Sample Education Plan

Education Plan for CHILD'S NAME/AGE

This education plan is submitted in accordance with the Charles decision:

We will cover the following subjects:

[Choose from the following subjects listed in Chapter 69 and Chapter 71 of the Massachusetts General Laws, or make up your own, keeping in mind your plan must equal in thoroughness and efficiency that of the school, but does not have to replicate their offerings...]

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
mathematics, science, and technology
history and social science
foreign languages
the arts

[Next, list a few materials/resources for each of the subjects that you've chosen from the list above. Here are some examples. If you have specific titles for any subject, you can include them:]

Internet
reference books and materials
library books, CDs, magazines, etc.
games
computer software and online services
calculating and measuring tools and utensils
arts & crafts supplies
writing supplies
musical instruments
science lab equipment
sports equipment
community resources (such as museums, stage performances, sports programs, private lessons, volunteer opportunities)
More ideas

OR [instead of listing specific materials, state the following:]

We will be using a variety of materials and resources, a list of which will be made available to the TOWN school department upon request.

[Include a statement about days and hours. Choose one of the following:]

We will meet or exceed

We will provide the equivalent of

the 180 days, 900/990 hours of instruction required yearly in the public schools. [Whichever way you prefer to phrase it.]

[Include a statement about parental qualifications:]

We are of competent ability and good morals OR summarize your “academic credentials or other qualifications.” [You do not need to be a certified teacher, nor are you required to have a college degree.]

[Include a statement about evaluation:]

An annual progress report OR dated work sample OR standardized test results [parents pick one] will be submitted upon request. [Leave out "upon request" if you know they are going to ask.]

Sincerely,

Your signature(s)

This sample education plan represents the minimum that has been accepted as written by some school districts in Massachusetts. It is meant to be used as a template.

Please edit this plan to reflect what you plan to do in your homeschool. For example: delete or add subjects, indicate specific materials you plan to use, specify your form of evaluation, etc.

Please be aware that your town may respond by asking for more information. Sometimes these are legitimate requests and sometimes they will ask for more than the law requires. We recommend that all homeschoolers educate themselves on what is and isn't required in Massachusetts and we have provided lots of resources to help you do so. Please read through Tips for Writing Your Education Plan or further information on customizing and submitting your own plan according to the Charles and Brunelle decisions.

Privacy

If you wish to add wording regarding privacy of student records to your education plan, see Privacy and Your Education Plan for possible wording.

Forms

Even though forms are not required, some schools find that forms make their lives easier, and so they ask homeschoolers to use them. Sometimes, forms created by the school district contain extralegal requests. To deal with this, homeschoolers can simply cross out the extralegal requests, or just submit an education plan instead of the form.

In the past, AHEM has offered a form for our subscribers’ use, which is basically the AHEM sample education plan you see here in a different format. The demand for our form has become so great, that we decided to release it to the world.

AHEM Education Plan Form (pdf)