Preparing for high school - how do we know a child is ready?

[Night Elf]

Is there a list somewhere that details the types of things a student should be able to do if he/she is ready for high school?

[JennW in SoCal]

I've never seen a list, and am a bit curious why you're asking since you have a high schooler already. Curious because one of my first reactions to such a question is that so much of what makes a student ready for high school comes with maturity, and its a bit hard to quantify. My two kids each simply hit a point where I just knew they were ready for deeper and more detailed work.

 

Do you want a homeschool mom's list? I think it's going to be short because so many of the skills needed for high school continue to be honed throughout those 4 years.

 

The ability to deal with abstractions in math and in ideas. In English literature, for instance you have to be able to understand that metaphors are not literal, that there are deeper meanings in the author's words.

 

A solid ability to write clear sentences, the ability to organize a paragraph, organize several paragraphs.

 

Ability to read critically -- find pertinent information in a section of a text book quickly without getting bogged down in reading word for word. There's a lot of reading as you progress from 9th grade to 12th and into college -- a slow, inefficient reader is going to really struggle.

 

Typing skills (I guess it is keyboarding these days, isn't it?!)

 

As I said, a short list. And just as 1st graders can be all over the map in skill level, I think high schoolers can be too, though perhaps not to the same extremes.

 

By the way, have you been one of the Beta testers for the new WoW expansion? I call it Wratch of the Glitch King -- not that I play, but my 13yo is a proud Horde member and has enjoyed playing the Beta (although he spends more time on Spore these days.)

[Kelli in TN]

Is there a list somewhere that details the types of things a student should be able to do if he/she is ready for high school?

 

Beth, I don't know about a list but I am holding my 13 year old back a year to let him mature. He cannot wrestle with deep literature, he is too easily frustrated by anything that requires effort. He is emotionally immature. So we are taking a gap year next year and he will start his freshman year the following year.

 

I did not have a list but I did have a gut feeling!

[Tabrett]

The ability to deal with abstractions in math and in ideas. In English literature, for instance you have to be able to understand that metaphors are not literal, that there are deeper meanings in the author's words.

 

A solid ability to write clear sentences, the ability to organize a paragraph, organize several paragraphs.

 

Ability to read critically -- find pertinent information in a section of a text book quickly without getting bogged down in reading word for word. There's a lot of reading as you progress from 9th grade to 12th and into college -- a slow, inefficient reader is going to really struggle.

 

I think you just put many high schoolers back into middle school. :tongue_smilie:

My dd does not fit your list, but she is 14 and in 9th grade at a public high school. I know she is not developmentally ready for the types of learning activities you listed above, but there is not one thing I can do about it. Dd had to read Old Man and the Sea for 9th grade summer reading. After reading the book I tried to discuss the symbolism in the book and what it referenced too. Poor thing was lost. She had no problem reading the book and could tell me what happened in the story. I explain some of the symbolism and what it referenced too. At that point she was like "oh" and just took for granite what I was saying and then wrote her paper off what I had explained to her. She is struggling. And again, there is nothing that I can do. I don't think my dh entered this stage until college. I think I hit this stage at 13 for language arts. At 13, things started to become very clear. I was able to grasp concepts that had eluded me. I Didn't comprehend abstract math until age 17. Dh also talk about how "fuzzy" he felt his brain was until he was about 20.

 

In college, I took a class called "Reading Across the Curriculum" (yes, I use to teach public school). In my class, research showed that only about 25% of the population ever reach that high of a level of thinking. Maybe the research is skewed because people are still reaching that level after graduation? I don't know.

 

A friend of mine who teaches high school math suggested that algebra and geometry not be taught at the middle school. His reason was, although the students did well in algebra and geometry in middle school, their brains had not developed enough to really understand algebra II in 9th grade. My dd's best friend is following this path. She did Algebra I and geometry in middle school and is making a C in algebra II in 9th grade. She has always been in the gifted classes and has never made anything below a B+ in her life. This is really frustrating to the high school teachers.

 

I know this isn't a list of "high school readiness", but try to remember when you and your dh reach this level of understanding. Many times a child may be ready for 9th grade material at 12 or 13, but will they be ready for 11th grade material at 14 or 15?

[Night Elf]

Thanks Jenn. Good information. And I appreciate the other responses as well.

 

I didn't homeschool my oldest child. She's been in private and public schools from age 3 through last school year. Over the summer, she decided to finish her diploma at home using Keystone rather than returning to the public school.

 

I'm asking for my son Jeffrey. We've been kicking around the idea since no curriculum is challenging or interesting enough to hold his attention. He's not sure if he's ready so I posted to help him find out what others think. He doesn't give himself credit for what he can do. It's probably a maturity issue like Kelli's son.

 

And, no, bummer, I am not a WoW beta tester. But I do have the expansion reserved at my local gaming store!! Woo Hoo!