Homeschooling is becoming a popular choice for parents seeking to provide their children with an individualized learning opportunity. With advancements in technology making homeschooling somewhat easier to accomplish, more parents are presented with a viable option to provide students with customized curriculums to make them competitive in the job market.
When choosing to homeschool, a big question that arises is ‘at what age do most homeschoolers graduate?’ An attractive feature of homeschooling is that students often gain the opportunity to pursue higher education right away. This article will discuss the data surrounding average ages of homeschool graduates and what to consider before making the jump to homeschooling.
What Age MostHomeschoolers Take to Graduate
Data from the National Center for Education Services (NCES) indicates the average age of homeschoolers graduating from high school to be sixteen and a half years. For parents considering homeschooling, this number is key to determine when their children will be able to pursue college or any other post-secondary education. This average is also reflective of the timing of graduation across traditional education as the average age for traditional high school students is sixteen as well.
It is also important to note that homeschooling offers the advantage of starting college or any other form of post-secondary education earlier than traditional schooling. NCES report states that almost half (48%) of homeschoolers graduate before the age of sixteen due to the flexibility in their educational programming.
This gives homeschooled students a leg up when it comes to college admissions as they can begin their college careers at an earlier age.
Individualizing Education Programs Unique to Each Student
Homeschoolers have the advantage of individualizing their education programs to best suit their educational needs, goals, and ambitions. For example, if a student is particularly gifted in a given subject, they can be moved ahead in that subject as much as is compatible with the child’s abilities.
Likewise, a student can focus on other areas needing improvement to make up for any weak points in their overall knowledge. This only highlights the immense value of homeschooling for those who can customize their educational program to the specific needs and goals of the student. With similar data from the traditional school system on the same age group showing that only 1 in 10 graduate from high school at the age of fourteen, it is easy to see how homeschoolers can benefit from individualized curriculums.
What to Consider When Deciding to Pursue Homeschooling
When considering homeschooling, parents must first makeit a priority to understand their own principles when it comes to education and evaluate their own abilities in order to properly educate their child. To accomplish this, parents have to find out the goals they want to set for the child’s education, the time they are willing to commit to this effort and the resources they have to help implement the chosenstructure. Knowing that there is a lot of opportunity for students who are homeschooled to graduate at a younger age helps parents know that if they are determined, they can do it.
Still, they must consider the time they will have to dedicate to the student’s education and all the sacrifices they will have to make, such as having limited free time, in order to make it true.
Choosing the Right Program for Each Student
When it comes to finding the right homeschooling program for each student, there are a lot of options and factors to consider. Parents will want to look at the structure, format, and costs of the programs that interest them and how they relate to their individual goals. For example, if the family has a certain budget, or if parents are looking for a specific curriculum, they have to research the available options to make sure they can give the best education to the student.
Another factor they have to consider is the amount of time allocated for each lesson and whether curriculums offer remedial classes to help students catch up if needed.
Providing Students the Opportunity to Balance Academics with Co-curricular Activities
Not only does homeschooling provide an opportunity to customize curriculums, but it also provides gap years. This is a huge advantage for students who are looking to take a year off from schooling to travel, or do volunteer and/or job-related tasks. It also allows students to focus on co-curricular activities as many homeschooled students have the opportunity to play sports, pursue musical instruments, or participate in recreational activities that may not be possible in traditional schooling.
With the right balance between academics and extracurricular activities, homeschooled students can be well equipped for the challenges life has to offer. For example, homeschooled students are allowed more freedom to pursue the activities they are passionate about, while also gaining the opportunity to learn life skills in a less structured environment.
Deciding How to Assess Student Progress
When it comes to writing assessments, one of the key factors to consider is how to accurately measure student progress in the homeschooling environment. Whether this is done through online means or with an in-person tutor, it is essential for homeschoolers to develop a method for evaluating their own progress, understanding how this can affect their future education prospects, and how this will fit in with a college or university’s admissions requirements.
Assessment for homeschooled students can come in the form of online tests or written work, or through traditional assessments provided by the district or state. Other options include standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT, or by taking course-related exams such as Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
Developing Long Term Goals Early
Although when it comes to graduation, homeschooled students have the advantage over traditional students in terms of age, they take an even greater leap when it comes to pursuing higher education opportunities. For example, homeschoolers may have the chance to get a head start on college applications and scholarship applications by developing a long-term academic plan early.
In order to make sure that the student takes the right classes for their individual learning needs, parents and students can collaborate to come up with them appropriate plan to pursue their academic goals early. The long-term goals need to be accompanied by realistic objectives, so that the student can graduate from high school soon enough, and still gain the advantage of starting college or any other academic or job field by their early twenties.
Conclusion
In conclusion, homeschooling is a great way for parents to give their children an individualized opportunity to learn. With the ability for homeschoolers to complete their education plan at an earlier age than traditional schools, many homeschoolers have been able to benefit from the flexibility homeschooling provides.
The key for parents looking to homeschool is to research the right program, create measurable goals, and assess progress throughout the education process.