Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 540 CMR - REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES › Title 540 CMR 23.00 - Licensing, Certification and Operating Requirements for Professional Driving School Instructors; and Others › Section 23.06 - Driver Education Program Requirements

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Professional Driving School and Public School Driver Education
			 Program.
(a)
Principal Administrator
. All applicants shall submit
			 evidence of compliance with the provision of M.G.L. c. 90, § 32G requiring
			 a business principal to have held a driving instructor's certificate for at
			 least a continuous two year period.
(b)
Student Eligibility
			 Standards
. An individual may enroll in a Professional Driving
			 School or Public School Driver Education Program who has attained the age of 15
			 years, nine months. Individuals must possess a valid learner's permit in order
			 to participate in the on-road portion of driver's education.
(c)
Driver Education
			 Program
. Effective September 1, 2007, the Driver Education Program
			 as established by the Registrar pursuant to the provisions of M.G.L. c. 90,
			 § 32G and
			 540 CMR 23.00, shall be used
			 by each licensed driving school, private and public, which offers driver
			 education classes to persons who intend to obtain a driver's education
			 certificate issued by the Registrar. The Driver Education Program comprises the
			 driver education curriculum, driver practicum curriculum, the parent curriculum
			 and a final examination. A current version of the Driver Education Program will
			 be maintained on file for public viewing at the main office of the Registry of
			 Motor Vehicles and on the Registry's website.
1.
Driver Education
			 Curriculum
. The driver education curriculum consists of 15 modules
			 taught within 30 hours of classroom instruction. All topics outlined in the
			 curriculum must be covered. A school may submit their curriculum for the
			 Registrar's approval if they wish to teach the curriculum in a different order
			 then outlined in the Driver Education Program developed by the Registry of
			 Motor Vehicles. A licensed driving school may supplement the curriculum if
			 approved by the Registrar.
2.
Driver Practicum Curriculum
.
a. On-road instruction includes 12 hours of
			 behind the wheel instruction and six hours of observation, for a total of 18
			 hours. All skills listed on the driver practicum curriculum must be covered
			 within the 12 hours of behind the wheel instruction.
b. No student shall exceed two hours of
			 on-road instruction in a single day.
3.
Parent
			 Curriculum
. A driving school must provide an in-class opportunity
			 for parents of enrolled driver education students to learn about the Junior
			 Operator's Law and the driving skills and behaviors that their children will be
			 learning. The parent curriculum must be designed to help parents understand the
			 law and prepare them for the parentally supervised driving experience that
			 parents are required to certify when their child applies for a road test. The
			 driving school may schedule this as a separate class for parents only or may
			 include parents in a student class if that class will cover the material
			 required for the parent curriculum. A parent must attend at least two hours of
			 classroom instruction.
4.
Final Examination
. Prior to the issuance of a driver
			 education certificate a student must take and pass a final examination to test
			 the student's comprehension of the subjects covered in the Driver Education
			 Program. Except as otherwise required by the Registrar, it is the
			 responsibility of the driving school to administer a final examination. The
			 Registrar may determine the time, place, and material to be tested, and manner
			 for which the examination is conducted. The Registrar may establish exam
			 standards and/or set a minimum passing grade for such examination and may
			 refuse to issue a driver education certificate until satisfied that the student
			 meets the minimum standards and has completed the behind the wheel portion of
			 the driver practicum curriculum. The Registrar may require the driving school
			 to demonstrate its process for evaluating student performance and improving its
			 instruction.
5.
Notification of Course Completion
. The Professional
			 Driving School and Public School Driver Education Program shall notify the
			 Registrar, in a manner to be determined by her, of a student's successful
			 completion of the Driver Education Program.