Transcript question (pre highschool credits)

[homefront]

Does a section for credits earn before high school meet standards? Credits are accredited from a state college. We're a military family so we have no idea where we'll be when she graduates. (we choose an accredited solution for pre-highschool classes to minimize questions on level of course work)

 

And should these classes count in GPA calculations?

[WTMindy]

I have a section on my transcript that says "credits earned before high school" and I list them there with the grades, but I don't factor it into their GPA. I only do this for high school level courses that a college would expect to see on a college transcript. For example, my dd took a high school Biology class as a 8th grader so I put that on there because I would want a college to know that she has had that. I wouldn't put a music credit on there because a college wouldn't necessarily care if she had that.

[homefront]

I'm think we're looking at lots of AP and dual classes as dd is not in 8th yet. I like the idea of a challenging 4 years of high school not simpler due to spreading classes over more years. I just don't want to limit her options due to not claiming the credits. The state we currently in requires current high school classes for their dual cc programs. We know of at least one family that could not get them to wave the requirement (9th grade class that was skipped).

 

Its a balancing act figuring out the right amount of challenge for any child. I don't want everything to be a breeze for her or she won't know that she can work.

 

What I've seen of the ps around here, WTM higher logic stage is more demanding than their 9th and 10th grade classes. (DD classes aren't local)

[Gwen in VA]

As long as you keep good records, you can make the final decision of what to count and not count later on as your child approaches senior year.

 

Make the decision on whether to include 8th grade classes NOT on whether the 8th grade classes are rigorous and worthy of credit but on what makes the most impressive high school transcript. I have records from my kids' 8th grade classes. In the long run, we decided not to count any of these classes simply because they wouldn't contribute anything meaningful to the extremely strong transcripts but they WOULD clutter it up and water down the effect of those extremely rigorous high school classes.

 

if your child decides to pursue academics seriously in high school and ends up with a ton of AP and CC classes, the 8th grade classes will only add confusion to a really strong transcript.

 

The colleges are only expecting to see records from the last four years. If this record is extremely strong, why would you clutter it up with 8th grade material? What would having those courses on the transcript do? If your child is an academic superstar, the colleges already know that your child's 8th grade classes were really rigorous!

 

If, however, your child decides to focus on the tuba or on community theater, counting some of the more rigorous 8th grade classes as high school would certainly not be amiss.

 

I would count the classes ONLY if they really add something to the transcript. If your child gets a 5 on the AP bio exam in 10th grade without having had bio in 9th, that is hugely impressive. Saying the kid took bio in 8th actually makes the achievement slightly less impressive -- so don't include info that will water down your child's record!

 

And remember, those kids at Thomas Jefferson, a magnet school in northern VA that produces approximately 50% of the National Merit semi-finalists in VA, don't list most of their 8th grade classes on their high school transcripts, even though obviously their 8th grade work is at a higher standard than most.

[Bee Happy]

I was also interested in this! Thanks for asking.