At the beginning of all of my online classes, I send parents/guardians a form to gather some information about their family’s expectations, preferences, and needs.
One of the most important questions I ask is whether they would like for me to keep track of their learner’s progress with numerical grades (and an accompanying grade book) or if they just want formative feedback.
I offer the option because there’s no one-size-fits-all answer about grading conventions.
Some learners appreciate numerical feedback because it helps them conceptualize their progress and get a big picture overview of their accomplishments.
Others find numerical grades stressful and a distraction from the real goal of improvement through reflection and revision.
Here are some considerations to take as you make this decision for your own grading habits (whether it’s for my class or elsewhere).
Pros of Numerical Grades
Numerical grades have their place and purpose. From the practical to the pedagogical, there are some arguments in favor of using numerical scales as a way to evaluate work.
Meeting Legislative Requirements
Depending on where you live, your homeschool laws may require you to keep some kind of quantifiable evaluation records. If so, using numerical grades in your classes can be an easy way to satisfy this requirement.
Speaking the Same Language as Other Schools
If you’re planning to move from homeschooling into a more traditional educational setting or from homeschool to college, having numerical grades will often translate well because these institutions are using such metrics themselves. Having numerical grades associated with individual assignments and the overall “final” grade can add a layer of credibility and legitimacy that some institutions like to see.
Learner Motivation
Some learners find numerical grades motivating rather than stressful. Seeing the number go up when they work hard can be motivating, and scoring lower than they had hoped can be a sign that they need to reflect on their study habits, comprehension, or approach. Some learners simply like getting numerical feedback.
Learner Reassurance
This one happens particularly on feedback with papers. Some learners are really sensitive to criticism, so if they see five comma errors marked as wrong, they may focus on that rather than all the glowing comments about much more important things like their thesis statement and supporting details. A numerical grade (showing the learner that they got a 98/100 on the paper because they did a great job) can be a way to showcase the big picture rather than getting lost in the tiny details.
Cons of Numerical Grades
There are also plenty of arguments against numerical grades, and these also range from the practical to the more philosophical.
Grades Suggest an Inaccurate Finality
Especially when it comes to writing (which is what I primarily teach), the process of becoming a better writer is never “complete.” It’s a lifelong pursuit that shifts with different contexts. Having a numerical grade (especially if it’s a high one) can give the false impression of finality.
Psychology Shows the Dark Side of Grades
Research into the psychology of motivation has shown that chasing a grade rather than finding intrinsic motivation to do well on an assignment can be damaging long-term. As a teacher quoted for this article on Edutopia about eliminating grades explains, “Grades tend to put an end to the student caring about the assignment, whereas feedback continues a conversation.”
Grades Can be Sources of Stress/Anxiety
The homeschooling world is often over representative of learners who have anxiety, stress, or neurological atypicalities that made the traditional classroom (and its grading scale) a poor fit for their needs. It’s why so many of us homeschool! Giving grades can echo these stressful moments and in some cases be literally triggering for trauma. Even learners who have no previous educational trauma can find grades stressful if they’re prone toward perfectionism and self-doubt.
Some More Considerations
I can’t tell you which one to pick because the needs of each family are unique. However, I do have some tips that apply regardless of the overall decision.
Provide Low Stakes Opportunities
Whether you are giving numerical grades or not, make sure there are opportunities within the learning environment that are low stakes. These are chances to share ideas, get something on the page, and play around with concepts without feeling the pressure (through grades or just summative feedback) to get it perfect.
In my classes, all submitted rough drafts get full points for students who opted into numerical grades. Whether it’s a full draft that just needs some grammar revision or only two lines before writer’s block kicked in, everyone who turns it in gets 25 out of 25. There is no such thing as a bad rough draft, and I want my grading to reflect that.
Offer Opportunities for Mastery . . .
The point of education isn’t getting a grade to carry around like a trophy. It’s to learn. Whether you choose to use numerical grades or not, keep that goal front and center in your educational activities.
If a learner is really struggling with a concept that you thought you fully “covered,” don’t feel pressure to move on just because of some arbitrary curricular timeline. Spend the time your learner needs to really get it. Foundational understanding at a slower pace is better than quickly gained superficial knowledge in almost every case.
. . . But Know When It’s Time to Move On
This is the flip side of the last piece of advice. Yes, mastery is great, but sometimes there’s just a concept that’s sticking. Maybe there is a developmental block that hasn’t been reached yet. Maybe your learner just needs some distance from the idea to get it to click. At some point, moving on (perhaps with a plan to circle back later) is the best course of action.
I often tell my writers that a paper is very rarely finished, but sometimes you just need to be done. There’s almost always something you can do to a paper: some word you can change, some sentence you could structure differently, some source you could add. While I don’t promote phoning it in and doing a superficial job just to satisfy a requirement, I do ascribe to the attitude of “Good enough is good enough.”
It’s “good enough” when my learners have gained new skills and confidence from the exercise. It doesn’t need to be perfect.
What Do I Do?
In addition to being an educator, I’m also a homeschooling mom myself, so some people have asked me what I do when it comes to numerical grades.
As I write this, I have a fifth grader and a kindergartner, and I have yet to introduce numerical grades in any way. This is partially because I don’t see the need to do that formal grading scale at this stage and partially because of my own learner’s sensitivity to feedback. I want to make sure I’m delivering it in a way that is best heard, and — for her — numerical grades wouldn’t accomplish that.
I do, however, plan to introduce numerical grades by late 7th/early 8th grade because I plan to use them for high school transcripts, and I don’t want them to be a completely new concept.
Not every assignment will receive a numerical grade, and many assignments will be low stakes (full “points” given for completion). My hope is to find a kind of middle ground that will allow us to see grades as a tool rather than a burden.
If I feel that numerical grades are getting in the way of my learner’s progress (a real possibility), I won’t use them. That progress and confidence is the most important part.