Master Homeschool Record Keeping

Homeschool record keeping is good to do. Records help you see where your child is academically. You will need record if you put your child into public school.

A List of Important Papers

Each state is different in their requirements for homeschool record keeping. To find what your state requires go to HSLDA or find out from your state homeschool organization.

Some states require a daily log of homeschooling hours. You will need to list the days the child is homeschooled and maybe the hours for each day.

Keep a copy of your intent to homeschool. My district sends back a signed copy of my letter. I keep this copy.

Put in your homeschooling file your child's immunization record.

Homeschool record keeping should include emergency contact information. This information would be important when your child went on field trips with other homeschool families.

If you do grades keep your grade sheet for each year. If your co-op gives out evaluations put them with your records. Also keep standard test scores.

Homeschool record keeping for high schoolers should include a transcript. List the class that your child has taken. For each class list a grade and the credit that was earned.

Sometimes you will need to keep a record of the books your child reads and the textbooks that are used. This could be helpful to determine what grade to place your child if he ever went back to school.

What papers are important is often determined by what your state requires.

Fun Items to Have

Besides important papers, there are some fun items that you might want to keep. We all like to keep personal record of activities that we enjoyed doing. I also like to keep school work that my child did well.

Have your child write down the books that he reads each week. Have your child write a short review about the book. A list of books would be helpful for younger siblings. When your younger child does not know what to read he can consult the list.

List the books that you use and what child you used the book with. This can help when you are planning the next year.

I like to keep a record of field trips that we go on. If we enjoyed going I might decide to go again next year.

I like to keep my child's artwork. If the project is large take a picture of the item.

When we moved we packed a box of clay items my children had made. I need to go through and pick out the pieces that we like.

I also like to keep stories and reports that my children write. For me they are hard to throw out.

I like keeping records of science experiments and history reports. For me the papers bring back good memories.

Don't keep every paper your child has done since kindergarten. You will want to keep some papers though. Keep enough papers from each year to show that your child is progressing. You should make a portfolio for each year. You can keep the papers in a file folder, a box, or a notebook.

How to Do Homeschool Record Keeping

How you keep your records will depend on you. Some people like to keep everything on the computer. There are several software programs that you can use. An example is Homeschool Skedtrack. Another way is to keep everything in a record book. You can make you own or download forms from the internet.

If you do use the computer remember to make a copy. You will want to have the record if you computer crashes.

Homeschool record keeping is useful in planning your school year and is necessary if you ever need to make an accounting of your homeschooling.

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