How to grade homeschool papers and courses

Grades are typically used to evaluate a student's progress on individual works and on subjects over time. Grading methods include

• traditional standards-based grading
• percentages
• curves
• pass / no pass

Think about whether you want to grade every assignment, every quiz or test, or whether to grade by subject per year, and whether to include measures of effort or improvement beyond straight numbers.

If you're using the conventional alphabetic grading scale, present it to your child so he or she understands the evaluation. Typically, the grading scale translates as follows

• 90 to 100 points = A

• 80 to 89 points = B

• 70 to 79 points = C

• 60 to 69 points = D

• 59 points and below = F

To meet a minimum grading requirement, you may be allowed to use a pass / no pass system. In which case, all grades above C = pass, D and under = no pass.

You can personalize this scale with constructive advice for your child. Your homeschooling philosophy will determine whether you allow your child to retry to improve grades or whether you use incentives to encourage effort.

You can use quizes and tests to determine final grades. Simly add up the percentage scores on each quiz and divide the total by the number of quizes.

For example, if your child's quiz scores were 90% (i.e. 90/100 or 9/10), 80%, 75%, 85%, and 64%, do the following.

90 + 80 + 75 + 85 + 64 = 394

394 / 5 = 78.8% overall average score

According to the standard ten-point grading system, the final grade of 78.8 percent = C.

As a high C, you could call it a C+. In a pass / no pass system, you would simply call it a pass.

Assign the conventional point value to each grade, as follows.

A = 4
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0

Assign the credit value for each of your child's courses (i.e. subjects). For simplicity's sake, you could say each course is worth 1 credit. Thus, a 1-credit course with a grade of A would earn a 4-point.

For the final grade point average of all courses, add up the grade points for each course and divide by the total. For example, if your child receives grades of A, B, C, B, and C in five 1-credit courses, calculate the final grade point average as follows.

4 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 14

14 / 5 = 2.8 overall grade point average

That's a high C in overall academic performance. The value and usefulness this number holds for you and your student is a personal matter that warrants attention and discussion.

Should good grades be rewarded with cash?

Top 10 things homeschooled children and parents get to do while everyone else is in school