{Day 30} Record Keeping To Be Proud Of
{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}
To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.
After several years of homeschooling, most families seem to settle into a favorite method of homeschool record-keeping. Some choose a very highly organized system, unable to operate any other way. Others are more relaxed about it, using something that might seem disorganized to everyone else, but works perfectly well for them.
There are valid reasons to keep accurate homeschool records. Some of the reasons include:
- Satisfying legal requirements
- Monitoring progress
- Calculating grades
- Creating a scrapbook or log of experiences
- Helping to select materials & plan the next year
For families with high school students, the reasons for record-keeping are even more obvious. They include:
- Making sure students have completed academic requirements
- Creating high school transcripts
- Supplying information to colleges and scholarship committees
Complete and accurate records makes performing these tasks a breeze — that is, compared to recreating four years of homeschooling from memory.
Homeschool records can take on many forms. Some families do little more than toss completed papers in a cardboard box or plastic bin. This isn’t ideal, but is better than having nothing at all. If papers are stored in date order, all the better. At the very least, the pile may be turned upside-down, creating a story of the entire homeschool year from beginning to end.
Some families go a step further and separate work by child, and by subject. Boxes and bins can be used for this, too, as well as straw baskets, plastic drawers, or anything else. These systems make it easy to store papers in order, plus additional dividers and tabs can be used to highlight important items, as well. This is an excellent way to get started — for those who may have never done this before.
Still a notch more organized is using individual file folders or 3-ring binders. This method may be slightly harder to set up, but is the easiest to follow once established. It allows parents to collect school work in certain sections, while also collecting grades, test scores, legal documents, or any other important items in a separate folder all their own. File and binder systems can be stored in boxes, baskets, filing cabinets, or just about anywhere, and can even look attractive using some of the decorative tips found on homeschool blogs, Instagram or Pinterest.
No matter what system is used, the goal of any record-keeping system is always the same — easy access and retrieval of information when it is needed. Since it takes longer to find things in a messy system than in an organized one, organized is usually the best way to go.
Easy access to information makes it possible to create great-looking portfolios, reading lists, student resumes, transcripts, and many of the other kinds of documents families need over the years. There is no time wasted when information is handy, so parents can spend more time creating professional-looking documents sure to grab anyone’s attention. {The transcripts I produce for the families I work with are highly praised by colleges and universities! Contact me if you need transcript help.}
You’ll find a variety of homeschool helps in the FREEBIE section, my e-books and this section of my web site. Browse these selections to find sample forms to download, photos of different organizational tools, and more advice on how to keep accurate, up-to-date homeschool records. For a comprehensive look at homeschool record-keeping, This book contains an entire chapter of record-keeping ideas and methods to suit every possible family, budget and style.
Further reading:
Writing course descriptions for high school
Household Binder (plus free download)
Comprehensive high school record
Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply