Parents/Guardians are required to create and maintain a portfolio of the student’s work for two years. The portfolio can be reviewed by a Florida certified teacher as part of the required annual evaluation. A sample portfolio is provided for your use and guidance but you are not required to use this specific sample. Click here to open a Sample Portfolio. A portfolio is required if the parent is using their own curriculum or a curriculum without a certified Florida teacher directly supervising the student’s work and providing grades. If they are using an accredited school’s curriculum and the school’s teachers are providing grades  (for example Florida Virtual School), the transcripts can be kept as part of the record. In some cases, parents keep a portfolio of non-virtual school coursework and a transcript record of the virtual or other school-type coursework. If in doubt, it is always best to keep a record of the curriculum and materials used and student work samples. Please go to the Florida Home Education website for more information.

A portfolio is keep contemporaneously (as your student does the work) and includes the following:

• A log of educational activities

• Specific Titles of reading or instructional materials used,

• Samples of student’s work

Superintendent’s review of the portfolio- State law allows the Superintendent or designee (the home education administrator) to inspect a student’s portfolio given a 15 day notice to the parent to produce the portfolio for inspection. This may be done if there is a history of non-attendance, past due evaluation, or other concerns that the student is not minimally engaged in a home education program as defined by state statute. Based on prior non-attendance concerns or failure to meet compulsory attendance laws, some home education programs may also require a monthly review of the portfolio and student work until the home education program is well established. A review committee made up of the district home education administrator, two or more established home education program providers (parents with 3 or more years of successful homeschool experience), and the parent will review the portfolio and student progress to help ensure the home education program is meeting the requirements of state statute. Other participants may be a part of the committee as needed. The review committee decides when a home education program in a monthly review status no longer needs monthly monitoring.

The portfolio may be requested as documentation to verify correct student grade and course placement upon enrolling/re-enrolling into a private or public school. It may also be used to document and verify student work and course of study by post-secondary institutions. It is recommended that the high school portfolio is kept for all four years of study for verification purposes of the final high school transcript should it be requested or needed.