How to put together your high schooler's homeschool transcripts. This post includes affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our homeschool, if my daughter wasn't already in college! Please see my disclosure policy.
Are you looking for tips for doing your teen's homeschool transcripts? Or are you, a bit overwhelmed with the prospects of doing them, like I was?
When I thought of doing my own transcripts, I was more than a bit nervous....at first. But talking with other moms who already had been there, done that..really helped me a lot. And I was able to see a bunch of transcripts that they had put together for their teens.
My daughter is junior in
college now, having graduated from our homeschool almost 3 springs ago.
That seems like yesterday...She was pleased to get accepted by each
college that she applied to with scholarship offers. Just sharing that as an encouragement….
I learned a lot from doing her transcripts and
going through the college admissions process with her. Knowing what to
put on her homeschool transcripts was key to her getting into college.
But transcripts are not just for college. They show all the hard
work and learning activities that your child has done, during their high school
years at home, wherever their journey is after graduation.
"Preparing the
homeschool transcript is anything but typical and normal because your journey
was unique." Tina @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Here are 10 key steps for doing your teen's transcripts, whether you are showcasing them to college admissions or to share with a trade school, community college, or a prospective employer.
First, let's look at a definition of transcripts, from our
friends at HSLDA:
"Transcripts are a
record of the courses your child completed in high school, the credit he
earned for each course, and each course's final grade. Transcripts also include
personal information used for identification purposes and, usually, a grade
point average (GPA)."
So, to get started:
1. What should be
included in the homeschool transcript?
The Homeschool Transcript
Your
teen's transcripts are to include all courses and studies your student has
done, in the home and out. It is the place to compile all courses,
including those from a community college.
|
For college bound teens
Be sure to choose a name, like Johns Academy, instead of Learning and
Growing School, as that helps to led a serious tone to your transcript, and
that is what the colleges are looking for.
--------------------What
to Include-----------------------------
- School name and address, phone number
- Name of student, DOB
- ALL courses from 9th, 10th, 11th,
and 12th grade years, with grades and credits earned
(One year study = 1 high school credit. One semester = 1/2 credit)
- Add in any community college courses, dual enrollment,
any online courses, etc, as the homeschool transcript should include
everything taken, so the college can see it all in one place.
- For those going to a 4 year college - Scores from SAT
or ACT. Chose the highest scores and list them on
your transcript.
- Student's graduation date and GPA - grade point average
- Parent signature with a date.
This list was compiled
from HSLDA and Let's Homeschool High School, and taken from my research and all the steps for making your teen's transcripts are in this FREE PDF:
This free PDF includes all my best tips for making your teen's transcripts, the kind that the colleges are used to seeing, and prefer.
I encourage you to get yours!
2. What should the transcript look like?
- HSLDA High School-Transcripts also
shares sample transcripts here.
- I also have a
sample transcript in my book, which is based on the one that my daughter
used when she applied to college.
Also, activities,
awards, and honor societies don't need to be on the transcript, as there will
be space for those important things on the actual college application itself.
That is also helpful to the admissions folks.
3. Where can I
find free transcript forms?
Downloadable Forms
- Blank
forms are available from HSLDA link here HSLDA High School-Transcripts. Scroll down to HSLDA-
Sample Transcript, and click on Blank Forms.
- If you want to add
a reading list to your transcript, click on Homeschool High School Recordkeeping:Reading List.
Amy @ Walking by the Way has a nice form for doing just
that.
- I also have
transcript forms included in my book and are downloadable
for my e-book, if you want one that you can type into.
4.
What about the GPA - grade point average?
Calculating the GPA
- I have a simple, easy to follow guide for calculating the GPA, and where to
put that on your transcripts, in my book, below.
5. How about
calculating credits?
For any high school courses, done at home, at co-op or online:
One year of study = 1 high school
credit.
One semester = 1/2 credit
For dual credit courses or straight college level courses:
Generally, a one-semester three-credit college course is equal to a
year-long one-credit high school course.
(.....from my post on
transcripts, here.)
Vicki, from 7 Sisters, shares many ways for your teens to earn credits in Homeschool Transcripts How to Earn Credits.
I also
have a chapter in my book which shows and illustrates 3 ways to assign high
school credit. All of your teen's work counts, AND assigning credit it easy to do!
Let's stop, and take a
breath, and hear some good news...
Homeschool transcripts
are being widely accepted by the colleges, and many are even dropping their extra
requirements for homeschoolers, or simplifying them.
One of the college in our state is now using CLEP to verify their homeschool transcripts, instead of asking for SAT subject tests or AP courses.
More and more, homeschool transcripts are being readily accepted, especially when they include two
things...strong reference letters and clear course descriptions.
6. What about course descriptions and reference letters?
6. What about course descriptions and reference letters?
Reference letters were
key to my daughter getting accepted to the colleges on her list. And they were not hard to deal with.
Usually
the colleges ask for a counselor letter and a letter from a teacher, but that
is simply because most of their applicants are public school kids.
As homeschoolers, we can
use teachers or counselors if our teen s have them, or other adults who know them well, such as coaches, a co-op teacher, etc. We used the leader from my teen's Youth and Government program, a parent teacher, who had supervised her as a teacher's assistant, and one more.
Now re course descriptions - Not all colleges require them, but some of them do. They are not hard to write.
Listing the books, resources, unit studies, videos, etc that were used,
and what you required for the course to be completed such as essays, projects, etc - come together to makes up your course description.
Check out Chapter 8 of
my book for more information and tips, including printables for college
reference letters as well as some for making your course descriptions.
7. Where can I
find free transcript forms?
Downloadable Forms
- Blank forms are
available from HSLDA link here HSLDA High School-Transcripts. Scroll
down to HSLDA - Sample Transcript, and click
on Blank Forms.
- To add a reading
list to your transcript, click on Homeschool High School Recordkeeping: Reading List. Amy @ Walking
by the Way has a nice form for doing just that. We did not include
that, and were not asked for one from any of our colleges.
If you do choose to do a
reading list, be sure to include any free reading books as well as literature,
as the colleges want to see that your student is a well rounded individual.
What if you just want a
little help with "what" to put "where" on your
transcripts?
8. Are
there frugal resources for transcripts?
This post lists my
favorite frugal resource for transcripts.
Sometimes it is nice to have a little help and let someone else
compile the transcript for you.
Now that you know what needs to be included in your transcripts, are you wondering what courses need to be there as well?
9. Are there
certain courses that should be covered before graduation?
As homeschoolers, we do not need to follow the public school graduation
requirements. Did you know that?
Those are for public school kids.
Now, as far as
graduation requirements for homeschoolers, ie, us…Most states give this
decision to the homeschooling family.
For example, in my state of WA, the parents choose which subjects to focus on, and decide when their student is ready to graduate.
This means that a
student going to a vocational institute after graduation, do not need to follow
the same recommended courses for teens who will be headed to community college
or a 4 year college.
Unless there are
specific homeschool graudation requirements in your state, you are the one who
decides what your teen needs to do to be ready for graduation.
But, catch this please -
There are some
states that do have specific requirements for homeschool graduation, so
it is advisable to check with your state on that. Let's Homeschool
High School has a link, where you can look that up for
your state.
Here’s some more ideas
on that - Vicki has a list of the suggested courses to be covered for high
school, based on the 7 Sisters umbrella school general guidelines here - Courses for Homeschooling High School What Needs to Be
Covered.
What if your child is
headed to college?
10. How about the
college bound? What courses should they be doing in high school?
Kids who are headed to college need to know what their specific college
entrance requirements will be. This will vary from college to college.
One of the chapters in my book discusses how
to find out your teen's college entrance requirements. They will help shape your college bound teen’s
high school years.
Congratulations for
having made it through the 10 steps to transcripts. Now that you know
how to do transcripts...pour a cup of coffee and savor it! You deserve it!
Here is my book that I referred above.....
After helping my homeschooled high schooler get into each of the colleges she applied to, I wrote this frugal guide:
For more info: Homeschooling High School with
College in Mind - 2nd Edition
Have you seen my facebook group called
choosing curriculum
high school electives
assigning high school credit
making transcripts, how to get started
long range planning tips
writing a college essay
preparing for college writing
freaking out!
high school electives
assigning high school credit
making transcripts, how to get started
long range planning tips
writing a college essay
preparing for college writing
freaking out!
Have you seen Tricia Hodges's video courses in art yet?
It's called A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels Video Art Course
Taught by a master artist, and offered by Tricia Hodges, mom of 5 blessings who are all homeschooled. This is a full one year course, ideal for your teen who is interested in art. Get your fine arts requirement done (for college bound teens) with this easy to use video course!
Perfect for independent study! No need for a long list of supplies. Just get some paper and some chalk art pastels and you are ready!
Please share in the comments, any of your favorite high school resource that you have found.
Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,
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, highschool,
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition, She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting, and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition, She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting, and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.
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