How do you deal grade questions if you don't follow traditional school year/grades?

[garddwr]

We school year round, and generally work with a child's abilities rather than grade-designated materials. In addition, I have several children with late summer/fall (late July through December) birthdays that would put them "officially" in different grades depending on the state/district--and we have moved several times and will likely move again. This all boils down to my not feeling comfortable making "grade" designations for my children. I do think in approximate grade levels, especially for long-term planning--but I'm really hesitant to designate a hard-and-fast grade at this point. Dd8, for example, would have been entering 4th grade in our last state or 3rd grade in our current state in the fall, and I honestly don't know at this point which track will be better for her as she approaches high school and college. Nor do I feel a need for myself to make that decision at this time. BUT people ask both me and the children what grades they are in all the time. What is the best response?

 

ETA: I hate it when I type the subject line wrong and can't edit it. Should say "how do you deal with grade questions...

Edited June 10, 2012 by thegardener

[Mandylubug]

We school year round, and generally work with a child's abilities rather than grade-designated materials. In addition, I have several children with late summer/fall (late July through December) birthdays that would put them "officially" in different grades depending on the state/district--and we have moved several times and will likely move again. This all boils down to my not feeling comfortable making "grade" designations for my children. I do think in approximate grade levels, especially for long-term planning--but I'm really hesitant to designate a hard-and-fast grade at this point. Dd8, for example, would have been entering 4th grade in our last state or 3rd grade in our current state in the fall, and I honestly don't know at this point which track will be better for her as she approaches high school and college. Nor do I feel a need for myself to make that decision at this time. BUT people ask both me and the children what grades they are in all the time. What is the best response?

 

Well, I have just started answering "We homeschool, they are ___ years old."

[arghmatey]

I say we don't designate grades at our school.

 

Or I might say, "she's a pony", at which point they may or may not request clarification (the children decide what to call their school year).

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I just say what grade they would be in at the local school district based on the age cut offs.

 

Ds2 would be going into 3rd grade in the fall, but he's basically been doing the same work as his brother who would be going into 4th.

[In the Rain]

Because my children attend church classes and VBS, we had to assign a grade level. Most of the time, it hasn't been a big deal. I think people just ask grade level out of habit and are satisfied with any answer that is in the realm of normal.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Because my children attend church classes and VBS, we had to assign a grade level. Most of the time, it hasn't been a big deal. I think people just ask grade level out of habit and are satisfied with any answer that is in the realm of normal.

 

:iagree::iagree:

It is just a fairly standard question.

[linders]

Because my children attend church classes and VBS, we had to assign a grade level. Most of the time, it hasn't been a big deal. I think people just ask grade level out of habit and are satisfied with any answer that is in the realm of normal.

 

:iagree:Like the OP, we teach to whatever level they are working, but for purposes of Sunday School, scouts, summer camps, etc., I just go by the grade most likely based on age.

[angela in ohio]

:iagree:Like the OP, we teach to whatever level they are working, but for purposes of Sunday School, scouts, summer camps, etc., I just go by the grade most likely based on age.

 

Yep. This describes about 95% of homeschoolers in my experience: working at their child's level, but have a standard grade level to give to get along in the outside world easily.

 

At some point, unless you never do anything outside the home, you just need a grade level deesignation that tells their age. People aren't asking what acaemic level they are working at, they are asking what age they are, because even in school, children in one grade level can be all over the place academically.

 

You can always adjust later if you need to for borderling cases.

[GoVanGogh]

Depending on the setting and how I feel at that moment...

 

I may just reply with, "They are in x grade" and leave it at that.

 

Or I may reply, "We homeschool and don't follow the traditional grade levels or school calendar."

 

We work at the child's level, whether above or below grade level. We also start our school year in January, so that is when I 'promote.'

 

I find most people are asking for chit-chat reasons - like at the dentist office - and don't really care what the answer is. Those are the times I give a basic answer.

 

Most outside classes in our area go by age, not grade, so it has not been much of an issue. (The one outside activity that went by grade was Y sports and that was a total joke. So many boys in our area are held back, so the teams had such a wide variety of sizes as there were nearly two years between the youngest and oldest on the teams. It was an awful experience.)

[Georgiana Daniels]

We usually answer based on the grade they'd be in ps. But lately people have been asking what grade level they are working at, which I take to mean they are interested in a deeper explanation.

[Lawana]

If they regularly attend a grade leveled activity such as Sunday school, I would give the grade they feel most related to according to their peers. If that doesn't work, think about wether it is to your dc's benefit to be thought of as a young 4th grader or an older 3rd grader. In other words are they generally socially mature or not? Sometimes physical size might come into play if they are much larger or much smaller than average. Do you know publicly schooled kids around your dc's ages? Where do you think your dc fits in best?

[myfunnybunch]

When asked, I say that my children are in the grades they'd have been in had they started public school when their same-age peers started. It's up to you whether to stick with one age or change it based on where you're living at the time. Since many actvities are based on grade level, it might be more useful to try to keep them with children the same age, so adjusting according to the state might be more useful, but really it's not going to make a huge difference in the long run.

 

If you're not basing academics on public school grade levels, the "track" the child is on is meaningless anyway. Graduate the child when s/he is ready. :)

 

Cat

[jenangelcat]

I just say what grade they'd be in based on their age. No need to explain.

[catz]

I just say what grade they'd be in based on their age. No need to explain.

 

:iagree: Usually people are just interested in age when they ask this question and I would answer based on the age in my state. If they ask about what level they're working at, then I might go more in depth depending on the context. Both my kids are accelerated, so I don't always want to get into that discussion.

[Ellie]

We school year round, and generally work with a child's abilities rather than grade-designated materials. In addition, I have several children with late summer/fall (late July through December) birthdays that would put them "officially" in different grades depending on the state/district--and we have moved several times and will likely move again. This all boils down to my not feeling comfortable making "grade" designations for my children. I do think in approximate grade levels, especially for long-term planning--but I'm really hesitant to designate a hard-and-fast grade at this point. Dd8, for example, would have been entering 4th grade in our last state or 3rd grade in our current state in the fall, and I honestly don't know at this point which track will be better for her as she approaches high school and college. Nor do I feel a need for myself to make that decision at this time. BUT people ask both me and the children what grades they are in all the time. What is the best response?

 

ETA: I hate it when I type the subject line wrong and can't edit it. Should say "how do you deal with grade questions...

When I have to put a grade-level label on a child, I always go with the grade they'd be in if they were enrolled in the local public school, based on the state cut-off date and the dc's birthday.

 

When people ask you what grade your homeschooled children are in, they're just trying to get a handle on what age group they'd be in (Sunday school, sports, etc.). It has nothing to do with actual education, and so it doesn't matter whether the dc are "young" or "old" for their "grade." In every group, regardless of birthdays and cut-off dates, there will be children who are "young" or "old" for their "grade." It all works out.

 

When I have to designate a grade because of state requirements for homeschooling, I still go with the grade according to cut-off date/birthday/whatnot. It has nothing to do with the child's maturity, not now, not when they're high school age. It just is. Sticking with the Official Grade Level all the way through means less chance of headaches later on, when it turns out that Orkie is pretty much right on with other children in his "grade," but now I have to mess with papers and records and whatnot to make the "grade" match with everything else. Oy. I've seen this happen more than once. I've seen multiple conversations on the Internet over the last 15 years where the parents are trying to figure things out because they mucked with their dc's "grade levels" because of late birthdays or early birthdays or perceived immaturity or maturity.

 

Just go with it. Use the grade level designation according to cut-off date/birthday, teach according to the child's abilities. It all works out in the end, and it will be less painful for everyone.

[lionfamily1999]

Yep. This describes about 95% of homeschoolers in my experience: working at their child's level, but have a standard grade level to give to get along in the outside world easily.

 

At some point, unless you never do anything outside the home, you just need a grade level deesignation that tells their age. People aren't asking what acaemic level they are working at, they are asking what age they are, because even in school, children in one grade level can be all over the place academically.

 

You can always adjust later if you need to for borderling cases.

 

I agree.

 

When I first started hsing I wanted to be specific (x grade for math, y for reading, etc.), and ds was just as concerned. We just ended up confusing people. So we went to whatever grade was age appropriate. The dc get promoted after the end of the year test, which we always did by age-ps grade.

 

Graduation is far off and if you feel the need to stay back or move up do it before high school, if only to keep their transcripts nice.

[K&Rs Mom]

If they regularly attend a grade leveled activity such as Sunday school, I would give the grade they feel most related to according to their peers. If that doesn't work, think about wether it is to your dc's benefit to be thought of as a young 4th grader or an older 3rd grader. In other words are they generally socially mature or not? Sometimes physical size might come into play if they are much larger or much smaller than average. Do you know publicly schooled kids around your dc's ages? Where do you think your dc fits in best?

 

:iagree: This is what we do too. I try to remember to remind them sometime around the end of the local ps year that they are promoted to the next grade, but it doesn't affect anything we do at home.

[EKS]

I just give the grade that they would be in in school. My experience is that people ask about grade level when they are really wanting to know the age of the child.

 

Now, that said, my younger son will be skipping 5th grade and entering 6th next year at a b&m school. In that case, he will tell people he is in 6th grade. However, for sports he will be placed with agemates.

[edeemarie]

We just usually give the grade they are in at church (same as what public school would be) unless it is someone who actually wants the real answer:)

[Dolphin]

Because my children attend church classes and VBS, we had to assign a grade level. Most of the time, it hasn't been a big deal. I think people just ask grade level out of habit and are satisfied with any answer that is in the realm of normal.

 

:iagree: Usually people are just interested in age when they ask this question and I would answer based on the age in my state. If they ask about what level they're working at, then I might go more in depth depending on the context. Both my kids are accelerated, so I don't always want to get into that discussion.

 

If you just pick one based on something vaguely within the realms of social "normality" If you are moving use September 1st as the cut off date, and it's an answer. It is a pass the bean dip answer. Anything other than giving an answer that people can use to make some sense of what you are doing is a way to in general not invite further questions.

 

It is just one of those things to accept. You have no power or control over the rest of the world, what they do and what they say. The only thing you have control over is your response.

 

If you want a lengthy conversation, explain how you don't do grades, and you school year round etc....

 

If, to be blunt, you want them to sh*t up and be on their merry way. You answer that they are in 4th grade and move on.

 

We have an odd homeschool schedule. We do our schooling through the summer, we do our "homeschool lite" through the winter. Thanksgiving through January is a time we prefer to all veg and don't feel very productive. ds is in snd grade for spelling, 3/4th for Math and 9th for most Language. However, when we get grilled (and we do for some reason in this area, it goes something like this"

 

Stranger: "Oh, did you have a dentist appointment today?"

son: "No, I am homeschooled."

Stranger (no pointedly looking at me.) "Oh, how interesting."

Me: "We like it."

Stranger: (looking at son again) "What grade are you in?"

son: "4th"

Stranger (back to me): Well, you know, you really need to be careful with socialization at that age."

Me: "Yes, you do."

Stranger "I could never do that, it would drive me crazy having me kids all day."

Me: "That is the great thing about this world, we all get to do what we are good at, I could never spend all day making coffee(or whatever job they are doing) that would drive me crazy.

 

By then I have got my coffee, groceries, etc... and I am on my merry way. I have a version of this conversation every week. First it annoyed me, I would explain each part. How we work to level, year round, socialization not a problem, etc... and be very stressed.

 

Then, we fell into the habit, and ds and I would laugh at how often we had the conversation.

 

Now it is just a bored conversation that we don't even realize we are having most of the time. "hi, how are you? fine." type thing.

 

Once or twice a year someone throws an interesting question in and starts genuine conversation as they are interested, but for the most part...

 

Pass the bean dip

Edited June 10, 2012 by Northwest_Mama
added link

[higginszoo]

I generally say it's whatever grade that we have them in for Sunday School, etc. For some, this is their age-grade according to ps ... for two, it is a year ahead of that.

 

To reconcile the fact that it's his first year in high school youth group, but he'll only likely have 3 years of high school, ds is calling himself a freshmore this year. (He has been following age-grade, but has been working on high school for a couple of years now, and is almost halfway through his credits, so will likely graduate in 3 more years.)

 

Little one has been a year ahead for Sunday School for a couple of years now. We'll keep her there as long as it's a good fit, but if the age gap starts showing as she gets older, will move her back.

[GAPeachie]

We go by "Sunday School grades" which are aligned with public school here.

[momteel]

I always just gave the "they are the age of 9th grade" or something vague like "he would be in 8th grade at school." I don't follow the "grades" so much because my kids have such different ablities in school. For the struggling one, I keep her in the "grade" of her age & peers for our homeschool activities, but she will not probably graduate at the same time in reality.... but I did not see any point of making an issue of it and changing her "grade" for the homeschool group as it is mostly social.

 

L

[Dustybug]

Because my children attend church classes and VBS, we had to assign a grade level. Most of the time, it hasn't been a big deal. I think people just ask grade level out of habit and are satisfied with any answer that is in the realm of normal.

 

:iagree:Like the OP, we teach to whatever level they are working, but for purposes of Sunday School, scouts, summer camps, etc., I just go by the grade most likely based on age.

 

 

:iagree:

[Tap]

I go by current age cut offs for the district I live in.

[Firestar Academy]

I usually like to say, "we homeschool and dd is currently in 1st grade spelling and taking some classes at the college sooooo her grade is somewhere in the middle."

 

then we walk away.

 

Robin in NJ

[Mommyof4ks]

We just go by the grade from their church class. We moved up this week, so they are a grade older now lol.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I usually like to say, "we homeschool and dd is currently in 1st grade spelling and taking some classes at the college sooooo her grade is somewhere in the middle."

 

then we walk away.

 

Robin in NJ

 

What is the point of answering like that and then turning and walking away? Most people who ask are either just making small talk or trying to figure out where to place a child in a group setting that they're scheduling or something. I can't understand how either setting rates a snippy response.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Tibbie Dunbar

[Firestar Academy]

not for those regular situations. I'm talking about the occasions where it really is none of their business what grade my child is in.

 

a grade doesn't denote ability.

 

robin

[LillyMama]

Grades are a big deal around here, probably because of my kids' ages, and I use them as motivation. They worked really hard to get to start first grade this May, and it was a bit of a close call. ;) (Yeah, it totally wasn't...)

 

We had to start talking grades because people would ask my kids and they never knew what to say. When they would answer "We home-school," they would then get mad that the person asking would look at me for an explanation. My son wanted to know why people didn't believe him, so we talked about what grade they are each in and went from there.

 

The other reason we had to start talking grades because of Sunday School and football. My daughter has a late-November birthday but reads and does math far above her grade level. So it bothered her when all of her peers just a few months older than her went off to school this past year and she kept getting put in pre-K classes at Sunday School and VBS and Bible Studies and dance classes... My son was a summer birthday, and our district encourages holding boys back a year- and my husband agreed for the sports thing. SO- we had to designate the grades in order to get our kids where they needed to be. My son is a little older than most boys on his K-1st football team and my daughter is younger than everyone in her K Sunday School class. But it's just what we decided to do, for now, and both my kids know that grades don't mean anything.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Because my children attend church classes and VBS, we had to assign a grade level. Most of the time, it hasn't been a big deal. I think people just ask grade level out of habit and are satisfied with any answer that is in the realm of normal.

 

:iagree:

 

Just please don't tell me that your child would be in 2nd grade but is working at 9th grade level, so you don't know which one to choose. :confused1: :001_rolleyes: :lol: