How to Submit a Homeschool Portfolio in Pennsylvania

Submitting a homeschool portfolio in Pennsylvania is not hard but takes a bit of organization. The state requires documentation of what you've done for each subject area, plus samples of the student's work (at least two per subject area). Here are some guidelines to help you submit a portfolio that will comply with the Pennsylvania homeschool law.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Samples of your child's work: two for each subject area
• Summary of what your child did in each subject area
• Three-ring binder
• Loose leaf pockets to put in the binder
• Evaluation (by qualified, registered evaluator)
• Standardized testing results for grades 3, 5 or 8
• Proof of medical and dental check-ups
• Log book recording your 180 days of school

1. Write a brief summary of what your student did in each of these subject areas: math, science, social studies, geography, Pennsylvania history, reading, writing, spelling, art, music, physical education, health and fire safety. Put each summary on a separate sheet of paper.
2. Collect at least two samples of your student's work for each of these subject areas: math, science, language arts, social studies and art. It is better to have five to ten samples, but only two are required by law.
3. Collect any documentation you may have for other subject areas, such as photos of your student playing sports or playing musical instruments, certificates from any courses taken outside the home (such as swimming lessons), programs from any concerts attended, postcards or photos from field trips, or any other proof that your student did the things listed in your summaries. Don't forget documentation of PA history and fire safety! Pennsylvania requires these subjects to be documented.
4. Organize these items in a three-ring binder. Put in a loose leaf pocket for each subject and put the summary and the samples into the pocket. You may want to combine the summaries and samples for reading, writing and spelling into one pocket labeled "language arts." Also, history, geography and PA history can go into one pocket labeled "social studies." Some PA homeschoolers also combine music, art and physical education into one pocket.
5. Put the following documents into the front pocket: evaluation written and signed by a qualified evaluator, standardized testing results (if your student is in grade 3, 5 or 8), and proof of medical and dental check-ups (no need to include results, just proof the visits happened).
6. Put your log book inside the binder or strap it to the binder with a large rubber band.
7. Make sure your student's name, grade level, current scholastic year and phone number are on both the portfolio and the log book.
8. Find out where the homeschool office is located in your school district. The district will have someone assigned to collect and check the homeschool portfolios.
9. Take the portfolio and log book to your district's homeschool office before June 30 (the Pennsylvania deadline). If you are unable to meet this deadline, you must apply for an extension. Speak to your district's homeschool liaison person about this.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't think of anything for fire safety documentation, try searching the Internet for a fire safety quiz you can print out.
• The school district representative should give you a receipt stating that your portfolio was received. If you don't get a receipt, you can ask for one.