Most states require a homeschool portfolio review a few times a year to see how your homeschool is progressing. Every state is different, of course, so always check with your state’s department of education to determine the specifics, particularly if you’re new to homeschooling. At any rate, I thought I would share how I prepare for a review of my homeschool, which I do twice per year.

The How-To

I am currently schooling five of my children, from kindergarten to a sophomore in highschool and my procedure for each child is the same: one sample of work, per month, per subject. That’s it! My state requires that I show “regular and thorough” instruction and so this is how I meet that requirement.

I get a binder for each child for the school year, with dividers for each subject they are being taught and I fill the binder with those samples. Sometimes I will literally pull the page from their workbook or notebooks; other times I will make photocopies of the page that I need. Then I may add a sticky note as needed to remind myself of concepts covered or places of improvement so that I’m sure to mention them to my reviewer as I present the information.

Subjects Completed Together

Any subjects that we complete as a family, particularly those that don’t generate a heavy amount of paperwork, I will create a summary of what’s been done and which of my children participated. For my family, these subjects include Bible, Music/Art Study, Poetry/Hymns, Health and P.E. Then, I’ll print a summary out for each child and file it in their binders. I use a template from Google Docs–so it looks fancy and uniformed–fill in the information and I’m ready to go.

The Extras

Any special papers, projects, field-trips, pictures, and the like will be included as well. I may include them with in the subject they are related to, or I may put them in as a separate section. Either way, don’t forget the extras!!

Tips for the Review

My current homeschool reviewer helped me streamline this process. When I was new to homeschooling and meeting with a different reviewer, it was a very different, more cumbersome process. I was trying to bring in samples of the curriculum used (as in the actual books themselves) as well as samples of my children’s work. I felt so discouraged because at the time, I was only schooling 2 children and I knew this couldn’t go on the same way as our family size increased. Here are some simple things she shared that changed things for me:

  • Only bring curriculum that has changed since previous year.
  • If all children are using the same spelling series but are in different levels, just bring a level from the middle level as an example.
  • Photocopies of the book cover and table of contents can also suffice as curriculum samples, to decrease the amount of materials that are brought in for the review.
  • Remember, the reviewer wants an overall idea of your homeschool, not so much a date by date showing of every single thing the child has worked on.
  • Know where you started for each subject and what you’ve completed by the time of the review. This is an easy and straightforward way to show your child’s progression in learning.

I hope this helps to minimize the sometimes daunting task of having to prove that your homeschool is up to speed. How do you prepare for you homeschool review? What tips can you offer to a new homeschooling mother?