Homeschooling has grown in popularity as parents recognize the importance of providing a quality education for their children whilst also allowing them to learn conveniently and at their own pace. But how long should you keep homeschool work?
This article examines the need to keep homeschool work on hand, which documents are important to retain, and advice on organizing the material.
Importance Of Keeping Homeschool Work
The main reason for keeping homeschool work is to provide evidence of educational progress and to keep a portfolio of material that can later be used for academic assessment or for applying for higher education and scholarships. Maintaining homeschool files helps to keep track of learning goals, and it can also be important for college admissions evaluators, who often must compare the documents contained in a homeschool student’s portfolio to those of traditional school students.
Additionally, it is prudent to have a backup plan if homeschooling doesn’t work out. Having records that show what learning was completed can be important in the event that the student needs to enroll in a traditional school setting or transfer to another school. Portfolios can also help provide peace of mind for parents who worry about being able to prove that the student has received a quality education.
Organizing and Storing Homeschool Work
Organizing and storing homeschool work evidences the student’s educational experience and provides a way to track their academic progress. The documents to be collected should include records such as daily notes, worksheets, correspondence, tests and quizzes, lab reports, research materials, books and other materials used, diagrams, demonstrations, handouts, and notebooks all related to the student’s course of study. Organizing the materials can be accomplished in multiple ways, such as by subject, by semester, by grade, or by the student’s academic year.
Each of these methods brings its own benefits and drawbacks. Overall, the best way to organize is to first determine the purpose of keeping the records such as academics, college entrance exams, or grants.
Documents should be stored either electronically or physically. Physical documents should be stored in an organized fashion in file folders or binders, allowing for easy retrieval for future reference.
Electronic documents should be securely stored in two locations, such as a cloud-based storage service, or an external hard drive, as well as on a computer or laptop. It is also important to ensure that the documents are backed up regularly.
What Documents Should I Keep?
The documents to be kept can vary depending on the length of the homeschooling experience, and what academic and assessment level the student is at. It is advisable to keep only the most significant documents that record the student’s learning experience, such as lesson plans, course descriptions, standardized test scores, and student portfolios. Lesson plans and course descriptions are documents that provide a roadmap of what was studied in a particular session, semester, term, or year.
The lesson plans will provide insights into how the student achieved their learning goals, and the course descriptions will provide detailed evidence of the material covered. Keeping records of the student’s progress during standardized tests is essential for admissions to college or a scholarship.
Student portfolios help showcase the student’s skills, interests, and progress throughout the semester, quarter, or year. Finally, documents related to special projects, such as independent studies or research projects, should be kept as well.
How Long Should I Keep Homeschool Work?
How long should you keep homeschool work? This is a difficult question because it usually depends on the purpose for which the work is kept.
There is no hard and fast rule for how long to keep the documentation, although most experts recommend keeping records for at least five years. Moreover, students who plan to pursue higher education should keep records for the duration of their educational experience. Storage location is important when considering how long to keep the documents.
If the documents are being stored physically, then sufficient storage space should be made available, so that the records can be kept for the recommended period. It is also advisable to use secure storage methods such as acid-free folders or file boxes to protect the documents from damage or degradation.
On the other hand, if the documents are being stored electronically, then the documents should be backed up regularly and stored on multiple secure platforms with multiple passwords. Electronic backups should be done at least once every week and stored in secure cloud-based platforms.
Conclusion
Overall, it is important to keep homeschool work when providing an education to a student outside of a traditional setting. Keeping paperwork is necessary to provide evidence of educational progress and to securely store documents that could be needed later.
How long an individual should keep homeschool work ultimately depends on the purpose for which the documents are being kept, but recommended for at least five years. Storage location, whether physical or electronic, is essential to consider when determining the length of time to keep the documents.