PLEASE READ!!!!

Sign-up for the 2020 - 2021 ELN year-end portfolio review and evaluations have closed!

If you are still in a need of an evaluator before the June 30th deadline, email [email protected] for additional assistance. 

Welcome to Eclectic Learning Network’s Year-end Portfolio Review and Evaluation 
A welcoming and friendly conversational style experience for families to share their learning journey over the past year. Geared toward self-directed and unschooling families in Philadelphia PA.

Though home education is legal in all states, policies and requirements are defined by each state. Some states are open, while others institute policies that require young people enrolled in home education programs to complete a year-end portfolio review and evaluation. When it comes to states like Pennsylvania, this requirement can bring a flood of feels for many families, especially those who engage in self-directed and unschooling learning approaches.

Areas of focus for Year-end Portfolio Review and Evaluations

• Attendance record
• Standardized Testing results for grades 3, 5, and 8, if applicable
• Summary of the learning journey with supporting examples
• Book Reading List

Just reading this may bring heaviness for families regardless of their learning pathway; but for self-directed and unschooling families; especially in states where year-end evaluations are required, it brings an additional layer of uncertainty. Families newly transitioned to home education due to the pandemic; may also feel incredibly daunted by this process. Whether you are new to home education or have a few notches on your belt, this time of year can be challenging for parents and young people alike.
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Have you thought or stated any of the following:

• “I know my child is learning, but it’s difficult to capture those moments in an organized format.”
• “What will happen if my child does not have everything they need?
• “Will they fail? Have I failed my child? What about testing?”

If you connect with any of the above, you are not alone. ELN deeply understands and has created a process that disrupts feelings of guilt, shame, and self-doubt, shifting heaviness toward relief. 

Our Flow​​
Portfolio reviews and evaluations run 45 - 60 minutes per young person. At the start of each session, families will meet ELN’s evaluator and owner to ground our space. Following, young people will join the evaluator in a breakout room to review and discuss their portfolio. Concurrently, the parent(s) will remain in the main room with ELN’s owner to discuss their experiences, challenges, and successes throughout the learning year while gaining real-time insights and additional resources, if needed. Our time will close with all parties regrouping in the main room to provide a brief summary of the assessment, including considerations for continued practice around current challenges and proficiency areas. Lastly, parents will receive their completed evaluation to email the school district upon approval of the portfolio.

Reviewing Portfolios Virtually
Unlike previous years, all evaluations will take place virtually (via Zoom) due to COVID-19 to ensure the safety of families and ELN team members. For families interested in using ELN's evaluation service, we are requesting the following:

• Use Google drive to create and share your digital portfolio 
• Both the parent and young person must log in to their scheduled evaluation time using two (2) separate devices to assist in creating a smooth transition into breakout rooms for both young people and the evaluator, while the parent(s) remain in the main room with ELN's owner. 

Following confirmation of your guaranteed spot, additional details and support will be provided. 

Investment
ELN is thrilled to share that this Year's Year-end Portfolio Review and Evaluations will be offered to families using a sliding scale model as follows:
Pay What You Can

• Individual Young Person: $50 - $75 per young person
• Siblings: $25 - $50 per sibling

Full payment is required at the time of sign-up to guarantee your spot(s) via PayPal. All payments are non-refundable.

Next Steps

• Reserve your spot  - If you are signing up more than one young person, they must be reserved separately​
• A confirmation email will be sent with a link to make your payment. (all payments are non-refundable)
  • Please allow up to three business days to receive your confirmation email
• Once your payment is processed, you're all set! The day before your appointment, you will receive a Zoom link for your scheduled evaluation

Rescheduling 
ELN fully understands schedule shifts and will work with families to support requests to reschedule but are not guaranteed due to limited number of pots available. 

​Evaluations are held from April thru June 2021.
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The deadline to submit your completed evaluation to the School District of Philadelphia is June 30th.

For additional questions, please email The Eval Team at [email protected]

MEET THE TEAM

Dr. Christina Jackson

Dr. Christina Jackson is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Stockton University teaching in both the Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies programs. She completed her Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara in Sociology and a postdoc in Africana Studies at Gettysburg College. Her research and teaching areas include  sociology, inequality, intersectionality, and environmental justice. Most of her work and interests are rooted in community relationships that seek to be decolonial and intersectional.  She builds bridges between students and the wider community through service-learning and community-engaged research. Dr. Jackson considers herself a scholar-activist, community arts facilitator, educational advocate, meditator, and is a twin mom. She is also a member of Philadelphia-based Camp Sojourner,  a girls’ leadership camp and LandHeath Institute."

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Lisa Puga, PhD Candidate

Lisa Puga is a Ph.D. Candidate in the field of Childhood Studies at Rutgers-Camden. Lisa developed her passion for student-centered learning practices, culturally-responsive curricula, and youth activism as a teacher in North Philadelphia. While familiar with the state requirements for concrete knowledge standards, Lisa also embraces flexible homeschooling practices that are less structured and more interest-led.  Lisa and her husband plan to homeschool/unschool their four young children in Mt. Airy.

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Maleka Diggs

Maleka Diggs, a Disruptor of Monoliths, is an unschooling advocate, community organizer, presenter, and trainer that centers equity and inclusion, especially BIPOC communities, serving families, schools (public and private), and alternative learning spaces through her organization, Eclectic Learning Network. She is also co-founder of the Philly Children's Movement, a multi-racial and multi-generational collective of families talking, playing, and raising up for racial justice! Her work explores the intersections of race, parenting, and education, its impact on Black and Brown peoples, and those within under-represented communities while exploring ways to pivot away from harmful practices toward liberatory-centered approaches through unschooling and partnership-based learning practices.

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