Transcript Questions - self-studied for AP exams

[omd21]

If your DC self-studied for an AP exam, did you give them credit on their transcript?

 

DD is self studying Comp Sci and Psychology this year. For Comp Sci I know certainly that I'll give her a full credit, since she has been doing work all year. However for Psych, she'll only have studied about 3-4 months before the exam. Do I give her 0.5 credit for Psychology, then list her AP exam score? Will that look strange to college admissions officers?

 

Also, she did both the AOPS Intermediate Algebra and the Pre-calculus book in 9th grade (started in the summer). does she get one credit for each or .5 credits for each?

 

I have created two versions of the transcript, one with courses listed per grade, and one with courses listed per subject. There are certain things I'm not sure how to list. For example, for the past two years she took two short courses in Creative Writing, and has spent several hours a week, usually an hour per day, writing. I was going to give her one credit for all the work she has put in, but that means she'd have 9 credit hours in 9th grade, then 6 or 7 credit hours in 10th.

 

She also takes piano lessons weekly and practices at least an hour a day. Do I list this as a fine art credit only one year? Or do I leave it off and treat it as an extra-curricular activity? Do you list extra-curricular activities on the transcript?

 

Will it look unfavorable that she has 5 credits in 10th after having 7.5 in 9th?

 

This is what it looks like right now, by grade:

Edited February 23, 2018 by omd21

[Lori D.]

No expert, and the following is JMO ;) :

 

If your DC self-studied for an AP exam, did you give them credit on their transcript?

 

You can give credit for any course that a student has completed material for, whether the end goal was for a test or just to "check a box".

 

For course titles on the transcript: ONLY if an official AP course was taken, or an officially AP-approved syllabus was used for self-study can you use the course of "AP Computer Science" or "AP Psychology". Otherwise, you can still list as it as a course, with credit and a grade, under the title of "Computer Science, with AP test" or "Psychology, with AP test".

 

 

If your DC self-studied for an AP exam, did you give them credit on their transcript?

 

DD is self studying Comp Sci and Psychology this year. For Comp Sci I know certainly that I'll give her a full credit, since she has been doing work all year. However for Psych, she'll only have studied about 3-4 months before the exam. Do I give her 0.5 credit for Psychology, then list her AP exam score? Will that look strange to college admissions officers?

 

For deciding how much credit to award credit, consider either or both of these factors:

 

- how much material was learned/studies

(compare with other programs to get an idea of what is typical for a 1-credit course; if completing most of what is covered in a typical 1-credit course, then award 1 credit)

 

- how many hours were spent on the course material?

(if going with an average hours per credit of 150 hours = 1 credit, then roughly 135-165 hours = 1 credit; 65-80 hours = 0.5 credit)

 

Or, consider having the student take the matching CLEP test, and if passing the CLEP, award full credit (regardless of hours/material), just as colleges do.

 

 

... Do I give her 0.5 credit for Psychology, then list her AP exam score? Will that look strange to college admissions officers?

 

I doubt it. They see a lot of different things, and not all AP courses ARE 1 full year long -- some are just 1/2 year, so just 0.5 credit course with AP test.

 

 

... Also, she did both the AOPS Intermediate Algebra and the Pre-calculus book in 9th grade (started in the summer). does she get one credit for each or .5 credits for each?

 

Not familiar with the program to know how to advise here.

 

 

... I have created two versions of the transcript, one with courses listed per grade, and one with courses listed per subject. There are certain things I'm not sure how to list. For example, for the past two years she took two short courses in Creative Writing, and has spent several hours a week, usually an hour per day, writing. I was going to give her one credit for all the work she has put in, but that means she'd have 9 credit hours in 9th grade, then 6 or 7 credit hours in 10th...

 

... Will it look unfavorable that she has 5 credits in 10th after having 7.5 in 9th?

 

Certainly not a problem when listed by subject, and also not a problem when listed by grade/year.

 

Students often vary in the amounts of credits they complete from year to year. And often, any credits done as summer school get credited to the school grade/year following that course, so that can increase the amount of credits in a grade/year.

 

I would not fudge anything thinking it would look "better" to have the same amount of credits in each grade/year. The point of the transcript is to be an accurate record of what the student did and when during high school. It is what it is. :)

 

JMO -- when anyone looks closely at the coursework from 9th to 10th, they'll see the big jump up, to 3 AP courses/tests in 10th grade. AP = college level, so that would be very understandable that there are fewer credits in 10th, but of much higher rigor than in 9th. When I looked at your attached transcript excerpt, my immediate thought was: "advanced high schooler in 9th is stepping up into more advanced work for 10th". edited to add emphasis: BUT, because I know that AP requires more time/effort, the lower credit count did not worry me. ;) Again, just my opinion.

 

 

... She also takes piano lessons weekly and practices at least an hour a day. Do I list this as a fine art credit only one year? Or do I leave it off and treat it as an extra-curricular activity? 

 

Your call. Some families count this as Fine Arts: Piano I, II, III, IV, with 1 credit for each year. My personal take on it would be to only count it as credit each year if additional learning and advancement of craft were happening. If that is just counting practice hours, and not really moving forward in the study of Piano, and no plans to study Music in college, then I personally would probably count it as the first year equals 1 credit of Fine Arts: Piano, and count the remaining years of piano practice and recitals as an extracurricular activity. Just what I would do. :)

 

 

... Do you list extra-curricular activities on the transcript?

 

While a few people argue otherwise, I personally say "no", don't list the extracurriculars on the transcript. My reasons:

1. public/private schools do not do this

2. the transcript is NOT about the entire high school experience -- it is specifically about the academic record: courses taken, credits earned, grades earned, notation of any outsourced coursework, and listing of test scores

3. there is no physical space on the to do extracurricular activities justice and let them really shine.

 

Instead, create a separate Extracurricular Activities document, where you can detail all of the highlights and achievements and skills used in the activities. That is where admission offices expect to see extracurriculars, and to learn more about the student beyond the academics. :)

 

BEST of luck in wearing your homeschool high school administrator hat! --->   :hat:  Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Lori D.

[omd21]

When I looked at your attached transcript excerpt, my immediate thought was: "advanced high schooler in 9th is stepping up into more advanced work for 10th". Because I know that AP requires more time/effort, the lower credit count did not worry me. ;)

 

Thank you so much for the detailed response, Lori. This is exactly what my doubts are. I want to make sure it doesn't look like she chickened out in 10th grade. Do you think 5 credits in 10th grade is enough or should we look into adding another class?

[regentrude]

If a student covered the content of an AP course, of course I would give credit. It does not matter whether it is self study or not. But you cannot call it "AP" on the transcript if you have not gotten approval of the syllabus from the college board. You can list it as "Psychology with AP exam".

 

I gave one full credit for each AoPS text (except C&P). It is more than the content of a regular class, and how fast she completed it does not matter.

 

You can give fractional credits. If the writing credit has been earned over two years, you can give half credits for each school year.

 

I do not list extracurriculars on the transcript.

[omd21]

 

I gave one full credit for each AoPS text (except C&P). It is more than the content of a regular class, and how fast she completed it does not matter.

 

Thank you, regentrude. I was hoping you'd chime in on this one.

[Lori D.]

Thank you so much for the detailed response, Lori. This is exactly what my doubts are. I want to make sure it doesn't look like she chickened out in 10th grade. Do you think 5 credits in 10th grade is enough or should we look into adding another class?

 

Again, just me, but I don't believe in overloading students with classes or manufacturing classes, with the idea it will make a transcript look one way or another. Three APs in 10th grade -- one of which is Calculus, and another is English Composition (two of the most rigorous APs), plus Latin SIX... I don't quite see how that doesn't look rigorous, or that it looks like the student "chickened out". lol.

 

Again, while the amount of credits are different from 9th to 10th, the RIGOR of the load is definitely increasing. Remember, colleges count AP tests with high scores as college credits, so to have THREE AP courses in 10th grade is a lot of rigor. And both the Math (Calculus) and Foreign Language (Latin VI) are at a very advanced level, which is high rigor. I guess what I'm trying to say is that rigor balances # of credits, or at least it would to me. (I went back and added stress to my original post to make that stand out. :) )

 

However, if you are really anxious about having the similar amounts of credits each grade/year, could you make 10th grade the year you officially list Piano as a Fine Arts credit, and consider the other three years as extracurricular? Or, would this be the year to include a credit of PE as an Elective?

 

Again, just me, but instead of overloading your student with more classes, how about giving her breathing room to excel in that rigorous line-up, and give her time to relax and enjoy personal interests in her free time. Learning how to have balance in life is such an important skill to practice for all of adulthood. ;)

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

[8filltheheart]

I also gave 1 cr for each intermediate alg and pre-cal.  My ds also took them both in 1 yr.

[omd21]

Again, just me, but I don't believe in overloading students with classes or manufacturing classes, with the idea it will make a transcript look one way or another. Three APs in 10th grade -- one of which is Calculus, and another is English Composition (two of the most rigorous APs), plus Latin SIX... I don't quite see how that doesn't look rigorous, or that it looks like the student "chickened out". lol.

 

Again, while the amount of credits are different from 9th to 10th, the RIGOR of the load is definitely increasing. Remember, colleges count AP tests with high scores as college credits, so to have THREE AP courses in 10th grade is a lot of rigor. And both the Math (Calculus) and Foreign Language (Latin VI) are at a very advanced level, which is high rigor. I guess what I'm trying to say is that rigor balances # of credits, or at least it would to me. (I went back and added stress to my original post to make that stand out. :) )

 

However, if you are really anxious about having the similar amounts of credits each grade/year, could you make 10th grade the year you officially list Piano as a Fine Arts credit, and consider the other three years as extracurricular? Or, would this be the year to include a credit of PE as an Elective?

 

Again, just me, but instead of overloading your student with more classes, how about giving her breathing room to excel in that rigorous line-up, and give her time to relax and enjoy personal interests in her free time. Learning how to have balance in life is such an important skill to practice for all of adulthood. ;)

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

 

Thanks Lori. I don't believe in fluffing up the transcript either, however I did find an older thread yesterday where a similar situation was being discussed and a few people mentioned that for selective schools and scholarships, 26-28 credits was the norm. I don't want to shortchange her as we will be needing merit aid / scholarships. 

 

I know the workload for the three AP classes will be substantial, about two hours per day/ each. I was not considering adding another AP class but an elective or two that tie into something she's already doing. Here are some things she already does:

 

-Piano is a great suggestion and something I've considered.

 

- I could also give her a credit for creative writing which she already does on a weekly basis, the amount of work she puts into writing exceeds a yearly class, it's basically all she does with her free time.

 

- She also spends a considerable amount of time and energy on studying and memorizing Broadway musicals; she is a walking encyclopedia, we've gone to see a few, and she has several memorized.

 

- Another option is an art history credit that spans over a few years. We've taken two international trips recently centered on visiting major works of art and I've informally taught them about the artists and art history, I could add more formal work to that to make it count as a high school credit.

 

- She is part of a ballroom / swing dancing club and takes classes regularly.

 

Out of her interests and activities, I'm trying to figure out what should count as a credit, without adding too much academic work in 10th grade, and what should be an extra-curricular.

 

She also told me last night she wouldn't mind taking drawing, something I can easily do at home or with our local co-op.

 

Thank you for your detailed thoughts, they certainly help as I try to learn this new role of counselor.

Edited February 24, 2018 by omd21

[MarkT]

some AP courses are typically/tradtionally only a semester long and perhaps for these 0.5 credit would be appropriate:

AP US Government and Politics

AP Macroeconomics

AP Microeconomics

 

there may be a few others.

 

 

Most of the AP courses are full year (two semesters).

 

Mark

[omd21]

I also gave 1 cr for each intermediate alg and pre-cal.  My ds also took them both in 1 yr.

Thank you, 8FillTheHeart. This is very helpful. I remember your son's sequence as being similar to DD's.

 

some AP courses are typically/tradtionally only a semester long and perhaps for these 0.5 credit would be appropriate:

AP US Government and Politics

AP Macroeconomics

AP Microeconomics

Thank you!

[omd21]

BEST of luck in wearing your homeschool high school administrator hat! ---> :hat: Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

If a student covered the content of an AP course, of course I would give credit.

 

I also gave 1 cr for each intermediate alg and pre-cal. My ds also took them both in 1 yr.

Lori, regentrude, and 8Filltheheart, did you do a chronological transcript, or by subject? Thank you! Edited February 24, 2018 by omd21

[regentrude]

 Lori, regentrude, and 8Filltheheart, did you do a chronolical transcript, or by subject? Thank you!

 

I used a transcript template that is very popular among users here that lists courses by year AND by subject.

It has one column for the course title and then two columns for each year (one for credit, the other for grade), and rows for the courses, with subject areas grouped together.

So, for example, all math courses are listed in the first column chronologically together, and the grade/credit is listed in the column for the respective school year. That way, one can see on one glance which courses in a given subject area (math, science, English, social sciences, Foreign language) have been taken, and also which courses have been taken each year.

The template is sheer genius; thanks to the generous person (Dori?) who shared it on the homeschool2college yahoo group.

It has also been shared in an older transcript thread on this board, I think by 8FillTheHeart. Search the sticky thread.

Edited February 24, 2018 by regentrude

[omd21]

I used a transcript template that is very popular among users here that lists courses by year AND by subject.

It has one column for the course title and then two columns for each year.

Thanks! I believe I already have a copy of that template. I’m glad to hear that worked for you.

[Lori D.]

Yes, Regentrude's transcript that is laid out by both grade/level and subject looks something like this:

 

 

subject . . . . . . course . . . . . . . . . .  9th . . . . . . . . 10th . . . . . . . . 11th . . . . . . . 12th 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . grade  credit  . .  grade  credit  . .  grade  credit  . .  grade  credit

_____________________________________________________________________

English

. . . . . . . . . . . . . English I . . . . . . . .  A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . English II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . English III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . English IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  A   1.0

 

Math

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Algebra I . . . . . . . .  A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Algebra II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Pre-Calculus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A   1.0

 

Science

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Biology . . . . . . .  A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Anatomy . . . . . .  A   0.5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Adv. Chem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . . A   1.0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A   0.5

 

-- etc --

_____________________________________________________________________

GPA/credits per grade: . . . . . .4.0   6.50. . . . . . . 4.0   6.50. . . . .. 4.0   6.50. . . . 4.0   6.50

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GPA  credits  . .  . . .GPA  credits  . .  . GPA  credits  . . GPA  credits

cumulative: . . . .

4.000 GPA /  26.00 credits .

[omd21]

Yes, Regentrude's transcript that is laid out by both grade/level and subject looks something like this:

 

Perfect, thank you! This is similar to what I have, except I might need to simplify mine a little bit. Edited February 24, 2018 by omd21