What grading system do you use for your family? All subjects? At what ages? I need to show records of my children’s schooling and am not sure how to do it. We read off the computer for history and Torah, so I don’t have much written except for Scripture in his journal. Also, how do I come up with a report card? I am not sure how to compile all the spelling and math grades into one. Thank you so much for your help!

Practical Ideas

First of all, be sure you are meeting any state legal requirements. You don’t need to do more than the state requires, but you should be sure you are at least obeying the laws of your country.

• Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

If you are NOT required to submit report cards to an evaluator in your state, I don’t recommend that you go over and above what the state requires, because they might start requiring it of others.

So then you have to ask what the purpose of grades is. Is it to calm down the questions of extended family? I could totally understand that one. But otherwise, grades help a classroom teacher know if all her students are understanding the material. You can see that *very* easily as a homeschool mom, because you are with your children each day, but it’s nice to have the reassurance, too.

In our home, we have two kinds of grades. First, there are ”objective” subjects, where it’s easy to tell if your students got all the right answers. These would include math, spelling, grammar, etc. In arithmetic, there is a test on Day 5 of every week. Add up how many questions your student gets correct, then *divide* that by how many total questions are on the test. Let me show you a screenshot.

I counted 65 possible correct answers on this page. Let’s pretend the child missed 2 of them. So the child got 63 correct. So let’s divide 63 by 65. The answer rounds off to 97%. In our house, any grade in the 90s is an A, in the 80s is a B, and so on.

So then go over to your ”Together School Planner,” and write the grade in the spot for that day’s Arithmetic lesson. You’d write: 97 A.

You would do the same in any subject that has a test or quiz. Over time, you can see all the grades listed in your Together School Planner. Maybe every 9 weeks, you could average them up to see what their grade was for that quarter. If it makes your family feel better, make a report card and put it on the front of the fridge with red letters and lots of stickers, and make a show of rewarding your student. 🙂

Now what about other subjects? For Bible, I use their weekly memory verse as a grade, once they recite it to me at the end of the week. Also, if they make a notebooking page in Bible or Science or History, I give them a grade based on how well they followed my instructions and how if they put their heart into doing their best. Of course, if they don’t, I make them do it over (wink), so they usually get As. 🙂 In history, worksheets can also count as a quiz if you’d like. I hope this gives you ideas. Just keep track of all these on your Together School Planner.

For myself, I keep track of grades and work completed on the “Together School Planner” that is available on this page:

• Together School Planner (members only)

I can use this form when preparing each week, but I can ALSO use it to write down grades and accomplishments. It becomes a portfolio that I could use, if I wished, to compile a report card or to show a state evaluator (or my husband or extended family) what we’ve done in school.

Here are some helpful videos we have made:

• How to use notebooking in our curriculum
• How to do grades, records, and transcripts

Here are some helpful resources from others:

• Grade Level – Stairsteps to Climb or Social Standing?
• God’s Wisdom vs. Man’s Wisdom
• Free Printable Behavior Chart (old link, but you could use as a template to make your own)
• Renewing Your Mind About Education
• Book – What Your Child Needs to Know When (by Robin Sampson)
• Free Printable Homeschool Report Card Template
• Ready to make learning a more memorable and meaningful experience for your family? Get started with notebooking today! Get free templates and more from NotebookingPages.com for more notebooking information, freebies, products, articles, and tips, as well as for a variety of other free homeschooling charts and printables.

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