Do you take attendance in your homeschool?

Question

I have been doing some research on the homeschooling laws in Kentucky where we live, and I was surprised to find out we are required to keep an attendance record, even if there's just one child. Do you keep attendance, and if so, what program or system do you use?

Answer 1

We are not required in my state to keep records of any kind. In my former state we didn't either. However, because I'm a datahead and like to have the info, I keep track in Excel. Also, the curriculum I use, K12, has an attendance tracker feature built in. It's only for their courses, though, and we do so much more.

Glurpy mentioned Homeschool Tracker. I know many HS'er who use it, but I like doing "my own thing" in Excel. I can adapt it to my own needs and make it highly visual.

http://www.tghomesoft.com/

(There is a free version and a "full" version.)

You can use a teacher's plan book or just a calendar.

Here's a site that most likely has a lot of help for what you're looking for....and a WHOLE lot more:

http://donnayoung.org/

I use the report cards and portfolio form from Academic Advantage. Having an "official" report card is good for use at business that give "report card" perks ;-)

http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?sid=1176322031-9925&id=025265

Here are some other helpful links:

http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/recordkeeping/ht/htrecords.htm

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

** ADDED for MSB ** You can go to the HSLDA site and see for yourself:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=KY

It states "maintain an attendance register".

Answer 2

We sure do, we check to see if they are awake every morning, we tuck them in each night, as well as call to see how those who live on their own are doing; more to check up on the grand babies though ^_^

All kidding aside, yes, it's true we all have to keep attendance records, there is no logic for it other than it being a useless writing exercise.
At the beginning of the year we copy a attendance record, fill in the day, and give those day's that we are taking a break, or just feel like doing something else a quick color; it's more for me to see if there are patterns in the year where we seem to need more time off than others, giving me a better idea of how to schedule certain classes the next year.
Each child has a folder, but no one has ever asked to see their records, mind you our oldest is in her late twenties.

To keep the children's records I use the Class lesson planner from Christian Liberty Press; you can either use the CD-ROM or the book form.
The pages are reproducible, so you would need only one book; the cost is about $8.00.
It has all the forms and then some, from elementary through high school.

Answer 3

You just need to keep a sheet saying which days you did school and which days your child was sick or on field trips and so on. If you go to the grocery store and have your child help you add up items, talk about where food comes from or anything that is a learning experience then by law you can count that as a day of school! You can also school on weekends if you wish! They cannot tell you what days you can do school, only that you do 185 school days. In Georgia you have to have keep a record and turn in to the board of education every month. In Indiana you do not have to notify them oe keep attendance. So laws vary by state. Check this out for all future laws www.hslda.org

Answer 4

No offense, but where did you find this law? Just thought it was worth mentioning, but when I lived in a very rigid homeschool state (New York) the superintendant misled me with the laws. In NY you are required to log a certain amount of hours doing homeschool activities (which would be equivalent to the hours a schooled child spends in school). This guy initially told me that we had to homeschool at the same time school was in session (the law doesn't actually specify when you should homeschool in NY, only how much). He also told me that I needed to provide him with attendance records and notes for "absences".

How ridiculous is that? Absences. Please excuse my daughter from the kitchen table today...

Anyway, why not just keep one of those little dollar store pocket calendars and make a mark on the days you do anything (for our house, the calendar would be marked like every day-- how do they separate life and learning?).

MSB

Answer 5

I was homeschooled in Ohio. Most states just want to make sure that you have a full 180 days (or whatever they require) of school. Try searching homeschooling laws in KY - my guess is that probably a standard calendar would do. Develop some system of a putting a check or writing a word like "present" on the days when you do school. Probably any written system would do - I don't think most states go into specifics.

Answer 6

We aren't required to take attendance here, but I know people who do have to take attendance and here are the various methods I've heard of them using:

-a school-year calendar with each day marked off as it's finished
-just a plain notebook called Attendance, with the dates, sometimes hours, written in
-Homeschool Tracker--although none of them use it just for the attendance; it's a pretty cool program with a free version that is capable of lots
-a small agenda/planner

Answer 7

Okay, I'm going to chime in on this one. We live in Florida and have now homeschooled for 4 yrs. The 'rules' for homeschool require that a portfolio be kept and said portfolio shall consist of:
1)portions of work done by the child
2) letter of Intent
3) book list (this is books that student has read for the year)
4) some form of Attendance record (this is as simple as getting a pocket calendar and circleing the days that the child(ren) attend class and putting a line thru the day if they did not attend)

Some states will be a little tighter on their rules than other states and ask you to document things such as Hours in each subject or ask you to follow a set curriculum or mandate tests at certain grade levels.
It is simply easier for all concerned to just document everything. I use a Lessonplan book and write out her lessons about 1 month ahead (this way if I have to chunk something I can but I also know if I need particular supplies), I go school supply shopping during the tax-free session and stock up on things like paper,notebooks,pencils, crayons, etc., I keep a running list of all the books she reads during the year and at the end of the year type it out and put it in her portfolio. I also keep a running list of the curriculum I use simply for the fact that when I went to a portfolio review, they tried to be a pain and say I wasn't using 'appropriate' materials (math,science,history, etc.), I also have a list of educational websites that my daughter uses to supplement her learning.
Bottom line, it is better to be over prepared and have too much documentation than not enough and have to pull your hair out in trying to remember certain things and please remember that when your child(ren) get ready to either return to P.S. or attempt to get into College they will need most of what they have in their portfolio to prove they have done certain things and attendance is one of them (30 seconds out of every day, 1 minute out of evey week , 2 minutes out of every month to tally up attendance is really not that much).
Florida requires a minimum of 180 days attendance, Kentucky req's 185.

BTW you can get a cheap 2 yr pocket calendar at your local Dollar Tree and bargin shop before spending $12,15 or $20 for a lessonplanner ( I found mine at a dollar store for 50 cents).

Good luck

Answer 8

Hi! I homeschool in KY as well. We are required to keep a record and to be "in attendance" 189 days (I think it's 189, it may be 185). I usually just check mark my calendar. Simple as that. I also use homeschool tracker software to keep up with assignments. http://www.tghomesoft.com/ You can keep attendance on that as well. Otherwise it's easy as pie to homeschool here! Good luck!

Answer 9

We live in N.C. I have a form received from North Carolina Department of Non-Public Schools. We make copies and fill in with a 'check' mark for each day we do school. I use a notebook as a daily agenda/ logbook. If I get behind with the form, I go back through notebook and fill in the blanks on form.
It's not a big deal. I count field trips, fun days, movie days and half days like full days just like public school counts them. We usually school about 200 days a year.

Answer 10

This could be a contravention of our rights for certain. Of direction, whether or not I attended or no longer could rely on what sort of church it could be. I could ask myself, "Does it comply with the Bible?", "Do I accept as true with the instructing?", "Does the variety of worship have compatibility my variety?", and so on. If it was once run just like the Public School process, I am afraid I could end up a legislation breaker. As a ways as the opposite side of your query, I have no idea why individuals do not take delivery of our freedom to teach, no longer they all accept as true with our freedom to worship both. There is a transfer to make it unlawful to instruct specified quantities of the Bible. Some individuals appear to believe it's "Hate Speech" when you conveniently feel that there are ethical absolutes taught within the Bible.