homeschool accountability
Homeschool accountability - let’s go.
Alright, friends, bear with me; I know this is a controversial topic. First and foremost, please know I do not intend to make anyone feel like they are doing anything “wrong” in their homeschool. I am not going to tell you there is one “right” way to homeschool. But….there is an elephant in the homeschool room. Accountability.
Teaching our children is a huge privilege, and with privilege comes responsibility. As homeschool parents, we are entirely responsible for not only our child’s current education — but also the end result. Where does the education we provide now lead to? What is the end goal? Who are the homeschool graduates, and how do they enter the adult world? How do homeschooled kids fare if/when they transition into a traditional school?
An outsider peeking into the homeschool community sees a variety of approaches — from kids learning math at the grocery store to advanced placement courses at a community college. From child-led learning to morning baskets and rigorous curriculum.
Here’s my question for you: How are you keeping yourself accountable for your child’s education?
Many folks say, “I want my child to be able to have any job they want when they are an adult,” or “I want my child to be passionate about their life’s work.” But how do you get from a child passionate about cars at 4 years old to a young adult who wants to work designing cars?
Yes, the jobs of the future will look dramatically different than they do today. No, I don’t think everyone needs college or that we need to “train” children for the workforce. But the fact is that our children will need certain skill sets to be competitive in the workforce and confident in their adult lives.
We cannot just wait until a child wants to learn how to read (trust me, that backfires 90% of the time). We cannot wait for a child to need a formal math program so they can pass a test to get into the tech program they are interested in. We cannot skip teaching science because our child is only currently interested in ballet.
We know from research and the science of learning that skills and knowledge build on each other. We need previous knowledge and skills to attach new skills and knowledge. We need to scaffold and build learning over time. As parents of elementary-age kiddos, it matters how we approach core subject areas. What we do now in math, reading, and writing impacts what our children will be able to do in the older grades.
There are many ways to go about this, but ultimately, I think most (if not all) parents benefit from some sort of standards or expectations. Standards are not a four-letter word — they help guide teachers and schools so they can work on implementing curriculum and strategies to move students forward in their education. As homeschool parents, we can utilize standards with flexibility and individualization.
Some options include:
Look up your state’s standards and reference them when selecting a curriculum and planning your year. Do you need to follow the standards? No. Do I follow them to a T? No. But, when I see physical science and realize I have not taught any physical science yet, I flag it for something to teach in the future.
Utilize the Common Core standards or Core Knowledge Sequence to plan instruction.
Check out the Next Generation Science Standards and the C3 Social Studies Framework
Subscribe to a homeschool pedagogy with a suggested learning scope and sequence, such as Ambleside Online or The Well Trained Mind.
Select an evidence-based curriculum that builds on skills through a solid scope and sequence. For example, All About Learning guides you through reading and spelling instruction for years. Math With Confidence guides you through foundational math for years.
Select a core curriculum as a spine, such as Oak Meadow, Moving Beyond the Page, or Bookshark, that has social studies and science building on each other, year after year.
Utilize online testing like those from Let’s Go Learn to monitor growth over time.
Use benchmark and progress monitoring to assess reading and spelling over time. Check out my course on Literacy Assessments for Homeschoolers.
Periodically check in with a homeschool consultant (hi, it’s me) or get a professional portfolio review to ensure you are on a solid path.
Loosely sketch out what the next few years might look like homeschool-wise. If you have multiple kiddos and do family learning — this task really gets you thinking about how to approach more sensitive content areas with an older student while your younger students are in the mix.
Create some sort of notebook or spreadsheet of what your goals are for the year. This can be as easy as sticking the table of contents of your programs into a binder and referencing it as you plan.
Reflect on your weeks/months/years. What is going well? What did you think you would cover and ran out of time for? How can you shift things for the next week/month/year?
I think sometimes there is this idea that homeschooling is easy. All you need is a library card and the Internet, some snacks on the table, and POOF - homeschool success! Gosh, I wish it were that easy. As it stands, I’m a former teacher with an M.Ed in Early Childhood Education, and I doubt myself on a regular basis. I wonder if I’m doing enough or too much. I spiral about science with friends at least twice a year. But, at the end of the day, I have many tools and resources I can look back to and remind myself of our progress towards our goals and know we are moving in the right direction, even if some days it doesn’t feel that way.
Wondering if you are “on track” with reading and spelling? Check out my Literacy Assessments for Homeschoolers course, where I walk you through my go-to literacy assessments, how to use them, and how to analyze them.
