How do you decide what grade to put your children in?

[woolybear]

I have felt in the past that a grade level didn't really matter as homeschoolers, because my dc were way ahead in some areas and behind in others. So we just worked according to their levels in different areas. Well, at some point last year I said to ds that he was in second grade. He was happy to have it designated and said," Oh good, now I can work toward being in third grade." Well, I see how this can be motivating.

 

Sometime later he met some kid (a stranger) at a playground who asked him what grade he was in. He said he didn't know. So the other boy said, "Well, how old are you?" Ds said 8. So the other boy said," You're in third grade then." After that ds insisted he was in third grade.

 

This year I want each of my boys to have a designated grade for a variety of reasons. I'm just wondering, should I put them at grade level based on age/maturity and then have them doing remedial work for the areas they are behind in? Or should I put them in a grade based on their basic skills level ?(Which for my older ds is behind that which is typical for his age.)

 

I am leaning towards ds 6--first grade and ds 8 third to fourth grade. My older ds is below third grade for reading,writing and math. However, I think he will be getting the reading much better this year and once he breaks through with that, I think he will really take off. He is quite mature. His knowledge and interest in history,geograph,literature, art and science are all well above the typical 3rd to 4th grader.

 

So, any advice?

 

Thanks, Woolybear

[Snickerdoodle]

I do it by age. My son has just turned 8 and we start our third grade cycle July 1st. I explained to my son, who has never been in school, the grade system in case he gets asked at the playground. My son is the kind of person who doesn't care about this sort of thing, but would be irritated if someone asked him and he didn't know this kind of basic information about himself.

 

The grade thing is completely just for playground and inquiring grannies at the supermarket kind of thing. The work he does is based on ability. Some of it is above the grade level, some of it is below, and some is right on his peer's schedule.

[LoriM]

I gave my kids the PS labels that were appropriate for their coursework, but then explained to them that they couldn't graduate until they were 18. GRIN. So, my 10yo dd was in 7th grade, because her coursework was all 7th grade work (and higher). Now she's 16yo, and finished a semester of college...but she won't graduate from high school for two more years. She's told friends that she's a "fifth year senior for eligibility reasons." It's fun to confuse the world. :)

[Amy in CO]

I tell my kids that they are in what ever grade matches their ages. Not that I really cared, but I realized that the people asking "what grade are you in?" were really asking "who old are you?" It just has made it easier for us to "blend" with friends and relatives.

 

Amy

[Lovedtodeath]

I have felt in the past that a grade level didn't really matter as homeschoolers, because my dc were way ahead in some areas and behind in others. So we just worked according to their levels in different areas. Well, at some point last year I said to ds that he was in second grade. He was happy to have it designated and said," Oh good, now I can work toward being in third grade." Well, I see how this can be motivating.

Hi Woolybear!:D Same here. I was trying to promote Emily in January and she insists that she is going into 2nd grade... well sure, I guess... going into it in January. :001_huh: :lol: I will just let her say she is in the same grade as her b/f who was born ten days earlier.

[Rhonda in TX]

Different states have different age cut-offs. In Texas, you have to be 5 by August 31st to start kindergarten. Since DS's birthday is in September, he turned 6 shortly after he began kindergarten. I would check your state's laws for that kind of information and place them accordingly.

[snickelfritz]

Which is September 1. And I call them the grade that their age would put them in. This is also the way they are placed in church and other activities.

 

Now, if we ever had another child and if that child was a boy with a summer birthday or a girl with an August birthday....we might make a decision to hold them back.... even in homeschool. But, we would just have to see.

 

My early June birthday child is capable of going with her class (socially and academically) and my late September birthday child missed the cutoff(she's capable too, but she still gets almost a full extra year.)

 

Now, they both work at their own level. But, I consider that a different matter.

[AudreyTN]

I do it based on what grade they would be in Public School.

[elegantlion]

I do it based on what grade they would be in Public School.

 

We do the same. DS has a September birthday and turned 6 shortly after starting K in private school. We don't make a big deal of grade levels, but he's starting 6th grade in August. The cutoff where we lived then was July, so he's an older 6th grader.

 

We've found grade levels only to come in handy for activities and Sunday school.

[Laura Corin]

I put them in grade based on age. Calvin is working at high school level in some areas, but I don't connect level of work to stated grade.

 

Laura

[Karen in CO]

I use the cutoff date from the PS to determine when they are "old enough" to start school. After that, I figure what year they will be 18 for graduation then count backwards from there. I don't want my kids to go away to college before they are 18. Because our district has what I think are late cut off dates, my dd8 is just completing second grade and will be 8 turning 9 in third grade. She is doing about 4th grade math, reads on high school level, has terrific handwriting, but she is in second grade for 10 more days.

[kanagnostos]

I realized that the people asking "what grade are you in?" were really asking "who old are you?"

 

Amy

:iagree:

When someone asks my son this, he just answers with whatever grade comes to his mind at that moment. It has been our experience that he can answer with a grade outrageously above or below what would be the norm for his age range, and he gets no reaction whatsoever!

[Ravin]

Well, DD has an official grade level for the enrichment program she's in through the Mesa public schools. She's a rising first grader for the purpose of that program, and her work at home is at that level, too. For social reasons it fits as well, because her best friend, T, who is just a couple of months older and public schooled was also in K this last year. If I'd been planning to actually send her to school full time, I almost certainly would have waited another year for K. But she did just fine in the one-day-a-week program last year.

 

If she wound up ahead at some point, I'd promote her grade level. She may eventually go into a public charter school (not before 6th grade, though, which is when the schools I've actually been impressed with start), if she wants, and will probably start in keeping with whatever grade she is at that time, assuming standard promotion from here on out. She'd have to seriously fall behind what I'd expect for grade level for me to change it backward, probably with an eye to her going to the charter (if she's working at her own pace at home, there'd be less reason to do so).

Edited June 23, 2009 by Ravin

[AudreyTN]

We've found grade levels only to come in handy for activities and Sunday school.

 

Exactly. :) The first time we've ever had to "use" it is this month. The two oldest are going to church camp and they do it by grades.

[Guest]

My boys don't care. Our Church classes and Scouts through Church are by birth year, not month or school grade so it hasn't come up. I do know last year at a Scout activity a boy asked my oldest (just turned 13 2 weeks ago)his grade and J said 4th. The boy jeered at him which my son found odd. I think it seems to matter to a few kids and many adults than it does to most.

[Mom22ns]

Not that I really cared, but I realized that the people asking "what grade are you in?" were really asking "How old are you?"

Amy

 

:iagree:

The question really is just a way of asking age. I have a friend whose daughter is in an accelerated program in ps. She will graduate at 16, but she still gives her grade based on her age. She will tell you she is a sophomore this year, but she will graduate next May. She understands the question.

 

I find homeschoolers who start spouting their levels in different subjects sound very rude and those that give an advanced grade sound pretentious.

 

Here the cut off for school is birthday by July 31st. We go by that.

[angela in ohio]

We go by age. In PS, there are children in every grade working ahead and behind. It is a common misconception that every child in X grade in school is doing exactly X grade work.

 

I find it difficult when HSers put their kiddos in different grade levels (usually ahead a grade.) Then when it is time to put them in classes for something, you have to figure out who grade advanced and who didn't, before you can figure out what grade/age they really are. For most homeschool activities now, I just go by age, because it is so common.

[Greta]

I use the cutoff date from the PS to determine when they are "old enough" to start school. After that, I figure what year they will be 18 for graduation then count backwards from there. I don't want my kids to go away to college before they are 18.

 

:iagree: This is pretty much what I do, too. My dd's birthday is just after the "cut-off" date that the public schools here use. So she is "old" for her grade level (she'll be turning 10 this fall and in 4th). So she will be 18 for most of her senior year of high school, and turning 19 just a month or two after she enters college. I realize a lot of people consider it a sign of success if their kids enter and graduate from college early, but that just is not at all what I want for my dd. It's isn't just about the academics, it's also about having the maturity to handle all the new situations she'll find herself in. I'd really rather her be asking herself "should I go to this frat party?" (please, heavens, NO!) at the age of 19 than at 17. In fact, I'd love it if she'd take a year off between high school and college, to do volunteer work, travel, whatever, and be facing that stuff at 20. "Better late than early" definitely applies to this situation, imo!

 

ETA: That doesn't mean that all the schoolwork we do is at that grade level. She's ahead in some areas, behind in others, but she's in "Fourth Grade" this fall regardless, because of when she'll graduate. I do adapt the work to her needs, as best I can.

[Ashkraw]

I go by age. My ds is an excelerated learner, however I do not believe in cheating a child of their age. They have one year to be each and every age that they are. Make the most of it....they need to grow, mature and develop their character and minds. Each age has milestones to develop through. There is not rush. Once and adult always an adult. Save college for 18.... They can always take dual credit while in highschool. No need to hurry them along.

 

My ds is a fifth grader doing mostly sixth grade work because she was not challenged. However at church she socializes with the fifth graders. Her age group.

 

Good Luck

[Diana B]

:iagree:

 

 

I find homeschoolers who start spouting their levels in different subjects sound very rude and those that give an advanced grade sound pretentious.

 

This is why I never ask a HSer what grade they are in! I'll ask how old a child is, and if I want to start a conversation I'll ask what they are learning, but we all know that grade level in HS does not equate to what they are learning about, so it doesn't help in that area.

 

We follow what he would be in public school, even though he doesn't remember half the time what grade he's in. It's mostly for activities and church as well.

 

My biggest thing is when to go from one grade to the next! We school all year round and will be starting all our new curriculum about a month after the PS. So when is he a '1st grader'?

[Peggy in Va]

I would go by ps school cut off dates. Sometimes that means they are older for their "grade" and sometimes younger. However, I think in most states parents are offered the option of not starting kindergarten at 5 if the child has a late birthday and the parents feel it would be better to wait.

 

My middle ds birthday is 10/1. Cut of date here is 9/30. If we hadn't been homeschooling him I could have pushed and had him start early as he was more than ready. But with hindsight being 20/20, we opted to let him be one of the older kids with more opportunities for being a leader instead of a younger kid being a follower. So, in K he turned 6 shortly after school started and he turned 8 shortly after 2nd started.

 

Just a thought.

[Elizabeth Conley]

I stick to the age group, for social reasons. Most people are asking in order to learn how old the child is. Also, grade level is used for placement in summer camps and Sunday school. In those cases, I think we need to place our children in with their social peers. It's easiest if the children self-identify as being in the same grade as the other kids in their camp group or Sunday school.

 

Neither of my children know what grade their curriculum is. In some things they're ahead, in others they're on grade level. I don't want them accidentally boasting. Many of their home schooled friends take pains to tell everyone who will listen that they're significantly ahead academically, or studying very advanced topics. I figure if the kids don't know they're ahead, they're less likely to be socially obnoxious about it.

[Elohcin]

We deal with standardized testing in our state. As a result of this, I keep my children in the grade they would be in in our local district. I really don't care. They work to the level they are capable, but I want them to test at the grade they are "supposed to be in".

[katilac]

We do the standard "age minus 5 equals grade." My kids both have summer birthdays, so it's really easy for us - - they have a birthday, and right after that, go into a new grade. If my kids had a winter birthday, I'd try to consider where they fit best. dd's friend is 6 months younger than her, but a full grade behind, so it can go either way.

 

My kids do work at different grade levels in different subjects, but I personally won't consider a grade skip until they have spent at least a year in middle school working ahead in all subjects. I just think that you can always go forward, but if you grade skip early, that student may not be ready for logic stage work when it arrives.

[razorbackmama]

For the type of situation you're talking about, I go by age unless they are more/less mature than other kids their age. Their academics actually have very little bearing on what grade I declare them to be in. So this coming up fall I will have:

12yo ds - 7th grade

11yo ds - 5th grade (late Aug. birthday, less mature for his age)

9yo dd - 4th grade

7yo ds - 1st grade (April birthday, but again, less mature for his age...in time if he matures up to where other kids his age are, I'll bump him up)

5yo dd - K (late Sept. birthday - she'll turn 5 this Sept., more mature for her age...heck at times she's more mature than the 12yo LOLOLOL)

[Ellie]

JMHO, although I feel *very* strongly about this: when it is necessary to put a grade-level label on the dc, for whatever reason, it should be the one based on your state's cut-off date, not on your dc's maturity or anything else. I have over 25 years now of conversations and experiences with many, many hsers, IRL and on-line, which cause me to believe this.

 

Grade levels are arbitrary, man-made methods for grouping children of the approximate same age and supposed learning abilities. There was a time when children were grouped in school according to the readers they were using, not according to their ages...a much smarter grouping, with an actual purpose. Children were finished with school when they finished the last reader.

 

In Calif, children who are 6 by December 2 will enter first grade in the fall. Yes, it's much too late in the year, but it is what it is. In Texas, it's 6 by September 1. Much better.

 

Of course, the truth is that in both cases there will always be children who are "young" for their grade level, which does level the playing field, so to speak.

 

So that's what I think: Choose the grade levels your dc would be in if they had started at the local public school, and don't look back.

[Haiku]

I go with what grade my children would be in if they were in public school.

 

Honestly, until I started coming to this board, it never occurred to me that people would stress about what grade their kid is in. I mean, plenty of public schooled kids are ahead in some subjects and behind in others and no one feels the need to tinker with their grade level.

 

I just see it as, "My kid is in this grade because she's this old, and she'll work at the skill level she's at."

 

Tara

[i.love.lucy]

My dd was pulled from PS so she is naturally sensitive to grade level. She gets to call herself what she'd be in school.

 

My ds has an 8/29 birthday and I debated and debated about calling him K this year. He really is only ready for pre-k work, but somehow it seemed like calling him pre-k and dd moving into 4th seemed to grow the gap between them. But dh put it into perspective for me, helped me see that it doesn't matter how far apart our kids are, what is important is placing ds at his level. And he reminded me that placing him in pre-k keeps him with me one more year! :001_wub: So he will stay "behind" in church in the preschool dept and move up next year to k. Better now than when he's 10 or something. Besides, he needs the year to mature and grow. He was a preemie and is still small for his age. Lot's of factors play into the decision.

[Ginevra]

I do it by their age and their would-be grade if in school. Also, I have always told the kids what grade they are in simply because I'd rather them not look baffled when other people ask them. To me, it has nothing to do with the level of work they are able to do. I don't personally care for them to know or tell other people they are at some advanced grade in math or English or whatever the case is - no need to get a big head about it. Anyway, they are used to being classified by grade due to the classes they go to in church or their community sports activities.

[Haiku]

I go by age. My ds is an excelerated learner, however I do not believe in cheating a child of their age. They have one year to be each and every age that they are. Make the most of it....they need to grow, mature and develop their character and minds. Each age has milestones to develop through. There is not rush. Once and adult always an adult. Save college for 18.... They can always take dual credit while in highschool. No need to hurry them along.

 

I don't see it as hurrying them along. For many kids, the later teenage years are just marking time. It certainly was for me. I had no interest in the high school social scene and was ready and eager to get into college so I could begin doing something more meaningful than attending high school. I had the credits to graduate after junior year but my parents wouldn't let me. They wanted me to graduate with my class. After moping through the first semester of my senior year, I was so miserable that my parents let me graduate mid-year but required me to either get a job or start community college. (This was before dual-enrollment options.) Well, duh! That's what I had wanted to do all along! I got a job AND started community college. That first year out of high school was one of the most fulfilling of my life. I wasted a lot of time in high school falling in with the wrong crowd and dabbling in drugs. Far more productive would have been my time had I been working or volunteering or traveling, just about anything other than sitting through classes I got nothing out of and battling the social cesspool of high school. I see nothing so special about the years between 16 and 18 that they have to be savored or something. If a 16 year old is capable of doing something they feel is more meaningful than marching band and chess club, I say go for it!

 

Tara

[Ellie]

I go with what grade my children would be in if they were in public school.

 

Honestly, until I started coming to this board, it never occurred to me that people would stress about what grade their kid is in. I mean, plenty of public schooled kids are ahead in some subjects and behind in others and no one feels the need to tinker with their grade level.

 

I just see it as, "My kid is in this grade because she's this old, and she'll work at the skill level she's at."

 

Tara

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Alice]

JMHO, although I feel *very* strongly about this: when it is necessary to put a grade-level label on the dc, for whatever reason, it should be the one based on your state's cut-off date, not on your dc's maturity or anything else. I have over 25 years now of conversations and experiences with many, many hsers, IRL and on-line, which cause me to believe this.

 

Grade levels are arbitrary, man-made methods for grouping children of the approximate same age and supposed learning abilities. There was a time when children were grouped in school according to the readers they were using, not according to their ages...a much smarter grouping, with an actual purpose. Children were finished with school when they finished the last reader.

 

 

 

I'm curious as to why you feel so strongly about it when you also say that grades are arbitrary. I know you have a lot more experience than me, which is why I'm curious as to what is behind that strong opinion. :)

 

I ended up calling my son kindergarten last year even though he missed the cutoff for our state. (He has a Nov birthday, cutoff is Sept 30th so he misses it by about 6 weeks.) He was clearly ready for kindergarten work and it just seemed silly to me to call him something else. Most of the kids he likes to play with at church and other places are older so he seems to be socially at that level also.

 

I know I didn't have to "call" him anything. I guess I knew he was ready for K work and that's what we were doing. Most of his friends are older and in school and he was asking what grade he was in so I just told him K.

 

I think for me personally, I was influenced by the fact that I "skipped" a grade and it was never that big a deal to me being slightly younger than my classmates. (I "skipped" kindergarten and went directly into 1st grade at age 5). I have a Feb birthday so the age difference was bigger than it will be for my son but I still never thought it was that big a deal.

 

Ultimately, my long-range plan for my guys would be for them to take a gap year after high school so they will still be 18 going into college, and turning 19 early in their freshman year.

 

Recently, we've run into a few issues with the age thing where some activities went strictly by birthdate when assigning kids to grade level. Ironically, one of them was a homeschool co-op. I understood from their perspective that they had to have some kind of boundary but it also seemed kind of ironic that they couldn't get the idea that grades are kind of arbitrary anyway. Until now, I hadn't had any regrets about calling him a grade "ahead". Now I have some minor doubts but I figure it will all even out eventually.

[Alice]

 

Honestly, until I started coming to this board, it never occurred to me that people would stress about what grade their kid is in. I mean, plenty of public schooled kids are ahead in some subjects and behind in others and no one feels the need to tinker with their grade level.

 

 

 

 

I don't know. Around here it's a huge deal when kids are starting school. Maybe later there isn't worry about grade level but I hear parents all the time talking about whether or not they should hold their child back a year from starting K. in order to have an advantage later. I know several families personally who did this with boys who have August-Sept birthdays. And I get asked a lot at work about whether or not I think a particular child is ready for K. Should they wait a year or not. Should they go to a private school for K. so they can start early and avoid the public school cut-off. Etc. I think once they are in the school system they really can't tinker with it so they don't stress about it but having a son who is 5 and lots of contact with other parents at this level, I hear many people worried about this issue.

[Pamela H in Texas]

If I had it to do over again, I would simply use my children's age at the beginning of summer and subtract 5. For a child with real delays/immaturity, I might use age at March or April 1st instead.

 

This can be altered later as necessary. For example, my daughter started college at 15 and graduated officially at 16. That part wouldn't have changed. But we would have known what grade level to SAY along the way despite her being considerably advanced in all but writing/spelling (4th grade level at 3, high school level by 8). And the placing would be about right for my ds also after all these years though at one point we may have "held him back" a couple times and him still be "behind" that level.

 

Anyway, JMO...use their age, subtract 5, that is their grade...unless they need a change as a 7th-12th grader....but doing it that way allows for some "evening out" either direction (or both in the case of my kids).

[razorbackmama]

JMHO, although I feel *very* strongly about this: when it is necessary to put a grade-level label on the dc, for whatever reason, it should be the one based on your state's cut-off date, not on your dc's maturity or anything else. I have over 25 years now of conversations and experiences with many, many hsers, IRL and on-line, which cause me to believe this.

 

Grade levels are arbitrary, man-made methods for grouping children of the approximate same age and supposed learning abilities. There was a time when children were grouped in school according to the readers they were using, not according to their ages...a much smarter grouping, with an actual purpose. Children were finished with school when they finished the last reader.

 

In Calif, children who are 6 by December 2 will enter first grade in the fall. Yes, it's much too late in the year, but it is what it is. In Texas, it's 6 by September 1. Much better.

 

Of course, the truth is that in both cases there will always be children who are "young" for their grade level, which does level the playing field, so to speak.

 

So that's what I think: Choose the grade levels your dc would be in if they had started at the local public school, and don't look back.

 

Yes, and I'd like to clarify on what I said about maturity. If my children went to public school I would have them in the grades they are in as well. For example, I'd have held back my 11 and 7 yo sons and gone ahead and started my almost 5yo in the fall.

 

So basically what Ellie said is what we do - whatever grade they'd be in public school is what grade I say they are in.:D

[woolybear]

Thank you all for your thoughts and explanations. I can't say that I think it is so important for me to put a grade label on my dc. However, I see where it can be helpful in some situations. I do think ds seems to want it and I'm not sure exactly what that is about, but I suppose I will go with what the local ps designation would be and then we will still do the work that is appropriate to both dc. I am considering doing Sonlight or perhaps Ambleside this year and both those programs are not based on grades so it wouldn't really matter in terms of that anyway.

 

Thank you.

Woolybear

[angela in ohio]

Recently, we've run into a few issues with the age thing where some activities went strictly by birthdate when assigning kids to grade level. Ironically, one of them was a homeschool co-op. I understood from their perspective that they had to have some kind of boundary but it also seemed kind of ironic that they couldn't get the idea that grades are kind of arbitrary anyway. Until now, I hadn't had any regrets about calling him a grade "ahead". Now I have some minor doubts but I figure it will all even out eventually.

 

That's probably why they go by birthdates, because they know grade levels are arbitrary.

 

Or it could be that they had one too many "advanced" kiddo that couldn't keep up, no matter what mom said he could do. ;) That's why I go by age for anything having to do with homeschoolers. And I always set it a year older than I want, because if I say 9-11 yo, then many moms of 8 yo will insist that their children are mature for their age and can handle the work. ;) If your child can handle the work, that's great, but you have to understand than many homeschoolers have misguided ideas about their children's abilities, and once you run into more than a few of them, it colors your opinion. :glare: (Sometimes an unbiased opinion would be a good thing for a homeschooled child.)

 

Note: I say this as a parent of two children with test scores to back up their gifted status. In school, one actually would be among those few kiddos who get grade skipped, according to the advice I have received. I still call them by their grade level by age.

[Ellie]

Because of my many years administering an umbrella school and having to deal with problems when dc went to school and their parents had mickey-moused around with the grade levels (before I came up with my Official Policy). Or problems in Sunday school because they'd held their dc back and now the dc were at least a year older and a foot taller than all the other dc in their classes and it was becoming a problem. Or they figured out when their dc were 13 or 14 that, huh, their dc actually were capable of doing high school-level work but they'd done weird stuff with their dc's grade levels and now they have to figure out how to fix it. I have also had multiple on-line conversations with people over the years who experienced all sorts of snafus for the same reason.

 

It's just much simpler to go with the grade level the dc would be in if they were in school, and to do the academic stuff the dc are capable of.

[razorbackmama]

It's just much simpler to go with the grade level the dc would be in if they were in school, and to do the academic stuff the dc are capable of.

 

TOTALLY agree!!!!

[skaterbabs]

I intentionally held back Yacko after his first year homeschooled because of several reasons, not the least of which being that his chronological age and his maturity were about a year and a half apart. He was turning twelve and behaved and thought like a ten year old. I'd been trying to convince the schools since kindergarten that he was NOT ready for each sucessive grade. (He has a late July birthday.) He'd been five for barely more than a month when he started kindy, and while he absolutely could manage the academics, socially he was NOT ready at all. First grade on was basically a disaster. We're entering our third year homeschooling him, and if we were to use his birthday to determine grade he'd be an 8th grader. No way, no how is this kid ready for that.

 

Dot , on the other hand, has an early fall birthday, a mere 2 1/2 weeks past the cutoff for our state, and in all likelihood could have handled kindy a year prior to that (the fall she turned four.) She'll be six in October and most of her friends will be in first grade. Since she's doing 1st grade academics, and is only a couple of weeks younger than her friends, we're calling her a first grader for prettymuch everything.

 

Wacko is easy, fortunately. He just finished 5th grade at public school and is academically exactly where we suspected he would be. He'll be doing 5th grade math and language arts, but we're using CLE and it runs a little ahead of the public schools.

[rafiki]

.

[homeschool68]

I tend to use grade levels because I want to be on track if any of my children ever need to go to a school outside the home. I want them to be ready. At this point they stay above grade level so it's not an issue anyway, but grade levels keep things more simple for me.

[homeschool68]

I do it by their age and their would-be grade if in school. Also, I have always told the kids what grade they are in simply because I'd rather them not look baffled when other people ask them.

exactly. My youngest is in 2nd grade and it's bad enough that people find out we HS and look at us like we're weird so I'd much rather my child state their grade when they are asked about it. :closedeyes: We're already weird enough to most people. :001_smile:

[SilverMoon]

My kids learning is all over the board as far as grade level. When asked they just say the grade they'd be in according to age. Well, that's mostly true. My boys have birthdays late in the year, they both started homeschool kindy a smidgeon before they turned five. I wasn't about to back them up a year for activities. *shrug*

[mom2koh]

We do school work at dd's level; then for activities I put her in with the kids she would have been in ps with.

 

She doing basically all 1st grade work or a bit higher. It's funny as I have chosen most of my curriculum with levels not grade designations! :lol:

 

But, for her activities we have chosen to stick with her peer group which is the kindy level. It's where her friends are and I don't want to mess with that. But, it does trip people up when she insists she's really in first grade. Oh well they just write us off as "those homeschoolers" :lol:

[Brindee]

I put them in grade based on age. Calvin is working at high school level in some areas, but I don't connect level of work to stated grade.

 

Laura

:iagree: My dd is ahead in some things, but she's not ready to be called a highschooler yet! If she were in school she'd be in 7th this year, so that's what she says when she's asked. Edited August 14, 2009 by Brindee

[Guest janainaz]

I started officially hs'ng my son in 1st grade, he's now in 4th. We begin our school year in August and we hs year-round. He is ahead in almost all of his subjects, but he will still say he's in 4th grade if asked.

 

Socially, it's just easier because kids are asked quite often what grade they are in, what school they attend, and it can sound a bit odd for a hs'er to not know what grade he/she is in. For most of us who homeschool, we would understand if a kid said that he did not really have a grade-level. It also serves to keep me focused on what we should be covering from year-to-year. I do like to look at what most 4th graders are learning and just keep some knowledge of that in the back of my mind.

[Tabrett]

My dd would be starting K this year according to ps age cut offs. She will be 6 in late October. But, I have placed her in 1st grade FOR church activities. Both churchs I have attended have combined 3 and 4 yr olds (or dc that have not started k). She did NOT fit in with the 3 yr olds ( at 5yrs) olds in Sunday School. I bumper her up to the k class at the suggestion of the teacher. Her brother was also in her combined aged class and it didn't work. LOL

 

I bumped her grade up for VBS this summer. Again, she would have been 5 yrs old in class with 3 yrs olds.

 

Her cousin is 4 month older than her and I don't see any difference as to why her cousin is considered a first grader and she would be a k'er.

 

Legally, I have registered her as a k'er for this year and will have her do first grader work, but I call her a 1st grader. At some point in the future I will bump her "legal" school grade up a year unless she can't keep up. At least I have that options with out "holding" her back.

[chaik76]

Because of my many years administering an umbrella school and having to deal with problems when dc went to school and their parents had mickey-moused around with the grade levels (before I came up with my Official Policy). Or problems in Sunday school because they'd held their dc back and now the dc were at least a year older and a foot taller than all the other dc in their classes and it was becoming a problem. Or they figured out when their dc were 13 or 14 that, huh, their dc actually were capable of doing high school-level work but they'd done weird stuff with their dc's grade levels and now they have to figure out how to fix it. I have also had multiple on-line conversations with people over the years who experienced all sorts of snafus for the same reason.

 

It's just much simpler to go with the grade level the dc would be in if they were in school, and to do the academic stuff the dc are capable of.

Very interesting. I chose the grade level my son would be in if he were in school (which is going into second grade as an eight-year old...his birthday is in July), but one of the advantages of homeschooling, is that if we want to we can put our children in the grade level of the work they are doing if we want. I have a friend who is doing this...her son will be fourteen or fifteen when he graduates, and will likely have finished college before he leaves home. There are advantages to both ways.

 

I chose my son's grade level NOT based on what the public school's designation would be (he would be in third grade, not second), and NOT based on academics (he would be a couple of years advanced), but on his emotional maturity. Emotionally, he was ready to be a kindergartner at 6, so that's what we did. Emotionally he's ready to be a second grader at eight, so that's what he is.

 

As he ends seventh grade we will have the opportunity to decide if want him to skip eighth and go straight from seventh to ninth, putting him on track to graduate as an old seventeen year old, rather than as an old eighteen year old. I consider this prudent...it allows us to both work with the maturity he has now, and consider that he may be at a different maturity level, age/grade-wise when he is older.

[workingmom]

DS skipped a grade in our first year of homeschooling. He did the work for first and second and I had him tested at the beginning of October for end of first and he did terrific. then when we were near finished with second grade curriculum in May I had him retested. He did great. So since I want him to feel that he accomplished something and won't be doing 2nd grade again, we graduated him to third. He does PT enrollment with a public school for art/music and while he did 1st last year, this year we'll move him up to third, that way if he ever goes back into the system its consistent with the grade he's doing in homeschool. He's a Feb baby and while he missed the cutoff for KG by a long shot (its sept 30) here is was working ahead and the whole reason we hs was to allow him to be challenged.

 

Its surprising how much of a cultural thing being a certain age is and redshirting is in the US. In many Asian countries its exactly the opposite. I know he's not going to fall behind and I have no qualms if he starts college a bit early.