Mid Year Checklist?

[catwoman]

:confused2 I have some questions about the mid-year checklist....Do you have to turn in one for each child?Do you have to turn in some kind of "report card?" I shudder to try to do these for my children,because I haven't been giving them letter grades all year.Also,we have made so much progress in other areas with my son,but these are not subjects (social skills,responsibility,etc.) these are what we consider to be the most important accomplishments so far.Also,all of his grades would be good,because we didn't move on until I felt that he had a very good mastery of each skill!.....Also,what if we don't finish the fifth grade text book for math? I realized that he had not learned some of the basics,so we went back until he grasped these.We have not worked in that textbook all year!Please help,Aimee

[Dianna]

Aimee, the mid-year checklist is not a report card. Look in your PHA paperwork (didn't you join Palmetto Homeschool Association?) and look for the mid-year checklist form. Check off that you've complied with the law, sign it, then mail it in (just one per family, not per child). That's all you have to do for that.

Your bi-annual progress report is where you need to document progress. It can be as simple as a report card with letter grades like A, B, C, etc., or with S, NI, U (for satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory); or it can be a "progress report" listing the skills/topics mastered or making progress in. I use the progress report approach and list each required subject area (reading, writing, math, science, social studies) and what they've studied in each area.

For reading I list books they've read and also list different genres they may have focused on (poetry, science fiction, historical fiction, myths, etc). If my children read several books by the same author, or were just interested in a specific author, and we discussed the author's writing style/background/life experiences, then I might list that as an author study, etc.

For writing/handwriting, I list print/cursive handwriting practice and the different writing skills they've worked on (brainstorming, rough drafts, revising, editing, proofreading, final drafts) as well as specific writing projects (paragraph skills, introductory paragraphs, sentence writing skills, dialogue, story-writing, journal-writing, essays, etc).

For math, I just list whatever skills they've studied that 90-day period - addition, subtraction with borrowing, adding like fractions, subtracting unlike fractions, dividing decimals, whatever.

For science, I list the topics they've learned about - insects, DNA, cloning, biological terrorism, black holes, electromagnetic fields, electricity, butterflies, whatever. I also list field trips, co-ops, or any classes they've taken that are science-related, and any science-related books or magazines they've read.

For social studies, I do the same as with science (list topics, field trips, books, magazines, etc.).

At the top of my progress report, I list the number of days they've "attended" and that's my attendance report. Then I make sure I have a few samples of their work in their "portfolio", print out a copy of their weekly journal of things we worked on (similar to a teacher's plan book, but written after the fact, like a diary), put it all together, and then put it away. You don't need to turn any of this in to anyone unless there's a question about your homeschooling.

Whew... I hope this makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions. :smile2:

Dianna

[catwoman]

Hi,Thanks Dianna!!:biggrin2:
I did join Palmetto. Iknew about the checklist,but thought there was something else I was supposed to send in as well. The bi-annual progress report is just to keep in my files,right? Thanks for your help,I feel relieved!:banana: :banana: Aimee