Miss Marple Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Do you think these courses (esp. the algebra and geometry) would qualify as Honors level courses? DS (8th) is using the Geometry right now and I've decided to go back to the algebra 1 text to use as a quick review before ACT testing. He used LOF Beginning Algebra in 7th, AoPS Geometry in 8th, and we will finish up the AoPS Alg. 1 in 9th (we will get about 1/4 of it done by the end of this year). I expect he will move quickly through Alg. 1. Since Alg. 1 will be a 9th grade course, I will be putting it on his transcript (unless that's a bad idea?) and we will follow with AoPS Alg. 2 sometime in 9th and probably finishing in 10th. From my study of AoPS courses, the algebra and geometry offer a much deeper analysis of the subject than their counterparts. My son mentioned that he felt LOF didn't give him enough practice in order to completely solidify the concepts (we used both the text and home companion). This problem may be due to the age he was when using LOF Beginning Alg. Since these texts are for "gifted" (whatever that really means :001_smile:) I wonder if they could be called Honors. Any idea how they refer to it is the public/private school system? I wish I had used AoPS with all my sons after Singapore PM6. When I found AoPS (thanks to the person who recommended it to me - I can't remember who you are but I'm indebted to you) I felt the same as I did when I found Singapore math and MCT LA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Yes, I'd have no qualms listing these as honors courses (and I have on my kids' transcripts). I don't think any college would question it. AoPS math is extremely challenging! ~Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Do you think these courses (esp. the algebra and geometry) would qualify as Honors level courses? Offering up an alternated opinion here just fyi. When I was doing my dd's transcript for college app I researched the subject of honors. One of the most interesting things I found was that the University of California only allows a course to be listed as honors by a school if the school also offers a college prep course in the same material. Since I only offer the one course I decided to label all with just the course title except for official AP courses and w/AP exam courses. I let the detailed course descriptions stand for themselves. Just another way to handle it. ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I would be sure to list Art of Problem Solving in the class title. I don't know about Honors, it's such a widely used term that most colleges here could care less unless you are distinguishing AP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I would be sure to list Art of Problem Solving in the class title. I don't know about Honors, it's such a widely used term that most colleges here could care less unless you are distinguishing AP. I agree that mentioing AoPS in the course title would be wise, as anyone familiar with the publisher will be impressed. I'd think you'd surely be justified in titling it Honors as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 OK, thanks for the feedback. I'm sorta filing all the info away because I won't need it for a couple of years yet. I do like the idea of having the transcript reflect the difficulty of a course esp. when it's in our favor :-). Moira, I'm interested in your findings and have a couple of questions. If you were just doing a basic year/course/credit type of transcript (without text titles), how would you specify that the course was beyond the standard course? When I've transcripted dual enrollment courses, I just put an asterisk beside the course and explained it at the bottom (like a footnote). Would that same method work for AoPS? Also, if the course is marketed as "honors" would you think it appropriate to transcript it as such? For example, I remember a literature program my ds#1 used in high school had a regular track as well as an Honors track. Our co-op used the Honors track, but I was hesitant to call it Honors because it really didn't appear to be more in-depth than other programs I had seen. On the other hand, BJU biology is quite intense and if a program deserved Honors designation, I think it would (esp. if one did the whole program as such). But I didn't feel like I could call it that because it wasn't billed as Honors. I've really only had experience with sending a son to a state university and they typically just use the homeschool transcript to make sure all the bases were covered and they use the standardized test scores to determine how well the student did. Obviously if the student scores very high in math, it probably wouldn't make a difference what the transcript said. But what about other colleges esp. private LA colleges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Moira, I'm interested in your findings and have a couple of questions. If you were just doing a basic year/course/credit type of transcript (without text titles), how would you specify that the course was beyond the standard course? dd1 didn't take any college courses but she took online courses from 3 different providers. I showed them with different formatting --italics, bold, etc. -- with a key in the notes section. I listed those titles exactly as they appeared on the website or their transcripts. -- I got this idea from the template that Kareni shared with me. My decision not to list home courses as honors was based on the belief that they'll discount Mommy grades anyway, why give them more ammo. hth ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I too did not chose to mark any of my daughter's classes as Honors. (She took classes at home, a homeschooling center, the local community college, and through PA Homeschoolers.) I did indicate AP courses on her transcript but I did not give any additional weighting in her GPA for such courses. dd1 didn't take any college courses but she took online courses from 3 different providers. I showed them with different formatting --italics, bold, etc. -- with a key in the notes section.I listed those titles exactly as they appeared on the website or their transcripts. -- I got this idea from the template that Kareni shared with me. I'd be happy to share my daughter's transcript with anyone who might be interested. Simply send me a private message with your email address. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ArcaneHamster Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I think the AoPS classes are above and beyond the expectations of a lot of Honor classes. But Counting and Probability is very through and hard, but the material is learned well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I wouldn't have any qualms about listing AoPS as honors. My problem arises when I look at a very rigorous home grown course - what would colleges think if I also called that honors? I'm not there yet, but I think I won't call anything honors so that my other classes don't stand out as looking like NOT honors when I think many of them are, but I'd have problems calling them that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have similar qualms as Julie: if math is "honors", does that make a rigorous home based course without this designation look weak? Clearly, DD's algebra based physics course would deserve an honors designation since it was actually a college course, just without formal enrollment. And what do I do about dual enrollment courses at the university? The level is clearly above and beyond a high school course. I will probably leave off the designation on the transcript and explain the particular rigor of the program in the course descriptions and in the school profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 This is for University of California but might be quite generic "How do you calculate an out-of-state applicant's GPA? Do you give extra credit for the school’s honors courses? In calculating a nonresident's GPA, UC will grant honors weight for AP or IB courses only, but not for school-designated honors courses . Why are some courses listed as honors on my school's approved list but not in the online application? In some cases, a school categorizes a course as honors that is not accepted as such by the University. The course name that appears on your school's course list (available at Doorways) may contain the word "honors" but lack the designation in the "Honors Type" column. It will not appear as an honors course in the application." If I homeschool my kids for high school, I'll skip the honors designation. It is an overused term in California for public schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.