Driver Education Program Scheduling

This section will address several scheduling alternatives for the driver education course.  Each of these is considered an acceptable method of offering the driver education course.  In general, scheduling of driver education is recommended to be integrated and concurrent.

Time Frames - The driver education course shall consist of a minimum of 30 clock hours (45 hours is preferred) of classroom instruction and 6 clock hours (8 hours is preferred) of laboratory instruction (excluding observation time).  If the program is an integrated one, enrollees may take laboratory instruction in conjunction with classroom instruction.  Otherwise, enrollees should complete the classroom instruction before taking the laboratory phase.

Classroom Instruction:

          ☺Should be integrated with laboratory instruction (or)

☺Should be concurrent with laboratory instruction (not more than 30 days should lapse between phases)

          ☺Shall not exceed 90 minutes in a 24-hour period

          ☺Shall not be completed in less than 30 days

☺Should have no less than 12 nor more than 30 students per class period

          ☺Should be guided by a state-approved curriculum

Laboratory instruction:

          ☺Should be integrated with classroom instruction

          ☺Shall be concurrent with classroom instruction

☺Should have not less than 2 and not more than 4 students in the car

☺Each student should drive no more than 60 minutes and observe no more than 60 minutes per 24 hour period

☺May be in addition to classroom instruction in one 24 hour period.

Scheduling Options - Driver Education may be scheduled in a number of different ways.  Several options are presented and considered acceptable, based upon the guidelines presented above.

          Option 1 – Regular school day class elective – Driver education may be scheduled as a regular class during the school day in public and private schools.  Classroom and laboratory instruction occur at times when school is in session.  These courses may be credit-bearing courses counting towards graduation credits if so desired by a local education agency.

          Option 2 – “Healthful Living” class – As traffic safety is justifiably a health issue, driver education classroom instruction may be scheduled as a part of health education.  Laboratory instruction may occur either during the regular school day, with students pulled from regularly scheduled classes on an alternating basis, or conducted before or after school and on weekends.

          Option 3 – Combination Elective class – Driver education may be a component of an elective course coupled with another subject such as consumer economics, daily living, transportation issues, 21^th century innovations, or the like and offered as a credit-bearing class towards graduation.

          Option 4 – Extended Day class – Driver education classroom and laboratory instruction may be conducted before and/or after the regular school day.  In Illinois is order to do this, the course must also be offered during the school day.  Limitations must be set and followed on the maximum amount of time for this instruction as this extends the instructional day for the student.  This scheduling alternative may also be coupled with regular school day instruction.

          Option 5 – After School, Weekend, and Summer – Driver education classroom and laboratory instruction may occur outside the regular school day, on weekends and in the summer months.  Again, in Illinois, in order to do option 5, the driver education must be offered during the regular school day.

          Option 6 – Internet or Online Driver Education – Driver education classroom instruction may be set up to be offered in part or totally through the internet using computers.  This type of scheduling is addressed more completely in a later section of this document.  A certified teacher with an acceptable scheduling plan would then offer the laboratory instruction phase in the car.  Laboratory driver education should not be offered through the use of computers.