Grading math - we need advice

[momee]

OK, so here we are on the roller coaster of math fun!

 

At this point, we've reviewed algebra I chapters one and two like, um, three times now.

 

DS is still missing about 4 - 8 problems a lesson (there are only 24 or so).

When we go over the lesson reading material, watch the instructional lesson, do the practice problems together and check - one by one - ds does fairly well. Hand it to him to watch independently and do, he gets 4 - 8 wrong. VERY frustrating for us both. Diligence or lack of understanding? Who knows~~~

 

Should I still be handholding at this point?

 

Also, what am I to do about his (gasp) grade???? I know as homeschoolers we don't have to keep them but for credit and his transcripts I want to.

 

At this point, he'd basically be failing Algebra. Thank God he's not, but if he were in public school - yikes. He'd be soo far behind.

 

Since he's home we have the benefit of going very slow and addressing problems as they come up.

 

Is it "legit" to do corrections for each lesson before grading? That seems very, um, unethical. I don't however want to give the boy an F!!

[Guest KMugge]

What math program are you using?

 

I allowed my ds's to watch the video, do the assignment, check it with the solutions and not "grade" any of it. They were only "graded" on their tests, like in school. I believe learning is a process and requires repitition for mastery. My kids would often miss several on the homework part, but by the time they took the test, they had gotten the concepts. They are doing fine on all the standardized tests in math. We have used Saxon - maybe only an average program, but we finish it. They are now in calculas and advanced math.

 

Also, there is a great deal of built-in review with most of the curricula so perhaps moving on would be more helpful then continuing to repeat the same chapter over and over. You can always return to previous chapters for reference later.

 

Hope this helps.

[Mandamom]

type of problem he's having problems with?

 

I would suggest using http://www.mindsprinting.com take the placement test and see where is gaps are.

 

If he just has problems in the algebra questions you can work through those slowly in your current program. If he has other gaps, especially in fractions, decimals, division, etc. than you'll want to make sure that you do lots of review to strengthen his understanding of those problems. Those problems are the foundation of algebra.

[Missouri Mama]

I do not grade problem sets but require that all wrong answers are corrected. I do give credit in my grading system for daily work, but tests are weighted more heavily. I see the daily work as an essential learning process & preparation for the test. I usually don't require my kids to do all problems but do require that they do alternate problems when they're having difficulty with a concept. I'm wondering if your son's wrong answers are related to computational errors or difficulty with concepts. Does he consistently work through problems twice so that he can catch his own errors?