Florida Homeschool Evaluation Portfolio Made Easy: Tips to Keep it Simple

Meagan Shahin
Oct 1, 2025
5 min read

Whether you're new to homeschooling in Florida or need assistance organizing your homeschool evaluation portfolio, you'll find useful resources here. With guidance from a Florida Homeschool Evaluator, I've shared the template I've consistently used each year. My evaluator described it as straightforward, well-organized, and easy to navigate, making the annual evaluation process effortless.

Quick Navigation Links:

Legal Definition of Homeschool Portfolio
Parts of the Portfolio
Easily Log Your Educational Activities
Student Learning Sample Ideas

First, What exactly is a homeschool portfolio?

Legally speaking, the Florida Department of Education defines a homeschool portfolio as,

“A log of educational activities which is made contemporaneously with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used and samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student.” - Florida Statutes Section 1002.01 defines home education, and specifically Section 1002.41, F.S., defines a portfolio

Why does this matter to a homeschooling parent? Well, you're the one in charge of keeping the portfolio organized. A lot of homeschoolers know that in Florida, parents need to hang onto their kids' learning records for two years. If the school district superintendent asks, you've got to be able to show them a copy of the portfolio within 15 days. Plus, you have to do a yearly check-up on how your kid is progressing in their learning.

Let's Break It Down Some...

The Florida homeschool evaluation portfolio consists of 2 parts:

A Log of Educational Activities -- You should keep track of your educational activities right when you're doing them. Make sure to note down the Date, Curriculum / Lesson plans, Learning Goals/ Standards, Activities they completed, Testing (required for PEP scholarship recipients), and a Reading Log with the titles of any reading materials or books you used for learning.
Student work samples. These could be things like essays, worksheets, workbooks, or any other stuff your student has made.

Part 1: Simple methods for tracking educational activities:

Whether you're into paper or digital, here are some examples to help you stay organized: In today's fast-paced world, maintaining organization is crucial for productivity and peace of mind. There are various methods and tools available that cater to different preferences and styles of organization, whether you prefer the tactile feel of paper or the convenience of digital solutions. Below, we delve deeper into both categories, providing specific examples that can enhance your organizational skills.

Homeschool Evaluation Portfolio — Weekly Homeschool Log Example

Paper-Based Tracking Tools-

Homeschool Planner: Find a planner that includes sections for subjects, lesson plans, projects, and reading logs
Monthly or Weekly Calendar Log: Use a calendar or planner to document subjects, tasks, and books used that day
(See example image here)
Main Lesson Book & Reading Log: Keep a book or binder of art, writings, and a reading log that documents the books read throughout the year.

Digital Tools-

Homeschool Evaluation Portfolio Template

$2.99

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Busy Bee Homeschool Hive offers a digital Canva template to help stay organized.

Digital Portfolios: Use a homeschool-specific digital portfolio service or an organization app like Trello or One Note.
Spreadsheets: Create a simple spreadsheet to effectively track the curriculum, subjects, goals, activities, and work
Goodreads App: A FREE social networking app that helps track reading, find book recommendations, read book reviews, and event connect with other readers. The app offers the ability to scan books as you read them, save them to a "shelf" to organize by child, records the date scanned, and export the list at the end of the school year.
Photo Books: Create a digital album, and upload photos of projects, artwork, writing, and other activities completed to show active engagement and progress.

Items to Include in the Log:

Basic Information About the Student- name, date of birth, grade level, evaluation period
Curriculum, Lesson Plans & Resources with Dates:
- Textbooks, workbooks, online sources used;
- Goals and standards met throughout the year for each subject
- Reading Log of titles completed
Activities/ Work completed with pictures or copies saved
Test Results (Required for Florida Step Up PEP Scholarship Recipients)
Field Trips
Extracurricular Activities
Volunteer Work

Florida Homeschool Evaluation — Florida Homeschool Portfolio Evaluation Checklist - Download for FREE below under Resources

Part 2: Student Learning Sample Ideas:

Homeschool work samples can consist of traditional assignments like writing pieces, worksheets, and exams, as well as creative endeavors such as art projects, science fair displays, and dioramas, which can be captured through photos or videos. Additionally, you can include records of extracurricular activities, volunteer work, field trips, and a list of books read. These samples should illustrate a student's development over time, featuring examples from both the start and end of the year to highlight progress.

Written and Academic Samples

Writing: Essays, narratives, reports, research papers, book reviews, and journal entries.

Math: Worksheets, exams, diagrams, charts, and progress updates from online platforms.

Science: Scientific method sheets, lab reports, and images of projects such as erupting volcanoes or dioramas.

Social Studies: Historical timelines, map exercises, and brochures from excursions.

Other: Copywork, dictation sheets, or printouts from online educational programs.

Projects and Visual Samples

Art: Includes art projects, crafts, and photos of more extensive projects such as science projects or lapbooks.
Projects: Encompasses photos or videos of projects, handmade books, or models.
Documentary and Film: Covers online learning, documentaries, and films that the student either created or studied.

Activities and Growth

Activities: Images or recordings of extracurricular events, life skills sessions, and cooperative classes.
Field Trips: Images and pamphlets from excursions, or journals capturing the experience.
Community and Life Skills: Records of community service hours, work experience, and documentation of life skills acquired.

Tips for Selecting Samples

Demonstrate Growth: Provide examples from the start, middle, and end of the school year to highlight a student's development and progress.
- Online programs like IXL can be excellent resources to assess competency and progress throughout the year for multiple subjects. It provides printable copies of progress, and identifies students' strong areas and those that could improve.
Highlight Accomplished Learning Goals / Standards of Learning: Choose examples that best reflect the student's learning in each subject.
- Resources for identifying learning goals by grade level include:
  - CPALMS - https://www.cpalms.org/public/search/Standard
  - Florida Department of Education Standards - https://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/
  - Published Books -
    - Home Learning Year by Year By Rebecca Rupp
    - Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling: A Comprehensive Easy to Use Guide for the Journey from Early Learning through Graduation by Lea Ann Garfias
Diversify Subjects: It's advantageous to display a variety of subjects, even though including every worksheet isn't necessary.
Simplify: A select few high-quality examples can be as impactful as a large collection of work.