School Records
If your students are enrolled in the CLH Plan, then you do not need to keep most of the documents listed below*—you are enrolled in our school. If, however, you are using the Family Plan, then the following list of documents may be important if you come in contact with a party hostile to home schooling.
* You should still keep attendance records, a listing of your student’s extra-curricular involvement, transcripts of any independent coursework, and copy of your local ordinances and special state requirements (supplemental to CLH).
Founding Documents
Founding documents are those that apply to the creation of your home school. They include incorporation papers, philosophy statements, a list of the chief officers of your school, and official home school correspondence.
School Organization Documents
These documents pertain to the annual organization of your school. Documents relevant to an individual student may be moved to that student’s cumulative records file once a school year is completed.
Attendance Records
We encourage you to keep attendance records in a permanent log along with a school year calendar indicating the general schedule for each year, including holidays, vacations, etc. Presently, none of the fifty states requires more than 185 days (six hours each day) of daily-attendance instruction each school year.
Standard Courses
You should create a written statement outlining the course materials, along with their respective publishers, which you intend to use for the upcoming school year. This statement must confirm the quantity of curriculum instruction in your home school. Be sure to consider the following courses since most are standard requirements in virtually every credible school.
Bible
English
Literature
Spelling
Grammar
Penmanship
Mathematics
Science
History
Geography
Physical Education
Art
Music
Also, keep a running tally of each book read by your students over the course of the school year.
Extra-Curricular Involvement
Home schooling should not be limited to just academics. Extra-curricular activities such as Sunday School, church and church youth groups; field trips to museums, the zoo, or nature hikes; and participation in sports and/or membership in the YMCA/YWCA or other similar organizations help to develop the socialization of your students. These activities can be incorporated into specific courses (e.g., Bible, history, and physical education) as additional requirements, or used as breaks from the academic rigors of your school year.
Local Ordinances
The Bible, as well as common sense, dictates that you should comply with basic health, fire, and safety codes. Few states require home schools to make arrangements for special fire and safety equipment, but you should obtain and store a copy of local ordinances should the topic of local inspection arise.
State Requirements
Some states have one or two special courses that are mandated for all schools. The state of Texas, for example, requires that private schools teach a course in good citizenship during the elementary grades. If you have similar mandated courses in your state, you should obtain and complete this course material with your students on a supplemental basis.
Additionally, several states require children to take a course in either state history or agriculture during their elementary grades. Sources for obtaining state history courses can often be found in local libraries and colleges. Upon completion of your state history coursework, we suggest that you place this information into your student’s cumulative records.
Achievement Testing
Achievement testing should occur annually as a method of evaluating the basic skill development of your students. CLH supplies the California Achievement Test in your curriculum for this purpose. Other testing programs, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Stanford Achievement Test, are viable alternatives for annual testing. Remember, however, that CLH does not accept the Stanford Achievement Test for the student’s first enrollment in CLH.
Once you begin using a particular series, you should continue to use it as long as possible. Remaining with one testing series year after year provides a more accurate evaluation of your student’s development.
Achievement test results should be placed in your student’s cumulative records file.
Medical Records
You should have on file a copy of each student’s immunization records, and have access to your children’s other health and physical examination data. Although CLH does not require this information, many schools do before they will allow a student to enroll.
Many families who have home schooled for years run into problems when they unexpectedly have to place their students into a public or private school. If your students have not been immunized, or if confirmation of immunization cannot be made, they may not be allowed to enroll until all immunizations have been given.
Although medical records are not the same as a student’s cumulative records, schools will oftentimes store them together in a student’s cumulative records file.
Cumulative Records
A student’s permanent file, or cumulative record, contains the history of that student’s educational experience. It usually includes attendance and grading records, as well as awards and certificates, comments made by teachers, and extra-curricular involvement information. In high school, academic records include course grades (final or otherwise), credits, GPA, and class rank. Transcripts from other institutions are also stored here.
CLH will automatically request a student’s cumulative records when he is transferred into our program above the ninth grade. For other grade levels, you may request that CLH obtain these records by sending us a written request. Records obtained by CLASS will remain on file until the student either graduates, transfers to another school, or simply withdraws from our program.
Other Documents
There are other documents you may find necessary at some point after enrollment. For CLASS Administration Plan students, these include the following:
Certificate of Enrollment
The Certificate of Enrollment is an official document on CLH stationery stating that your student is currently enrolled in our school. Christian Liberty will issue this certificate upon request. If, however, CLH has not received a reasonable amount of work for the current grade level and/or any other grade levels still open, the certificate will be issued with a statement that little or no work has been submitted for those grade levels.
To request a Certificate of Enrollment, email us at custserv@homeschools.org.
Good Student Discount
The Good Student Discount form is a document provided by your auto insurance company, which you forward to us. CLH will complete and return this form if your student has submitted a reasonable amount of work for the current grade level and/or any other open grade levels, and has maintained the equivalent of a “B” average according to our grading system.
Work Permit
A Work Permit is an official document on CLH stationery stating that your student may obtain a job while enrolled in our school. Christian Liberty will issue this permit upon request if your student has been in our program for at least two (2) quarters, has sent in a reasonable amount of coursework, and has maintained the equivalent of a “B” average for that work according to our grading system.
To request a Work Permit, email us at custserv@homeschools.org.