HOMESCHOOL GRADES ARE SUBJECTIVE
Like it or not, assigning homeschool grades is a subjective and biased matter, one that has confounded me from the beginning. When I was in school, I remember moms meeting with teachers to dispute test scores. That’s passion! If moms were that passionate about increasing their children’s scores face-to-face, what are homeschool moms doing in their own homes to bolster grades?
ARE CURRICULA TESTS OBJECTIVE ?
Curricula tests provide a good opportunity to increase objectivity. But the objectivity decreases when a parent allows the student to take the test open-book or even retake the test. I’ve also heard parents say they throw out certain questions and go as far as rewriting the tests. If they are rewriting the tests to make them more challenging, that’s another matter. The tests become a subjective matter when we modify how they are taken and how they are written.
Another factor to consider when determining the accuracy of a grade is the difficulty differences between homeschool curricula options as well and those at traditional schools. An “A” in one biology curriculum may not be an “A” in another. We have no way of knowing how our “grades” stack up to those of other homeschoolers and those in traditional schools. We don’t have hundreds of students to assess. Curricula choice introduces subjectivity because the curricula we choose is a subjective choice.
HONORS COURSES
I often hear parents designating certain popular courses as “honors” courses when they should not be. Honors courses, according to the HSLDA, should require 8-10 hours a week for 30+ weeks. Parents want honors courses on the transcript to boost the GPA. Inflating the value of a course to honors status is another way that subjectivity can be introduced in grades.
OUTSIDE INSTRUCTORS
Homeschoolers value having outside teachers for their kids especially in high school. In my experience, outside instructors will provide an actual grade. These grades are objective but ultimately, it’s up to the parent to assign the actual grade on their child’s transcript. If the instructor assigns a “C,” a parent can make that an “A” on the transcript because colleges are not checking in with the private instructor.
COLLEGE GRADES ARE THE MOST OBJECTIVE
Courses taken through a college program during high school is the best way to obtain grades without parent bias. The grades earned at a college are completely handled by the instructor and become a permanent record. The college will send a transcript of courses taken at their institute directly to a receiving college; the parent stays out of the process. One of our big state schools recommends that homeschooled students take college courses during high school. I suspect this advice is aimed at the subjectivity of homeschool grades.
ACT AND SAT SCORES MIGHT BE TELLING
Standardized tests can be a gauge of a student’s abilities. If a student gets all “A’s” on the high school transcript but gets low scores on the ACT or SAT, this could be a red flag for college admissions. Yes, some students simply do not test well on standardized tests for multiple reasons, but they may work hard in class. And some students score really high on these tests and get low grades in class for multiple reasons. Parents need to be aware of such discrepancies when writing the high school transcript. They should also consider intentionally prepping for these tests with study guides and/or using test prep services. We take the ACT seriously. Read my posts The ACT Advantage and ACT in Middle School.
CLEP, AP, and SAT II SUBJECT EXAMS CAN SUPPORT HOMESCHOOL GRADES
Since homeschool grades are not reliable, I’ve felt compelled to add scores from more objective exams. In particular, I’ve had my kids prepare for and take CLEP exams for the main subjects in high school. I feel that CLEP exams show college admissions officers and skeptical family members that my kids have worked hard and can pass college level exams. Although these exams, which are pass/fail, do not provide actual grades, I use them to support the grades I assign on the high school transcript. Read my post CLEP Credit on the High School Transcript.
AP exams can be used the same way. As a note, AP courses can be listed on the high school transcript as “AP” as long as the student has taken an approved AP course. A student can still take an AP exam and use it as college credit even though an approved course was not taken. The course can still be listed on the high school transcript without the AP designation.
SAT II subject exams are just as the name suggests. They are exams for various subjects. The purpose of these exams is to demonstrate achievement in a subject. They do not provide college credit but they can support homeschool grades. SAT II tests provide schools with a standard measure of academic performance, which they use to compare applicants from different high schools and different educational backgrounds.
THE TAKE-HOME LESSON
Homeschool grades are not standardized by any means. Subjectivity is a huge problem. Because each of us is free to choose curricula, testing methods, and grading scales, we have no actual barometer by which to gauge our kids against others. We only have our kids to assess and not hundreds. Furthermore, we are inherently biased in favor of our own kids. When our children send their high school transcripts off to colleges, the admissions officers are faced with the task of determining the accuracy of the grades in relationship to grades assigned at known high schools.
To support the grades, objective scores can be added to the transcript. College courses, AP exams, CLEP exams, SAT II subject tests, and ACT/SAT scores can help admissions officers determine the accuracy of your student’s grades. Homeschoolers can also benefit from including a more recent request by colleges – a resume. The resume is a great tool for highlighting academic experiences like quality camps and internships.
My experience with CLEPs. I have coached my kids and their friends through 16 different CLEP exams over a period of 9 years. Collectively, they have passed 41 CLEP exams and earned over 163 college credits. I’m still coaching my younger son through his CLEP journey. My high school graduates have received full-ride merit scholarships.
Musing: a period of reflection or thought. As such this post reflects my thoughts, opinions, and experiences on the topic. The choice to home school and the methods you choose are yours to determine.