First year homeschooling- What to put include in the portfolio?

[Quakerfriend]

Hi all :hi:

I've been homeschooling my 6th grader since September using the Calvert School curriculum. We've really enjoyed it!

But, what should I include in the portfolio that I will hand in to the school district? Everything??

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.:hi:

[LeftyMom]

1. You might want to ask any other homeschoolers in the area what they do

AFAIK, there are several schools of thought on portfolios (I'm no expert, I don't live in a state where we have to submit them.)

1. Representative sample- typical work from throught the year in a variety of subjects.

2. Best work- self expalantory, really.

3. Progression- work showing improvement as year progresses.

4. Mountain o' paper- demonstrating that you've kept busy.

5. Kid's choice- what's she proudest of, what taught her the most, what could she have done better, etc.

I'd say the best bet is to ask a local or state group how they handle portfolios. If they're all providing thier child's best work, you don't want to do progression, if they're just submitting a ton of paper, you don't want to do one project per subject or you'll look like you're slacking off.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. It varies from district to district.

Call the homeschooling department of your Board of Education to find out what they want.

I use Calvert, too; and the supervisor here only wanted a small sampling of work from each subject, and wanted to know what sorts of phys. ed. and music opportunities we'd given my older boy.

They haven't even called about my 6 year old yet. I might call them to make sure they haven't screwed something up. :hi: