On a periodic basis, I begin to debate myself on this topic.  Does grade level matter?  Do we need to adjust it?  Should this even be an issue?  Why do these questions surface in my mind to begin with?  Let me give you a little background.

I started homeschooling my oldest when she was 5.  She has a birthday that would have just missed the school system cutoff had we been putting her in kindergarten.  Had we been putting her in school, we probably would have held off another year.  But, since she was home, and I was ready to get started on this adventure, we just started in!

Today, this daughter is 9.  She struggles in many areas.  We switched to Math-U-See last year, and backed her up to basic addition/subtraction in the Alpha level.   She was very shaky in basic math facts, and had been frustrated to the point of daily tears the previous year.  Math went so much better last year.  Yes, we had backed up a bit, but laying a strong foundation in basics, and overcoming the dread of math was well worth it.  As we speak, she is just completing the Beta level, which took her through multiple digit addition, carrying, subtraction of multiple digit numbers, and borrowing. 

Spelling is another area of struggle.  She simply can't seem to retain the proper spelling of even the simplest of words.  We're working with Spelling Power this year, adapting it to give her HUGE amounts of review, but still her retention is poor.  This, of course, is a huge factor in her dislike of writing, as well.  Although, she is an avid reader - much to our delight!  She also readily retains information from books that are read aloud to her - making history a favorite subject for her.

When friends and family ask what grade she's in, we say fourth.  That is where she's at strictly on a chronological basis.  But, in the back of my mind, I find myself thinking that she really isn't doing work at a fourth grade level.   Are we giving an inaccurate picture of where she's really at?

As homeschooling allows us to adjust the pace to each of our children, do 'grade levels' really matter?   The pace at which they learn can vary.  Perhaps, given time, things will begin to 'click' for her and she make up lost ground quickly.  

I still haven't figured out where my thoughts land on this, but usually my husband convinces me not to worry about it.  Just keep working with her where she's at, and don't worry about grade levels.

We do think we want her to take a standardized test this spring, just to give her some experience in test-taking.  We are thinking of testing her at the third grade level, where we think she will feel less frustration over things she has not yet mastered.

Is this something anyone else has wrestled?  I would love to hear some different perspectives on this topic.  Please post a comment!

Posted by jaminacema

When people ask my children this questions it's usually pretty funny! The kids will look at me with a puzzled look and say "Mom, what grade AM I in?" It's not a issue in our house. Yes we use a curriculum, but I carefully chose one that would not tell them what grade they are in. My oldest is ahead in many areas, on grade in others and for years he was way behind in spelling! Who cares, he's being taught to where he needs to be. That is the beauty of Homeschooling! BTW we use Math-U-See also and love it. I also wanted to mention to you that we had many struggles with spelling and the key to success was finally a combination of Spelling Power (great program) and Turbo Twist. If you can get your hands on Turbo Twist spelling game I would highly recommend it. It's a handheld game so it's fun, but it does an excellent job of teaching spelling. We love it . My son is in 6th grade now and we have used it since 2nd. He is at or above grade level in spelling now. Keep up the good work Mom, who cares what grade she's in as long as she's learning. Jene'

Posted by crackedharp

We dread the "What grade are you in question". With my son, who would be in second grade, we are using materials that are anywhere from second to sixth grade. We usually just settle for telling people he would be in second grade and that we use materials that fit his abilities.

I just finished reading a book called Upside Down Brilliance that has many good suggestions for children who don't seem to learn the way we expect them to. Math facts and spelling rules seem to be a particular area of difficulty for visual spatial learners... There is a website:http://www.visualspatial.org/udb.htm

I was gettting into daily battles with my son about "showing his work" in math. After reading this book, I learned that some people may not be able to "show their work" because they don't always solve problems in a nice step by step fasion.

Take care,
Laurie