Aside from the socialization debate, the second biggest quandary I’ve heard from homeschoolers is whether or not to give grades. If the answer is “yes”, should it be a letter grade, percentage grade, pass or fail?
I’ve been on both sides of this issue. The biggest determining factor is the requirements of your state or country. Since I’m not familiar with all the different laws of each state and country, I cannot give a definitive answer. However, if it’s not a requirement, than there are some things to consider.
Let’s look at the age of the child. It almost seems counterproductive to give a young child a letter grade. No two children are alike. As parents we know their strengths and weakness, therefore, we know where they need the most work. Most homeschooling parents work with their young children to achieve mastery before moving on. So, if they’ve mastered a skill, that’s an automatic “A”. If they haven’t, they’re probably still working on it. A parent shouldn’t be worried about assigning a grade at this point.
For perspective, this mastery method is how we did math in our household. I did not require my children to be perfectionists. However, I did require them to have an understanding of the material and be able to use that knowledge. In grading tests, I paid particular attention to whether or not they understood the process or were making careless errors. Then, I addressed these issues and they retook the test if need be. Mastery is key in math!
For the older child, grades take on a totally different meaning. If you are enrolled in a hybrid classroom (a certain amount of days in a classroom setting and a certain amount of days at home) or are looking at dual enrollment, then you will have to assign grades. In most cases, colleges will not accept pass / fail or satisfactory /unsatisfactory. In knowing this once they get into high school, it’s best to start assigning letter grades. Not only will this help you for record-keeping and transcript making purposes, but it helps the child become accustomed to how papers and assignments will be graded in college.
Whatever side of the grading debate you fall on, first consult your state regulations. Then consider waiting until middle or high school to begin with formal letter grades.
