Keeping Academic Records After Homeschool Graduation

Friday, 10 May 2019

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Parents need to keep the academic records for their teens after graduation. They may be needed for further education in 5 years.... or 10 years... or 30 years after the children have left the nest. Graduates may need a transcript for a job in the future, or some have even found they need course descriptions. Somewhere, somehow, you need to keep academic records after high school.

Let's talk about keeping academic records after high school graduation, and what records are required for an adult who was homeschooled.

You only need to keep official homeschool records, not daily work.
Keep the transcript and course descriptions, as well as any additional documents you produced like a school profile or activity list.
It's also important to keep any legal documentation that proves you homeschooled, if required by your state.

Just as a high school does not keep the work from students when the year ends, neither should you. After the end of a school year, when a teacher and school submit final grades, it's no longer necessary to keep the work of the student. You can get rid of all tests, quizzes, lab reports, and daily work. You can get rid of all workbooks.

That's harder than it sounds, to be honest. I kept ALL of those things for perhaps 10 years before I got rid of them. For homeschool moms, they are cherished mementos, it's true! And wonderful memories, much like a photo album. But they are not the homeschool records. You can actually get rid of the consumables, and sell or donate reusable curriculum. I did keep what I wanted to share with grandchildren: the quality literature, primarily. What a good investment those books were!

You do want to save academic records forever, though, in both digital and paper form. Forever is a long time. There are 6 ways to save homeschool records forever

1. Save your work on your computer, in an easy-to-find folder, clearly labeled with a title and child's name.
2. Save a physical copy by printing it out and storing it in a file. Many people will also save a physical copy in their safe deposit box with other important records like your mortgage information and car title.
3. Save a digital copy in a portable drive or on a disk. Again, some people will store that in their safe deposit box.
4. Email yourself a copy, so you can keep that in your email folders should you ever need it. Again, it has to be easy to find, so make sure it's clearly labeled with a title and the child's name.
5. Email a copy to your child or family member so someone else will have a copy. This provides a back up system. I suggest sending that in PDF format, so it can't be altered.
6. Use an online backup system like Carbonite so it is safe and secure but also easy to replace if you need it.

Choose what works for you, just save it in both digital and paper form.

If you still need help making your transcripts, course descriptions, or other college admission documents, you can find out more about my package the Comprehensive Record Solution. It provides you will all of the templates and help you'll need to have those documents ready to go.