As my children progressed through the elementary years, we were very flexible with homeschool record-keeping.  We have samples of their work, test scores, and lots of pictures, but no actual ‘record book’ of grades.  Now that they have reached the middle and high school years, record-keeping is quickly becoming very important!  It can be overwhelming, however, if you’re not used to it.  Thankfully, a simple book such as Christian Liberty Press’ “CLASS Lesson Planner” is an easy solution.

Even if you don’t use Christian Liberty Press curriculum, this book is appropriate for your homeschool.  It is not curriculum-specific, but tailors easily to all curricula.  It can be used for any grade level from preschool to high school, but we are using it only for the upper grades.  The book itself is a thin, softcover book that will fit easily onto any shelf or in a backpack.  It contains 149 reproducible pages and has just about every type of form you could possibly need for school records.  It even has a few (such as the religious exemption form for vaccines) that I had never seen!

This easy-to-use planner simplifies record-keeping, and the reproducible pages make it usable for multiple children.  Tucked within the pages are suggestions for creating lesson plans, ideas for different ways to organize your records, and fill-in-the-blank forms.  Additionally, you’ll find forms for health physicals, vaccinations, record of awards received, and a prayer journal.

As with any planner, a large chunk of the book is dedicated to the yearly calendar and forty weeks’ worth of daily lesson planning pages (enough for the school year).  Following this are several logs for recording books that have been read, field trips, hands-on projects, and student evaluations.  There are pages for recording grades of daily assignments, tests and quizzes, and end-of-term grades.  Here, you will also find a section for recording which concepts are mastered.  (This information is a requirement in some states.)

We used this book as a way to keep all of our records in one place that can easily travel with us.  Mom always has important medical and calendar information on-hand, and the kids are able to flip to the weekly chart and see exactly what tasks they need to accomplish each day.  In fact, after adjusting to the new system, the kids were very happy with their ability to flip through the CLASS Lesson Planner and know their daily expectations, see how they were doing in a particular class, and be able to plan out their weeks by seeing the calendar.

While some states require no record-keeping whatsoever, it’s never a bad idea to have that information on hand should questions arise in the future.  Many states DO require accurate records that are reported regularly.  Whether you fall into the former or latter camp, this CLASS Lesson Planner is a quick and easy way to keep your records straight and available.  It never hurts to be too organized!

-Product review by Holly Johnson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November, 2018