Junior High Programs
Parent Directed Homeschooling
A Parent-Directed or Home Education program is designed for families who wish to design, deliver and assess their own home education plan. This may include the use of a variety of pre-packaged curricula, or creating your own curriculum. All Home Education in Alberta is guided by the Student Learning Outcomes for a Basic Education as outlined by the Alberta Education Home Education Regulations.
Argyll Centre is one of the only public schools in both Edmonton and Alberta to offer support for Home Education. That means you have access to our professional staff who are ready to assist you in finding teaching resources and developing your education plan. They are familiar with the provincial requirements for Home Education and can help understand your responsibilities and ensure that your education plan will meet the provincial requirements. Our library in Edmonton has books and resources you can borrow or purchase to include in your education plan. We organize field trips and camps from our Edmonton and Calgary campuses, and host other on-site programs and enrichment opportunities that are available to homeschool families. We also offer a Blended Education option if you would like to combine homeschooling with a teacher directed approach.
See also our guide on Creating a Home Education Portfolio of Student Work.
Created in CreArtIT class studying artist Amedeo Modigliano by Grade 7 student
The Alberta Home Education Association suggests that you ask the following questions of any board you are considering registering with:
1. Are all your teachers home educators or what qualifications do your supervisors have that give them a good understanding of home education for Grades 1-12?All teachers at the Argyll Centre are certified and have a wide range of knowledge about the various programs and curricula available to homeschoolers as well as expertise following the Home Education Regulations and the Alberta Program of Studies.
2. What methods of home education do your teachers support & oversee?
Families are free to choose their own curriculum and resources, so long as they meet the Home Education Regulations. Our staff is happy to advise you on which resources would be best for you.
3. What do your teachers expect to see in an education plan & portfolio?
Teachers require that they meet both the parent and student face to face two times during the school year to ensure that students are showing progress in the core subjects and are meeting the Home Education regulations. This can be done through portfolios - work samples - photographs - Blogs etc. At the end of the year - parents write up a summary of the year and the progress that has occurred from the beginning of that year.
4. Are home visits compulsory or are there choices where we could meet?
Home visits are not compulsory. Meetings with students occur at a mutually agreed upon location.
5. Am I required to return non-consumable items purchased with funding?
No. Funding is available to help you cover the cost of resources, school supplies, Internet access, educational field trips, lessons and related equipment rentals. Any covered materials purchased are yours to keep and use to support your child's education plan. See our guide to Supplemental Funding for complete details.
6. What is your perspective about the role of the school board in evaluating a student's progress e.g. testing?
Edmonton Public Schools encourages all parent directed Home Education students to write HLATs and Provincial Exams. The final decision on whether they are going to write these exams is up to the parents. However, the exams do help to give a benchmark of student progress at that time in the different subject areas.
7. What services and advice can you assist us with in the various subject areas?
Our staff is available to meet with you and provide advice for your specific situation. We also offer access to our learning resource centre. We can also arrange for literacy and numeracy assessment to help determine the type of programming that is best for a student.
8. What advice, services & support does your Board provide to facilitate easy transition into post secondary institutions?
We advise you to participate in at least some standardized testing to ensure a smooth transition to post-secondary education. Our staff is available to help identify and address any problem areas and suggest ways to address them.
