With the end of the school year fast approaching, it’s tempting to jump straight into summer plans, but taking a moment to think about the direction for next year will make all of the difference. It can be overwhelming to track all of the to-dos, but don’t worry! We are here to help keep you organized and on-track for a smooth end of year that will prepare you to jumpstart school work next fall.
Use our free end of year checklist for homeschoolers to take stock and tie up your loose ends to ensure compliance with the state, and get prepared for next year. Your future self will thank you!
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Evaluate Your Student’s Performance
Now that you have a full year’s worth of data, it’s helpful to take the time now to see exactly where your student has made some progress and also where they might have some challenges. This evaluation is a great way to identify any gaps in their learning which will greatly help you in preparing next year’s curriculum:
Schedule this year’s end of year state-required assessment testing, if you haven’t already.
Prepare your student/s for end-of-year assessment testing.
Download all score reports and learning statements for review. (Use the walkthrough provided here to better understand your student’s score report.)
Conduct a 1-on-1 session with your student to talk through their performance as well as hear from them directly about where they think they are.
Reflect On Your Teaching Performance
Taking time to thoughtfully assess your teaching skills can help you find solutions to things that may have been a challenge this year and by doing so identify new tricks, skills or resources to help you:
Review your teaching notes (if you have them) to identify which lesson plans were challenging to keep your student engaged. (If you do not have notes, you can still make them now! Go through your lesson plans and make notes from memory).
Talk through your performance with your teaching partner and/or homeschool parent to see which areas of your teaching style can be improved.
Create your own end-of-the-year evaluation, identifying lesson plans that were exciting and effective to teach as well as plans that were a slog to get through. Be as honest as possible; this is a document for you to keep track of every year.
Find and schedule free or low-cost teaching development trainings– many happen throughout the summer or in September / October.
Organize Your Record Keeping
What you track and how you track it will look different depending on your child’s age, your homeschool style, and your state requirements. Some families will choose to create grade books while others may create portfolios. A portfolio is a collection of all your students’ best work. This can be as detailed or complicated as you want it to be, every family is different in their approach. Some states require some form of a portfolio, it is important to check your state requirements to see if you need a portfolio and, if so, what you are legally required to track.
For elementary students and younger, there is more flexibility in the amount of record keeping you choose to do depending on your state. As homeschool students head into Middle and High-School, record keeping becomes more central to homeschooling. This is most important in high school, but it can be a good idea to get started before then to get comfortable and set up your systems, so once your kids start high school work, it is already second nature for you!
Finalize all grades / education records for the year
Store all important documents and records somewhere you can find them at the start of your next school session. As an example, they could be filed in Google Drive, a hard drive, or physical folder.
Do you have a system in place that feels manageable moving into next year? You can find a printable grading tracking template here to help get you started.
Check your state’s homeschool portfolio legal requirements.
Map Out Next Year's Goals
The end of year curriculum and score reports are fresh in your brain so you’ll have a much easier time coming up with some helpful goals for where to head next. These goals can be as simple or detailed as you want; think of them as notes for your future self when you come back from summer and start planning your year.
Review goals you set at the start of the year, were they realistic? Did you complete all of them? Which goals did you not complete and why?
If your child is older (tween or teen) create goals together for next year by reflecting together on their best learning moments over the past year and if they see areas for improvement– they may surprise you with their observations!
Download our homeschool planning guide, you can come back to this when you begin planning this Fall.
Make new goals, write down what comes to mind at the end of the year and review them after the break.
Stay Ahead of The Game!
There are some easy things you can do today to ease your planning in the Fall. Trust me, your future self will thank you!
Schedule your assessments now! If you have a rough idea of when you’d like to start testing you can purchase your assessments today and change your schedule later if need be.
Enroll your students in classes, clubs, or activities for Summer and Fall. These fill up fast so it’s in your best interest to stay ahead of it.
Schedule any class trips for the year. If there was a trip or extra curricular activity that your students greatly enjoyed that you’d like to repeat, schedule them now so it’s one less thing to do in the Fall.
Audit and order homeschooling supplies like glue, tape, pencils, pens, markers, art supplies, or science supplies
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Congratulations! You’ve accomplished another year homeschooling, and tackled all of the end-of-year tasks that come along with it. Plan an end of the year celebration with your students that marks the completion of the year—you both deserve it! Kick back, relax, and enjoy summer.