Annual evaluation

According to the regulation, the child must be evaluated at least once during the year.

Parents can choose between five options for evaluation. Four of these types of evaluation are conducted by a third party (whom we call an “evaluator”); the other is an assessment done by the Direction de l’enseignement à la maison (DEM), examining the child's work submitted by the parent in a portfolio.

Choice of evaluation method

The option chosen for the evaluation must be in the learning project, but it is possible to modify it at any time during the year. 

Some evaluators are more open than others when it comes to different methods of evaluation (portfolios, discussions with parents, discussions with the child, etc.) Contact various evaluators early enough to ensure that you have time to make your decision.

Here are some questions to address when choosing your evaluator:

• methods and evaluation criteria;
• type of report submitted by the evaluator to the family following the assessment and deadlines;
• experience with homeschooling;
• knowledge and openness to your educational approach;
• open-mindedness concerning different methods of evaluation;
• evaluation fees.

1. By your school service centre

• This service is free
• The law does not require the school service centre to provide it.
• This evaluation is not necessarily done in the form of an exam; it can be carried out by any other method agreed upon with the school service centre. 
• Article 15 of the regulation gives specific permission to the school service centre to do non summative evaluations (for example, a portfolio, an interview, etc…) 
• Contact the school service centre to find out the methods of evaluation it proposes.

If your child is eligible for Anglophone education under Bill 101, you can choose the English school service centre in your area.  

An official communication from the SSC or SB attesting to the completion of the evaluation must be forwarded to the DEM by July 10.

2. By a private educational institution 

• This service is available at your expense.
• The law does not require private schools to provide it. 
• This evaluation is not necessarily done in the form of an examination; it can be carried out by any other method agreed upon with the private school. 
• Article 15 of the regulation gives specific permission to the private educational institutions to do non summative evaluations (for example, a portfolio, an interview, etc…) 
• Contact the school to find out whether they offer this service and if so, under what terms.  

You can choose the private school of your choice.

A list of private educational institutions is available on the government website.

An official communication from the institution attesting to the completion of the evaluation must be forwarded to the DEM by July 10.

3. By a holder of a teaching certificate  

• This service is available at your expense.
• The law does not oblige teachers to offer it. 
• You are free to select the person of your choice, provided that they have a Quebec teaching certificate – that is, any person having one of the following four authorizations:
  • Teaching diploma;
  • Teaching permit;
  • Teaching license;
  • Provisional teaching authorization
• This type of evaluation rarely takes the form of an exam: it can be done by any other method deemed appropriate by the teacher (portfolio, discussion with parents, discussion with the child, observations of examples of achievements, photos, videos, etc.)

To find out more, consult the government website.

AQED offers a list of certified teachers for members who choose this method of evaluation.

Find out more on AQED’s Facebook groups; members may have people to recommend. 

A document of your choice such as a report or a certificate, confirming the assesment (child's name and date) and the child's level of achievement in relation to the program expectations of their learning project, must be submitted to the DEM by July 10.

4. By a ministerial exam administered by the school service centre

• This service is free.
• The school service centre is required to provide it upon request.  

Contact your school service centre at the beginning of the school year for more information on this option.

Note that as a result of the 2019 regulation, ministerial examinations will become mandatory beginning in the 2021-2022 school year for the levels to which they apply. You can consult the ministry's website (that page is in French only) to see the list and the levels concerned.

For compulsory examinations in Elementary 4 and 6, and secondary 2, an official communication from the SSC or SB must be sent to the DEM by July 10. For uniform exminations in Secondary 4 and 5, the Record of Learnings from the Minister must be sent by July 15. Grades can be hidden as the communication should only attest for the presence of the child.

5. By the parent, using a portfolio submitted to the Minister

• The creation of the portfolio must be done at your expense.
• Verification of the portfolio by the DEM, free of charge.
• Your resource person from the DEM is obliged to provide you with this service if you request it.
• The portfolio must be attached to the completion report.  

Portfolio content

The portfolio must show activities undertaken by your child during the year. We suggest you keep it short – about 10 pages.

You can:

• choose some examples of work or activities done during the year. For example: notebook pages, photos, videos of a personal project, certificates, or any other document demonstrating that your child has completed activities or made use of resources.
• If you want to include items for which there is no physical evidence, you can describe one or more examples where your child has demonstrated their learning (for example, the fact that he or she regularly calculates the change when buying things from the convenience store).

The portfolio can be on paper or digital.  Ask your questions in one of the AQED Facebook groups. Several members have experience with the portfolio and can advise you. 

You can send your portfolio in hard copy by mail to the DEM, at your expense. You can also email it or drop it off on the ministry's secure platform by June 15.

Depending on the materials or examples you use, an example may combine one or more of the competencies or subjects/disciplines.

Downloadable resources

AQED has given a great deal of thought this year to how best to support its members to meet their obligations in relation to homeschooling. Accommodating the Direction de l’enseignement à la maison (DEM) requests without jeopardizing educational freedom, for which AQED advocates, is always at the forefront of our concerns.

This year, AQED is therefore providing a choice of three templates, along with an explanatory document, to help you create your portfolios. Use the template that suits you best. Remember to keep it simple and easy to prepare.  It is up to the parent to choose the template that best fits their vision of homeschooling and how they want to present their child's learning traces.

A portfolio is normally around 10 pages. Please note that AQED believes that parents should be able to choose competencies that are appropriate for their learning project, not just those of the QEP. We therefore consider that portfolios submitted using the third proposed template, i.e. the turnkey template, exceed parent’s legal obligations. We recommend using a simple template that corresponds first and foremost to your learning project.

If this is your first experience with homeschooling or creating a portfolio, we encourage you to read the explanatory document: "What is a portfolio?” [PDF] This document provides a review of the literature on portfolio development as well as suggestions and examples.

• First template: Minimalist template [.docx]

This template presents the learning traces by subject. It gives you the opportunity to respect the law and to provide the minimum required by the regulation.

• Second Template: Accompanying files Template [.docx]

This template allows you to build your portfolio by project, theme or subject. It includes a tool to help you write the comments which accompany a learning trace. It is possible to link several skills to the same trace.

• Template 3: Turnkey template, combined with the completion report [.docx]

This template was created to be able respond to new demands from the DEM. It allows for the classification of examples of achievement or traces by competency, according to the Quebec Education Program (QEP), dated and annotated with comments from the parent and the child. It also includes the completion report. As mentioned above, AQED considers that the additional information in this template goes beyond parents’ legal obligations, and encourages the use of other available templates.

Other portfolio examples and tools are available in the Member area, such as suggestions for the content of the portfolio or a sample letter of the evaluation attestation by a holder of a teaching certificate.