Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: record keeping

This topic has 10 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 3 months ago by TailorMade.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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February 6, 2014 at 6:50 pm
beloved
Participant
My oldest will be in 6th grade next year and we have been very loose with our record keeping (uh, dare I say non-existant?) We don’t do much paperwork so I often feel like, other than book lists and pictures of projects, I’m not sure what to keep as proof of our learning. I feel the need to start keeping some sort of records to show what he has read/learned/made. What do you include and how to you organize it? Narration samples? Pictures? Books read? I would love some ideas!
February 6, 2014 at 7:34 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
I’m probably not much help, but I just save everything:) I only have 2 kids, so it’s really not much, especially when doing CM-style w/o all the busy work. My son is also in 5th. I have a rubbermaid tub that I place everything he finishes….math and spelling workbooks, writing curriculums he’s written in, his yearly binder where he writes everything….dictations, sentence diagrams, etc. Anything he types (writing assignments/narrations), I keep in a pile all year and then place in a 3-ring binder at the end of the school year.
In my teacher notebook, I keep a list of books read every year with a star by it if it’s one that dad or I read. That’s about it:) Very simple. Oh, he also has art notebooks…I try to limit stray papers as much as possible:)
If I had more kids, I might just pull samples out of the workbooks if I was limited on space. But both my 5th and 8th grader’s work are in just one (not that large) tub each, so it’s simple to just toss completed work in:) HTH some! Blessings, Gina
February 6, 2014 at 9:57 pm
suzukimom
Participant
I use the organizer here for my main records.
Otherwise, at the end of the year I take a few samples of work from throughout the year. Mostly copywork and math… a few drawings, a map or two, or whatever else. We also do term exams and I type their narrations from that.
February 6, 2014 at 10:25 pm
sheraz
Participant
I have used the Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer.
There is the Table of Content method that I have used:
http://mysouldothdelight.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/planning-and-keeping-records-for-a-school-year/
Here is a personalized planner for record keeping that I am using this year:
http://mysouldothdelight.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/our-new-school-planners/
I like all three options. I might vary each year depending on my needs.
February 6, 2014 at 10:42 pm
Karen
Participant
I keep my attendance records (PA – 180 days of school) in a binder with my daily plans/”Schedule”/routine.
I keep a running list of books I’ve read aloud to my student in Excel, on the computer.
My student keeps a list of the books she’s read in her binder. Also in her binder, she has tabs for each subject (not math) – we do some notebooking, so all that stuff goes there.
At the end of the year, I type a list of the “text” books we’ve used, pull samples from her binder, add the list of books I’ve read aloud to her, and voila! A portfolio, ready to hand in.
I do put the papers back into her notebook and file the whole thing in the attic. Eventually we’ll have from 3rd gr. – 12th gr. stored there. (Times four kids!!!) I will probably change how I managet things in the future! *L*
February 7, 2014 at 3:17 am
bethanna
Participant
Sheraz: I read your post on the TOC record-keeping and I love it!
February 7, 2014 at 12:07 pm
jeaninpa
Participant
Since we are required to turn in a portfolio at the end of the year I need to keep some type of paper trail. Currently we have a drawer in a file cabinet where we keep records. I’ve also used a plastic filing box with hanging folders. I have three hanging folders for each child. One marked LA, one marked math and another marked science/history. Those are the basic content areas that I need to report on. About once a month I have my children find something that they can file in there — a math test, a science diagram or a history narration.
I also try to type up a list of all the books read, but if we don’t stay current on that it gets a bit crazy since I have some who will read several books a week.
I think taking pictures of projects is also an acceptable means of record keeping. If you do any lapbooking that would also make a great record.
February 7, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Kayla
Participant
I think the key to keeping up with records is to have it part of your weekly schedule. Plan on spending 10 min. Once a weeks to write down and grab a sample or 2. Then at the end of the year you are pretty much ready.
February 8, 2014 at 3:42 am
cdm2kk
Participant
I use the organizer, and print reports after each term….I also keep my excel spread sheet that I do each week that schedules all weekly assignments, along with any papers like math worksheets…..I also create a report card after each term and that documents attendance as well as progress in work habits per each subject…..I also keep a scrapbook for each child to keep once they are adults in it, I have placed samples of their school work- really special cute stuff. I add little stories of cute funny things that they said or did and I have a mile stones type page that records yearly height weight, teeth lost, learned to ride bike date, tie shoes, all those kinds of things…so i am a bit of a documentor naturally. LOL I do it more for my children than state or school authority…I want them to have a visual of all their efforts and when they are adults and hopefully choose to follow in my foot steps to home school, they can see how different or similar it all is…. HTH
February 8, 2014 at 3:52 am
petitemom
Participant
wow, you are giving me major complex issues!!
The most I have done is keep up w/making photo albums!! lol!
I will need to start recording for high school…

February 8, 2014 at 2:03 pm
TailorMade
Participant
I’ve done TOC planners for a couple of years based on sheraz’s first link. They have worked for me very well.
I added the CMO this year. I like the way it tracks things for us, the way I can print out daily work for my kids, and the professional looking reports it generates. But, I still like the paper planner better as far as functionality.
Christie’s videos have inspired me to use my Proclick for next year’s studies. It will be the first time in years that our children will be working on separate studies (for the most part). I also have different goals for our younger children than I had for our older ones who’ve graduated. Having individual guides will help them cover more ground and won’t mean they have to be so dependent on me to keep all the balls in the air.
My husband and I were in a wreck recently that has meant PT 3x/wk, appointments, labs, appointments, and on and on. Having these independently driven portfolio style guides would’ve made things so much easier. We are tackling the basics, but very few extras at this point. That’s ok for now, but they’ll be better equipped for this type of situation in the future by having at least a term printed out for each of them. Yes, they should know the drill by now, but I know the drill, too, and without it printted out in front of me, I can’t find my land legs for the day. The TOC paper planner I’ve done in the past was for my use. Making one for each of the kids will put more of the responsibility on the kids instead of me.