Guest meatlessmommy Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I have some record keeping software that's about 8 years old now, so I think it's time that I look into something new :D. I'd love to hear what you all use and why, or why not you have liked certain programs. I need to be able to track my three kids all in different grades, and I want something that will require as little time as possible to fill out. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaissance Mom Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Homeschool Tracker Plus... I create all the lesson plans I need for all 3 kids for all subjects in a couple of days over the summer then import them as I need them into the assignment grid. With a little forethought, creating lesson plans goes quickly. Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Homeschool Tracker Plus... I create all the lesson plans I need for all 3 kids for all subjects in a couple of days over the summer then import them as I need them into the assignment grid. With a little forethought, creating lesson plans goes quickly. Monica :iagree: I love this program and my oldest is just going into the logic stage. It's going to make high school so much easier. I also love that the updates/upgrades are free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liltrees Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 :iagree:HST is what I use as well. I started with the basic edition, which is free, but soon decided to upgrade to the HST+. You should check it out at www.homeschooltracker.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 We use two different umbrella schools. My oldest ds's umbrella does everything on paper.:confused: My middle and little boys' umbrella uses HomeschoolReportingOnline. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rita Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 :iagree:HST is what I use as well. I started with the basic edition, which is free, but soon decided to upgrade to the HST+. You should check it out at www.homeschooltracker.com. I just bought this today, and am very overwhelmed by it all. I am confident that I'll get it figured out. My favorite thing is the yahoo groups that you can import lesson plans from :) I will still have to make several of my own, but Saxon, Apologia, and Wordly Wise were all easily imported today :) Rita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 HST Plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meatlessmommy Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 My favorite thing is the yahoo groups that you can import lesson plans from :) I will still have to make several of my own, but Saxon, Apologia, and Wordly Wise were all easily imported today :) Rita That sounds interesting. Are there other publishers to choose from on the site? How detailed do you make your lesson plans? I'll admit, I have never done this. I own software, and have briefly started it in the past....but never kept up with it. I'm normally an extremely organized individual (too much so if you ask my husband), but I'm terrible when it comes to planning for school. Unfortunately, I think my lack of preparation makes me entirely too stressed out during the year so I'd really like this year to be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbaby Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 HST. I used it mainly for my highschooler who graduated this year. Our state isn't strict so I just keep yearly work samples for the younger ones but plan to use the tracker when they reach high school also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seewah Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 HST Plus for me as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I've heard great things about HST, but I use Donna Young's grade tracker because it's free: http://donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I've heard great things about HST, but I use Donna Young's grade tracker because it's free: http://donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm HST has a free version as well ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysparkler Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I use Edu-Track and love it. In Texas I really don't "need" to keep records, but I like to keep myself organized. My favorite feature of this software is that I can tag my son's courses as the grade level he is working on, and it will keep track for me how many hours of instructional time was completed at each different grade level within the school year. Since my son is all over the place, it really helps me to "see" what grade level he is working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rita Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 That sounds interesting. Are there other publishers to choose from on the site? How detailed do you make your lesson plans? I'll admit, I have never done this. I own software, and have briefly started it in the past....but never kept up with it. I'm normally an extremely organized individual (too much so if you ask my husband), but I'm terrible when it comes to planning for school. Unfortunately, I think my lack of preparation makes me entirely too stressed out during the year so I'd really like this year to be different. I spent some time on the HST forums and found a link to the yahoo groups. There are soooooo many lesson plans out there that people have shared. I would recommend that you go look on the website and spend some time looking around :) Like I mentioned, I just bought this today, so I'm not the one to answer your questions fully ;) Blessings, Rita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsoll Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I just use a spreadsheet, with the following worksheets: daily activities, attendance, books read, media viewed, books to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillieBoy Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 HST Plus all the way!:thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I just bought this today, and am very overwhelmed by it all. I am confident that I'll get it figured out. My favorite thing is the yahoo groups that you can import lesson plans from :) I will still have to make several of my own, but Saxon, Apologia, and Wordly Wise were all easily imported today :) Rita You've given me new hope! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 HST Plus too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 (edited) I ended up choosing HST+, but I considered several others as well: Free, downloadable program, PC only: Homeschool Tracker (free version) Free, online: Homeschoolskedtrack Paid subscription, online: My Homeschool Plan CM Organizer I actually LOVE the CM Organizer, but it is still a fairly "young" application and it lacks some features/flexibility that I want. The cost of the CM Organizer, however, is what made me choose HST+ instead. I just can't justify spending several hundred dollars over the course of our homeschooling on an online organizer that isn't absolutely perfect. I'd rather pay $50 for HST+ and put in a little effort to work around the things I don't love. But I could see myself switching in a few years if the CM Organizer's features are expanded, and if they come up with alternative pricing (like a lifetime subscription, or a pay-once downloadable version). Edited July 19, 2009 by jplain Thank you to Mommaduck for letting me know of an error above! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani3boys Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I use Edu-Track and love it. In Texas I really don't "need" to keep records, but I like to keep myself organized. My favorite feature of this software is that I can tag my son's courses as the grade level he is working on, and it will keep track for me how many hours of instructional time was completed at each different grade level within the school year. Since my son is all over the place, it really helps me to "see" what grade level he is working on. I love HST+, but I think this feature would be great! My kids are at all different levels in different subjects and it would be great if I could see where they are at more easily. Does HST have this feature and I just don't know about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I just bought this today, and am very overwhelmed by it all. I am confident that I'll get it figured out. My favorite thing is the yahoo groups that you can import lesson plans from :) I will still have to make several of my own, but Saxon, Apologia, and Wordly Wise were all easily imported today :) Rita :iagree: I just imported 5 lesson plans that I do not need to type out myself. It has taken me time to figure out this program but I keep chugging and loving all that it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moni Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I'm supposed to be keeping records :confused: ......sigh......I missed the memo. HST is nice. Simple Excel grid/spreadsheet checklist is easy too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I'm supposed to be keeping records :confused: ......sigh......I missed the memo. HST is nice. Simple Excel grid/spreadsheet checklist is easy too! Depends upon where you live and the laws there. However, it is always advisable to keep records to CYA if you ever get pulled into court or some other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I ended up choosing HST+, but I considered several others as well: Free, downloadable program, PC only: Homeschool Tracker (free version) Free, online: Homeschoolskedtrack MyHomeschoolPlanner Paid subscription, by the month or year, online: CM Organizer I actually LOVE the CM Organizer, but it is still a fairly "young" application and it lacks some features/flexibility that I want. The cost of the CM Organizer, however, is what made me choose HST+ instead. I just can't justify spending several hundred dollars over the course of our homeschooling on an online organizer that isn't absolutely perfect. I'd rather pay $50 for HST+ and put in a little effort to work around the things I don't love. But I could see myself switching in a few years if the CM Organizer's features are expanded, and if they come up with alternative pricing (like a lifetime subscription, or a pay-once downloadable version). MyHomeschoolPlanner is only free for the first 30days. After that there is a fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 MyHomeschoolPlanner is only free for the first 30days. After that there is a fee. Ah, thank you for the correction. It was still free when I tried it, and they weren't sure when they were going to start charging. I'll go back and edit for accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschooltoone Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 HST Plus for me as well. I own it for 5 years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranberry Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 could anyone share why they use homeschool tracker plus instead of just the regular one? What does the plus version give that the other doesn't? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 could anyone share why they use homeschool tracker plus instead of just the regular one? What does the plus version give that the other doesn't? Thanks! With the Plus version: Editing is easier You can import lesson plan files from others The set up is entirely different...the Plus is much more detailed than the Basic. And from their site: Basic... Easy Setup Track Attendance and Hours Manage, Copy and Reschedule Assignments Track Resources Generate Reports Plus... Easy Setup Track Attendance and Hours Manage, Copy and Reschedule Assignments Track Resources High School Transcripts Reuse and Share Lesson Plans Courses and Weighted Grading Attendance Calendar Dozens of Report Options Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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