Future of Ohio Homeschool Assessments PLUS Added Services!

 

Hello friends,

I am writing you to tell you about the future of Ohio Homeschool Assessments.  As many of you know the Ohio Homeschool Laws have changed and you are no longer required to send an assessment to your school district.  

I have been thinking through what comes next.  Many of you have written to ask me if I would continue with portfolio reviews.  I have assembled some thoughts below.  

1.  Will you continue to provide homeschool portfolio reviews for families. 

  YES, I will!  

I am now open to now completing portfolio review/assessments  for any family in any state.

2.  Do you think I still need to complete an assessment? 

Yes! I believe it would be beneficial for your  to complete some type of assessment that demonstrates your student has made progress.  As good home educators of our students we need to keep good records and show progress.  

3. Is it really necessary?  I only worried about my district in the past.  

YES! I am seeing the new law as a transfer of responsibility.  Your district kept your homeschool records in the past. They could confidently share that a family was pursuing home education from a notification of intent and that a student made progress from an assessment.  I believe the responsibility is NOW on home school parents to keep records of their students that demonstrate they made progress. 

Children Protective Services(CPS) contacts me about a family several times every year.  (I never speak to them without permission from the family) They ask me if a family has shared work with me and made progress. I have always sent CPS back to the family's school district, because the school district held the student's records. CPS would  then check in with the district. 

As a family you will be responsible to demonstrate that you are home educating and your student is making progress.   I believe now it is  even more important to keep good records and demonstrate your student has made progress.  Please understand this is my opinion.  

I realize there is a low chance that CPS or someone will contact you.  But, I believe as good home educators of our students we want to have record keeping  that demonstrate our students' educational progress. We all care about our students and want the best for them.  

4.  Are you going to continue with assessments for your students?  

 YES!  I believe in good record keeping, and want to demonstrate my students made progress.  (I also have talked to CPS one too many times) 

5.  When and how often should I complete an assessment?

I would complete one yearly.  The advantage in 2023 and beyond is that there is no particular time of year for a deadline.  I will be working year round and now have more of a limited schedule in the summer.  You are able to complete something mid year, at the end of summer, or in the fall.  You control the schedule now!  Do what works best for your family.  

6.  What should I do with my portfolio assessment paperwork after your review?

If you keep physical paperwork, I would keep the assessment with the work samples in a file folder preferably in a fire proof box.  If you are a digital person  I would use Google Drive or OneNote to store the paperwork.  

7. Will you be offering other services? 

YES!  So glad you asked! I am venturing into consulting!  I will be working with families on planning for high school, creating a high school transcript, writing a counselor letter, helping plan your day, planning for the school year, chatting through issues, listening and working through scheduling, academic & learning issues, reading challenges, and homeschool coaching. I am available through email or zoom for coaching.  Click HERE for more information. I will also continue with portfolio reviews.  

8. So if I need more targeted help with home education you can help me?   

Yes!  I am providing email consulting for a fee. Please click HERE.  OR I am also offering Zoom consulting and coaching. Please email me for more information.  

Further Information:  My calendar will be open 2-3 months in advance for appointments.  Please Click here for a portfolio review( assessment)  or email consulting.  Please email for more information on Zoom consulting.  

Thank you for your business the last 14 years.  I look forward to many more years of working with homeschool families.  

Thank you! 

Becky Boerner

Mom to SEVEN  Home Educated Children since 2005

 Including  those who have graduated from College including MIT

Who have jobs. 

Two  still Middle through- High School

Certified Teacher

M Ed. in Reading Education

Homeschool Portfolio Reviewer Since 2010.  

Narrative Portfolio Review or Standardized Test?

A question I receive often is “Should I give my home educated student a standardized test at the end of the year, or complete a narrative portfolio assessment to fulfill the end of the year requirement for homeschooling in Ohio?” I usually reply it depends on what kind of information you hope to gain. One way to look at this question is to think “Do you want one picture of one moment in time, or a running movie with many pictures taken over time? “

A standardized test is a “snapshot “of a student at one moment in time.  A standardized test is scored in a consistent manner so you are able to compare your student to a group of students in the same grade who have taken the same test.  You usually receive a percentile ranking which tells you what percentage of the students taking the test your student scored better than.  For instance, if your student was in the 33rd percentile in math then your child scored better than 33 percent of students in the sample group from the publisher who took this test in math.

  

A standardized test is limited in that it is more likely to tell you what your student does not know versus what they do know or have learned this year.  A standardized test also dictates what the publisher feels is important for your student to know.  It does not take into account what your student has learned this past year.

A narrative portfolio assessment is a group of work samples that reflect your student’s growth and progress over the last year.   It consists of many “snapshots” that come together to reflect what your student has accomplished this year.  You, as parent educator, get to showcase what your student has accomplished.

Besides celebrating what your student has accomplished, a portfolio also helps you to plan instruction for the next year.   For instance, you realize you concentrated on learning your math facts, but did not spend as much time learning how to solve word problems.   Next year, you commit to working on more problem solving.  You look at your book list and notice that your student has mainly read adventure stories this past year.  You commit to introducing him/her to biographies, non-fiction, and /or some poetry next year to vary his/her reading diet.   I believe this is time well spent.  You are assessing your student’s needs and planning instruction based on those needs.

A narrative portfolio assessment also gives you a chance to present what your child has accomplished to a certified Ohio teacher.  My hope is that when I review your student’s work I bring a different “set of eyes” to your student’s portfolio.   As an assessor, I try to provide encouragement to parents, insight into your student’s growth, and provide feedback to help you plan future instruction for your child.   My goal is to partner with you to celebrate your student’s accomplishments and encourage you on your home education journey.

Please click here to get started.  

Narrative Assessments for Ohio Homeschoolers

Updated for 2025-2026 School Year!     

You truly don’t realize what all has been accomplished until you sit down to fill out the portfolio assessment!
 ~ Homeschool Parent  

.  

Welcome! I complete portfolio reviews for homeschool families across the United States. Some families use a portfolio evaluation instead of having their student take a standardized test. It is one way to demonstrate that your student has made progress. Families keep these in their records as official documents for record keeping and verification of home education.   

Please sign up for a day to have your portfolio to me for review   Please check this link to see what is available. https://ohiohomeschoolassessments.as.me/  Please note I am only using a sign-up system this year, and you must sign up for a review.     You also must pay to reserve an appointment.  If you want to pay by check, then please email me.  

Your next step is to  download the Freestyle for unschoolers, the Self Reflection for K-8th grade, OR the Self Reflection for High School for families who follow a subject curriculum. Anyone is welcome to use the Freestyle if it works better for their family.  I ask that you fill out the documents, prepare the documentation, and sign them.   Please send copies of work samples as I do not return work samples if sending by postal mail. Please email me for an instruction sheet ohiohomeschool@gmail.com that tells you where to mail your documents, tells how to send the documents electronically, and answers other questions. I also have online guides.  Please email me for more information. 

Please note the Freestyle and Self-Reflection  are a simply guides to help you through the process.  I developed them to help families create portfolios.  If you have a way you love to present a portfolio let's talk. 

If you have trouble with the downloads, please email ohiohomeschool@gmail.com and I will email them to you. Below are links to the guides in Google Documents. I am happy to help you so please contact me with any questions.
Thanks,
Becky Boerner

Freestyle in Google Documents
Self Reflection for K-8 in Google Documents
Self Reflection for High School in Google Documents.
After Clicking and getting there you need to do the following. 

If you click on the arrow button on the left hand side of the page you can download the file. 

If you click on the print button you can print it out.

If you can not access these files please email me and I will send you the files. I am happy to do that! 
I also have an online form.  Please write me for a link. 

The pricing for 2026 portfolios (1) $45, (2) $75, (3) $105, (4) $130, (5 or more) $150 through July 31

I accept PayPal, Stripe, Check, or Money Orders (Contact me for more information. Many families send me checks or money orders through the mail. )

PLEASE DO NOT PAY UNLESS YOU HAVE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT

 If it does not work try this link to pay. 

Portfolio Assessment Q & A

Ohio homeschool law states "The parent(s) shall send to the superintendent an academic assessment report of the child for the previous school year at the time of supplying subsequent notification."  A parent in Ohio has three choices on what they may send a with their homeschool notification.  1). Results of a nationally normed, standardized achievement test.  2) A written narrative indicating that a portfolio of samples of the child’s work has been reviewed and that the child’s academic progress for the year is in accordance with the child’s abilities. (3) An alternative academic assessment of the child’s proficiency mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent. (please note my understanding is that you would have needed to work this out with your superintendent)

A written narrative is an option for an assessment report.  You have a certified Ohio teacher review work samples of your student's work to determine if your child has made progress in accordance with his/her ability last year.  The assessor then signs a form verifying that your student has  made progress, and you send that form to your school's superintendent along with your intent to homeschool the coming  year.

I am a homeschool mom who is also a certified Ohio teacher.  I am able to review your child's work samples, send you some encouraging notes, and send you the forms you need to send to your school district with your intent to home educate.    I enjoy reviewing work samples and love getting a chance to see the many different ways people home educate their children.  The following are a few common questions I hear in regards to narratives.

What are your notes?  
For 2019 I am not writing these due to my son's cancer. 
I simply write some encouraging thoughts for you and your student about the main subjects.  You do not send these to your district.   My notes are optional, and  I will stop writing them after June 1, 2019 for this year.  I started this as a way to give feedback to families.  Some families love them, and others are fine either way.  You will not hurt my feelings if you say no to the notes.  :-)  I go much faster without notes if you need a quicker turnaround.

What if my student  is not reading?
You may send me a list of books you have read aloud  to your student, maybe the progress they have made in a phonics program,  and/or how many sight words that they know now as compared to the beginning of the year. How many letter sounds do they know now that they did not know before?  Please know that some students take longer to learn to read and we celebrate each step they make.   

What if I do not have physical samples that are easy to send to you?
You are welcome to take a picture,send me a link to a YouTube video, or write up what your student learned in that area.  I have enjoyed power point presentations, pictures of field trips and community gardens, and wonderfully written explanations about unit studies and cooking projects.  Scrap paper  If you have questions on how to communicate what your student accomplished, please contact me.  ohiohomeschool@gmail.com

What are you looking for?
I am looking for progress. I like to see that your student is completing  more complex math problems than he/she did at the  beginning of the year, I look at handwriting and writing samples to observe growth, and learn a great deal about your student from looking at the books they are reading now as compared to the ones they read in beginning of the year. I look at how your student has changed.   I do not look to see if you completely finished your history text book, made at least one salt relief map of a continent, and/or  if your bookshelves are organized by the Dewey Decimal system.  I am looking  for progress in your student by viewing his/her work samples.    (But, if your bookshelves are organized that way I would love to see a picture and know how you did it. )

 Would you rather I send you my material by email or postal mail?

It makes absolutely no difference to me.  Really. ☺  Do whatever is easiest for your family.  I am happy to accommodate you either way.   I also have an online system.  Write me for more details.

 What digital files can you read?

I am able to open PDF, Word, and JPEG files.  If you have a Macintosh computer your best bet is PDF.  I do have trouble when people send me zipped Mac files.  I also can NOT read Works files.

  How should I send digital files to you?

First, you should group them by subject.   I need all the math together, writing together, etc.  You can send them by email, you can upload them to Dropbox, you can share a Google file with me, and you can share a private FB album with me.    You can send me a disk with your files on it as well.  There are many options. I also have an online system you can upload your files to.

 Can you help me figure out how to home educate or fill out the Letter of Intent?

At this time I am not helping my families home educate or fill out Letters of Intent.  I only review portfolio assessments.  My blog is filled with helpful tips, and I have a post on filing out the Letter of Intent to Home Educate.

I want to support you on your  home education journey.  I greatly enjoy helping other homeschool families. Let me know if I can help you this year!  Click here for how to get started.

Becky Boerner
Mom to 7 home educated children,  M Ed. in Reading Education.
My Graduates. . .One received a job after graduating from a special needs work program, another  received a full honors scholarship to Cincinnati State, and another is attending MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) with scholarships.


Another  post  I have written dealt with standardized testing vs. a written narrative.  You may enjoy reading  if you are still pondering on what you would like to do for this year.

Unschooling Portfolio Assessments

I really enjoy reading the freestyle assessments I receive.  They are so interesting.   People often ask me for some ideas on what to write and send.  The following is what I have shared with them. Hopefully it will help you as well.

I have seen freestyle assessments written in many different ways.  The key thing is to show the progress your child has made from last July/August to now.  Ohio law says the child must make progress within their ability.  So when I do this for my kids I try to think through the following questions.  How have they changed? What can they do now that they could not do a few months ago, several months ago, and a year ago?   What do I have demonstrates this? (pictures, samples etc.)  Lastly, what can I share that communicates this?

As far as writing up the assessment, I have seen them set up by subject, by project, and just sharing progress. The following are some ideas to get you started.  I think once you get started you will be surprised at how much you have to share.

If you write by subject you might write about the following.  I am going to give many examples to choose from.  Please do not feel you need to use all of them.  These are to spur your thinking about your year.

Reading:  Share the books your child has read or you have read to them. Maybe share a series they are into like the Boxcar Children, Arthur, or Henry and Mudge.  What magazines do they enjoy reading?  Are there web sites they enjoy visiting and reading?  What  your child is reading now versus the beginning of the year communicates the progress they have made.

Writing/Handwriting If your child is writing tell me what they are writing. Tell me if they are making lists, writing their name, writing stories, labeling pictures, writing letters etc.  If they are older, tell me about their creative writing, poetry, or journaling.  Send me a sample.   Do they write a blog, email letters to Grandma, or maybe record in a nature journal?   Tell me about it, send me a link, send a sample, or take a picture of it.

Math: Share how your child is telling time, working with money, adding or subtracting, multiplying or dividing, using percents, and/or measuring.  Tell me about activities your child participates in like cooking, grocery shopping, or building with blocks or LEGOS ©.  Share games with me that you play that involve math.   If you happen to do any worksheets you can always send in one from the beginning of the year and the end.

Science/Social Studies/History/Art/ Music/PE: For younger kids you might share experiences to demonstrate progress.  You write  about the museums you have visited, zoo visits, park trips, neighborhood walks, nature walks, music lessons, and any sports your child may participate in.  Do you attend the YMCA to swim each week?  Do you attend an art class?  Tell me about books they have read or you have read together, if they have completed any projects, or art work your child has created.  This is a great place to include pictures.   For older students share what they have learned this year, a class they have taken, and/or a research project they have been working on.  Having your child write a summary of what they have learned is a fantastic way to demonstrate progress.

Another way share your student's progress is to write up your assessment by project.  For instance you worked on a community or family garden together.  You discuss how you pre-planned by getting books from the library and  reading about plants, your internet research, the garden store you visited,  how you measured the rows, how you prepared the soil, did you count the plants, if you sold them the skills you used,  and anything else that your child learned.  You might include pictures of your child working in the garden, some notes your child took while researching, and a list of books your child read.  You might share the 1-3 projects that your family used to facilitate learning for the year.  Then maybe you share about trips, nature walks, park visits, any type of lesson, and art you do.

You are trying to showcase what your child has accomplished this year.  Usually when I sit down and think about all we have  learned, I am excited about the progress my kids have made.   If you are working on learning most days you have made progress. This is your chance to celebrate by sharing it with me.

If I can help you in anyway let me know. Link to Freestyle Assessment 

I accept Portfolios year round, and will send you the form you need for your district.  

Becky
ohiohomeschool@gmail.com

photo credit: Learning is relevant ... via photopin (license)

Narrative Assessments for Ohio Homeschoolers

 For the 2015-2016 School year: I am still accepting portfolios.  I am happy to review your portfolios and send you the form you need for your district.    Thank you!  Becky ohiohomeschool@gmail.com

I complete narrative assessments for Ohio homeschoolers for $30.  The Assessments are portfolio reviews by myself, a certified teacher, that fulfill the Ohio Home Education requirement for 3301-34-04 Academic Assessment Report Option #2.  

If you would like to begin the process start by downloading the forms for the Freestyle Assessment for unschoolers, the Self Reflection Assessment for K-8th grade, or the Self Reflection Assessment for High School for those who follow a subject curriculum. You fill out the forms, prepare the documentation, and sign them.  Please send copies as I do not return documents. Please email me for an instruction sheet ohiohomeschool@gmail.com that tells you where to mail them and answers some other questions. If you have trouble with the downloads, please email ohiohomeschool@gmail.com and I will email them to you.  Below are links  in Google Documents.   I am happy to help you so please contact me with any questions.

Thanks,
Becky Boerner

Freestyle Assessment in Google Documents
Self Reflection for K-8 in Google Documents
Self Reflection for High School in Google Documents.

Once you get there you need to do the following. 
If you click on the arrow button on the left hand side of the page you can download the file.
If you click on the print button you can print it out.

PS: If you can not access these files, try the links above in the document.  If you still can not access the documents, please email me and I will send you the files.  I am happy to do that! 

I also accept PayPal, Check, or Money Orders (Contact me for more information.  Many families send me checks or money orders through the mail. ) 

My portfolio pricing for 2017  is (1 portfolio) $35; (2 portfolios) 65; (3 portfolios) 95;  (4 portfolios ) $120; (5 or more portfolios) $150.

Click on the arrow for pricing for 2 or more reviews.

Portfolio Review

1 Portfolio Review $35.00 USD 2 Portfolio Reviews $65.00 USD 3 Portfolio Reviews $95.00 USD 4 Portfolio Reviews $120.00 USD 5 or more Portfolio Reviews $150.00 USD

Repost: Q & A for Narrative Assessments

It is that time of year where I post past helpful articles on end of the school year topics. 
 
Ohio homeschool law states "The parent(s) shall send to the superintendent an academic assessment report of the child for the previous school year at the time of supplying subsequent notification."  A parent in Ohio has three choices on what they may send a with their homeschool notification.  1). Results of a nationally normed, standardized achievement test.  2) A written narrative indicating that a portfolio of samples of the child’s work has been reviewed and that the child’s academic progress for the year is in accordance with the child’s abilities. (3) An alternative academic assessment of the child’s proficiency mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent. (please note my understanding is that you would have needed to work this out with your superintendent last year when you sent in your homeschool notification.)

A written narrative is an option for an assessment report.  You have a certified Ohio teacher review work samples of your student's work to determine if your child has made progress in accordance with his/her ability last year.  The assessor then signs a form verifying that your student has  made progress, and you send that form to your school's superintendent along with your intent to homeschool the coming  year.

I am a homeschool mom who is also a certified Ohio teacher.  I am able to review your child's work samples, send you some encouraging notes, and send you the forms you need to send to your school district with your intent to home educate.    I enjoy reviewing work samples and love getting a chance to see the many different ways people home educate their children.  The following are a few common questions I hear in regards to narratives.

What are your notes?  
I simply write some encouraging thoughts for you and your student about the main subjects.  You do not send these to your district.   My notes are optional, and  I will stop writing them after July 15, 2016 for this year.  I started this as a way to give feedback to families.  Some families love them, and others are fine either way.  You will not hurt my feelings if you say no to the notes.  :-)  I go much faster without notes if you need a quicker turnaround. 

What if my student  is not reading?
You may send me a list of books you have read aloud  to your student, maybe the progress they have made in a phonics program,  and/or how many sight words that they know now as compared to the beginning of the year. 

What if I do not have physical samples that are easy to send to you?
You are welcome to take a picture,send me a link to a YouTube video, or write up what your student learned in that area.  I have enjoyed power point presentations, pictures of field trips and community gardens, and wonderfully written explanations about unit studies and cooking projects.  If you have questions on how to communicate what your student accomplished, please contact me.  ohiohomeschool@gmail.com

What are you looking for?
I am looking for progress. I like to see that your student is completing  more complex math problems than he/she did at the  beginning of the year, I look at handwriting and writing samples to observe growth, and learn a great deal about your student from looking at the books they are reading now as compared to the ones they read in beginning of the year. I look at how your student has changed.   I do not look to see if you completely finished your history text book, made at least one salt relief map of a continent, and/or  if your bookshelves are organized by the Dewey Decimal system.  I am looking  for progress in your student by viewing his/her work samples.    (But, if your bookshelves are organized that way I would love to see a picture and know how you did it. )


 Would you rather I send you my material by email or postal mail?

It makes absolutely no difference to me.  Really. ☺  Do whatever is easiest for your family.  I am happy to accommodate you either way. 

 What digital files can you read?

I am able to open PDF, Word, and JPEG files.  If you have a Macintosh computer your best bet is PDF.  I do have trouble when people send me zipped Mac files.  I also can NOT read Works files. 

  How should I send digital files to you?

First, you should group them by subject.   I need all the math together, writing together, etc.  You can send them by email, you can upload them to Dropbox, you can share a Google file with me, and you can share with me on Google Plus privately (so only I can read it).  You can send me a disk or memory stick with your files on it as well.  There are many options.

 Can you help me figure out how to home educate or fill out the Letter of Intent?

At this time I am not helping my families home educate or fill out Letters of Intent.  I only review portfolio assessments.  My blog is filled with helpful tips, and I have a post on filing out the Letter of Intent to Home Educate.



I want to support you on your  home education journey.  I greatly enjoy helping other homeschool families. Let me know if I can help you this year!  Click here for how to get started.

Becky Boerner
Mom to 7 home educated children,  M Ed. in Reading Education.


Another  post  I have written dealt with standardized testing vs. a written narrative.  You may enjoy reading  if you are still pondering on what you would like to do for this year.

Repost: Standardized Test or Portfolio Review

A question I receive often is “Should I give my home educated student a standardized test at the end of the year, or complete a narrative portfolio assessment to fulfill the end of the year requirement for homeschooling in Ohio?”   I usually reply it depends on what kind of information you hope to gain.   One way to look at this question is to think “Do you want one picture of one moment in time, or a running movie with many pictures taken over time? “

A standardized test is a “snapshot “of a student at one moment in time.  A standardized test is scored in a consistent manner so you are able to compare your student to a group of students in the same grade who have taken the same test.  You usually receive a percentile ranking which tells you what percentage of the students taking the test your student scored better than.  For instance, if your student was in the 33rd percentile in math then your child scored better than 33 percent of students in the sample group from the publisher who took this test in math.

  

A standardized test is limited in that it is more likely to tell you what your student does not know versus what they do know or have learned this year.  A standardized test also dictates what the publisher feels is important for your student to know.  It does not take into account what your student has learned this past year.

A narrative portfolio assessment is a group of work samples that reflect your student’s growth and progress over the last year.   It consists of many “snapshots” that come together to reflect what your student has accomplished this year.  You, as parent educator, get to showcase what your student has accomplished this year.

Besides celebrating what your student has accomplished, a portfolio also helps you to plan instruction for the next year.   For instance, you realize you concentrated on learning your math facts, but did not spend as much time learning how to solve word problems.   Next year, you commit to working on more problem solving.  You look at your book list and notice that your student has mainly read adventure stories this past year.  You commit to introducing him/her to biographies, non-fiction, and or some poetry next year to vary his/her reading diet.   I believe this is time well spent.  You are assessing your student’s needs and planning instruction based on those needs.

A narrative portfolio assessment also gives you a chance to present what your child has accomplished to a certified Ohio teacher.  My hope is that when I review your student’s work I bring a different “set of eyes” to your student’s portfolio.   As an assessor, I try to provide encouragement to parents, insight into your student’s growth, and provide feedback to help you plan future instruction for your child.   My goal is to partner with you to celebrate your student’s accomplishments and encourage you on your home education journey.

Please click here to get started.  

Homeschool Planning Tools Part 1: Guest post by Kendra Barrow

Kendra has worked with me for many years.  She has always sent me a wonderful planning tool that she uses to plan her year.  I asked her if she would be willing to share her wonderful tool.   She graciously agreed and her thoughts are below.  Next week she will have more planning thoughts!  Stay tuned!  

It is that dreaded time for homeschoolers: the planning of next school year! Parents break out in a cold sweat. Sometimes the pain is put off until the beginning of September and then there’s a mad scramble to find the perfect curriculum. Or you are like me… If books are like food for the brain, I keep “overeating” when I try to make a new plan for the year. I tend to be unrealistic as to how much can actually be done in a day, week, or school year.

I’ve created a planning tool that has been helping me be more realistic.  Perhaps it would help you too?  I start by printing off a blank copy of this planning tool “All Year Plan – At a Glance”. It contains blank boxes for all of the subjects my school district requires, in addition to topics such as Bible, Character, and Life Skills that are important to me in educating my children. The school year is divided into three terms of 11 or 12 weeks each, but the plan is such that you can see the entire year at one glance. For sanity’s sake, I ALWAYS take the summer off!

Step 1 – I look over my book shelves and start filling in the plan with what I already have! Hopefully that prevents me from buying another grammar book or math curriculum when I have a perfectly good one sitting on the shelf.

Step 2 – I concentrate on the “biggies” first. History, Math, Science, Language Arts, etc. If I’m using the same book more than one term, I write it in each term’s box.

Step 3 – For “enrichment” subjects, I try to space them out throughout the year, rather than feeling an internal obligation to do every subject every term.  I have found that we get bored doing a little bit of three books all year.  Instead, I might study a composer one term, an artist one term, and Shakespeare another term.  The whole family enjoys a fresh start at the beginning of each term, and I find that I am “finishing” more subjects.

Step 4 – Lastly, in order to complete any blank spots, I look over notes (okay, more like a bunch of post-it notes) where I wrote down names of books my friends recommended that I’ve been wanting to try.  If I have seven suggestions for science for the new school year, I pick one title and save the rest of post-its for decision time next year!

                I find that looking at the whole year helps me to get perspective and be more objective about what is realistic.  The goal is that someday I would use everything I’ve already bought!

                An additional note about enrichment subjects: I am trying something new this year where I’ve picked 8 enrichment subjects or books I’d like to do and numbered them in my plan. When the school year starts, I’ll pick one to include with my other “Biggie” subjects. It might take 4 weeks to complete, or 12 weeks. When I finish one enrichment topic, I will start on the next.  Again, I’m doing this to help myself be more realistic about how much we can accomplish.

                Also, at the end of the year, I re-type up the plan using what we actually did (not what I hoped to do) and put it on the cover of the notebook I use to store all the paperwork from that year. I have found that this “At at Glance” summary of my year helps me when filling out the portfolio assessments for Becky Boerner to review.

                I hope this is helpful and wish you the best as you embark on a new school year!

    Here is a link to Kendra's planning sheet.

Kendra Lane Barrow spent her childhood years in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she cultivated a love for solitude, books, and nature.  She is the author of a devotional book of prayer-poems and several Sunday School series written for children. As a graduate from Ohio State University with a B.A. in English Literature, Kendra’s excited to report that she is finally using that degree while home educating her children for the last seven years, and teaching literature and language arts for middle school and high school. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two children.