Record Keeping

Assalaamu Alaikum,

The importance of keeping records is vital to the success of your child’s future.
Your system can be simple or elaborate it is your choice but you need to keep good records. You can keep an organized notebook or use spreadsheets in Microsoft or even purchase record keeping software. You will need to decide on how to keep track of your daily work to make reporting easier and more efficient.

You can find loads of information at Donny Young's webpage this page has been a life saver on more than one occation for me.
http://donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm

Now that there are Muslim homeschooling links you can refer to them first and then move on to the others after if you haven't found your answer.

Record keeping methods:

Portfolios- are a good system for child-led learning and unit studies. A portfolio is a collection of varied materials that show what the student has learned, experienced, and accomplished.
Journal - This can be done by the teacher or by the student. Basically, it's keeping a log of what was done and what was learned. It is also a good place to record the memorable events that happen throughout your homeschooling years that would be forgotten otherwise. This is a great resource for reminiscing later on.

3 ring-binder – This is a handy organizer. You can purchase dividers and use them to set up sections for everything and you can have more than one binder. I still use this organization tool. When I first started homeschooling this was my only organization tool. I used the binder to keep everything educational in it. I divided the binder into the following sections:

School Notification
Testing
Library books
Weekly Lesson Plan
Daily Schedule
1 section for each core subject

Software Programs- Here are a few of the available software programs available for record keeping.

http://www.dataplus.biz/HER/
http://www.contechsolutions.net/products/eths_pc/index.htm
http://www.homeschooltracker.com/

I am a huge fan of the last link the homeschool tracker I purchased this program 5 years ago and it was the best thing I did for my record keeping. I was able to input everything that I had accumulated in my binders into one area. Just remember to back up information to a secondary source so if you lose your info on your computer you have access from another location.
Once you've made your record keeping choice and obtained the necessary materials, be diligent in keeping it up. It is easier to record as you go than to play catch-up and try to remember what was done.