I got a question from a friend starting to homeschool for the first time this year about how I manage portfolios and evaluations and so I decided to write a post to help anyone else who might be a bit confused about the process. So here goes!
Homeschool laws vary by state, some have stricter oversight, some have little to no oversight. Because of this, its important to research your state’s laws before you jump in. Here in Florida, it’s quite easy to homeschool and we’ve had a wonderful experience. This is thanks to Brenda Dickinson, and her late husband Craig, who worked tirelessly in the 1980s to legalize home education in Florida, and who still works as a home education advocate today.
Though this post is Florida-specific, many states require a portfolio to be kept, so this post might have some useful info even if you’re not in Florida.
There are two avenues for homeschooling in Florida – you can either register as a homeschooler through your local school district or sign up with an umbrella school, which is a type of private school that allows a parent to homeschool their child with varying amounts of independence.
Because my daughter was getting speech through the county at the time we started homeschooling, we chose the county route because it’s important to note: The only way that homeschoolers are eligible for county services (like speech therapy or occupational therapy) is if they are registered with the county as a homeschooler.
I liked the idea of registering with the county, too. To me, it was the homeschool equivalent of wearing an “I Voted” sticker. For whatever reason, now that we finally decided to homeschool, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. I wanted to be officially counted among the state’s homeschoolers. Also, though many say they don’t want the oversight of the state or county in their child’s education, the research I did showed me that the portfolio and evaluation were nothing to be scared of. Herein, the details.
Every year that you homeschool as a registered county homeschooler, you must have your child evaluated annually. There are five options for this:
- An evaluation of your child and your child’s portfolio by a state-certified Florida teacher.
- A national student achievement test administered by a certified teacher.
- A state student assessment test administered by a certified teacher at a location approved by the school district.
- An evaluation of your child by a psychologist or school psychologist.
- Any other valid educational measurement tool that is approved by both the parent and the superintendent.
I liked the idea of keeping records of my kids’ work, so I went the portfolio route. Because there are a number of former teachers who homeschool, a few even offer remote evaluations just for this purpose. They are homeschoolers themselves and know exactly what you need to provide as well as what the state needs to see.
This is important (hence the italics): The evaluation does not need to show that your child passed a certain grade, just that she made progress since the last evaluation. This is very reassuring to many new homeschoolers. Your child doesn’t have to take a standardized test to show mastery of a certain grade level (though standardized tests don’t really do that at all — but that’s a topic for another post). They just have to have made progress. (Cue deep sigh of relief).
In order for the evaluation to be completed a portfolio must be submitted. What does this need to include?
- Samples Of Work – This should be from throughout the school year. I like to include writing samples from September, January, and May for example, a few math worksheets, it could even be pictures of projects or pictures of pages in a reader they’re using. The curriculum I use (allinonehomeschool.com) directs me to put samples of work aside for the portfolio throughout the year. When I do this, I simply slide it into a sheet protector in a separate 3-ring binder and the portfolio is all set for the end of the year without me lifting another finger. If you’re so inclined, you could just take pictures of the work throughout the year and add it to a “Homeschool Portfolio” album on your phone. Some examples below:
Log of Educational Activities – The law here specifically states: “A log of educational activities that is made contemporaneously with the instruction and that designates by title any reading materials used.” I know a parent who just jots down any projects they’ve done throughout the year or special activities they’ve done (i.e. experiments or projects). I do a log of anything extracurricular we’ve done throughout the year. I keep a list throughout the year and take a picture of it for the portfolio. That’s it.
Reading List – Again, the curriculum I use has a list of books for each grade so I print that out and stick it in my kids portfolio. We also listen to alot of audiobooks as a family, so I add those to the list for each child as well.
For my remote evaluation this year and last, I emailed this documentation to the evaluator, she had a short phone call with me and with each of my kids, and then sent me an official evaluation form to the county home education office. I forwarded it along and got a response almost immediately: My kids were done with their respective grades and we were all set with our documentation for the year. That’s it.
The portfolio should be kept for two years from the date of completion, since officially the superintendent can ask to see your portfolio at any time but must give you 15 days advance notice in writing that they would like to do so. This hasn’t happened to anyone I know, but it’s a good idea to be prepared just in case.
No testing is necessary as part of this process, but if you so desire (as my competitive 11-year old did), there are a number of standardized tests you can self-administer online and then submit as part of your portfolio as well. But it’s not necessary.
For me, submitting the portfolio and going through the evaluation process has been a breeze, much easier than the challenges I have encountered during the actual homeschooling itself. But when I get that email from the home education office that we’ve completed all of our requirements for the year, it makes me feel strong.
It’s almost like going through natural labor, I imagine (I had epidurals for all of mine!). That I can educate my kids and move them through their formative educational years without someone else telling me when and if they’re ready to move on. All in all, it’s a very empowering process. A very empowering process indeed.