How Do You Assign Grades?

[Evergreen State Sue]

My 8th & 9th graders are in the same history class at a co-op. The teacher set expectations for those wanting to earn high school credit - but only what needs to be done, not evaluating the work. There were no tests given. The teacher says it is up to the parents to assign a grade. I know that my 9th grader is not very good at his writing skills and that was what most of the assignments were. I'm just proud of him for writing something and doing the year end oral report even though I know it wasn't the best in the class nor heavy in content. He is a kid with learning challenges. How do I go about assigning a grade?

[angela in ohio]

My 8th & 9th graders are in the same history class at a co-op. The teacher set expectations for those wanting to earn high school credit - but only what needs to be done, not evaluating the work. There were no tests given. The teacher says it is up to the parents to assign a grade. I know that my 9th grader is not very good at his writing skills and that was what most of the assignments were. I'm just proud of him for writing something and doing the year end oral report even though I know it wasn't the best in the class nor heavy in content. He is a kid with learning challenges. How do I go about assigning a grade?

 

Does the curriculum she is using offer tests that you could purchase and give him?

[Rhonda in TX]

If he was eligible for an IEP in school, they would decide what expectations should be and assign grades accordingly. I think you should do the same thing. It's a hard thing to do as a parent (I know!), but try to look at it objectively.

[Suzannah]

I don't know if this will help, but on p. 650 of The Well-Trained Mind (revised ed. 2004) there is a suggestion:

 

"...Jessie awarded an A for excellent work and application, a B for above-average work that could have been a little better, a C for meeting-the-gade work, and a D for performance that was much less than the child was capable of doing."

 

Blessings!

Suzannah

[imeverywoman]

...on assigning grades for classes taken at co-ops. Basically, she says that only you know just how much time and effort your student put into his class. The person teaching the co-op is just another mom like you. The grade assigned by her should be only a portion of the overall grade, along with what you assign as a grade for effort, attitude, etc.

 

Some kids are great testers; some are not. Some put together great projects; some do not. Some have a great heart, and want to do things that are well beyond their reach. That effort deserves consideration.

 

HTH...

[Julie in MN]

...on assigning grades for classes taken at co-ops. Basically, she says that only you know just how much time and effort your student put into his class. The person teaching the co-op is just another mom like you. The grade assigned by her should be only a portion of the overall grade, along with what you assign as a grade for effort, attitude, etc.

 

Some kids are great testers; some are not. Some put together great projects; some do not. Some have a great heart, and want to do things that are well beyond their reach. That effort deserves consideration.

 

HTH...

 

I do think it's best if the homeschool parent gives the homeschool grade.

 

However, I personally don't think effort is a major criteria in high school. I know most public school teachers do give some points for attendance (either being there or being there on time), class participation, and such. But those would be things the co-op teacher would decide to award credit for. I know of no school that gives more credit for a student who took 3 weeks of hard work to read a book vs. a student who took 1 week to easily read the book.

 

I do think you have leeway as to what you require and what your priorities are. I also think that you have leeway to re-name a course and give full credit, such as a full year of hard work completing only half an algebra program could either be 0.5 credit in algebra, or possibly 1.0 credit in pre-algebra.

 

I guess I'm surprised, tho, at the quote from WTM that grades according to capabilities. If my child is working very hard and living fully up to her capabilities at the level of basic math, I don't necessarily give her credit for calculus due to hard work. If she's working really hard at introductory ancient literature, I don't give her credit for a complete ancient literature survey. I might give her an A, but only in what she got an A in. (Not sure that made sense?!)

 

If the student failed the high school history oral presentation but worked really hard, then I personally still wouldn't bump up that grade unless I really decided that he knew all the material expected but just wasn't a good speaker. Then I'd have him present the material to me in another way. Otherwise, I'd finish out the course at home, or give a good grade for a "less advanced" course.

 

But I do not know much about a special needs IEP & wonder if you discussed that with the teacher in advance.

Julie

[Evergreen State Sue]

Does the curriculum she is using offer tests that you could purchase and give him?

 

No tests to purchase as she pulled stuff together for this. There was a main book on the subject, and for each chapter they had to do kind of like an outline and summary of the chapter. In addition, they defined vocabulary words, and did internet research on several people mentioned in the text and wrote about them. They had 4 additional books to read, 7 maps to draw, and an oral presentation on an assigned topic.

[Evergreen State Sue]

If he was eligible for an IEP in school, they would decide what expectations should be and assign grades accordingly. I think you should do the same thing. It's a hard thing to do as a parent (I know!), but try to look at it objectively.

 

I have never done an IEP, but you are right, he probably would have one if he was in school. Does this mean that both my dd and my ds could get an "A" for example, even though their work is not comparable, but it is the best to their own ability? My mother's heart says that is fair, but somehow that wouldn't seem fair if I was an outsider looking at the transcript.

 

Do you have any idea where I could get information on how to develop and IEP and how that relates to grades?

[Evergreen State Sue]

I don't know if this will help, but on p. 650 of The Well-Trained Mind (revised ed. 2004) there is a suggestion:

 

"...Jessie awarded an A for excellent work and application, a B for above-average work that could have been a little better, a C for meeting-the-gade work, and a D for performance that was much less than the child was capable of doing."

 

Blessings!

Suzannah

 

How many homeschoolers give their child a C or D? I wonder if you took all the homeschool transcripts in the nation, what the GPA would be?

 

That phrase "than the child was capable of doing" is key for a child with learning challenges. Are you graded for capability or for what you actually did or facts you could remember for a test?

[regentrude]

...on assigning grades for classes taken at co-ops. Basically, she says that only you know just how much time and effort your student put into his class. The person teaching the co-op is just another mom like you. The grade assigned by her should be only a portion of the overall grade, along with what you assign as a grade for effort, attitude, etc.

 

On a high school level, time and effort should not determine the grade.

It is maybe easiest to see in a subject with clear cut criteria for right/wrong: whether a student does algebra effortless or with great struggle, the grade should reflect his knowledge of the subject matter and his degree of proficiency.

I admit that establishing grading criteria is easier in math and sciences; but I would decide on a learning objective and base the grade on the degree of achievement of that objective even in humanities - and not on attitude or effort.

(Unfortunately, in high schools, gold stars for trying hard seem to still be the norm. Just this semester, I had a discussion with a college student who tried to convince me that he earned a grade of C in my class because he worked hard - even though every single one of his four exams earned a grade of F.)

[Evergreen State Sue]

I do think it's best if the homeschool parent gives the homeschool grade.

 

However, I personally don't think effort is a major criteria in high school. I know most public school teachers do give some points for attendance (either being there or being there on time), class participation, and such. But those would be things the co-op teacher would decide to award credit for. I know of no school that gives more credit for a student who took 3 weeks of hard work to read a book vs. a student who took 1 week to easily read the book.

 

I do think you have leeway as to what you require and what your priorities are. I also think that you have leeway to re-name a course and give full credit, such as a full year of hard work completing only half an algebra program could either be 0.5 credit in algebra, or possibly 1.0 credit in pre-algebra.

 

I guess I'm surprised, tho, at the quote from WTM that grades according to capabilities. If my child is working very hard and living fully up to her capabilities at the level of basic math, I don't necessarily give her credit for calculus due to hard work. If she's working really hard at introductory ancient literature, I don't give her credit for a complete ancient literature survey. I might give her an A, but only in what she got an A in. (Not sure that made sense?!)

 

If the student failed the high school history oral presentation but worked really hard, then I personally still wouldn't bump up that grade unless I really decided that he knew all the material expected but just wasn't a good speaker. Then I'd have him present the material to me in another way. Otherwise, I'd finish out the course at home, or give a good grade for a "less advanced" course.

 

But I do not know much about a special needs IEP & wonder if you discussed that with the teacher in advance.

Julie

 

You have given me much to think about here. Thank you!

[Rhonda in TX]

My DS has Asperger's. Seeing below the surface level of literature is incredibly difficult. He may never be able to do it. His brain is just not wired that way and he has absolutely no control over that. Should his grade suffer in a literature class because of that? No, it shouldn't. My expectations for him would be different from the expectations I will have for my neurotypical daughter.

 

On the other hand, he does very well with grammar. It's very concrete and logical. My expectations in that situation are the same as for any other neurotypical child.

 

Clairification: I am not saying that my DS will graduate from high school with all A's. Believe me, he will have his fair share of lower grades. I'm not even saying he would earn an "A" in a literature (he probably won't). I just believe there is some room for modifications for children with special needs.

Edited May 13, 2011 by Rhonda in TX

[Rhonda in TX]

I have never done an IEP, but you are right, he probably would have one if he was in school. Does this mean that both my dd and my ds could get an "A" for example, even though their work is not comparable, but it is the best to their own ability? My mother's heart says that is fair, but somehow that wouldn't seem fair if I was an outsider looking at the transcript.

 

Do you have any idea where I could get information on how to develop and IEP and how that relates to grades?

 

I have never created an IEP, so I'm not real sure of that. The knowledge that I do have is from my sister, who is a high school special ed teacher. We've discussed the accommodations that DS would receive if he was in PS.

 

You might pop over to the Special Needs board here. They are very helpful over there.

[Ester Maria]

On a high school level, time and effort should not determine the grade.

It is maybe easiest to see in a subject with clear cut criteria for right/wrong: whether a student does algebra effortless or with great struggle, the grade should reflect his knowledge of the subject matter and his degree of proficiency.

I admit that establishing grading criteria is easier in math and sciences; but I would decide on a learning objective and base the grade on the degree of achievement of that objective even in humanities - and not on attitude or effort.

(Unfortunately, in high schools, gold stars for trying hard seem to still be the norm. Just this semester, I had a discussion with a college student who tried to convince me that he earned a grade of C in my class because he worked hard - even though every single one of his four exams earned a grade of F.)

I agree. It is possible to do so in humanities too - humanities have a bit more "subtle" inner logic, so things might not appear so clear-cut on the outside, but it is definitely possible to set the criteria the way that they reflect actual knowledge of the content too.

 

(I hope you justly failed him. I would have.)

[Evergreen State Sue]

On a high school level, time and effort should not determine the grade.

It is maybe easiest to see in a subject with clear cut criteria for right/wrong: whether a student does algebra effortless or with great struggle, the grade should reflect his knowledge of the subject matter and his degree of proficiency.

I admit that establishing grading criteria is easier in math and sciences; but I would decide on a learning objective and base the grade on the degree of achievement of that objective even in humanities - and not on attitude or effort.

(Unfortunately, in high schools, gold stars for trying hard seem to still be the norm. Just this semester, I had a discussion with a college student who tried to convince me that he earned a grade of C in my class because he worked hard - even though every single one of his four exams earned a grade of F.)

 

Good points. I would think time and effort should or could reflect a higher grade when you have a measuring stick like a test - if you can test well.

 

I think what I'm missing is that measuring stick. There are things in the class I wouldn't have made my son do or I would have given him more time to do them instead rushing to get it done this week because there is something else due the following week.

[Evergreen State Sue]

My DS has Asperger's. Seeing below the surface level of literature is incredibly difficult. He may never be able to do it. His brain is just not wired that way and he has absolutely no control over that. Should his grade suffer in a literature class because of that? No, it shouldn't. My expectations for him would be different from the expectations I will have for my neurotypical daughter.

 

On the other hand, he does very well with grammar. It's very concrete and logical. My expectations in that situation are the same as for any other neurotypical child.

 

Clairification: I am not saying that my DS will graduate from high school with all A's. Believe me, he will have his fair share of lower grades. I'm not even saying he would earn an "A" in a literature (he probably won't). I just believe there is some room for modifications for children with special needs.

 

Thanks. I'll check in on the special needs board too.