The portfolio is a scramble when it is assembled at the end, and unremarkable when it is assembled as you go. This sheet is the second version: print it, work down it once a term, and the review stops being an event. The Pennsylvania statute wording is reproduced on the sheet itself rather than paraphrased into checkboxes, so you can see what the state actually asks for next to what you have.
What is on the sheet
- A checkbox per item, with a line on what each one needs to contain
- A line for the assessment record Pennsylvania requires
- Pennsylvania's own portfolio wording, printed verbatim under the list
- Student and school year fields at the top
- US Letter, black and white, one sheet per student per year
How to read the checklist
Three parts, and the detail line under each item is the one that matters.
Student and school year
One sheet per student per year. The pair of fields is what makes a stack of them navigable three years later.
The checkboxes
Tick them once a term rather than once a year. The point of the sheet is catching the gap while there is still time to fill it.
The detail line under each item
What that item has to contain to be worth having. A reading list of five titles and a folder of one good week both tick a box and neither survives a look.
How to use it
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1
Print one per student
The checklist is per student per year, not per family.
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2
Work down it once a term
Three passes a year is enough to keep it honest and few enough to actually do.
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3
File the assessment result with it
Pennsylvania requires an assessment, and the result is the piece that normally travels while the portfolio stays with you. Keep the two together -- they get asked for together.
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4
Keep it at the front of the folder
The ticked sheet is the index to the portfolio. It is also the fastest way to show someone the portfolio is complete.
The Pennsylvania rules behind this sheet
This page covers the document. The Pennsylvania guide covers the requirement it serves — the statute wording, the filing authority, the deadlines, and the date we last verified it against the state's own source.
Pennsylvania homeschool portfolio guideComparing states? All 16 states that require testing or evaluation, each with its rule and a link to that state's guide.
Comparing states? All 6 states that require a portfolio, each with its rule and a link to that state's guide.
Common questions
Does Pennsylvania require a homeschool portfolio?
Yes. Pennsylvania requires a portfolio of your student's work. The state guide carries the statute wording and the review rules; this sheet is what goes in it.
Who sees the portfolio?
You keep it. No state collects portfolios routinely. It is the evidence you can produce if a question is raised, which is why it is worth having complete before one is.
How long should I keep it?
Keep it at least through your student's high school years. Transcripts, course descriptions, and college applications all get built out of what the portfolio holds, and rebuilding a 9th-grade year in 12th grade is its own project.
Does Pennsylvania require a reading list?
Yes. Pennsylvania is one of the states that names reading materials specifically, and expects them designated as you go rather than reconstructed. The checklist calls it out as its own item for that reason.
Pennsylvania Homeschool Portfolio Checklist
Free PDF, no account needed. Print as many copies as you want.
Download the PDFRather not track it by hand?
Homeschool Fox logs hours and attendance as you go, checks them against Pennsylvania's requirement, and builds the compliance report when you need it.
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Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with Pennsylvania or your district. We verify against the Pennsylvania source, last verified September 2026.