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Halfway There!

Nov26

It seems like we just got started this year but I realized this morning that Christmas is just four weeks away. Where did the time go?  On the other hand, congratulations, you are nearly halfway through your school year!

Now is a good time to stop and organize your paperwork. It really won’t take you long to do it. You just have to jump in! Take out some pages from each of the sections of workbooks in every subject that you have done so far. For instance, if you have been working on addition, subtraction, and telling time since August pull out several pages of each of these topics and put in a binder or an accordion file folder. You can label the papers  “First Semester”. These samples can be grouped either according to subject or time period. (semester, month, week, day, however you prefer) If you have not kept dates on each of the papers up until this time, just label it first semester. If you have, that is even better! Do this one more time in the month of December and place them in your binder or file folder.

For those subjects that you don’t have workbooks and still need documentation, how about writing your observations and siting a few examples? If you have done a Civil War unit that has been hands-on what did you do? Did you go to a Civil War reenactment,  read some books, make a trip to the Freedom Center? For younger students you can ask them about their experiences and write down their responses. For older students have them wrote a summary. This is called a narration and you can put that in with your paperwork. Are you planning on going to any Christmas plays or concerts? Save the program and have the children write or tell you and you record what was their favorite part.

Pictures are also a great way to show what your student has done.  Show some examples of the work (a lapbook, a model of a volcano, an art project, etc.)  If you have gone on field trips or have visited museums include these activities as well.

Guess what? You are finished! Small steps like this make the portfolio review appointment so much easier than waiting until the end of the year. Keep on running the race! I am cheering you on and know you will cross the finish line. If you need more tips on organizing paperwork check out my portfolio review or my resources, tips, and how-to’s sections.

~Lisa

Preparing for a Portfolio Review

May24

How do I prepare for a Portfolio Review?

Since you are preparing a portfolio of the academic year it is important for you to have a sampling of your pupil’s work in each subject area.  Samples should be from the beginning, middle, and end of the academic year.  The portfolio can include papers, workbooks, projects, pictures, artwork, test results, or any other items that show the student’s progress.

How should the portfolio be organized?

Ohio regulations require that a student complete work in all subject areas listed on the Home Education Notification Form. Organize the work in the order that they appear:

  • Language, Reading, Spelling, Writing
  • Geography, History and Government (U.S., Ohio, and local)
  • Mathematics
  • Science, Health
  • Physical Education, Fine Arts
  • First Aid, Safety, and Fire Prevention

What guidelines should I use to prepare the portfolio?

Follow the outline of your course of study that you sent to the superintendent.  This will be beneficial as a guideline to help you put your portfolio in order. Organize the paperwork in chronological order by subject and date schoolwork.  If traditional curriculum was used,take workbook pages or you can take the entire book. If other means were employed, take a representation to review. (pictures, projects, a narrative of your school year, etc.)

 Subject areas may be organized as follows:

  • Reading – A list of books and/or readers and other sources that were utilized for reading. (computer software, games, websites) You do not need to have a huge list, you just want to show progress is being made.
  • Language Arts/ Creative Writing – Samples of journals and compositions. (stories, poems, letters, etc.)  Handwriting, spelling, sentence structure, and grammar will be evaluated based on writings. If you have workbooks you may bring those.
  • Math – A representative cross section of daily work and tests to show mastery of concepts.
  • Geography, History, Government, Science, and Health – A list of the concepts covered  throughout the year. Workbooks, pictures, or projects can be provided.
  • Fine Arts, Extra Curricular Activities – A list of field trips, classes, music lessons sports activities, etc.

What will an assessor provide as a result of the Portfolio Review?

Your assessor will sign a state approved Academic Assessment Report you will take home with you at the conclusion of your personal appointment. This is to be sent to the superintendent when you notify for the upcoming academic year. You make a copy for your own records and send the original to the superintendent. If you are interested in having me do a review for you, please contact me so we can set up an appointment. schoolmarm@cinci.rr.com

To Assess or Not- that is the Question

May24

Spring is finally here and that means we as home school parents in Ohio must have some type of academic evaluation done for each of our children.

“Should I have my student assessed or have him take a standardized test?” is a question I hear quite often from home school mothers. There are many advantages to a portfolio review (also known as a narrative assessment). Here are some reasons to consider:

This is a terrific way of reflecting on all the work you and your student did over the course of the academic year. It causes you to evaluate your curriculum and your schedule and decide what worked well and what needs to be changed for the upcoming year.

  • It is a marvelous option for younger and older students alike. Younger students may not be reading at an independent level that is required for testing, while older students just don’t want to take one-more-test!
  • You may have used a curriculum that would not be covered on the standardized test such as in the area of history. It may have concentrated on ancient history instead of doing American history like all the rest of the children on your block. That is the beauty of home schooling!
  • You did not use traditional curriculum and would like to discuss your year with a fellow home school mom and certified teacher.
  • Your child is an individual. Nationally normed tests do not allow for any differences. Questions may be interpreted differently by your child and because they did not know what was being asked they get it wrong. It’s difficult to watch your student ask you about a test question and knowing you could clarify their misinterpretation of it, but not being allowed to do so under the testing conditions.
  • Test results only confirm what you know are strengths and weaknesses of your student. Narrative assessments can provide you with an opportunity to ask a teacher for ideas and resources to help your student. Feedback can be given on how your child is doing in school.
  • If you are a resident of Ohio this fulfills the requirement in order to continue to school your children for the upcoming year.

I believe in you and your role as a teacher. I  believe in home schooling and the opportunities we each have to teach our children according to their unique abilities and giftings. If I may be of assistance with your portfolio review please email me. schoolmarm@cinci.rr.com

Portfolio Reviews (They’re easier than you think!)

May11

Don’t feel intimidated by what is involved with a portfolio review (also known as a written narrative). It really is quite simple- you present samples to me of your student’s work to show progress for the year. It is an overview of the academic year, a cross-section of what has been achieved by your student. This is an opportunity for you to reflect on the school year and also to brag to someone else about your academic year. 🙂 Here are some questions you may have when preparing for a written portfolio review:

What type of samples do I include?
Be sure to include samples of each subject that shows progress has been made. Please date the pages if bringing workbooks since this is a great help to see that progress has been made.
Here is an example of what I would like to see using math as the subject in review. One area that shows progress has been made would be multiplication. For instance, your scholar began with multiplication facts at the beginning of the year so you bring a few pages of problems that have 0x1,1×1,etc. By mid-year your awesome student has progressed to 6×10, 9×11, etc. so you bring samples of those problems, and by the end of the year she has made strides that she is now multiplying 16×12, 234×6, etc. and you bring several examples of these types of problems. This shows me, the assessor, that your child has made progress to the best of her ability. You may do this in several areas of mathematics. The idea is that you represent what has been studied throughout the year.
Your student may have used a computer program this year such as Switched on Schoolhouse so what I would like to see from this would be a summary of the work that was completed. Parents have included the results of tests given at the end of each lesson to show progress. If you need help with documenting this please let me know and I will be happy to assist.
If you did not use workbooks then list areas of study that were completed. For instance you could write a short paragraph that states,”We mastered multiplication tables this year. Amazing Son learned facts from 0-12, then mid-year we progressed to single-digit numbers multiplied by double-digit numbers and the year was concluded with triple-digit multiplication.” You would include samples of work for me to review.

What do I do if my student is not yet reading?
Make a list of books that you have read aloud to your child. It doesn’t need to be 50 titles long! An overview of books that were read would be adequate. I have documented books read over the course of the year by keeping the receipts the library gives us. You can write a list of letters and sounds they know or words that have been mastered.

We don’t have any samples to show in some academic areas. What is your recommendation?
You may write a narrative of what you discussed or units you studied over the course of the year. You can also bring pictures or a DVD if you like. An example of a unit study would be in the area of social studies. Much of what is studied via a unit is through “doing and discussing”. Perhaps you studied Scotland and prepared a display, but you didn’t do any workbook pages. No problem! Write about what your scholar DID on the project. Perhaps your student made a tri-fold board about the country, bring a picture of it or the project itself if you like.  The important thing to keep in mind is that you want to show how progress has been made.

I hope this is giving you an idea of what I am wanting to see in a portfolio review. Please feel free to ask me any questions. I won’t bite, I might nibble a little, but biting is SO improper! 🙂 Seriously, I’d love to guide you through the process and help you feel comfortable in making selections for me to review. As I tell my children, “You won’t know unless you ask [questions].”