AHEM Questionnaire on Homeschooling Policy and Practice

Thanks for taking the time to fill out the questionnaire! With your help, homeschoolers in Massachusetts are empowering themselves to keep Massachusetts a homeschool friendly environment by sharing information and support in dealing with school officials. You can become proactive right away by filling out this questionnaire, designed by Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts (AHEM).

This survey should only take about 5 - 10 minutes of your time. AHEM will share a summary of results.

In order to progress through this survey, please use the following navigation links:

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If you have any questions, please contact us at info@ahem.info.

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* 1. Name of Massachusetts County


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* 2. Name of town where you reside


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* 3. Name of superintendent or entity who approves homeschoolers:

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* 4. When do school officials ask that you submit an education plan?

By start of school

Two weeks before school starts

One month before school starts

Longer than a month before school starts

They don't specify

Don't know

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* 5. If they specify, do you comply?

Yes

If you do not comply, what do you do? Please explain.

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* 6. Regarding face-to-face meetings, do your school officials:

Not ask for any meetings

Ask to meet with homeschoolers only when filing your education plan for the first time

Ask to meet with homeschoolers annually

Ask to meet with homeschoolers more than once a year

Not sure

Other (please specify)

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* 7. If they do ask for face-to-face meetings, do you, or did you, comply?

Yes

If you answered no, what do you do? Please explain.

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* 8. Does your school request one or more of the following in order to approve your education plan? (check all that apply):

Proof of residency/address (such as a mortgage statement, lease, purchase & sale agreement, section 8 agreement, deed, notarized letter from landlord, letter from homeless/transition provider, tax bill)

Proof of occupancy (such as current utility bill or letter from homeless/transition provider)

Proof of parent’s identity (such as a driver’s license or state issued photo ID, passport, vehicle registration, W-2, payroll stub or bank statement, excise or property tax bill)

Student’s original birth certificate or passport

Copy of student’s birth certificate or passport

Proof of vaccination

None of these

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* 9. If they do ask for any of the above documentation, do you comply?

Yes

If you answered no, you do not comply, what do you do? Please explain.

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* 10. If you checked any boxes in Question #8, is this new in 2020?

Yes

Don't know

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* 11. Regarding hours and schedules, do school officials:

Ask for a daily grid-type schedule

Ask for number of hours spent on each subject

Ask that you state you will meet or exceed the 900/990 hours required yearly in the public schools

Not ask for anything

Don't know

Ask for more than one of the above options, or for other info regarding hours and/or scheduling? (please specify)

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* 12. Regarding hours and schedules, if school officials ask for any of the information in question #8 above, do you comply?

Yes

If you do not comply, what do you do? Please explain.

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* 13. In your education plan, regarding access to materials, do you:

Provide nothing

Say a list will be available upon request

Provide a list or partial list of materials and/or resources

Physically show materials to school official

Do more than one of the above or something else (please specify)

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* 14. In your education plan, regarding parental qualifications, do you:

Provide nothing

Say only that you are “of competent ability and good morals”

Summarize your educational background

Provide more than one of the above, or something else? (please specify)

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* 15. Form of assessment: (check what you provide)

Progress report

Work samples

Standardized test results

Nothing

If you provide different forms of assessment for different children, or provide something other than listed above, please specify here:

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* 16. How many times a year?

Once

Twice

Three times

Four times

n/a

Other (please specify)

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* 17. If a test, which one?

20% of survey complete.