I am usually a reader with the Homeschool Highschool Carnival, but this time, I thought I needed to contribute.
We have only Brid we are homeschooling, she is a high schooler.
For years I have had a statement running through my head, that an AP (approved person) said on his very first visit.
How are going to assess and record keep? Everything else was well presented, but I wasn't ready for this question.
As a new homeschooler, this puzzled me and honestly still does.
I figure that she'll learn what she needs to, take it in, absorb it and we will move on.
So after this churning over in my head for years, I try to keep accountable to it. We have a student planner that is ticked off as each lesson or subject is complete. Everything goes on this planner. It even has the Saints and feast days for each day. It has been a document in progress that has gone from a pencilled hand written page, to an computer written document to now Brid writing her own, with my input.
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| Brid in 2006. just began her homeschool journey |
So how have I kept records. To be honest, not well.
A couple of years ago, we chose to unschool. It was a very creative and learning curve for us all, but we eventually got into the rhythm of our own style of homeschool.
When we unschooled, I kept a daily record of everything learnt, in a book. I was very surprised how much was learnt in a day. We still follow strewing principles and they generate lots of discovery.
We have always kept Brids work in a folder to look through, and written term and yearly reports to show her progress. It is always a nice record to keep and have her family look over. Especially as it is still, after 8 years, foreign to some family members.
When Brid began high school, we began doing tests on some subjects- Science and Maths. These are filed and kept.
I have years of planners in my folder, that I just want to keep until she is finished school.
Each year we fill a folder with each new subjects work and it is kept. Its easier to locate it for the use of a portfolio, when it is required. It nice to be able to put my hands on a years work straight away id need be.
This year had been completely different.
Brid has increased her hours at Ballet. This cuts into our school day. I was unsure how it would all work and whether the school work set and her Ballet would be too much for her.
I devised a plan.
I knew the days and the hours she would be doing at ballet, so to fit our life and school around that. It wasn't an easy fit.
So to make sure she was progressing I have a folder call "brids working folder". This includes an excel spreadsheet, work set, work in progress and work not yet commenced and a work completed documents.
Its been a wonderful tool. We can all see Brids progress and I can see at an instant that She will be able to get through this years workload.
We have it printed out, in our view so it can be ticked as we go.
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| Celebration night 2013 -certificate of achieement |
This is linked to the Homeschool Highschool Carnival. Hosted this month by creating with wisdom
