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Creating a High School Grading System
To grade or not to grade your homeschool child's work is a matter of preference for elementary and middle school. However, when kids enter the high school homeschool years, parents begin to worry about college admissions and GPA. While most college admissions counselors prefer to see at least two or three outside grades, rather than all parent-issued ones, you can still prepare a high school transcript with an indisputable GPA.
Keeping a clear record of how grades are assigned is essential to maintaining grading integrity. A homeschool graduate with a 4.0 from all parent-issued grades may get a lot of eye rolls. However, being able to provide documentation for how that 4.0 was determined will help to keep the nay-sayers at bay.
Math and science courses can be straightforward to grade. End of chapter tests and a weighted final exam can average out to a final course grade.
Humanities classes prove to be a little trickier. You may want to create a score rubric - a sheet that lists every "assignment" and test along with its total possible point value. For example, tests might equal 100 points each but a 10 page research paper might equal 200 points.
Your rubric sheet should also break down the earned point value for each test and assignment. With a test, 50 multiple choice questions equal out to 2 points each for a total test value of 100 points.
With an essay, however, you may assign 10 possible points for the thesis statement, 25 points for each of four required supporting arguments, 20 points for overall grammar, 50 points for style, voice, vocabulary, etc, and 20 points for proper citations. You can further break down the point system by stipulating 2 or fewer grammar mistakes for a full 20 points and then 1 point off for each mistake after that.
Finally, the rubric should also pre-determine what will equal an "A" for the course. Ninety percent of all possible points generally equates to an A. In other words, if your child earns at least 675 points out of a total possible 750 points, then they get an A for the class. The chart below gives you a percentage break down if you wish to use +/-.
| Grade | Range | Quality Points |
| A | 92-100 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-91.9 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 88-88.9 | 3.3 |
| B | 82-82.9 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-81.9 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 78-79.9 | 2.3 |
| C | 72-77.9 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-71.9 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 68-69.9 | 1.3 |
| D | 60-67.9 | 1.0 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
Creating a file system in your first year of high school homeschooling will help you to stay organized and ready to tackle the high school transcript process. For each parent-instructed course, you should keep a copy of the scoring rubric, along with your notes for your child's earned points. In addition, you may want to keep a portfolio of tests and completed assignments in the unlikely event that you may be asked to provide work samples or proof of grades.
Whether you issue a "mom" grade or indicate that a homeschool class was completed "To Mastery", the quality of high school learning can be measured by having your child take an SAT-II, AP, or CLEP exam. These tests, administered by the College Board, provide objective evidence of how well your child mastered course material in the parent-instructed class. In some cases, depending on how well your child does on a particular exam, he or she may even gain college credit or be exempt from future low-level college courses from taking the test.
Once you have a year's worth of grades, find out how to calculate your child's high school GPA.
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