Homeschool World Forum

I am also in NC (in the far west part of the state - about 5 hours from Raleigh) and know of someone who did have DNPE visit their home. Granted, it was about 9-10 years ago. Apparently, all he asked to see was the test scores. He was satisfied and then the lady had him in for coffee and they talked about sightseeing in the area.

Given DNPE's recent wording of their requests to make voluntary things sound like they are required by law, I doubt I would invite anyone in. I'm with NCmom, and have fully researched the law here and will only comply when/if they knock on my door.

Since I have a middle school child, I am trying to keep better records to get me in the habit for high school when we'll be working on a portfolio/transcripts for college admission.

We were supposed to notify someone? We moved to NC when I was pregnant with my fifth, who was stillborn in October. It was a rough year for me. We continued homeschooling, but I never did do anything legal, like notify someone I was homeschooling. We didn't keep attendance, but I did keep a lesson plan book. I was homeschooling four kids, ages 14 - 7 the three years we lived in NC. Guess I'm lucky I didn't get into trouble. We didn't "hide" the fact we were homeschooling, and the local school never contacted me.

Lorelei

I keep track of everything. grading, itinerary, attendance...everything i do for the kids is online. its then backed up on the computer and then sent to that far away place where i can get it if its needed. (we have lost too much important stuff to lose it again) my husband found the software for me. i will ask him where he got it and i will pass it along.

keeping track also lets me look back at a glance and see what i might be missing as trouble areas.

Even though your state does not require recordkeeping, I think I would reconsider avoiding it altogether. Although it may not seem important in elementary school, it definitely can be in high-school; especially if your child intends on attending college.

In order to give proper credit to subjects, you do need to be able to show how you arrived at a credit. Was 3/4 of a textbook completed, or was it a course where you need 120 hours? Colleges do look at transcripts, and depending on the college, you may need to back up what you are showing.

Keeping track of what you have done is not hard and does not have to be time consuming. I personally used 'The Homeschoolers High School Journal'; one for each year of high school. You can make your own record book or pick from numerous offers online.

As far as a portfolio, we kept a seperate 3-ring binder for each high school year (the thin 1 inch type). In the front of the binder I included a summary of all the courses completed and curriculum used. I then used regular dividers for each subject section. Depending on the subject, I included copies of tests, essays, and written reports. For some electives, like his Digital Photography course, I included pictures that he had taken and edited.

When my DS wanted to accelerate his learning at the community college by taking two classes, we shared his portfolio with the Dean of Admissions.

If our final transcripts had ever been questioned, and we had to substantiate our work, we would have been ready!

I know this was rather long, but I truly believe that accountability is important - especially for your high school student.[/i]

At least keeping the work that your child has done will offer some proof of schooling if push comes to shove. However, keeping records will be invaluable if your situation changes, your child wants to go to college or, if something goes terribly wrong and you need to prove that you were acting with best intentions.