Every year, I do a bunch of portfolio evaluations. I just banged out a bunch. I have permanent certification in West Virginia; my master’s degree allows me to evaluate portfolios in Virginia, despite the expiration of my Virginia certification. I have a few tips for those of you doing portfolio evaluations.
1. Include your resume and certifications with the evaluation letter. I attained National Board Certification in Chemistry, too. All of my certificates and my resume goes in the packet (or attached digitally) to the local school boarde. Why? I want to ensure the bloated recognizes that I’m qualified to evaluate portfolios.
2. First, consider the law. In Virginia, the Home Educators Association in Virginia ( HEAV) have this guidance for Virginia evaluators. The Christian Home Educators of West Virginia (CHEWV) have these guidelines. The law varies by state. Be sure to research your state’s rulings. Check the deadlines, too!
3. What should be in the portfolio? If this is your first year, arrange a meeting with the family. Encourage the family to create a digital portfolio. Review the curriculum. I work with families enrolled in online school who use a defined curriculum. Some families have created their own curriculum. Be sure to look all of the textbooks, workbooks, and syllabi, if available. Ask about a reading log. I encourage every family to keep a reading log. Next, look at work samples for every, core subject: Math, Science, Reading, Hand-writing, Spelling, Vocabulary, History, and Geography. Some families may have Phonics, Composition, Latin, etc. Request work samples. Look over grades quizzes and tests. Teaching Textbook and Rosetta Stone provide grade summaries. Make note of the averages. Read any essays, too. I try not to put too many details into the letter for the school board. But these details are useful.
4. Write two letters: one for the school board and one for the family. I like to make suggestions for the family. I’m looking to see whether the family is teaching the core subjects: Math, English, History, and Science. I want to learn if the family teaches for two-three hours (minimum) each day with a period set aside for daily reading. Are there several work samples for each course? Does science include labs? Are there formal quizzes and tests? Is the child working on grade level? Does the family home-school from September until May? If the family schools year-round, are they teaching around 30-32 weeks of the year? Tailor suggestions to the family. For example, an elementary aged student may not do any science; I recommend doing one weekly experiment of lab. I also recommend Apologia Young Explorers and Apologia Science for Middle School and High School grades.
5. Make a list of specific suggestions or challenges for the family. Does the family take field trips? Suggest local, free sites, such as the Marine Corps Museum or battlefield sites. I recommend summer, enrichment camps or seminars. Do a multi-sport camp, join Mathnasium for two weeks, take part in a summer reading program at the library. Encourage the family to report any extras in their portfolio.
6. What if the child has special needs? All bets are off. I’m working with several families who have children with special needs. In one case, the child has a host of medical issues, too. What is the family doing to help the child to continue to progress and develop? Doe the child have therapies, such as speech, occupational therapy, vision therapy, physical therapy, music therapy? What activities does the child do as a result? Is she chalking outside to learn the motions to write? Is she learning sign language to communicate? The more profound the learning differences, the more important it is to understand what the family is doing to help their child grow. In other cases, especially for elementary-aged students with learning differences, the family may spend most of their time working on math and reading. History and Science take a back seat while they work on getting the child up to speed in reading. I work with several families in that position. I agree wholeheartedly that reading and math must take precedent over everything else. I still recommend some History, Geography, and Science. Reading logs may include books read as a family and audio books—not just those books read independently.
7. Here is a generic portfolio review for a family. Here is a basic letter. My suggestions vary; each family’s situation is different. I do recommend reading a book each week and writing a book report. I read about this suggestion in Dr. Mary Kay Clark’s book, Catholic Homeschooling. She explains that this is an insurance policy for a bad week. I agree! Are there any gaps? Are high school, science classes lab based? Does English include reading, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, phonics, and composition? Be aware that by high school, kids may be taking harder courses, such as British Literature, which include reading several books and writing several essays. I do look for four, formal lab reports for each science classes, as a minimum. I think a literature class should include at least four novels and essays. Only four as a minimum? I just spent a school year dragging my composition class through four novels and essays. All but one child has learning differences. Let me tell you, it took a Herculean effort to just finish four books. (Yes, we did a bunch of different writing exercises.) Hopefully, this will help you craft an evaluation.
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