Question about grade levels/typical school year

[GinainMD]

I am wondering what to do with dd3. We started lhth the week she turned 3 and should finish up around her 5th birthday. She is also working through RME which we started around her 4th birthday. RME she should complete right before her K year begins in Sept 2012. Should I wait to start LHFHG until Sept.? Or should I forget the "regular" school year and school from March like we have been doing. The only reason it really matters is because of her classes at church which go according to grade and also for reporting. She is keeping pace just fine with everything so far... Thanks for any input.

[countrymom]

We homeschool year around and are not on a typical school year schedule. Our church also promotes according to grade. I just plan to have my son promoted to the next level according to the grade he would complete if he were in ps since the main issue is reading and he is already reading. Every state is different with reporting so I am not sure how to advise on that (we don't actually have to report). Maybe someone else can chime in on that.

[TLCA]

We too school year round, so if starting a new guide at a different time of year other than the "normal" school year/September start will not bother you, I think you could start whenever you want to. We generally start our "new" year in July each year-----that way we can take breaks as we need to and still finish up with pretty much everything we would want to have finished within a year. Some things are carried over from year to year because we start new levels as old levels are finished at different times in each year (such as in math).

We call our dd's grade what she would be if she were in public school (based on age and school enrollment requirements which for us is 5 by Sept. 1), and use that anytime a grade level needs to be given. We change the grade level in June each year as she would complete a grade level in school here at the beginning of June in public schools.

As far as reporting, we do have to report, but we do not have to list grade level-----though if we did, I would list it as mentioned there as well---according to age/grade level if in school. We have to keep a portfolio, so I just make her new portfolio start in July and file work in it from that date onward for the current school year. We do have an "official" first day of the new year in July and I usually introduce some new material at that time each year. But I think with schooling year round, you could celebrate milestones at any point during the year.

[GinainMD]

Thanks ladies! With my older girls this is what I did, kept them in the grade that they would be in public school. It has worked ok for them. There just seems to be more of a disconnect between dd3's abilities and grade level. Thanks again!