Will You Fall Behind?

Making sure children stay ahead is always a big concern for homeschoolers. 

But, should it be?

Let me assuage your apprehension by pointing out a few truisms about learning and homeschooling, as well as give you some tips on how you can easily track your children's  progress.

Firs, let's consider what we mean by ahead. Most parents are concerned that their children will stay up to par with the public-school children; this is what we mean by ahead. 

Yet, the good news is that this is the least of your concerns!

If you are homeschooling using sound methods, your children will be ahead of their schooled peers unless you completely neglect their education which you won't do. 

Warning: if you are using public-school curriculum at home, or you are enrolled in a government-funded charter or virtual school, then this may not be the case.

Technically-speaking, a homeschooled child means a child that is taught independently of the government. These are the children that the original homeschool studies were conducted upon, and these were the children that excelled and aced the testing criteria in relation to public-school children.

If you are teaching your children independent of the government, according to the research:

"The home-educated typically score 15 to 25 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.

 (The public school average is roughly the 50th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99.) A 2015 study found Black homeschool students to be scoring 23 to 42 percentile points above Black public school students (Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. 2015).

As a proponent of government-free homeschooling myself, it is easier and far less stressful than being enrolled in a government program. And, as mentioned above, the results will be superior to that of government programs.  

Grading Our Children

So how do we track our child's progress? Our natural inclination is to grade our children and then evaluate their progress based on their grades, but this is a school mindset, and there is no place for it in a homeschool.

It simply isn't necessary.

Grading is for a larger classroom when the teacher cannot possibly work individually with each student. Giving and grading exams allows her to get some insight into how much of the material each child in her class has understood.

That makes sense, right?

But you can see the problem. Why would you test and grade in a homeschool, when you are working one-on-one with your child. As a homeschooler, you will always know exactly where your child is in his studies. 

One Effect of Grading

Charlotte Mason, who was a classically-trained educator, wisely said that children should not be graded. Her reason was that a child who tries very hard and fails to get the good mark then experiences a sense of injustice, and it puts rancor in his heart. 

When you homeschool, you won't move your child ahead until the material is thoroughly digested and understood. It's that simple. If it makes you feel anxious that it's so simple, this is where you have to trust the process.

It will not be long before you begin to see your children stand out from their schooled peers. 

By the time your child is about nine, friends and family will start to comment on how much they know, how polite they are, etc. And that's when you know for sure the homeschooling thing is working. 

Until then, do your best to keep the faith. 

Tracking Progress Through Record Keeping

As a homeschooling parent, you will want to keep records of your child's work for legal purposes, and also so they have a record of what they studied when it comes time to graduate your child from high school.

To do this, you want to keep a file box with a folder for each year of homeschooling. In the file, you want to provide the best sample of your child's work, as well as a record of what subjects he studied.

Keep a record of books read, papers written, and two or three samples of your child's best work in each subject. For legal purposes, you will also need to keep a record of what days he was active in his homeschool. 

Always check with your state before you begin to homeschool, so you know exactly what is required for record keeping. As some states are easier than others, how meticulous your records have to be will depend upon the state you live in. 

High School Progress Tracking

When it comes to high school, well, that's another matter. You want to make sure your child has studied everything that is required for him to graduate, and then you will need to create a high school transcript. The transcript is the least of your worries as it is simple to do and nothing to worry about. 

For now, assuming you have young children, do not even think about high school or transcripts until your children are in the 7th or 8th grades. Keep things simple for yourself. By the time you have to get your children ready for high school, you will be a pro at all of these things. 

As you can see, keeping a record of your child's homeschool progress is easy.

Enjoy the journey with your children, and the best of luck to you!

Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.

When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Elizabeth will make homeschooling manageable for you. She’ll guide you in helping your kids reach their intellectual potential and developing good character.

As a homeschooler, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated knowing you have the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.

Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.

As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, Elizabeth has 21+ years of experience working in education.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, she devotes her time to helping parents get it right.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling