Homeschool report card maker

How to use the report card maker

Type the subjects your child studies, one per line. Each subject gets a column for every grading period and a final column. To fill in grades before printing, add them after the subject with a | between each, in order: Reading | A | A | A-. Missing marks stay blank for handwriting. Leave the subject list empty to start from nine common ones: reading, writing, spelling, math, science, history or social studies, art, music and physical education.

Then choose:

• Grading periods: quarters (four), trimesters (three) or semesters (two).
• Marks: letter grades with a 90–100 = A key, percentages, or standards-based 1–4 marks (4 exceeds, 3 meets, 2 approaching, 1 beginning).
• Work habits: six habits such as "works independently" and "completes work on time", marked E (excellent), S (satisfactory) or N (needs improvement).
• Attendance: days in session, present and absent for each period, with a total column.
• Comments: type a comment to print it, or leave write-in lines.

What makes a useful homeschool report card

A report card at home isn't about ranking a child against a class. It's a snapshot that you, your child and anyone reviewing your records can understand later. The useful ones share a few traits:

• The same scale all year. Pick letter grades, percentages or standards and stick with them so progress is comparable.
• A grading key. Anyone outside your family, such as a portfolio reviewer or a new school, needs to know what an "S" or a "3" means. The key prints automatically.
• Specific comments. Name the skill: "multiplies two-digit numbers," "writes a five-sentence paragraph." That makes the next term's goals obvious.
• Attendance alongside grades. If your state counts days, the report card doubles as a quarterly attendance summary.

Grading by age

Kindergarten to 2nd grade: most families skip letter grades. Use the standards-based marks or comments only, and focus on reading, writing and math milestones.

3rd to 8th grade: letter grades or percentages start to make sense, especially for math, spelling and tests. Keep the work habits section; independence matters as much as scores at this age.

High school: grades now feed a GPA and a transcript. Record a final grade and credits for each course, then carry them into the homeschool transcript generator or check the math with the homeschool GPA calculator.

Records your state may ask for

Requirements vary. Georgia homeschoolers write an annual progress report in each required subject and keep it for at least three years. Pennsylvania families keep a portfolio that an evaluator reviews each year. Texas requires no records at all. Look up your state, such as homeschooling in Georgia, Pennsylvania or Ohio, and keep report cards with work samples and an attendance tracker. At the end of the year, celebrate with a certificate of completion.

Printing tips

Print on card stock for a report card that holds up in a folder, or on plain paper for a portfolio binder. Turn off Color accents for black-and-white printers; the yellow bands become light gray.

When you'd rather not grade everything yourself

Online curricula can take over the grading. Time4Learning grades lessons automatically and keeps records you can print, Power Homeschool grades its video courses automatically, BJU Press has a gradebook in its Homeschool Hub, and Abeka issues report cards through its accredited video option. IXL tracks skill-by-skill progress in math and language arts. Compare more in the best homeschool curriculum, save picks to your wishlist, and see whether scholarships in your state may help cover the cost.