In most states homeschooling requirements and recommendations are made by the state as to what should be taught each year for each grade. In most cases, a student is then required to take standardized tests to make certain she is keeping up to par each year.
For example, a student can take an exam for the fourth grade and upon passing that test, the student is considered to be in the fifth grade. Some students surpass a designated grade because they are advanced in studies, and as long as a student can pass the standardized testing for an advanced grade, it is perfectly legal to have that student accelerate.
Accelerated Homeschool Students
Just as in regular school, a homeschooled student can become accelerated in her learning, thus skipping one or more grades. This can occur in elementary school, middle school, or as late as high school. There are two main reasons why this happens.
Student Motivation
The first is the student herself. There are some students who are self-motivated and do extra worksheets, papers, and math homework. These students read ahead on assignments and do extremely well on assignments, often doing assignments ahead of schedule. Such a student will not only pass a standardized test, but will pass the test of the grade ahead, making her eligible to skip a grade or even two grades.
The accelerated student often does well in a structured setting. She knows what schoolwork is planned prior to each new day, so she is ready to start immediately. Her motivation makes her a great candidate for homeschooling, as she needs little instruction, and is rarely behind in her work. In fact, she is well aware of the fact that working hard now means she will finish school quicker, and this gives her the ability to focus on school work with determination.
Homeschool Philosophy
The other reason why there can be students passing grades ahead of schedule is the individual homeschool philosophy. The parent teacher can push a student to work at her very best so that she develops a sense of self-reliance. She is encouraged to work ahead in her studies or do extra work on a regular basis. These students may or may not be the brightest students around, but they learn to be well motivated and do well on standardized testing, often easily skipping grades or parts of grades.
In this scenario, a student may miss some important life lessons learned through various curricula, to exchange for knowing exactly what will be asked on a standardized test in order to skip a grade or two. But, some homeschool families believe that life is its own lesson plan, and the child will learn just by the experiences she encounters along the way.
Testing Accelerated Homeschool Students
There are many states that do not actually require testing for the homeschooled student [State Laws, Home School Legal Defense Association, 2008]. These states include, but may not be limited to:
- Alaska
- Connecticut
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- Oklahoma
- Texas
Even within these states listed above (as well as others), local groups (county superintendent's offices or various homeschool organizations) will ask you to test your child. This may be a good idea, if only for your personal records. If your child is accelerating, you may want records to prove this advancement, especially if your child is going to apply for college at an early age.
Of course, states that require testing should be complied with, although a few do not even ask you to report the scores. Most states do not become suspicious of an accelerated learner in the homeschool situation, so you should not feel singled out for having an advanced student in your home.
It is debatable whether or not it is a good idea to have students skip grades at any point during the school years. Students who do this in regular school suffer from problems being the youngest in the grade, and may suffer from social difficulties. In homeschooling, this is not a problem because, as a family group, age is accepted for what it is.
On the other hand, if too many grades are skipped, the child becomes a very young college student and may have missed some of the details of the learning from the grade that were skipped. It is just as socially awkward to be a very young college student as it is being a very young high school student.
On the bright side, an accelerated homeschool student can begin her entrance in the workplace earlier than other students the same age, and there may be an advantage to that. It really boils down to what is right for each individual homeschooled student, and what goals she has for the big picture in her life.
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