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Philosophy of Grading
We are observing a growing scrutiny of homeschooling in some states. As a result, we are structuring our polices in a way that assures our families that their grade reporting will measure up to educational standards should they ever be evaluated by local school officials.
Junior High and High School Credits
Early Completion and Pre-High School Credits
Systematic Grade Submission
- Consistent informal and formal evaluation (questioning, homework, quizzes, tests, projects) must be implemented to determine whether course objectives are being met.
- These evaluations result in objective grades--precise descriptions of a student's level of understanding and performance.
- Weekly grades need to be submitted each marking period.
- More information is available in the BJU Press DVD, Guidelines for Grading. Request a complimentary grading DVD (for enrolled AHE families only) -- contact us for more information
Finishing Textbooks
- The teacher/parent should be the key in making educational decisions that are based on students’ individual needs and the classroom goals.
- It is not necessary to finish every textbook every year, but it is a wise goal.
- Curriculum is written to provide teachers a tool to meet personal, state, and national standards for learning, preparing the student for the next step of his education.
- Leaving out concepts can hinder future understanding of more complex concepts.
- Learning gaps can affect achievement test results.
Standardized Testing
- A complete battery of nationally standardized achievement tests is required each spring. These tests should be ordered through the AHE office as they are provided as a part of the annual administrative fee.
- High school applicants and existing 8th grade AHE students must take a learning abilities test and obtain a standard age score of at least 901 .
- Each student is expected to maintain a stanine at or above the 5th stanine.
- The results of this testing will become part of the student's permanent record and should support the weekly, quarterly, and semester grades.
*Tests for high school admission must be administered by an approved non-relative proctor.
Junior High and High School Credits
Junior High Credits
Anything taken during the junior high years meets a junior high requirement. Exceptions would be where a transcript from a traditional school lists a high school course during junior high years. Regardless, all students must meet all AHE graduation requirements during the high school years.
High School Credits
The critical component in validating high school credit is hours of instruction, not necessarily completing a course of study.
- The standard measurement in a pre-college program is the unit of credit. The AHE unit of credit generally represents 50-60 minutes of instruction five times per week over the course of an academic year of 180 days.
- Credits are usually validated by the semester, which is half the year or 90 days.
- According to how much credit is required for a course, students not needing a full credit (150-180 hours) can also earn .5 credits (75-90 hours) or .25 credits (37-45 hours).
- A minimum of .25 credits is required in a semester course to receive credit with The Academy of Home Education.
Locally Offered Technical Coursework
Since some homeschooled high school students take advantage of locally offered course work in technical areas, (such as driver education, introduction to computers, auto repair) credit may be earned in this manner and counted toward graduation requirements provided that credit is not also being applied to another institution.
College Entrance Tests
ACT/SAT
These separate college entrance tests are conducted on predetermined sites only on specific days, so they are not available through our testing service.
Details on location, cost, and dates are available on their websites: collegeboard.com (SAT) and actstudent.org (ACT).
Early Completion and Pre-High School Credits
Remember that your children have the gift of time during this important foundational phase of learning. High school instruction builds on the educational foundation formed in the elementary and junior high years to provide expanded learning opportunities in preparation for college.
- We do not approve early graduation from high school without extenuating circumstances and appropriate abilities. If an accelerated program is desired, it is recommended that the acceleration begin at the college level.
- We may approve early completion of coursework for the purpose of taking advanced courses in high school, but not for the purpose of earning high school credits prior to entry into high school.
- Students who take high school classes replacing 7th or 8th grade courses will not receive high school credit. The completed courses will constitute completion of the 7th or 8th grade course expectation. (Remember that all courses, including these replacement courses, must utilize BJU Press curriculum in all academic areas in which these materials are available.)
- All courses taken upon completion of 8th grade may meet high school credit requirements but should be pre-approved by the AHE guidance office. This policy would include courses taken during the summer between 8th and 9th grades.
- Regardless if credits are earned prior to 9th grade, students must earn all the graduation credits required by AHE for each subject. (In the case of foreign language, after 2 years of the same language, credit may be earned in a different foreign language rather than requiring 4 years of the same language.)
1 High school applicants (including those coming from grade eight within the program) must obtain a standard age score of at least 90 on a mental abilities test* and obtain overall standardized achievement test* scores that indicate readiness for ninth-grade work. If any stanine score in any academic area is below 5 on the achievement test, the student may be admitted on a conditional basis pending improvement in that area. This decision will be made upon the recommendation of our home school consultants.