AQED’s Reaction to the Articles in Le Devoir on Homeschooling

Interpreting the Comparisons with Caution

The article refers to a comparison in ministerial exam results between the students educated in schools and homeschooled children. However, this comparison must be interpreted with caution, since:

• The makeup of the two groups are very different
• The small sample size of some of the groups makes statistical analysis unreliable
• The data presented is incomplete

Obligatory Exams: an Unjustified Constraint

The requirement for homeschooled youth to take ministry exams creates a disproportionate burden:

• These exams do not officially count, since our children do not have report cards.
• Little educational feedback is offered, and what is offered, arrives months too late.
• Certain families must travel hundreds of kilometers for their children to take the exams.
• There is no conclusive scientific data justifying the obligation.
• The results of these exams are often transmitted to the parent after the deadline for the end of year reports the parent must submit to the DEM.
• These mandatory exams are expensive for school boards/service centers.

There are already other methods of evaluation outlined  in the Homeschooling Regulation and which are used for all subjects for which there are no ministerial exams.

Obstacles to Graduation

Learners who want to obtain a  high school diploma also face significant barriers:

• The exams in secondary 4 and 5 count for 100% of the grade for home-educated learners, whereas they only count for 50% for students in the school system. This inequity can compromise a home-learner’s access to higher education.
• Certain school boards/service centers struggle to offer the services needed to assure graduation at an appropriate time.
• Certain school boards/service centers also refuse to follow learners who are no longer of mandatory school age, with the learner slipping into a worrying regulatory gap that jeopardises their graduation.

A Lack of Transparency in the Withdrawal of Authorizations

A second article published by Le Devoir states that more than 1000 students have lost their authorization to homeschool in recent years. However, no information is given for why these files were closed nor whether there remains the possibility of reopening these files after conciliation. It’s also possible that this statistic includes a number of families who had already decided that their child will return to school and had chosen not to complete their file with the DEM.

We would also point out that the current system for managing complaints is inadequate:

• There is no neutral body to handle complaints from parent-educators.
• When a conflict arises, the parent must meet with the same agent in charge of their file, without intervention from an impartial third party.
• Homeschooling families have no official representation in the organizations that provide them services (SB/SSCs and the DEM).

A Debatable Use of Public Funds

In reality, the school boards/service centres receive $1800 per homeschooled child each year, which amounts to millions of dollars in total across Quebec. However, these funds are used primarily to administer the mandatory exams, while:

• Other services mentioned in the Homeschooling Regulation are refused families in 68% of cases.
• We have reason to believe that part of these subsidies are used elsewhere in the school network.
• These funds should be reallocated to truly support families and encourage young people to graduate at home.

Our Demands

In view of these issues, we reaffirm our demands:

• Restart the Consultation Table to establish a dialogue with the authorities
• Encourage the graduation of homeschooled youth by taking into account a body of work and harmonising the rules from one SB/CSS to another. The regulatory vacuum for learners 16 and older must also be corrected.
• Cancel the imposition of ministerial exams for homeschooled students.
• Revise funding to better aid homeschooling.
• Put in place a neutral and clear complaints process, accessible for families.
• Give homeschooling families official representation in the relevant bodies.

Home-education is a legitimate educational option that deserves a fair and appropriate framework. We will continue to defend the rights of families and to raise these issues with the authorities.

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