I don’t know about you, but I feel like I say this almost every time in the spring, “Where did the year go?” This year has certainly been filled with its share of joys as well as some hiccups in my own life. But, it’s okay, and I am on the mend and have had to adjust to things being different for awhile. School and other responsibilities don’t stop because of what happens to us, do they? Sometimes we just need to take a deep breath, rethink how we need to do things, and move forward.

Speaking of moving forward… it’s that time of year here in Ohio where you need to be thinking of what kind of assessment you want to do for your student(s) if you are going to homeschool for the coming year. This can be a nationally normed test or a homeschool assessment. If you are interested in testing, here is a website that offers testing: www.setontesting.com What I love about them is that they explain testing and have a comparison chart to see what is the best test for your student. The results of the test will be sent to you and you will submit those to the superintendent in early August when you notify that you are going to continue to homeschool.

If you are not interested in having your child(ren) tested, you can choose to have a homeschool assessment. In a nutshell, you choose academic samples of your child’s work for a currently Ohio licensed teacher to review them. The teacher is looking to see that progress has been made in accordance with your student’s abilities. They are not compared to other students. A standard form is completed by the teacher and this is then submitted to the superintendent in early August when you notify that you are going to continue to homeschool.

COVID brought about a lot of changes and this happened to have been a good thing for me and the opportunity to provide assessments to people via online. 99% of the families that I did assessments for prior to COVID lived locally since people would come to my house. Now, I see the majority of families online via Zoom and it doesn’t matter where you live in the state! So… if you are interested in this option and would like for me to review your child’s schoolwork, go to: www.calendly.com/schoolmarmohio to schedule your appointment.

Once I receive notification that you have scheduled an appointment I will send you a link to a Google Drive folder to upload samples of your student’s work. It is best if you have a gmail account, otherwise you can create a folder and email it to me. You can include videos, screen shots, pictures, PowerPoint presentations, etc. After we meet and I receive payment, I will upload the required paperwork into your Google Drive folder so you can make copies. Your scholar will also receive a certificate for all of the hard work they did.

The prices for reviews for this year (2023) are:

1 review $45.00

2 reviews $80.00

3 reviews $107.00

4 reviews $137.00

5 or more reviews $160.00

Please contact me if you have any questions. I am happy to help!

Have a great week! ~Lisa~

Photo by Mau00ebl BALLAND on Pexels.com

Thank you to all who entered this year’s Homeschool Assessment Giveaway! Congratulations to Suzanne S. and Racheal C. If you need to have your children’s work assessed per one of the end of the year options, I am scheduling appointments now. We can meet online via Zoom or in person if you live in the Cincinnati, OH area.

To schedule your family’s assessments go to: HOMESCHOOL ASSESSMENTS

Have a great day! ~Lisa~

It’s time once again for my annual portfolio review giveaway. If you would like to be entered for a chance to win one of two free reviews (services only, no cash value), send an email to: lisammcafee@gmail.com.

The giveaway will end on January 31, 2023 and at that time I will randomly select a winner. Those who have won will be notified on February 1, 2023 via email. You do not need to do anything to be entered into the contest.

However, if you wish to schedule an online appointment with me for your student(s), go to: www.calendly.com/schoolmarmohio I am scheduling reviews now through August.

I hope you win! ~Lisa~

Happy New Year! How are you doing? How is your school year going so far?

The fall has flown by and now we are in winter. How did that happen? You may be feeling like the outline you submitted to the superintendent is not going as you planned and isn’t working. Don’t fret! You can change things if you need to do so. The outline is what you intended to do, not something that is set in stone. Take some time to determine what is not working for your student. Evaluate why it isn’t.

Is the material too hard? Try slowing down the pace of what is being covered. If your child is not mastering multiplication facts, do not move onto division! It will be very difficult and cause a lot of tears for them (and probably you too). I suggest at least 85% mastery of the material in order to call it complete. Of course, completing 100% of the curricula is your goal.

Is the curriculum not your child’s style? Find something that is better suited to them. Here is a quick quiz for you to ascertain what type of learner your child might be. Learning Styles Test

Here are some good resources to check out various types of curricula should you wish to change.

CHEO (Look under the Choosing Curriculum Tab)

Cathy Duffy Review This website has many options from which to choose.

Rainbow Resource I love their reviews on products. I have used and recommended their company for many years.

I am available to do a consultation and coaching with you if you would like to do that. I have hour long Zoom appointments or can meet in person if you are local. (Cincinnati, OH). We can discuss my rates and your needs. You can message me and I will respond within 24 hours.

Have a great week! ~Lisa~

There has been some confusion on who exactly needs an assessment here in Ohio. You only need to have a portfolio review assessment if your student is going to continue homeschooling for the next academic year. Let me give you some scenarios so that I can help make it clearer.

Q: I have a kindergarten student, but they weren’t six by the time school began. Is an assessment required?

A: Did you notify the school? If so, yes, you do need to do an assessment. If you did not, you do not need an assessment. The key is whether you notified your school district.

Q: I decided to homeschool once school began.

A:Yes, you need to do an assessment. But, you only need to provide samples of the work they have done since being homeschooled. As an assessor, I am not looking to see what they did in school before you began homeschooling.

Q: My student graduated this year. Do I have to do an exit assessment?

A: No, you are finished! Celebrate your accomplishment in graduating your child. (Can you hear me whistling, clapping, whooping with you?)

Q: We homeschooled this year, but we will not continue next year.

A: No assessment is required. The school may decide that your student needs to be tested in order to place them, but that is totally up to your school district. I have been asked to do an assessment as some school districts require this in order for your student to be enrolled in school.

If you are interested in scheduling an assessment with me, I am scheduling families now for the 2022-23 school year. You can see my homeschool assessments tab for more details. But, here is a quick link to scheduling: www.calendly.com/schoolmarmohio

Questions? Feel free to contact me and I will be glad to help.

Have a great week!
~Lisa~