Drivers Ed/Behind the Wheel and license question?

[Anonymous]

I have a 10th grader who got his permit in late July. It looks like his PE class will be doing Drivers Ed first quarter. He turns 16 in November. Do we register him for Behind the Wheel after Drivers Ed is finished? Say he does Behind the Wheel 2nd quarter - does he still get a provisional license at the end or does he wait on the provisional license until late April when the 9 months of having a permit has elapsed. Trying to figure out if there’s a rush to do behind the wheel or not since he technically can’t get a license until late April when the 9 month permit requirement is met. On the other hand, if it’s taking a long time to get these behind the wheel classes or license in general, I want him to do it as soon as possible. We really need him to be able to drive to his work on his own next summer. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

The BTW classes offered by FCPS/ACE have not been open since March. So there is a huge backlog of kids who did drivers ed last year who will want to get into the ACE classes. (By the way, you can do Behind the Wheel with private vendors, and they are open).

HAs you kid done 45 hours of practice driving already (with 15 being at night)? If not, then you don't want to sign up for the BTW certification classes (from ACE or private vendor).

Your kid cannot get their drivers license until they have had their permit for 9 mos. So, there is no reason to do BTW early.

I suggest spending a lot of time getting those 45 hours of practice driving. You have to log them into the book that the DMV gives you. It takes a lot of time b/c kids can only do a hour or two at a time. They are just learning and the level of attention they have to give to the car and the road is so much more than an experienced driver does.

Hope that helps.

[Anonymous]

Thank you! Yes, he’s been driving since he got the permit. Already has about 10 hours logged. So, he should have all 45 hours done before he does behind the wheel course? Good to know. I didn’t know the ACE classes were backed up. Neighborhood kids who are a little older have been doing Behind the Wheel since late summer, but I’m guessing that must be the private driving classes then. If everything is backed up, we might have to go that route too once we get there as he really needs to drive himself next summer. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Just use a private instructor. My son did behind the wheel over the summer and was done in about a week.

Are they still sending out postcards about permanent licenses? He completed the course in July and hasn’t received anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just use a private instructor. My son did behind the wheel over the summer and was done in about a week.

Are they still sending out postcards about permanent licenses? He completed the course in July and hasn’t received anything.

your son was done with BTW "in about a week" because BTW is a 7 session class! So, yes, if you go every day, everyone is done in about a week!

And yes, to OP... you need to have your 45 hours LOGGED before doing BTW. There are plenty of independent drivers schools. The ones like "I Drive Smart" cost more b/c of the franchise and protections in place. (My DD did some of her 45 hours with IDS. Most of her practice hours were with us, but I thought it was good to have a real instructor do a few hours with her as well.). The ACE ones are recommended by the PE teachers. And they are very affordable.... but I don't believe they are actually allowing sign ups yet b/c they are part of FCPS and you know --- there's no in person learning yet!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just use a private instructor. My son did behind the wheel over the summer and was done in about a week.

Are they still sending out postcards about permanent licenses? He completed the course in July and hasn’t received anything.

your son was done with BTW "in about a week" because BTW is a 7 session class! So, yes, if you go every day, everyone is done in about a week!

And yes, to OP... you need to have your 45 hours LOGGED before doing BTW. There are plenty of independent drivers schools. The ones like "I Drive Smart" cost more b/c of the franchise and protections in place. (My DD did some of her 45 hours with IDS. Most of her practice hours were with us, but I thought it was good to have a real instructor do a few hours with her as well.). The ACE ones are recommended by the PE teachers. And they are very affordable.... but I don't believe they are actually allowing sign ups yet b/c they are part of FCPS and you know --- there's no in person learning yet!

Actually, you don't need all 45 hours finished before doing BTW. My kid did it through ACE and was asked to bring the log to the first meeting if it was completed, but the instructor said if you weren't quite done yet, that was ok too. You just had to hand it in by the last meeting to get a license (assuming you passed the road test, of course).

To the pp who said her DS completed the course in July and hasn't heard about a permanent license...my kid finished BTW the first week of March and we still haven't heard anything, so I have a feeling it's going to take them a while to catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I have a 10th grader who got his permit in late July. It looks like his PE class will be doing Drivers Ed first quarter. He turns 16 in November. Do we register him for Behind the Wheel after Drivers Ed is finished? Say he does Behind the Wheel 2nd quarter - does he still get a provisional license at the end or does he wait on the provisional license until late April when the 9 months of having a permit has elapsed. Trying to figure out if there’s a rush to do behind the wheel or not since he technically can’t get a license until late April when the 9 month permit requirement is met. On the other hand, if it’s taking a long time to get these behind the wheel classes or license in general, I want him to do it as soon as possible. We really need him to be able to drive to his work on his own next summer. Thanks!

Your DS will probably get into the 1st quarter Driver's Ed because of his age. You should sign him up for BTW when he is close to getting his 45 hours of driving (including 15 night driving) and it's been nearly 9 months since he got his permit (so, around March 2021). While you could technically do BTW in a week, I think they like the kids to spread the driving out so they have time to work on certain skills. My child took BTW this summer through I Drive Smart - and it was easy to get into and provided excellent training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I have a 10th grader who got his permit in late July. It looks like his PE class will be doing Drivers Ed first quarter. He turns 16 in November. Do we register him for Behind the Wheel after Drivers Ed is finished? Say he does Behind the Wheel 2nd quarter - does he still get a provisional license at the end or does he wait on the provisional license until late April when the 9 months of having a permit has elapsed. Trying to figure out if there’s a rush to do behind the wheel or not since he technically can’t get a license until late April when the 9 month permit requirement is met. On the other hand, if it’s taking a long time to get these behind the wheel classes or license in general, I want him to do it as soon as possible. We really need him to be able to drive to his work on his own next summer. Thanks!

Your DS will probably get into the 1st quarter Driver's Ed because of his age. You should sign him up for BTW when he is close to getting his 45 hours of driving (including 15 night driving) and it's been nearly 9 months since he got his permit (so, around March 2021). While you could technically do BTW in a week, I think they like the kids to spread the driving out so they have time to work on certain skills. My child took BTW this summer through I Drive Smart - and it was easy to get into and provided excellent training.

If you do BTW through FCPS/ACE, it is schefuled for 7 consecutive werkdays. There is no choice.

If you go through a private company, you can do 7 days whenever you want, however spread out, but you always have to be with another student because 50 min has to be observing and 50 min driving (x7).