Corrections & Grades

In our homeschool, grades are recorded.  I correct the assignments, add up the total, subtract the incorrect from the total and record it all in Homeschool Tracker.  Homeschool Tracker can create a variety of reports for me … report cards, transcripts, books read, etc.  It’s a report to show grandparents, but mostly it’s used for our record keeping in each child’s binder.  I like grades; they motivated me as a student.

“But, do the grades really mean anything?  Why can’t I just have some wrong?” asked Angelina, recently.  Dash has asked the same question.  What they are really wondering is ‘why do I have to correct all my mistakes’ and then ‘if I correct all my mistakes, what do the grades mean.’  My response is that I want each child to know the material and understand the ‘why’ behind a correct answer.  Therefore, if your answer is wrong, it needs to be re-worked or corrected.

I don’t remember if I was required to go back and correct errors on assignments in elementary, but I know we weren’t required to correct errors in junior high and high school.  In the course of studying for tests, I usually went back and figured out the correct answer, but I’m not sure everyone in my class did this!  That’s just how I studied, and I carried those study habits through my college coursework and now into our homeschool.

As a homeschooling mom, if the kids get a problem wrong in Math, English, or Latin, I require that they correct the problem and figure out the error.  I rarely let incorrect problems go, even on tests.  I figure if they got it wrong, they don’t understand and need to figure it out before moving on to the next page/lesson.  So, I can see the argument against giving grades … they’re all A’s, aren’t they? 

Except, they aren’t.  In math, I usually don’t give full credit for a problem that has to be reworked.  I’ll give half.  I want the kids to have something to strive for… I want them to put forward their best work the first time… basically I want our kids to learn from mistakes and develop a desire to ‘make it right.’ 

I’ll continue to give grades.  Eric and I have sometimes tied a reward to grades when it’s needed as incentive, and we’ve even paid the kids after report card ‘time’ at least once.  Grades do mean something, but that is between my child and I.  Grades are different for each child.  THEY ARE SUBJECTIVE.  I’m not going to attach a statement about my homeschooling methods to their transcript!  … maybe I should…