Un/Homeschooling

Lesson 6: Record Keeping

Measuring Learning

Any parent of an infant or toddler can tell you what their child has learned to do or is currently learning to do. The same is true of homeschooling children whose parents are with them everyday. These parents do not need tests to show them what their children can do (not that test results are a reliable indicator of actual learning.)

Parents may document their children’s learning accomplishments in a number of ways for the purpose of meeting legal requirements or simply for their own records. Some areas legally require testing. Other areas may allow parents the choice of testing, keeping a portfolio, or writing up reports.

Some parents purchase record keeping systems, other parents make their own. Others simply use the forms provided by education departments or school districts.

Some styles of homeschooling lend themselves more easily to record keeping while others may require more creativity in fitting learning experiences into subject categories, but families of all styles have found ways to satisfy requirements.

My state doesn’t require that I register my daughter as a homeschooler or keep records until she is seven years old. As my daughter grows, my record keeping will likely change to meet the state requirements and to suit the learning that she is doing.

For my two-year-old, I currently keep a monthly list of things she has learned, activities she has done, and experiences she has had. I also keep a collection of her drawings and craft projects. I know very well that her current passion is animals, that she can name and imitate hundreds of them. I know that she learned about them through books, videos, trips to the pet store, zoo, and fairs. Her list for this month is already too long to justify listing it here. I have discovered through the practice of recording her activities and interests that she learns far more than I might have otherwise taken conscious note of, and that her learning of all types, not just educational milestones, is valuable and worth noting. I am able to see clearly how she learns and what she learns from.

As children get older and more independent in their learning, they can take some of the responsibility for keeping records of their accomplishments. Some parents ask their older homeschoolers to keep a journal of the books they are reading, the activities they are doing, and anything else they wish to record.

Forms and Record Keeping Systems:
• Free Forms, About.com, http://homeschooling.about.com/od/recfor... Listing of free forms on the web.
• Record Keeping Systems, About.com, http://homeschooling.about.com/od/recsys... Listing of record keeping systems, software programs.
• 3Moms Homeschool Record Keeping System, http://www.3moms.com/html/homeschool_rec... Two-part system created by hand for your state. 3Moms also offers curricula, and portfolio and state-compliance kits.

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