From: Honourable , Minister of Education Date: September 9, 2015 Subject: Reply from the Minister of Education (AR89992)

Dear Mr. Gaumont:

Honourable Lori Sigurdson, MLA for -Riverview, forwarded your May 29, 2015 email regarding home educated students taking post-secondary courses.As Minister of Education, I am pleased to respond on behalf of government.

This government recognizes there are a number of delivery models for education in this province and respects the decisions of parents when it comes to which option is best suited to meet the needs of their child.

Home education funding is provided for students participating in a Grades 1 to 12 program. Education understands that some students may take post-secondary courses to expand their studies while also taking Grades 1 to 12 programming. Some students may also be transitioning to post- secondary during the school year. Alberta Education fully supports this practice.

The Provincial Dual Credit Strategy allows high school students to earn credits in high school and in post- secondary for the same coursework. School authorities develop an agreement with a post-secondary institution to offer dual credit opportunities to their students with the expectation that programming aligns with the Alberta programs of study and the Funding Manual for School Authorities. Funding that schools receive for dual credit programming is for Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) courses (i.e., the credits students receive at the secondary level), not for the post-secondary credits received. School authorities, including private school operators, have the opportunity to develop agreements with post-secondary institutions to operate a dual credit opportunity.

For some selected students, Alberta Education requested documentation from school authorities to substantiate that they are involved in a Grades 1 to 12 home education program (e.g., home education program plan, documentation completed during the two evaluations/visits). If the school authority could not provide this documentation, or if the documentation revealed that the student was not participating in a Grade 1 to 12 program, Alberta Education recovered the home education funding from the authority that claimed for those students.

The recent monitoring of home education funding claims does not represent a change in policy; rather, it means Alberta Education is maintaining accountability standards for public dollars by ensuring that K-12 grants are spent on K-12 programs. This is true of the monitoring activities that occur with all school authorities, and it is a necessary part of the process.

I hope this explanation provides clarity and reassures the home educating community of government’s continued support. I encourage you to share this information with your home educating families.

Sincerely,

David Eggen Minister cc: Honourable Lori Sigurdson, MLA, Edmonton-Riverview Paul van den Bosch, President, Alberta Home Education Association Patty Marler, Government Liaison, Alberta Home Education Association