Quebec Homeschool Learning Project: How to Write a QEP-Aligned Educational Plan

The Learning Project is the document that either keeps the DEM off your back for the year or triggers an escalating cycle of revision requests, clarification meetings, and compliance anxiety. It's not a curriculum plan in the casual sense — it's a legally binding educational blueprint. Getting it right on the first submission matters.

Here's what the DEM is actually looking for, and how to write a project that passes without locking you into a rigid daily schedule.

What the Learning Project Is (and Isn't)

The projet d'apprentissage is required under the Homeschooling Regulation (O.C. 644-2018). It must be submitted to the Direction de l'enseignement à la maison (DEM) by September 30 for start-of-year homeschoolers, or within 30 days of a mid-year withdrawal.

It is not:

• A replica of the public school curriculum
• A rigid daily schedule
• A list of purchased curricula

It is:

• A description of your educational approach (classical, project-based, eclectic, unschooling, etc.)
• An outline of planned learning activities for each compulsory subject
• An approximate time allocation for those activities
• An explanation of how you'll evaluate your child's progress
• Evidence that the plan addresses QEP competencies

The DEM does not require you to replicate what happens in a Quebec public school classroom. They require you to demonstrate that your child is receiving an appropriate education covering the essential areas of learning — described in language they can evaluate.

The Five Compulsory Subjects

By law, the Learning Project must address all five of these areas:

1. Language of instruction — French or English, depending on your choice of instruction language
2. Second language — English or French (whichever is not the primary instruction language)
3. Mathematics
4. Science and Technology
5. Social Sciences — including History, Geography, and Citizenship Education

Missing any one of these subjects is the fastest route to a rejection. Even if you're using an integrated, project-based approach where one activity covers multiple subjects, each subject must be explicitly addressed in the document.

Understanding QEP Competencies

The Quebec Education Program (QEP) organizes learning around competencies rather than content coverage. This is the part that confuses most parents — especially those coming from other provinces or countries where curriculum is content-driven.

The QEP identifies four categories of cross-curricular competencies:

• Intellectual: uses information, solves problems, exercises critical judgment, uses creativity
• Methodological: adopts effective work methods, uses information technology
• Personal and Social: constructs identity, cooperates with others
• Communication: communicates appropriately

Within each subject area, there are also subject-specific competencies (for example, in mathematics: "solves a situational problem" and "uses mathematical reasoning").

You do not need to enumerate every QEP competency in your Learning Project. You need to write activity descriptions that clearly demonstrate you're developing them. A narration exercise after a history reading develops "uses information" and "communicates appropriately." A co-op science project develops "cooperates with others" and "uses mathematical reasoning." Name the competency explicitly in your description — it's the difference between "we'll do science experiments" (vague, likely flagged) and "weekly hands-on experiments developing the science competency 'proposes explanations or solutions to scientific problems'" (compliant).

How to Describe Your Educational Approach

The Learning Project opens with a description of your overall educational approach. This is where parents using alternative philosophies sometimes freeze — worried that "unschooling" or "Charlotte Mason" will be rejected outright.

It won't, if you frame it correctly. The DEM evaluates whether your approach is likely to develop the required competencies. Alternative approaches can absolutely satisfy that test. The key is to translate your philosophy into QEP language.

Charlotte Mason example: "Our educational approach uses living books, narration, and nature study to develop language and observation competencies. Narration after each reading session develops the competency 'communicates appropriately' in both languages. Nature journaling develops 'exercises critical judgment' and science competencies through direct observation."

Unschooling/self-directed example: "Our approach is interest-led and competency-focused. The child identifies questions and pursues projects in each compulsory subject area with parental facilitation. Weekly check-ins ensure all five subject areas are addressed within each educational period. This approach develops the QEP cross-curricular competency 'exercises initiative and shows creativity.'"

Classical example: "We use a classical methodology emphasizing the trivium — grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Systematic study of primary sources, Socratic discussion, and written narration develop the competency 'solves problems' and all communication competencies across subject areas."

Time Allocation: What "Approximate" Actually Means

The regulation requires you to state approximate time allocations for each subject. This does not mean you're committing to a rigid timetable. "Approximately 3-4 hours per week" is sufficient. What you're communicating is that the subject isn't being neglected.

A realistic allocation for a primary-age child might look like:

• Language of instruction: 5-6 hours/week
• Second language: 2-3 hours/week
• Mathematics: 3-4 hours/week
• Science and Technology: 2-3 hours/week
• Social Sciences: 2-3 hours/week

These numbers don't need to add up to a standard school day. The DEM knows home education doesn't operate on a 6-hour institutional schedule.

Evaluation Methods in the Learning Project

The Learning Project must state how you'll evaluate your child's progress. Choose from the five legally approved evaluation methods:

1. Evaluation by the school service centre (CSS)
2. Evaluation by a private educational institution
3. Evaluation by a licensed Quebec teacher
4. Ministerial examinations (mandatory at certain secondary levels)
5. Portfolio submitted directly to the Minister

Your choice of evaluation method has long-term implications, particularly in secondary school where credits toward the Diplôme d'études secondaires (DES) depend on ministerial exams. At the primary level, portfolio evaluation is the most flexible and widely used option.

State your chosen method in the Learning Project. If you're using a portfolio approach, include a brief description of what documentation you'll maintain (work samples, reading logs, dated photographs of projects, observation notes).

What Happens If the DEM Rejects Your Project

Rejection is not final. If the DEM determines your Learning Project doesn't meet the regulatory requirements, they must provide written notice with specific reasons. You then have 30 days to submit a revised project.

The most common rejection reasons:

• Missing one or more of the five compulsory subjects
• Activity descriptions too vague to assess QEP alignment
• No mention of evaluation method
• No time allocations provided
• Educational approach described without reference to competencies

The 30-day revision window is tight, especially if you're already mid-year. Writing a compliant project the first time is worth the extra effort upfront.

The Quebec Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes pre-written Learning Project frameworks with QEP competency language built in — including versions for unschooling, eclectic, and structured approaches — so you can adapt rather than write from scratch.

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