Homeschool Evaluation, Porfolios

In the state of Florida, you must submit a yearly evaluation to the school in your county. There are 3 different methods you can choose from. Ours is coming due at the end of this month, so I thought I would share the ways in which you can do your evaluation.

1- Take the standardized test, given by the school district, for your childs grade.

2- Have a certified teacher, of your choice, evaluate your child. They can either do this in person or over the phone. They need to review your portfolio, and have a discussion with your child. Sometimes, especially in rural areas, it is hard to find a local evaluator. You could call your school district, to see if they know of any evaluators, they arent very helfpful though. You could join some support groups, and find out whom they used. Here are a list of Florida Homeschool Evaluators http://www.southcountyhomeschoolers.org/SCHS/HTH/Evaluators.HTML

3- The third choice is to have your child evaluated by a psychologist.

Whichever method you choose, you do have to submit a yearly evaluation. Your school year will run from the date you gave your letter of intent, until the end of your school year. I did not realize this myself, so our school year actually started at the end of Sept, even though he went to public school in August. We use the evaluation method, with a certified teacher, and a portfolio. In Florida a portfolio should include:
1. A log of educational activities that is made contemporaneously with the instruction and that designates by title any reading materials used.

2. Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student."

You can achieve this many ways. I keep a log, which I write down what we do each day, and I also have this blog, which is public, and I do not have to worry about misplacing LOL. For my portfolio, I put in all tests, we test every week, plus any art work, Spanish, or other crafts done. Some people make fancy portfolios, mine is just in a binder, with each class marked. You do not need to put every piece of paper, in a portfolio, just a sampling. However, you must keep all papers, and materials used, for at least two years, in case the county wants to investigate. I guess this blog qualifies as my fancy portfolio. An evaluation can cost about 50-65 dollars, depending on the teacher doing it. My evaluator charges 55 dollars, and her fees did not go up this year. If you live in Gilchrist, Levy, Dixie, or any of the surrounding areas, and you can not find an evaluator let me know, and I will give you her name, and number.