The Short Answer
Saskatchewan home-based educators have two yearly duties: keep a portfolio of each child's work, and submit one annual progress report for each child to your registering authority near the end of the school year. The Regulations let your report take several forms. It can be a portfolio of work, the results of a nationally normed standardized test, or that same test arranged privately by you at your own expense. You pick the form that fits your family, so testing is an option, not a requirement. The reporting is light, and a folder kept through the year makes it almost effortless.
A plain-language summary of the rules, not legal advice. We are not lawyers. Requirements change and summaries go out of date. Confirm anything you plan to act on with the department that oversees home education where you live.
Saskatchewan Reporting at a Glance
| What you keep | A portfolio of each child's work through the year. |
|---|---|
| What you submit | One annual progress report per child to your registering authority. |
| When | Near the end of the school year, at a time you set that your division accepts. |
| How you can report | A portfolio, standardized test results, or the same test arranged privately by you at your own expense. |
| Standardized testing required? | No. It is one allowed option, not a requirement. |
| Who you report to | The school division that holds your registration. |
What the Regulations Ask For
Under the Home-Based Education Program Regulations, you do two things each year. You maintain a portfolio of your child's work, and you submit an annual progress report for each child to the registering authority near the end of the year. There is no monthly check-in, no provincial exam your child must pass, and no surprise inspection: the policy says that without the consent of the home-based educator, officials shall not supervise a home-based education program on-site. The reporting is built to confirm progress, not to second-guess how you teach. For where this sits in the full picture, see our main guide on how to homeschool in Saskatchewan.
The Three Ways You Can Show Progress
This is the part worth knowing, because it gives you control. The Regulations let your progress report take any of three forms, and you choose:
- A portfolio of work: a selection of your child's writing, math, projects, and reading that shows growth over the year, in enough detail for the division to assess progress.
- Standardized test results: results from a nationally normed standardized achievement test the child has taken.
- A test you arrange yourself: the same kind of nationally normed standardized achievement test, administered by you or by another person at your expense, as long as whoever gives it meets the qualifications the test requires.
Two of the three options are the same standardized test, and they differ only in who gives it, so the real choice is between a portfolio and a test. Most families use the portfolio, because it is the least disruptive and reflects real learning. If you dislike testing, you never have to give one. The choice is yours each year.
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How to Build a Portfolio Without the Stress
The trick is to collect as you go rather than assemble at the end. Keep a folder or a box per child and drop work in across the year, dated. By spring you have a rich record and nothing to scramble for. The policy requires the portfolio whichever reporting option you pick, including the test options, and it asks only that a portfolio submitted as your report carry enough detail for the division to assess progress. It does not prescribe what goes in it. A strong portfolio usually holds:
- Writing samples from across the year, so growth is visible
- Math pages or workbook sections your child finished
- A reading list or log of books read and read together
- Photos of projects, experiments, and hands-on work
- Any course work, quizzes, or certificates from outside classes
You do not save every page. A handful of pieces per subject that show your child moving forward is plenty. The portfolio tells a story of progress, and that story is what your report rests on.
Writing the Annual Progress Report
The report itself is short. For each child, you summarize the year: the subjects you covered, how your child progressed, and the evidence you are relying on, whether the portfolio or test results. Write it in plain language. You are reporting growth, not defending a thesis. Your division may give you a template, so ask for one and write to it. To get a clear read on your child's level before you write, our free reading assessment gives you a concrete data point in about ten minutes.
When and Where It Goes
You submit the report to your registering authority, the school division that holds your registration, near the end of the school year, at a time you determine that is acceptable to the registering official. Propose a date when you register and put it on the calendar. One report per child, once a year, and you are done until the next registration cycle.
If a Report Is Late or Incomplete
This is the part worth knowing before you need it. If the registering authority tells you your annual progress report is missing information or does not comply, you have 15 days from receiving that written notice to supply what is missing or otherwise fix the problem. If you do not, or if the registering official decides the added information still does not match what your education plan set out, the authority has 15 days to notify you in writing that the board of education or conseil scolaire intends to cancel the home-based education program, with reasons, and to tell you about the dispute resolution process.
None of that happens without warning, and a report sent on time with a portfolio behind it keeps you well clear of it. If a notice does arrive, answer it inside the 15 days rather than waiting for the next letter.
A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You
We want to take the fear out of this, because it stops people from starting. Saskatchewan is not watching over your shoulder. One report a year, in the form you choose, backed by a folder of your kid's work. That is lighter than the paperwork most parents do for a single field trip in a brick-and-mortar school.
So keep it simple. Start a folder per child in September, drop work in every week or two, and let it fill on its own. When report season comes, you flip through the folder, write a page that says here is what we did and here is how it went, and send it in. If your child tests well and you like numbers, add a test. If not, skip it. The system gives you room, so use it.
Reporting is easier when the year was planned. That is where it starts.
Get the GuideWhat to teach, how to track it, and what to keep.
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☕ Buy us a coffee ($5)Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Have to Submit a Progress Report?
Yes. You submit one annual progress report for each child to your registering authority near the end of the year, and keep a portfolio of the child's work through the year.
What Can the Report Include?
It can be a portfolio of your child's work, the results of a nationally normed standardized achievement test, or that same test arranged by you or another person at your own expense. You choose the form that suits your family.
Do My Kids Have to Write Standardized Tests?
No. Testing is one allowed way to show progress, not a requirement. Many families report through a portfolio and never sit a standardized test.
What Goes in the Portfolio?
A collection of your child's work across the year: writing samples, math pages, projects, reading lists, and photos of hands-on activities. It shows progress and backs up your report.
When Is It Due?
Near the end of the school year, at a time you set that your registering authority accepts. Agree on the date with your division when you register.
Sources
This guide was verified in June 2026 against the following primary sources. Reporting dates and any division-specific requirements vary, so confirm with your registering authority.