.'" (Charles).  It is not necessary to give qualifications of other instructors, since it is not required in Charles or Brunelle.

***

More sample educational plans specifically for Massachusetts are available on the AHEM website