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REVIEW: Homeschool Solutions
by Celia, WACHE Member

Here is a software program that keeps all your records on your computer. This program can be downloaded for a 30-day trial period and then it can be purchased for $35. This is what the program includes:

1. School Information Page

2. School Term/Year - enter current or past school years

3. Student Info - There are a great many sections in this area. Each of the following pages can be printed so that you have hard copies or they can be printed as blank pages and filled in by hand. Each page will contain the student's name, school year, your school logo and information.

• Attendance: mark boxes as you choose (by calendar year only and not school year and it doesn't keep a total)
  
• Courses: add courses and descriptions
  
• Books read or use: add title, author and description (there is a book report form to print)
  
• Videotapes cd/audio tapes: Add titles and descriptions
  
• Software: Add titles and descriptions
  
• Games: Add name and description
  
• Field trips fill in trips and dates: Suggested field trips and field trip evaluation forms
  
• Grades: Add grades; prepare a report card (only grade, no units/credits) and a transcript
  
• Student Expenses: item, vendor, description, date and cost
  
• Lesson planner: Daily assignments or unit studies, there is a journal and a place for notes within this area - then you can print the date range you set so that your children can have a copy of what they are to do that day, week or month
  
• Long-term goals: Goals and teaching aids needed to meet those goals
  
• Short-term goals: Goals and teaching aids needed to meet those goals
  
• Progress log: Blank pages
  
• Notes: Blank pages
  
• Character building: Activity and description (intern evaluation form and Bible Study form)
  
• Log hours: Select date from calendar and each class will already be listed. You can then add hours for each day.
  

4. School Supply List

5. Borrowed Loaned list

6. Contacts

7. Money spent

8. Continuing Education - for parent-teacher (i.e. conferences)

9. Grading Preferences - you can choose to auto-assign grades and set what the minimum score is for A, B and so on. You can auto calculate average scores and calculate a GPA on the transcript by assigning points for grades

10. Printing Preference Page - Set font and color and import your own school logo (or go with the standard one) to be all forms. Set a key for the attendance page

11. Help - there's a huge help section included with the software

I think this software is well worth the $35. I enjoyed my 30 days of use and even made my own school logo for it! The entire program was very easy to use, even if you are not the most knowledgeable computer person around. There are so many topics in the help section as well. Here are the things that I didn't like (just my personal preference): The attendance forms were by year only - I like seeing school year attendance calendars and knowing the total days we've been schooling. The transcript page had no credit/unit listing. Less is more with me; I wouldn't use all that this program offers.