Is It Essential To Give Grades In Your Homeschool?

Everyone loves a good debate!  The homeschool world is no exception.    Given a wide range of homeschooling styles, it’s not surprising!  Everyone has their own style and ways to do things.  One such hotly debated topic is that of giving grades.

Right off the bat, let me say that the primary determining factor is the requirements of your state, country, or in some cases umbrella school.  That supersedes anything else! If it’s not a requirement, there are some things to consider.

First, let’s take a look at the age of your child. Logically, it seems counterproductive to give a young child a letter grade.  Parents know their strengths and weakness.  We also know no two children are alike and where they need the most work. And the majority of homeschooling parents work with their young children towards mastery before moving on. If they’ve mastered a skill, that’s an “A.” If they haven’t, and they’re still working on it, a parent shouldn’t be worried about assigning a grade at that point.

In our household, mastery is how we went about learning math. While I did not require my children to be perfectionists, I did require them to understand the material and use that knowledge. When grading tests, I paid attention to whether they understood the process or were making careless errors. I then addressed those particular issues, and they retook the test if needed.  Mastery of math is key!

Grades take on a totally different meaning for older children. If you are hybrid schooling with a certain amount of days in a classroom setting and a certain amount of days at home or looking to dual enroll, you must assign grades. In most cases, college will not accept pass / fail or satisfactory /unsatisfactory on a transcript. So, once they are middle or high school-aged, you will need to assign letter grades officially.  This is helpful not only for record-keeping and transcript making purposes, but it also helps the child become accustomed to how papers and assignments will be graded in college.

Whatever side of the great grading debate you fall on, first consult your state, country, or umbrella school regulations. Then consider waiting until middle or high school to begin with formal letter grades.

Check out these great homeschooling resources and much more at Rainbow Resource!