Is Grading Necessary?
The state of Oklahoma does not require homeschoolers to keep grades. However, see below for our recommendation.
Assessment is Useful
In the elementary and middle school years, formal grades are unnecessary, although you may want some form of assessment to track learning progress, such as narration. Check out our series on narration here.
Your student may enjoy getting grades. It may help them see where they are doing well and where they need improvement. Many times, though, the diligent student merely wants the knowledge they are acquiring to stick and be useful. Asking them relevant questions about the material they have read is a great tool for assessment.
When to Grade
In high school, grades are recommended if your student is college-bound. The colleges your student wishes to attend have specific requirements for admission, including standardized test scores such as the ACT and a transcript.
How to Grade
- Rubrics: these are a way to score assignments with a numerical value. Check out How to Use Rubrics to Assess Your Child with some samples from HSLDA.
- Curriculum tests: your curriculum (such as math and science) may already have tests that help you easily see your child’s progress.
- Quality of Work: you may choose to assign a grade based on your knowledge of your student’s work, with or without testing.
Transcripts
Colleges still want to see your transcript. They may not take the score at face value, but that is what the ACT/SAT score is for. They may also do their own in-house testing prior to admission. Check with your student’s college choices for their requirements.
We recommend you create a transcript (or have one created for you) in case a college or business wants it.
Here are some transcript resources from Donna Young.
Transcripts are also useful for getting discounts on insurance for your teen driver.
