SUMMARY: Here are my tips for high school which really is NOT that hard to do! Core studies, transcripts, curriculum and more. Everything that you need to plan to homeschool high school.
Are you homeschooling high school, or thinking about it for next year?
We continued homeschooling our teen through the high school years, as she was doing so well with it during middle school. And we found out it was REALLY not that hard to homeschool high school!
My daughter wanted her to continue homeschooling as it allowed her to follow her interests, while still preparing her for college.
Does that sound to you like a difficult thing to do?
I was a little overwhelmed with all the new details at first. But once I got into it, I found that it really was quite similar to middle school.
Have you homeschooled middle school? Then you already have most all the skills that you need to do that in the high school years.
Really.
We as homeschoolers search for and find the right homeschool curriculum for our kids. Those same skills are the ones that you will need in high school. It just might be that you are looking for a tutor or an online program, instead of just the right curriculum.
And those of us who have been there, are happy to share our tips for high school.
Looking back, I pulled together my best planning resources for the high school years...
I wish I had had these organized for me when we started high school. Today, I'd like to touch on 4 key things for your planning --high school:
- high school credits
- curriculum search
- core study requirements
- homeschool transcripts
...it would have saved us a lot of headaches for me! And let's save you one!
Let's start with high school credits...
1. Assigning High School Credit
You probably saw my post on Assigning High School Credits, but in case you haven't, click on the link above and here's a few tips on assigning credit.
It was not hard for us to assign high school credit.
It was not hard for us to assign high school credit.
This post explains each of them, and all of your teen's work counts.
That includes courses that you made yourself plus volunteer and paid work hours, internships, time spent reading, etc.
That includes courses that you made yourself plus volunteer and paid work hours, internships, time spent reading, etc.
We did a lot of different kinds of learning, and all of it counted.
Secondly, let's talk curriculum.....
Secondly, let's talk curriculum.....
2. Curriculum Search Resources
First, we started with our favorites from middle school. I wanted to keep whatever was working best for my daughter. For example, we used SOS for math in middle school, and just continued with it for most of high school. That was a no-brainer.
When we needed to source a new subject or two, we turned to the curriculum search tools below.
a. CURRICULUM DIRECTORY at Let's Homeschool High School
This curriculum directory for high school is the most complete one I have ever seen! And it includes TONS of links, too!
b. THE CURRICULUM CHOICE
This site is full of curriculum reviews, written by a team of authors (me, too) who have used the curriculum, at home with their families.
There are reviews of curriculum such as Tapestry of Grace, IEW for literature and writing, Oak Meadow, a number of Charlotte Mason options, and tons and tons of many more reviews, too. This site leans towards christian based resources, except mine are secular.
My daughter wanted to learn about film making, and also had an interest in political science. So we did some video making that one of her homemade electives.
She learned how to make her own videos, and entered them in various contests. Then we did a course in Government for one of her social studies requirements.
The beauty of homeschooling high school is that you get to build and nurture your teen's interests.
And these interests helped us build her core studies as well. But what exactly are high school core studies.....
3. Core Studies Requirements
Core studies are of course, the basic high school courses in math, English, social studies, science and foreign language.
But did you know that what you choose for your family's core studies requirements is usually left up the the homeschool family?
Most states do not list what is required for a homeschool diploma, and we do not have to follow the public school graduation requirements. New York and Pennsylvania do have specifics for graduating from homeschool.
So as a homeschooling parent, you can set up your teen's core requirements based on what is best for your student. Unless you are in one of those picky states, as mentioned above.
Many families have their teens go directly into vocational training or right to employment.
Some others do dual credit and get both their homeschool diploma and a two year college degree at the same time. That is possible, with online resources, or through some community colleges.
Others families, like us, want their college bound kids to do high school first at home, and then apply to college after graduating from their homeschool.
And families with special needs teens who are not academically inclined, can set up a plan that meets their needs for independence in the activities of daily living.
There are reviews of curriculum such as Tapestry of Grace, IEW for literature and writing, Oak Meadow, a number of Charlotte Mason options, and tons and tons of many more reviews, too. This site leans towards christian based resources, except mine are secular.
But before we ordered anything, we spent time talking about our teen's special interests.
These influenced our choices for core studies and also became her high school electives.
High School Electives
These influenced our choices for core studies and also became her high school electives.
High School Electives
What is your teen passionate about? How do they spend their time, when they have free time? What are their strengths?
My daughter wanted to learn about film making, and also had an interest in political science. So we did some video making that one of her homemade electives.
She learned how to make her own videos, and entered them in various contests. Then we did a course in Government for one of her social studies requirements.
The beauty of homeschooling high school is that you get to build and nurture your teen's interests.
And these interests helped us build her core studies as well. But what exactly are high school core studies.....
3. Core Studies Requirements
But did you know that what you choose for your family's core studies requirements is usually left up the the homeschool family?
Most states do not list what is required for a homeschool diploma, and we do not have to follow the public school graduation requirements. New York and Pennsylvania do have specifics for graduating from homeschool.
So as a homeschooling parent, you can set up your teen's core requirements based on what is best for your student. Unless you are in one of those picky states, as mentioned above.
Many families have their teens go directly into vocational training or right to employment.
Some others do dual credit and get both their homeschool diploma and a two year college degree at the same time. That is possible, with online resources, or through some community colleges.
Others families, like us, want their college bound kids to do high school first at home, and then apply to college after graduating from their homeschool.
And families with special needs teens who are not academically inclined, can set up a plan that meets their needs for independence in the activities of daily living.
Now that we finished discussing core requirements, let's talk transcripts...
A chapter in my book below, on Homeschool Transcripts includes a list of everything that needs to be on the homeschool transcript.
If you would like a little help to put them together, check out my book below, which has printables for transcripts and all the recording that you would want to do for your teen's studies at home.
Homeschool high school your way.
4. Making your teen's High School Transcripts
Compiling your transcripts just means to record your teen's studies and classes in the form that the colleges are used to seeing.
There are many templates you can use for making your own homeschool transcripts, and links to that are in the article below.
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| Volunteering was a great way to get work-related experience and colleges look for this on their applications. |
There are many templates you can use for making your own homeschool transcripts, and links to that are in the article below.
A chapter in my book below, on Homeschool Transcripts includes a list of everything that needs to be on the homeschool transcript.
If you would like a little help to put them together, check out my book below, which has printables for transcripts and all the recording that you would want to do for your teen's studies at home.
Homeschool high school your way.
Heidi from Starts at Eight says:
"If you are planning on homeschooling high school then Betsy Sproger's guide is the one you want on your shelf. What I love about this book is that it gives you actionable things to do along the way. It is an affordable and manageable quick reference to help you plan and navigate homeschooling high school with college in mind."
High School was my favorite time, of all of our homeschooling years.
Thanks for stopping by,
Betsy
Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school. She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school, college, gifted/2e and wrote - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind. She offers free homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting, and has had her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.
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