[Kim Dehnert]

Hello. I am searching for help regarding how to grade HS American History. I have read the teacher’s guide, and have my students’ checklists printed, but do not understand how to put the grades together. For example: in the guide it states exam one is worth 25 points, but I do not see any such guide for future exams. I understand we are to grade exams based on knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, but how many points are exams worth, and how does that add up percentage wise to gain a comprehensive exam average? What percentage are the exams worth compared to the four major projects? Thank you for any help you may offer.

[Samantha]

Hi, Kim!

I view the suggested point values for Exam 1 as a model for scoring the other single-essay exams in the course. However, as your student’s teacher, you have complete authority over the number of points you assign to an exam or essay question in your homeschool.

Nevertheless, the simplest way to assign point values to the exams is to see what the student is being asked to recall in each exam question. For example, in Exam 2, the student is asked to furnish two pieces of information in 8 of the questions and a single piece of information in two of the questions. Therefore, I deemed the point value for that exam to be 18 points (2*8+2). I recorded my student’s exam score as simply the number of correct pieces of information he supplied divided by the total exam points (i.e. 16/18). I recorded his score as a fraction on the tracking sheet in the Teacher Guide. At the end of the course, his grade was determined by dividing his accumulated points from exams, portfolios, projects (map, speech, hour), and thesis paper by the total number of possible points.

I pray my response has helped you keep track of your student’s course progress!