I've been wading through a number of old posts on grading. Most are regarding younger children, so I struggle to find something that relates to high school. My two older kids WANTED to be graded. They wanted quantifiable grades to be benchmarks in how they are doing. They would study hard for tests. Tests drove them. (Both are very type-A ) My youngest? Not so much...ever. I've not kept grades for her up until this year. I went for mastery of subjects (which I did for all 3 of my kids, but the older two wanted to be graded). Now I'm feeling the pressure to quantify her grades for a transcript. I kept a transcript for the two older kids. It seems natural to start one for my 15 year old. She is literally freaking out about tests. She's always had test anxiety. Always. No amount of studying or test prep alleviates it. I really would rather not test her ever, just work on mastery of subjects and move on. But how do I keep a graded transcript should she wish to attend college? Even our stupid auto insurance wants a copy of the transcript for "good student discount"! Also, we've always had our kids take the GED (I don't want to hear from the naysayers), but I worry my youngest will freak out like always.
So then I read a lot. What is the point of testing? Isn't it just proving rote memory? If she knows the material and can do her work well, what does it matter? Does this set her up for failure in college if I don't test her? Ugh. So many voices and too many opinions. However, I would really love to hear from some veteran moms who have had kids like this they've successfully "graduated" from homeschool.
Reply to: Hi Hippiebutterfly,
I am not someone that meets your criteria...however, I will share what one very eclectic mom that did graduate one did. She took massive notes on the work done, books read, coop classes taken by her dd. Along the way, she made or found online via various state/country benchmarks (depending on subject) the rubrics and graded the child w/o the child knowing. (This is the method that she felt was best.) So, the child had a "test" whenever the mom felt mastery was acquired, but, the child did not know it. Here is a link to an example: Rubric
So, it would require an extra layer of work by you, but, may suit your needs. Some colleges have been quietly dropping their SAT requirements, but, I think she will have to face tests in upper education (even vocational training). Maybe have her practice breathing exercises to keep calm as she gets older and closer to post h.s. studies? I think the Great Courses offers something on mindfulness or something similiar...