Driver's Ed

Everything about homeschool can make a parent nervous. Especially the parent that wasn't homeschooled and has no insight into how to do the things that come with the requirements of educating a child.

Things like getting a driver's license.

I can recall the process that I went through in the public school system back around the time of 1994-1995 as I was so anxious to become a driver, but fast forward to the year 2020 as a homeschooling parent and I had absolutely NO idea how to transition my oldest daughter from car rider to being the driver in the driver's seat and I wasn't sure that I wanted to take on the full challenge.

After a coffee date with a fellow Mom-friend and homeschool parent who had successfully graduated her son from high school and led him through the drivers educational process to become a driver, I felt semi-confident that I could take the challenge on.

I know that there some Moms out there like me also completely clueless in this area and may be able to benefit from this list (some of the documentation and requirements below may be specific to the state of Virginia. Please check with your local DMV in your state for specific requirements):

Step 1 ) First we purchased a driver's education home study course for the classroom component of obtaining a license. We selected a course from the approved list of courses from the DMV website:

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#homeschoolers.asp

The homeschool driving course that we selected also requested a copy of our current year homeschool verification before my daughter was able to take the course. We used our current year homeschool letter from our local school district for this requirement.

Step 2) Take the home study course and pass the home study test at the end of the course.

My daughter spent at least a month or so watching the videos, taking notes, and then studying for the home study test. For the course that we selected she could have taken the home study test more than once if we she had not passed for the first time.

You should consider the timing of when your child takes this home study course. You may want to consider taking this course in a timely manner so that by the time your child finishes the course, they are at least 15 years & 6 months old in age and are eligible to take their driver's permit test. 

Step 3) Upon passing the home study test we then printed off the course completion certificate which was later needed to submit to the DMV.

Prior to taking the permit test at the DMV, my daughter also studied the DMV driving permit booklet and took some online driving educational quizzes to strengthen her knowledge for the permit test. 

Step 4) Upon completion and passing of the home study / classroom component, if your child is 15 yrs, 6 months old you can take them the to the DMV to take the driver's permit test.

For the state of Virginia, we needed to take the required identification paperwork before they would administer the driver's permit test. 

As the parent I had to show 2 forms of identification / address verification (i.e., license, voter's registration card, etc.) and for my daughter I took a copy of her birth certificate.

Step 5) Once your child has passed the driver's permit test and is issued their driving permit they are free to drive with an adult to accrue their behind the wheel hours.

Step 6) If you'd like to serve as your child's behind-the-wheel instructor and be authorized by the DMV to do so, once your child as received their permit you will need to submit the Home-Schooled In-Car Driver Education Parental Authorization Application (HS-1)).

Along with this form you also need to submit the completion form from the classroom component that your child received (from Step 3 above). Once this paperwork has been mailed in to the appropriate DMV Processing Center, you will be mailed a confirmation letter authorizing you to begin behind-the-wheel instruction.

Step 7) Student driving and instruction.

You student driver will have to have the permit for 9 months. 

Within these 9 months your student will drive and log their required hours.

You and your student will also need to study and complete the "Module Eleven" Curriculum Scope and Sequence Modules for Driver Education in Virginia, which can be downloaded from the DMV website. 

As their behind-the-wheel instructor, they will need to complete the following:

•  7 periods (50 mins each) of driving at least 50 miles
•  7 periods (50 mins each) of observation

and, then an additional 45 hours of additional driving time must be provided, 15 hours of which must occur after sunset.  The 45-Hour Parent/Teen Driving Guide is also a useful resource that you can request from your local DMV which is complete with a driving log. 

Step 8) At the end of the timing required of driving hours and when your student is of age (age 16 yrs and 3 mos.), they can go to the dmv and take the behind the wheel test.

The homeschooling journey has been this way for me, over and over again. The unknown presents itself, I take it to the Lord and prayer, and then jump head first into research and contemplating what will be necessary to tackle the goal ahead. 

With God, any and everything is possible... even my baby girl driving a car! 

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