How To Measure Success Your Homeschool
It can be difficult to measure success in the daily view of our homeschools. So how do we get a picture of what’s working and not working for our children’s education?
For years, I have struggled with feeling a lack of progress in my son’s education. I have reminded myself of all the things…
Every child progresses at the their own pace.
Better late than early.
An individualized approach produces individualized timelines.
… and so on and so forth.
It helped, but still felt like I might be missing something.
Traditional Measures Of Success In Education
The traditional methods of measurement of education often also apply to homeschoolers. In fact, many states require them.
Standardized testing is certainly a way to gain an understanding of the progress your child is making. The same can be said of outside therapists evaluations or grades given in online or in-person classes.
The problem was, none of the traditional measurements worked well enough for my kids to give us an accurate picture of what they knew and did not know.
How Do I Measure Success In Our Homeschool?
Honestly, my answer to this question has changed quite a bit in the past few years.
I used to use a lot of “backwards planning” to at least see, at a glance, all the various topics and subjects we covered. (Backwards planning is not really planning so much as it is keeping an ongoing record of everything that happens that could be considered learning throughout the day, and then using it to gauge progress.)
Then, my oldest went to college, and all of a sudden it seemed like all the measures of success I used to dream about (think standardized tests and GPA) mattered a lot less than I ever thought.
Related: Homeschool Mom Q&A: What About College?
A Different Measure Of Success
Last week, my youngest’s rock climbing coach asked him if he was planning on majoring in English Literature in college. My son told him he has no plans to go to college and is considering trade schools. His coach was supportive, but surprised, given how much my son talks about his love of reading.
When he got in the car, my homeschooled child turned to me, shrugged and said,
“Turns out, I am dyslexic and I love reading. Go figure.”
Tears welled up a bit as I nodded my head and said, “Yep. Go figure.”
It was all the measurement I could possibly hope for, all in that one, casual remark.
Practical Homeschooling: A Look At Our Week
Because last week had a ton of hands-on learning, I thought I would highlight the activities as part of sharing my weekly lesson plan recap.
Monday
THE PLAN
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- Government – Midterm Elections
- Current Events Discussion
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- Government – Midterm Elections
- Current Events Discussion
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
Tuesday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Midterm Election Discussion and Live Results
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
Wednesday
THE PLAN
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- CTCMath
- Banned Books Study
- Creative Writing – Poetry
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- CTCMath
- Banned Books Study
- US History – The Civil War
Thursday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Music Technology – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Music Technology – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours
Friday
THE PLAN
- Chemistry
- Rock Climbing
- Current Events Discussion
- Audiobook and discussion
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion
- CTCMath
- Drivers Ed Practice
- Rock Climbing
Our Nontraditional Homeschool Lesson Plan For This Week
| Week 43 | Lesson Plan |
| Monday | 1. YouTube Video or Google Search About A Preferred Topic 2. Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours 3. Current Events Discussion 4. Poetry Reading and Writing |
| Tuesday | 1. Audiobook and Discussion 2. Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour 3. Art class – 1 hour 4. Voice class – 1 hour |
| Wednesday | 1. Physical Therapy – 2 hours 2. CTCMath 3. Banned Books Study 4. US History – The Civil War |
| Thursday | 1. Audiobook and Discussion in car 2. Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour 3. Music Technology – 1 hour 4. Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours |
| Friday | 1. Drivers Education Practice Test 2. Rock Climbing 3. Audiobook and discussion |
Reference Note: My son attends classes on both Tuesday and Thursday at a specialized private school. This is for elective classes like art and music, as well as social skills.
New Interest-Led Homeschool Lesson Plans And Updates, Every Week
Additional Resources For Strength-Based And Interest-Led Homeschooling
Take a look at all of our past lesson plans and recaps.
Research has shown that a learner who spends the most time studying in areas of strength, tends to perform exponentially better in all academics including the areas of weakness. These resources are a great place to start!
