1 semester CC class = 1 year high school class... is this the norm?

[AuntieM]

Just want to make sure that this is the widespread norm as I start to map out ds's remaining hs years. Have any of you found exceptions to this? Or is it safe to do my adding of credit hours based on this math...?

[Miss Marple]

This is how our state credits concurrent hours. We go by semesters - there might be a difference with trimesters.

[HiddenJewel]

That is what I have always read.

[Cathy in TX]

Just want to make sure that this is the widespread norm as I start to map out ds's remaining hs years. Have any of you found exceptions to this? Or is it safe to do my adding of credit hours based on this math...?

 

Our school district has some classes worth one credit, others worth .5 credit. You can look here, scrolling down to pages 24-25, to see what is class is worth what credit:

http://www.roundrockisd.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11930

 

Cathy

Edited August 29, 2009 by Cathy in TX
hit reply before proofreading

[Pamela H in Texas]

Wow...Round Rock has that to get English III credit, the student has to take Comp I, Comp II AND Am Lit? And to get a Physics credit, a student must take both semesters of the college physics?

 

I have always heards a 3 credit semester long course is 1 yr of high school. I did know that Round Rock has a lot of different requirements though. I liked their course of studies for each diploma.

[Moni]

1 semester CC class = 1 year high school class... is this the norm

 

The forumula is (CC units) x 0.33 = (High school units)

 

So a 3-unit class is one high school unit

 

:seeya:

[Cathy in TX]

Wow...Round Rock has that to get English III credit, the student has to take Comp I, Comp II AND Am Lit? And to get a Physics credit, a student must take both semesters of the college physics?

 

I know! It's as if they are trying to discourage kids in the high schools from going the cc route.

 

Personally I plan to go the 3-credit-hours of college=1 credit high school.

 

Cathy

[AuntieM]

Thank you, friends, this info is very helpful. I especially like the 3 college units = 1 high school unit (credit), that makes sense in the proper terms.

[Ellie]

Yes, this is the norm, regardless of how many c.c. credit hours the course is.

[Nan in Mass]

I intended to, but when it came time to add it all up, it didn't look right. My son took speech and composition 1 in addition to four years of literature from me, so that would have made 6 credits of English. He took Intro Chem 1 and Intro Chem 2; that would have made 2 credits of chemistry, which certainly was accurate time-wise and even information-wise (his cousin did advanced chemistry) but would have given him 6 1/2 credits of science and he isn't a science-oriented child. I tried hard to make his transcript reflect who he is and where his interests lie. He took Pre-calc 1 and Pre-calc 2. I definately didn't want to give him 2 credits for pre-calc GRIN. That wouldn't have looked right. In the end, I counted anything that required extensive travel (like 3 months in Japan - lots of effort involved and lots of learning) or was taken at the community college as honours and gave it a superscript denoting "Honours because CC" or "Honours because required extensive travel". He had plenty of credits anyway. So... I would approach this with caution. If you are planning on not doing English all the time, and not doing math all the time, then the 3 credits to one credit way of counting it might work fine, but otherwise, it might produce a strange looking transcript. Which might be fine for you. I was trying to use the transcript to translate my already odd student into something that colleges could compare to other more normal students, so I didn't want it to look odd. I wanted it to look like who he was, but I wanted it to reflect that in a standard, easy-to-compare way.

 

HTH

-Nan

[AuntieM]

I intended to, but when it came time to add it all up, it didn't look right. My son took speech and composition 1 in addition to four years of literature from me, so that would have made 6 credits of English. He took Intro Chem 1 and Intro Chem 2; that would have made 2 credits of chemistry, which certainly was accurate time-wise and even information-wise (his cousin did advanced chemistry) but would have given him 6 1/2 credits of science and he isn't a science-oriented child. I tried hard to make his transcript reflect who he is and where his interests lie. He took Pre-calc 1 and Pre-calc 2. I definately didn't want to give him 2 credits for pre-calc GRIN. That wouldn't have looked right. In the end, I counted anything that required extensive travel (like 3 months in Japan - lots of effort involved and lots of learning) or was taken at the community college as honours and gave it a superscript denoting "Honours because CC" or "Honours because required extensive travel". He had plenty of credits anyway. So... I would approach this with caution. If you are planning on not doing English all the time, and not doing math all the time, then the 3 credits to one credit way of counting it might work fine, but otherwise, it might produce a strange looking transcript. Which might be fine for you. I was trying to use the transcript to translate my already odd student into something that colleges could compare to other more normal students, so I didn't want it to look odd. I wanted it to look like who he was, but I wanted it to reflect that in a standard, easy-to-compare way.

 

HTH

-Nan

 

Thanks for this, Nan. I understand a transcript could end up looking like a two-headed baby if the total number of credits way exceeds the norm! I will be sure to let a couple of trusted friends proof read it for me when the time comes. Good advice!

[Laura in CA]

Our local CC is rather weak (I know other CCs are well regarded), and in fact the admissions director for Caltech told me that, contrary to what I might have heard, a semester of CC physics is not at all equal to a year of high-school *AP* physics. (I don't think he was worried about the credits per se -- more that my sons get a thorough education.) And a friend of mine looked at what students learn in first-year French at our CC and found it far inferior to first-year French at the Potter's School, so her kids are taking French through Potter's. YMMV -- I wish our CC was as good as some of yours sound!!

 

~Laura

 

ETA: I should add that our CC charged only $20 per unit (increased last month to $26 per unit b/c of the budget crisis), so my friend's decision to go with Potter's for two girls (around $460 each kid) was not taken lightly! (High-school students may even pay no fees -- I'm not sure. $26 is the regular fee.)

Edited August 30, 2009 by Laura in CA

[Piano&ViolinMom]

the admissions director for Caltech told me that a semester of CC physics is not at all equal to a year of high-school *AP* physics.

 

Like AP Chemistry, AP Biology, or AP Calculus BC, yes, AP Physics is a year-long course in college.

 

I should add that our CC charged only $20 per unit (increased last month to $26 per unit b/c of the budget crisis), -- I'm not sure. $26 is the regular fee.)

$26/unit is an almost free deal to me at least, as kids in our stare would pay about $600 for a course at CC.

[Chris in VA]

I think the transcript problem can be easily solved by putting cc credits on the homemade transcript, and including a transcript from the CC. The university will require a transcript from the CC anyway.