Frequently Asked Questions

STEP 1: Purchase Subscription to Portals Home Education Choose your start date as well as your preferred pricing plan. You will have the option to select a monthly or yearly subscription and payment plan. You will have the option to select a start date for your plan, and on that selected start date, you will be granted immediate and full access to lesson plans for all subject areas at each learning level. Portals lesson plans are made available for each new school year on July 15th, therefore, this is the most commonly selected start date. STEP 2: ​Determine Math, Reading and Learning Level for Each Child: After purchasing your subscription to Portals Home Education, you will need to determine which level to place your student: MATH: Portals uses Math-U-See to develop lesson plans for K-12 students. Math is not connected to age level or grade level, but it is based on skill level and competency. Your child(ren), no matter the age or learning level, will need to complete placement testing in order for you to determine the correct course and materials. The Math-U-See placement test can be accessed here. READING: Portals uses Pathway Readers curriculum from Kindergarten through 2nd grade in order to teach students how to read. K-2 reading level placement can be completed using this link. In alignment with our learning philosophy, Portals believes that the best way to learn a skill is to do it. After 2nd grade, students are generally ready, and encouraged, to read books on their own through the list of classic literature, poetry, and short stories included in the Growers Literature course. LEARNING LEVEL: Each Portals Learning Level has unique curriculum, reading materials, and project ideas that change each year to best support the developmental stage of each learner. We recommend that you review the book lists for each level to determine which may be the right one for your student. Consider their reading skill and comprehension, as well as the concepts they will be exposed to in each book that they will read. Our homeschool advisors are also here to help you determine which level may be the best fit for your child(ren). Learn more about each learning level by clicking on the links below: Founders - Early Elementary - Generally Ages 5-8 Growers - Late Elementary - Generally Ages 8-11 Thinkers - Middle School - Generally Ages 11-14 Leaders - High School - Generally Ages 14-18 STEP 3: Collect Reading Materials: After step two, you'll be ready to take your book list and start collecting the reading materials that you need. Portals provides full detail book lists, including ISBN #, so that families can choose to save money by purchasing used copies of each book or using public library resources. There are some families who prefer the convenience of having Portals send all of their reading materials to their home, and you can make that purchase by using the Portals Book Order. ​ STEP 4: Start Learning: Just prior to the selected start date of your subscription, you will receive instructions on how to log-in to the Educator Dashboard to set up your lesson plans preferences and begin teaching. To get a sneak peak at how the dashboard looks, watch this instructional video: REMINDER - Know the homeschool laws in your state. You may be required to notify your district that you are withdrawing your child(ren) from school. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association is a great resource for understanding the laws and regulations of each state.

Portals is available for students Kindergarten through 12th grade. We use a multi-age learning approach, so students will be placed in one of four learning levels where content rotates each year so they are regularly introduced to new content and developmentally age appropriate learning. Our homeschool advisors are here to help you determine which level may be the best fit for your child(ren). Learn more about each learning level by clicking on the links below: Founders - Early Elementary - Generally Ages 5-8 Growers - Late Elementary - Generally Ages 8-11 Thinkers - Middle School - Generally Ages 11-14 Leaders - High School - Generally Ages 14-18

Our learning model utilizes the research supported practices of project-based learning, choice/quest based learning, and literature based learning. Currently, we are using Portals original content, Sonlight, Berean Builders, Apologia, and Math-U-See as our primary curriculum resources. These curriculum resources were selected with regards to the following criteria: Christian faith - No matter what discipline, the search for Truth is a search to understand God’s Word, God’s Creation, God’s Plan, and God’s Will. We study tough issues and other perspectives openly, and without fear, alongside the wisdom God has given us. Free market proven - Curriculum is established and has proven successful over time within the marketplace. Multi-age integration - Curriculum written with a topical approach that allows for multiple ages to study and work together.

We include all classes expected of typical entrance qualification. Colleges generally require a specific number of years in particular subject areas and Portals will match or exceed each. Use this link to view the full scope and sequence. We also support and encourage high school students to begin taking college level courses when ready, so they have a proven track record with college courses. This along with standardized test scores are sufficient for admission to higher education institutions. In regards to accreditation, Portals is built on the premise that parents and school administrators are the final ‘accreditor’ of education. National and/or State accreditation has not produced viable schooling systems for our children. Current government requirements are at times contrary to our beliefs and expectations for a robust and reason-based education. We see secular accreditation processes as a tool for government control of learning and part of the problem with government schools. Accreditation is a non-system to enforce worldview and compliance without popular vote or public discourse. Accreditation assumes that the accreditors matter, with school choice options outperforming public schools consistently, state accreditations simply don't matter as much as they may have in the past. Listen to our podcast episode with Inder Singh, Director of Admissions at Crown College to learn more about college admissions and why colleges love homeschool students. See also https://www.masterygenius.com/homeschooling/how-do-homeschoolers-get-into-college/

Yes! Portals is committed to the core tenets of the Christian faith and we are passionate about teaching the Gospel and modeling what it looks like to have a personal relationship with Christ. Our curriculum resources are chosen with respect to the worldview. We are non-denominational and willing to work with any families and churches that share our core beliefs. See Portal’s Beliefs to learn more.

Yes! The Portals team members are all committed Christians. Site instructors and staff are required to be professing Christians and agree to our Statement of Faith. However, being a Christian is not a requirement of registering and using our resources.

We value all areas of learning that allow our students to gain knowledge about God, the world and themselves. We want to give our students the opportunity to develop skills in areas outside the essential subjects and glorify God through their exploration and mastery. Therefore, we fully integrate art and stem into our projects and activities and will continue to add resources and options as we grow. Review our Project Planning Guide on the Project Integration page of our website. For families that want to emphasize an area of interest or study that is beyond the projects included in the Portals curriculum, we encourage you to do so! Portals is flexible enough in scope and time for you to be able to incorporate additional learning.

Portals resources are delivered through an online educator dashboard. You will need at least one computer and access to the internet to use these resources effectively. The lesson plans typically include links to online resources that your student(s) may need to access for supplemental learning. For this reason, it is recommended that you also have a computer available for your student(s) to use.

Ultimately, the amount of time spent on digital platforms will be determined by the educator. The desire and goal of Portals is to prepare students for a tech savvy world, so we do suggest exposure and opportunities to develop technology based skills as students advance through our program. The total amount of time spent online depends largely on the age group and the project they are working on. We don’t support technology being used for it's own sake though, so any tools or materials that are not enhanced by being online will be provided offline as well.

Portals includes 144 days of lesson plans and 36 days open for exploration and extension of learning through activities such as field trips, projects, guest speakers, internships, and community and ministry opportunities. This covers a typical 180 day school year, however, you are welcome to set your own pace and progress through the lesson plans as it's best for you and your student(s). Lesson plans for the upcoming year are published each summer in July.

One of the most significant barriers to parents having their children attend a non-public school is the tuition. One of Portals’ founding goals is to provide a high-quality Christian education option to students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. Through scholarships, fundraising, and resource trading Portals ensures that no child will be turned away due to finances. You can learn more by reaching out to Portals through the contact form, or by filling out the homeschool scholarship application.

Student driven pacing on Language Arts and Math are both accommodations for special education. We also suggest a number of sites like: https://www.homeschool.com/how-to-homeschool-special-needs/ and will work with sites to find and identify support for special needs. Support systems are readily available to families. Also, note that a number of more recent behavioral special needs designations are the outcome of grading systems, high population spaces, age segregation, and standardization in government schools and over time are minimized or ‘cured’ in micro-school or homeschool settings.

We suggest that educators review every project and product with the student, noting areas of skill, creativity, and areas where the student can either improve next time, or edit and revise now. Immediate feedback systems work much like performance reviews or seeing the reaction of others to our work. These produce both motivation as students know all work is seen, and reflection as students think about how to grow. Traditional grading systems are both inconsistent and differ based on the person doing the grading. They are useful in sorting processes for mass-schooling and are used to divide ‘high’ ability and ‘low’ ability students, but have nominal impact on student learning. In other words they serve adults more than learners. Grades have been shown to 1) Create risk avoidance in work, 2) Create an unwarranted sense of completion, and 3) often don’t provide clear direction for growth. Where grading provides a false sense of success or failure, it is not success or failure in itself - which is generally the outcome when a learner follows up assessment. Grading does not aid or help students to master content or progress through material more quickly. Instead of assuming grades are important, we strongly encourage educators to simply review work and provide feedback to students. Trust that joy, intention, and solid curriculum will provide a better educational foundation for learning. We do not require sites to use grades, nor do we collect ‘grades’.

We believe that children learn best when working with children younger and older than themselves rather than split up into groups based solely on age. For some subjects, students are separated by level (not age) such as in math and reading. For subjects like science and history, students within the same developmental stage are easily grouped together. Bible curriculum is aligned across all ages. For many projects, fieldtrips, and exploratory activities all the students work and learn side by side even though they are gaining knowledge and skills specific to them. For homeschooling, this allows for segments of the day to be done together as a family and differentiation at other times. Check out the article below to learn more about the benefits and challenges of multi-age learning.

Portals has developed it's own daily Bible curriculum with the intent that it equips parents/teachers to share their faith in their own way. Our common ground is the scripture, so we stick to that primarily. Our Bible curriculum... is the Bible. YEARLY: Over the course of three years, your learner will get an overview of the entire Bible. High School students will read it in it's entirety over three years, and then are given the challenge to read the Bible in a year before graduating. WEEKLY: We provide one verse for memorization or recitation each week. These are selected as an overview of a theme for the year (Teachings of Jesus, Hope from the Psalms, etc.). DAILY: As in every other subject, we follow the Read, Think, Do approach. We provide daily readings (Read) with prompts for questions to ask to draw out the main ideas (Think) and we have age appropriate projects for each of the main levels to allow time to absorb and/or use the text in life (Do). By the way, GREAT question! This is the most important aspect of any child's education - do they know God's Word or not?

All prospective schools must schedule a consultation with Portals so we can learn more about your school, and design a partnership strategy that works for your school vision and plan. More information about the process for using Portals in your school is available on the Christian School Overview page of our website.

In addition to the educator training series, customized lesson plans, and access to our support team, you'll find administrative resources shared with us by a network of schools and school administrators. These include documents such as an academic calendar, annual budget template, employee and student handbook, supply lists, assessment/transcript templates, and more.

Before logging in for the first time you will need to set a password. Click the button below and enter your email address. Your email address must be the same as the one you provided when purchasing your subscription. The system is case sensitive so make sure you capitalize any necessary letters. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. Check your spam folder if you do not receive the email within a few minutes. Click the link in the email and choose a secure and personal password that you will use to log-in to access your lesson plans. Once you have reset your password, you will use your new credentials to log-in to the educator dashboard. All of your lesson plans will be available to view on your personal dashboard. Be sure to bookmark the log-in page for quick and easy access in the future. If you are unable to complete these steps, or if you need to update your email address, please reach out to our support team anytime at info@portalsedu.com or by calling 612-356-7376 Monday through Friday 9am-6pm Central Time.

Forgot password? Click the button below and enter your email address. Your email address must be the one you provided when purchasing your subscription. The system is case sensitive so make sure you capitalize any necessary letters. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. Check your spam folder if you do not receive the email within a few minutes. Click the link in the email and choose a secure and personal password. Once you have reset your password, use your new credentials to log-in. If you are unable to complete these steps, or if you need to update your email address, please reach out to our support team anytime at info@portalsedu.com or by calling 612-356-7376 Monday through Friday 9am-6pm Central Time.