Paige Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I am trying to plan out what my children will need to study to be ready for and accepted into college after high school. I am not sure if we will homeschool all the way through but I want to plan for college and for them to be on track for high school if we decide to send them to a school later. I found some colleges that list what they requires on a high school transcript but my problem is taking that backwards into middle school and upper elementary. I know, for instance, that in math the subjects usually descend from calculus, to precalculus, to Algebra 2, to Geometry, to Algebra 1, and then Prealgebra and maybe a Statistics class thrown in somewhere in the middle. But, I'm at a loss as to what needs to come before Prealgebra. Is it 6th grade math? 5th grade math? Does it depend on the publisher? In my 6th grade we took something called Discrete Math before Algebra 1 in 7th and we had no prealgebra. But I have no idea what Discrete Math was and I don't know what the difference between that and 5th grade math and Prealgebra are. Other kids took Discrete Math and then Prealgebra before Algebra 1 so I know it wasn't just Prealgebra with a different name. Similarly, with most subjects, I know what the plan should be in high school, but I'm not sure what to do before then to make sure they are ready to start the high school subjects- and especially subjects like science and "English." Is there a nice list somewhere that goes subject by subject what needs to occur to be ready to enter high school and then college? I am not expecting a step by step list, except maybe in math, but I'd like some general guidance. My oldest is only in 3rd grade, but I just realized that I only have 2 years to get him ready for Prealgebra if he is to get to Calculus 2 or to have an extra year for Statistics in high school and I have no idea if he is on track, behind, or ahead of that schedule. I'm even more clueless about the other subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I think following WTM recs will get your children ready for college prep high school.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 3 Science incl one Bio w/lab 4 English w/a comp thrown in. They like to see Am Lit and Brit or World Lit 3 Hist. w/Econ and Am gov 3 Math thru Alg II Electives usually 5 or 6 Oh yeah 2 years consec. foreign language, can be Latin. These are basic, every college is different and some require more than others. Good idea perhaps tenth grade or ninth if possible, see what avenue dc are going down to gage college requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) Sorry, posted in wrong place. Edited February 14, 2011 by Sherry in OH wrong post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I agree with following the plan in TWTM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 A good elementary math sequence is really all the pre-algebra you need. Pre-algebra is more of a holding pattern for students in junior high who aren't ready to start algebra. If you complete up through 7th grade math in a solid program, you can slide right in to algebra in 8th grade and be on track to get through calculus. If you end up wanting statistics or more math post calculus I, you can always double up. At that point, it would be because your student decided to go into a math-related field, so you would use any electives or additional time to add those extra math courses. The way I came up with my high school plan was to compare the recommendations and requirements of area colleges, look at the state graduation requrements, and read a few books on college admissions. That was my generic plan, and then I have modified it as my oldest started thinking about what she wants to go to college for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snipsnsnailsx5 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but I found a lot of great info on the Home School Legal Defense Association website. http://www.hslda.org/highschool/ Look at the brochures too. :) And there are documents they have to help you develop your own 4 yr plan. Like here: http://www.hslda.org/highschool/brochures.asp#Plan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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