Mommyof1 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Do you give grades or test at these ages? Why or why not? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 No. I am on my 8th 2nd grader and have never given grades. I don't give many tests, either, even through high school. It is just not part of my educational philosophy. My goal is mastering skills and learning material. I know what they are capable of achieving and I know if they are mastering the content or not. It hasn't impacted my kids' ability to take tests. All of my older kids have graduated from college with honors and my current college sr has a 4.0. If anything, focusing on learning has meant my kids have not played the game of memorizing and then forgetting. They simply learn. :) 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I don't. Because I know each child well, can see him or her progressing, and tend to be aware of weak areas. Because I'm concerned about skills more than content at those ages and skill progression is different in every individual. I don't need them to meet any arbitrary test markers. I ⤠homeschooling. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Nope. Grades make no sense at that age. I already know how they're doing. Dd9 does tests in math, but that's only because I help her with her daily math and I need to be sure I'm not too much of a crutch and she's actually learning. Other than that, I don't suspect I'll start giving grades until high school. There's just "good work" or "not good enough, go fix it". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 No. If I had 20-30 of them in a classroom I probably would. But I just have mine working at my elbow. I don't need a test to tell me what he knows and where his weak areas are. My 4th grader doesn't get tested either. The tests in her math book are like any other lesson to her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 No, never. Also not for 3rd grade, which my eldest is currently in, and no plans to for several years to come. I don't give tests, because I know what my kiddos do and don't understand. I talk to them, ask them questions, listens to their questions, check their math work, listen to their narrations, eavesdrop on their imaginative play, etc. I know that my first grader is still struggling with regrouping in subtraction...he still requests that I help him with those types of problems, he still makes missteps as we go through them together, he still looks confused when I explain how he is going astray. I don't need a test to tell me that we need to keep working on that skill. OTOH, we spent last year learning about biology and anatomy, and a couple days ago DS thoroughly and correctly explained to his gym coach how the inner ear contributes to balance. He also pointed out a literary reference to a Trojan horse in a comic book he was reading, asked a very insightful question about abstract nouns, and with his brothers, fashioned very realistic Egyptian canopic jars out of play dough...complete with entrails. In my opinion, these are all much better ways of evaluating if he is internalizing the topics we are studying, because they all show the depth of his understanding much better than any true/false or matching test possibly could. As for grades, it seems pointless because we always work until skills are mastered. Right now DS would probably fail a test on subtraction regrouping, but that is exactly why I have no plans to move on for the time being. Any grade I gave him now, would just reflect his imperfect understand at this moment...which isn't nearly as important in my mind as whether he persevered until he eventually mastered the skill. Wendy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I don't. My daughter actually repeatedly asks for grades, but due to her anxiety, I still don't. She's too hard on herself and anything other than an A or 100% would be seen as evidence of failure by her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof1 Posted August 21, 2017 Author Share Posted August 21, 2017 (edited) I'm not formally homeschooling yet. DD only 4. I'm formulating a plan for when we do start. Thank you all for your input. I feel that testing or grading this young isn't going to benefit her. She is a perfectionist and she is easily discouraged. I keep having to encourage her to not give up. The state doesn't require testing or grades. Edited August 21, 2017 by Mommyof1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 No. They have taken the math tests in their books, but as a pp said, we treat them as if they're a regular lesson. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixpix5 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 No. They have taken the math tests in their books, but as a pp said, we treat them as if they're a regular lesson. This for us too. It just seems unnecessary since I know where they are at already. We just feel that tests and grades, much like rewards and star charts, rob the intrinsic motivating factors of learning and externalize them. Seems to have worked for us so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 We only did the testing required by the state. In lieu of grades, I've done quarterly narrative reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I've talked with people whose kids were coming out of school, and to some of those kids grades were really important. So I can see where some people might, but as native homeschoolers who've never done that type of schooling, it makes no sense. Now standardized testing is a different issue. It's really wise to start doing that at some point. That 2nd-3rd range is fine. I even did some with my ds after 1st. Our state requires that or a narrative assessment/portfolio review. Thing is, if people will take the time to standardized test, they can sometimes catch things that come back to bite them later. So me, I'm in favor of that kind of testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ealp2009 Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 We have not done tests at home but this year we started doing a standardized text at the end of the year. For our state, we have to ever couple of years and I just want my children to be used to taking it every year and hopefully it won't feel like a big deal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Nope. I am having trouble even conceiving how to do it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertstrawberry5 Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 no testing or grades, except, as above, the tests that are part of their math. But those are not graded and they score themselves. They have to pass to move on, or they review, ask for help if necessary, and retest. We have no need for grades. Our assignments don't work that way. Either they work till it's correct, or it's project based, like writing a short story, or drawing a picture, or building something. I mean, I guess I could grade them, but they'd all make A's and then it would be meaningless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I also did do spelling tests on the words we had practiced some years, but not for grades. I didn't keep grades anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Nope, not until high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrichor Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Nope! Probably won't start until 7th grade or later. Grades at the elementary age are mainly for the parents to know how their child is doing. A bad grade is not a motivator at this age, rather it tells the child that they "can't." I don't even ever tell DS that "this is a test" I just continuously record his progress, weaknesses, and strengths in my head as he works. We don't have to give standardized tests in our state either. Test taking is a skill, and if standardized tests were a concern/requirement, I would teach how to take tests. At this *early* point in time, I plan to postpone test taking skills until middle school. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 No. I see how they progress and know what they need to work on. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitgrl Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 We don't. I think dd would obsess about them. Besides, it would be just one more thing to do. And if it is unnecessary and not helpful, why bother? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 No. Sometimes we've used math tests in the book as a time when the child is to try and do the problems without asking for help. THat's mostly been for one daughter who is inclined to ask even when she could do it, if she just stopped and thought for a bit. But there's never been any need. Dd12 had her first test last year when she went to ps for grade 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof1 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Thank you, all who replied. It really helps when trying to figure out how I will homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Nope. I know what they're doing and how well, and our state doesn't require it so I see no reason to. I'll introduce it at some point in the future, but I don't know when. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Do you give grades or test at these ages? Why or why not? Just curious. For children younger than 11 or 12, no grades. I would correct their work, of course, but there's no point in *grades.* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 The only* tests I give before 9th grade are spelling tests. We start those in about 2nd grade. In hindsight, I should probably have started tests in 8th grade so that they would be more used to the format each curricula uses before the grade book officially counts toward a high school transcript. I will probably start this with my younger three. *I do give standardized tests each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megbo Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 No tests, no grades, lots of stickers. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 no grades no tests but stars on their reward chart. I don't even give grades or tests for any year of homeschooling , right up until they are 16 and start tertiary studies. we do do spelling tests a few times a week once they learn to write Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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