PA law places full responsibility on you as the supervisor to maintain documentation demonstrating sustained educational progress. Your young person's portfolio must contain four primary components:
Attendance Log: Must show a minimum of 180 days of instruction OR 900 hours for elementary / 990 hours for secondary levels.
Reading & Activity Log: A running log designating reading materials, textbooks, audiobooks, podcasts, educational videos, documentaries, field trips, and hands-on projects/activities.
Work Samples: Approximately 10 or more varied work samples (writing, worksheets, creative materials, or photos of projects) across disciplines.
Standardized Testing Results: Mandatory only for young people in Grades 3, 5, and 8.
The Pennsylvania School Code, 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(e)(1) states that the portfolio for home education students in grades 3, 5 and 8 must include the results of the statewide tests (PSSAs) for reading/language arts and mathematics or nationally normed standardized achievements tests. If the supervisor of the home education program requests that the student(s) take the statewide tests administered in these grades, the school district must allow the student to take the test at the school building the home education student normally would attend or other accommodations agreed to by the school district and the parent. The Department has approved the use of the most current version of the following nationally normed standardized tests for use by home education programs if they choose not to take the statewide tests:
California Achievement Test
Comprehensive Testing Program (CTPIV)
Iowa Test of Basic Skills
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
Metropolitan Achievement Test
Peabody Achievement Individual Test – Revised Version
Stanford Achievement Test
Terra Nova
Woodcock-Johnson Revised Tests of Achievement
Woodcock-Johnson
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test