New Hampshire Homeschool Reading Log and Work Samples: What the Law Actually Requires

Every year, as spring approaches and the annual evaluation looms, New Hampshire homeschool parents ask the same questions: What goes in the reading log? How many work samples is enough? Does the evaluator want to see every worksheet my kid touched since September?

The short answer is no — and the law is more specific than you might think.

RSA 193-A:6 and the Ed 315 administrative rules spell out the two core components that must be in every NH homeschool portfolio: a reading log and work samples. Everything else is optional. This post breaks down exactly what those two items require, what "enough" looks like, and how to put the portfolio together so it actually works for a certified teacher evaluation.

What RSA 193-A Says About the Portfolio

The statute is direct. A compliant New Hampshire homeschool portfolio must include:

• A log designating by title the reading materials used
• Samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials

That is the complete statutory list. The law does not require daily attendance records. It does not require lesson plans. It does not require a scope-and-sequence document or a curriculum outline submitted in advance. The portfolio is a retrospective record of learning — assembled after the fact, not tracked day by day.

The portfolio is also your private property. Under current law, you do not submit it to the school district or the state. You present it to the certified teacher who conducts your annual evaluation, and then you keep it at home for two years after the instruction period ends.

The Reading Log: What It Needs to Include

The statute says "log which designates by title the reading materials used." That is a low bar. A simple list of books read during the year — with author names — satisfies this requirement fully.

Your reading log should include:

Books read independently. Everything your child read on their own, even picture books for younger students, chapter books, non-fiction titles, graphic novels, or magazines count.

Books read aloud. Read-alouds you led as a family or that the child listened to during audiobook sessions are legitimate reading materials. Include them.

Curriculum-based reading. Assigned readings from a structured program — chapters in a history text, passages in a language arts workbook, science readers — belong on the log.

Other materials. Online articles used in a unit study, poetry collections, field guide excerpts, historical primary sources — if it was used educationally, log it.

You do not need to include the date each book was read, the length of each reading session, or a summary or comprehension check for every title. Title and author is sufficient.

Format for the Reading Log

There is no mandated format. A simple spreadsheet with two columns — Title and Author — works perfectly. Some families add a third column for the subject area (Reading, History, Science) to help demonstrate coverage of the required subjects. That is helpful but not required.

If you have been reading throughout the year without keeping a log, you can reconstruct one. Ask your child what they remember. Check library borrowing histories. Look back at curriculum assignments. A reconstructed log assembled before the evaluation is fully compliant — the law does not require real-time tracking.

Work Samples: What to Include and How Many

The statute says "samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials." Again, the bar is low by design.

What counts as a work sample:

• Written essays or creative writing pieces
• Math worksheets or chapter tests
• Science lab reports or experiment notes
• Completed pages from a workbook
• A research project or report
• A student-created timeline, map, or diagram
• Photographs of hands-on projects (art, building projects, science experiments)
• Certificates of completion from classes or programs
• Field trip logs or museum receipts with a brief student note attached
• A typed reading response or book report

What does not count:

• Blank template pages you filled out yourself
• Lesson plan outlines you wrote ahead of time
• Tracking logs you maintained (those are for your own organization, not for the evaluator)

How Many Work Samples Is Enough?

The research-backed standard used by New Hampshire evaluators is three samples per required subject, taken at three different points in the year: beginning, middle, and end. This demonstrates the "reasonable progress commensurate with the child's age, ability, and/or disability" that RSA 193-A requires.

For a portfolio covering all eleven required subjects, that works out to roughly 33 samples total — but you do not need strict coverage of every subject with equal depth. Evaluators understand that learning is uneven. A child who spent four months on a deep history project and touched science lightly will have an uneven portfolio, and that is fine. The evaluator is looking for evidence of genuine educational engagement across the required domains over the course of the year.

A practical target: 3 to 5 representative samples per subject area. More is not better. A 400-page binder filled with every worksheet your child completed does not help the evaluator and often signals anxiety rather than competence.

The Table of Contents: Why It Matters

Nothing in RSA 193-A requires a table of contents. But it is worth creating one anyway — here is why.

A certified teacher portfolio evaluator is typically reviewing multiple portfolios in the weeks before summer. A portfolio with a clear table of contents takes less time to navigate, signals that you are organized, and makes it easy for the evaluator to find evidence for each required subject without asking you to dig through a pile of papers.

A simple table of contents should list:

• Program information (notification acknowledgment letter, basic student and parent information)
• Reading log
• Work samples by subject
• Any extracurricular evidence (field trips, activity certificates, photos)

The table of contents is one page. Label the sections in your binder with dividers. Keep it clean.

How to Organize the Portfolio

Two common approaches work well:

By subject. Create a tab for each of the eleven required subjects. Under each tab, place your 3 to 5 work samples and any relevant reading log entries or extracurricular evidence. This format makes it easy for an evaluator to confirm that all subjects are covered.

By month. Create tabs for each month or quarter. This format shows the arc of the year more naturally and works well for unschooling families whose learning is integrated across subjects rather than neatly separated.

Either format is compliant. Choose what works for how you actually document throughout the year.

What to Put on the Cover Page

The portfolio should open with basic identifying information:

• Student's full name
• Date of birth
• Grade level (or age-based description)
• Program year (e.g., 2025–2026)
• Parent name and contact information
• Name of the participating agency (the entity you filed your Notice of Intent with)
• Copy of the acknowledgment letter from your participating agency

That acknowledgment letter is the most important document in the portfolio. It is your proof that you are legally operating a home education program. Keep a permanent copy of it.

What the Evaluator Is Not Looking For

Understanding what the evaluator is not evaluating helps reduce the anxiety that pushes parents toward over-documentation.

The evaluator is not checking whether you stayed on schedule with a curriculum. They are not comparing your child to a grade-level standard or a public school benchmark. Since House Bill 1663 passed in 2022, the 40th-percentile scoring requirement is gone. The evaluator is looking for evidence that your child is making educational progress appropriate to their individual age, ability, and any disabilities.

The evaluator is not looking for attendance records. New Hampshire's Ed 315.03 explicitly exempts home education programs from the 180-day and 945-hour requirements that apply to public schools.

The evaluator is not reporting to the state. The results of the portfolio evaluation remain your private property. You keep the signed letter. Nothing is submitted to the school district or the Department of Education.

Getting the Portfolio Evaluation Done

The most popular evaluation method in New Hampshire is the certified teacher portfolio review. The teacher must hold a New Hampshire teaching credential (or have licensure in a reciprocal state, or currently teach in an NH nonpublic school). Evaluators typically charge $30 to $60 and issue a one-to-two page letter confirming educational progress was made.

Find evaluators through the Granite State Home Educators (GSHE) list, local co-op networks, or word of mouth in NH homeschool Facebook groups. Book early — evaluators fill up fast in May and June.

The evaluation is not legally complete until you also sign the letter. If you disagree with anything the evaluator writes, you are not obligated to sign. You can seek a second evaluator instead.

Make the Portfolio Work for You

The NH homeschool portfolio is not meant to be an exhausting administrative project. It is a curated snapshot of your child's year. A well-organized portfolio with a reading log, 3 to 5 work samples per subject, and a clear table of contents is legally complete and evaluator-ready.

If you want ready-to-fill-in templates — a reading log, subject summary sheets, a table of contents, and a portfolio assembly checklist built specifically around RSA 193-A requirements — the New Hampshire Homeschool Portfolio Guide has them. Everything is formatted to match what certified teachers in this state actually want to see, with nothing extra that New Hampshire law does not require.

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