plansrme Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Just wondering what is typical. My daughter has been accepted to a local magnet school, which requires 28 credits to graduate but encourages 32 which, they say, is possible with block scheduling. Is it really normal to have 7 hours of class per day? Or 8 with block scheduling? We are undecided about the magnet program, but even if she stays home for HS, I wasn't planning to have 7 classes per day. But is that what colleges will expect? We're more or less planning to stretch HS over 5 years, which is looking better and better with these sorts of requirements. I really question how anyone keeps up with 7 or 8 challenging classes every day. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) I am aiming for 23-25 credits. My minimums are: 4 cr in English 4 cr in Social Studies (2 in World History, 1 in U.S. History, 1 in U.S Government/Comparative Government) 3 cr in Math (Algebra 2, Geometry, Precalculus or Statistics) 3 cr in Science (dependent upon student... Dd will have 2 yrs of Integrated Sciences, 1 yr of Life Science/Biology... Ds will have way more, Aerospace Science, Advanced Aerospace Science, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Astronomy, Biology). 1 cr in consumer education/economics 1 cr in health/life skills/drivers ed. 7+ in electives. I really think that the number of credits to graduate with is dependent on student. For my twins, they could easily end up with way more... because they will be doing dual credit course. But I am not going to require them to do more than my minimum. If they work hard enough, I will graduate them early. It really is up to them. I had to readjust our plans a bit because we are moving to PA from IL, but only a little bit. Edited February 20, 2011 by AnitaMcC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Just wondering what is typical. My daughter has been accepted to a local magnet school, which requires 28 credits to graduate but encourages 32 which, they say, is possible with block scheduling. Is it really normal to have 7 hours of class per day? Or 8 with block scheduling? We are undecided about the magnet program, but even if she stays home for HS, I wasn't planning to have 7 classes per day. But is that what colleges will expect? We're more or less planning to stretch HS over 5 years, which is looking better and better with these sorts of requirements. I really question how anyone keeps up with 7 or 8 challenging classes every day. Terri At my old high school, 7 credits was recommended yearly, but 6 was required. Everyone took classes worth 7 credits, but as long as you passed 6 credits worth, you were fine. We only had 6 classes a day, but had a 7 day rotating schedule. Day 1/A: A, B, C, D, E, F Day 2/B: B, C, D, E, F, G Day 3/C: C, D, E, F, G, A Day 4/D: D, E, F, G, A, B Day 5/E: E, F, G, A, B, C Day 6/F: F, G, A, B, C, D Day 7/G: G, A, B, C, D, E So, it is possible to take 6 classes a day and get 7 credits. At least 5 of those classes were worth 1 credit, then gym was half, then you took a full year elective (Band, Drum line, Art, Video, Music, ROTC, etc) and a half year elective (Video, Dance, Art, Music Theory, etc.). Our school day began (and I mean classes began, homeroom already happened) at 7:55 and we ended at 2:20. Lunch was about 40 minutes, plus we had 4 minutes to get from one class to the next, so we did 6 classes in about 5 1/2 hours. All that to say, not every class needs to be everyday to reach 7 credits. Some are worth half credit, so not as much time as spent on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hisglory Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 It is also important to check what the college your child desires to go to requires. Our college of choice has a requirements/expectations page for enrollment as an undergraduate for homeschooled students. If they don't address homeschooled students they will probably still have a high school courses expectations page. We are also issuing a diploma so are trying to meet our state graduation requirements. Our state requires 24 credits in specific areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) It is difficult to compare block-scheduled credits to more traditional credits, IMO. Our state does not do block scheduling, and only requires 22 credits (a credit in our state is defined as a minimum of 120 hours instruction). To prevent confusion, on our transcript I explain that we count 1 credit as a minimum of 150 hours instruction/work, or completion of standard textbook, or a predetermined combination of hours/projects/readings. Each DS here will have 26-28 credits at time of graduation. As far as how we have scheduled it -- That would work out to about 6.5 to 7 credits per year of high school, except that -- each DS has 1 class being carried forward from 8th grade; also, some work has been done over the summer and counted towards a credit; and sometimes we either intensively work on a credit and finish it in less than usual time, or other times spread it out over more than 1 year, so we don't have too heavy a load at one time. If, at some point, you are forced to compare credits with the local school system, you might want to find out exactly what block-scheduling counts as a credit, and then adjust your credit level to match. Otherwise, I would calculate the credits on the transcript in the way the colleges you apply to would want to see. Also -- instead of having a transcript that is overly-heavy on credits and academics, colleges OFTEN prefer to see a more normal academic load AND volunteer/community service work, extracurriculars, etc -- colleges usually prefer well-rounded students! BEST of luck, as you wear that school administrator hat! ;) Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited February 20, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 When ds graduates, our state will require 22 credits, with specific requirements in English, math, etc. I expect my ds will have 24-26. Most likely he will take 6 credits each school year, and .5 credit each summer. He'll take: 4 English 4 Math 3 Science 4 Social Studies 2 Foreign Language 2 Fine Arts 2-4 Bible 4 or so undetermined as yet Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at the beach Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Just wondering what is typical. My daughter has been accepted to a local magnet school, which requires 28 credits to graduate but encourages 32 which, they say, is possible with block scheduling. Is it really normal to have 7 hours of class per day? Or 8 with block scheduling? We are undecided about the magnet program, but even if she stays home for HS, I wasn't planning to have 7 classes per day. But is that what colleges will expect? We're more or less planning to stretch HS over 5 years, which is looking better and better with these sorts of requirements. I really question how anyone keeps up with 7 or 8 challenging classes every day. Terri Hi, Terri, Congratulations on your daughter's acceptance to the magnet school. Whether it's normal to have 7 hours of class a day, well, I guess I would say it depends on the school. I know my oldest, who went to regular high school, did not. She also took AP and honors courses. In her Senior Year, they allowed the kids to have all their academics before lunch and any study halls. So, she started school at 7:30 and was dismissed at 12:30 and home by 12:45. So, that's five hours of academic classes less whatever breaks they had when going from class to class. I am sure there are schools like this magnet school cramming lots of stuff in. I'm not so sure that block scheduling is the best, though. Sometimes, kids just don't grasp material well when it's covered in one semester. If they are doing this with math and science, I'd be concerned. Do they do math all year? Science all year? With homeschooling, I think if you have academic credits every year in: Math, Science, History, English, and Foreign Language you are covering the academic portion fine. That's only five, but remember, there would also be electives such as music, p/e, home ec, and other fun/light stuff. I know your daughter does lots of outside activities from other posts, so maybe you could consider that another full credit. That would bring you to six. Then, you could get another half-credit or credit by doing something in the summer that is a light/fun class, maybe like Kitchen Chemistry (MIT Open CourseWare) or an art class. I guess my question is why does the magnet school encourage 32? Why do children have to have tons of academic classes before high school graduation? And what sorts of classes are they? I also question how kids keep up with that, too. Are they really learning or just cramming and then forgetting? You'd also be surprised by how many high school students cheat. I know when my oldest was in high school, the stories I heard were just shocking to me. It went on a lot and in the highest caliber classes, too. What are the lives of the students like that attend this school? Have you read Cal Newport's book, How to Be a High School Superstar? It's a very good read. He talks about the importance of freeing up time for students so that they can pursue their interests and become interesting. He suggests that this is what colleges are looking for. Another book I enjoyed a lot is the Millmans book. I think it's just titled Homeschooling. I think test scores are important to colleges, especially so for homeschooled students. But beyond that, I really don't think duplicating a school at home experience is the only way to homeschool successfully or even the best way. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in SouthGa Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 My son will receive 7 credits this year: 1.0 Honors English 1 (SMARR English/Lit with EAsy Grammar & Vocab from Roots Up & about to add Rulebook for Arguments. Also read Strunk & White) 1.0 Biology (Apologia) w/lab 1.0 Algebra 1 1.0 Spanish II 1.0 World History I (SWB's History of the Ancient World, etc) 1.0 Logic (Traditional Logic & Material Logic) 0.5 Health (Abeka, through coop) 0.5 Theatre (coop) Still trying to decide about Bible, he has done a lot but not sure if it should count as personal study or a half credit since it has mostly all been reading and no written work. He does not work on each class for an hour a day. He has coop classes for Biology (2 hours a week), English (1.5 hours per week), Spanish (1.5 hours per week), Theatre (3.5 hours per week-getting close to production). Health was 2 hours per week last semester. He also has a lot of homework for those classes. Logic and Algebra are more like 45 minutes per day. I think HSLDA recommends 150 hours for a credit, which would not equal an hour a day. http://www.hslda.org/highschool/docs/EvaluatingCredits.asp He does work hard, but my feeling has always been that if you finish the book/requirements, you get the credit. You shouldn't penalize a child who can work quickly, as long as their work is done well. He usually has some work to finish up on the weekend as well, especially with theatre being in full swing. I'm not sure how you would get 32 credits, especially in a regular school setting without the flexibility of homeschooling. My son will probably graduate with 28 or 29, and I don't think I could add anything else to his schedule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) 4 Math 4 English/Literature 4 History - 1/2 credit government and 1/2 credit economics 5 Science 1 logic 1 Latin and 2 modern foreign language 7 electives I do not count PE or Bible/Worldview - I do notate what physical fitness program the child has chosen to do but that is on a separate sheet on which I give a reading list, curriculum list, and brief explanation of my grading system. Ds 9th grade electives are Practical Drafting and Visual Basic Programming. 10th grade - Art History and Advanced VB Programming 11th grade - MIT Opencoursework Game Design and MIT opencoursework Mythology - 12th grade - MIT Opencourseware - he wants to take a history elective from them so we'll have to see what is available. He wants to do the game design so badly that Dh is going to download all of the particulars this year and find the texts now just in case they take that class down. We'll put it awy for two years - oh and the mythology class too. Dh teaches the VB programming - he's an Oracle Database Architect for a computer firm, so he has the background. DD graduated with 27 - it wasn't required but she chose six sciences which has served her well as a pre-med major/paramedic. Oops, Dh just reminded me that dd had 7 sciences she did Biology and Astronomy in her 9th grade year. Chemistry I and Veterinary Science in 10th, Advanced Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology in 11th, and Physics in 12th. I had forgotten about Astronomy. She had 28 credits when she graduated and dh just said that since ds really wants to try to get a scholarship to the new C.S. Lewis College opening in 2012, that he'd like him to have another literature and history elective. So, ds will have 28 as well. Oh big bummer. I just checked MIT opencourseware and they've taken mythology off the literary studies list. I guess he'll have to pick a different elective - Arthurian Legend and Celtic Colonization looks interesting. Faith Edited February 20, 2011 by FaithManor left something out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 4 English 3 math 3 science 4 history 2 foreign lang 4 theology 4 fine arts 4 electives For a total 28 minimum. He will likely be closer to 30-32. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncmomo3 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) 4 English 4 math 3 science 4 history 3 foreign lang 1 logic/rhetoric 1 philosophy 1 Biblical history 1 music theory .5 government .5 economics 1 p.e./health 4-5 electives? - 4 of those may end up being music as they all plan to go into music and I will be seeking advisement as to how to assign music credits. so 28-29 credits Edited February 20, 2011 by ncmomo3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 State schools here require between 22-24. Our umbrella requires 22. 4- English 3- Math 1- Social Studies (not U.S. history or economics) 1- U.S. History 1/2- Economics 2- Foreign Language 1- P.E. 1/2- Health 3- Science 1- Fine Arts 4- Electives (recommend that 1 of these be another math) 1- I missing one, can't think of what it is.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I think our local high school requires 23, so that is what I shoot for. That being said, I think usually my children have reached that point during their junior year. We usually go with all of the basics every year: science, english, social studies, math, foreign language; plus, they've always had some kind of music every year; plus, whatever their "passions" are usually result in extra courses, whether it be art, more music, drama, etc. I never plan to overdue it, but they always seem to do more than planned just because they are interested in a lot of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I've no idea what the public schools here require in terms of "credits" or how they sort them out. We don't follow that method for determining 'graduation' in our home. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We do 4 credits each of science, math, English, history and foreign language. In addition to these, we are shooting for 1.5-2 credits for electives per year. So I expect my kids to graduate with about 26-28 credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The way block scheduling works at my local schools means that a student would take only 4 classes at a time: 4 classes the first semester and 4 different classes the second semester, thus gaining the student a total of 8 credits for the year. Each class is 80 minutes long. So, if you assume a student is in class for 90 days per semester, that is 120 hours of classtime per credit. A student could graduate with 32 credits, not including any carried over from 8th grade. I think block schedules are fine for electives but I think they are a detriment to a student's learning for math, science, English, etc. I've also heard that even with the extended classtime, teachers don't get through as much material in one semester as they would in a traditional year long schedule. Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Our state requires 24 credits to graduate. Our local PS has the students take 7 classes per semester. I have been trying to figure out why this is. NO one I have asked has been able to explain it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Our state requires 24 credits to graduate. Our local PS has the students take 7 classes per semester. I have been trying to figure out why this is. NO one I have asked has been able to explain it to me. I've had similar problems figuring out the math from what I have on the magnet program. The 9th grade schedule has 6 required courses, and they encourage "up to 3" electives. That's 9 courses for a freshman. I agree with those of you who questioned the wisdom of block-scheduling science and math, and those are exactly the courses they block schedule--AP Biology, to start. :glare: I appreciate everyone's input. It has been very helpful. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I really question how anyone keeps up with 7 or 8 challenging classes every day. I am quite cynical about the education in our county (and state). The answer is that the students don't keep up with 7 challenging classes. Ds's best friend is taking: English Algebra Earth Science Building Construction Technology Personal Career and Social Development 2 PE classes I'm sure the schools want the parents to believe that having students take more classes means that they are getting a better education. I think they would do better to focus on less credits and more content myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 I'm sure the schools want the parents to believe that having students take more classes means that they are getting a better education. I think they would do better to focus on less credits and more content myself. Good point. And that has been my concern about this magnet program all along--it sounds so good on paper, but is it really all that? We applied on a whim (literally, a whopping 6 hours before the application was due, I said, "Are you interested? If so, give me an essay on this topic by 5 pm.") I did not investigate it thoroughly before she applied. Now it's time to do so, since the acceptance arrived on Saturday, and the school is closed for a week for winter break. I am left perusing all of the fine print on the website, and it just looks crazy. Of course some of it looks great, but I keep getting hung up on the absurdity of doing AP Biology or AP Chem (or AP anything) in a single semester. There just are not enough hours in a day. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 (edited) . . . because that's what our state requires, roughly. In Florida, there is an option to graduate in three years with 18 credits if you follow a specific schedule with regard to the number of honors courses and such. The state universities list those 18 credits as their admission requirements: 4 credits of English 4 credits of math (at the level of algebra I and higher) 3 credits of science (including two with labs) 3 credits of social science 2 credits of the same foreign language 2 "academic electives" The remainder of the normal 24 credits seem to be pretty flexible. My son would like to complete his high school requirments in three years. And we think an average course load of seven credits a year seems reasonable. I see two possibilities for making the three-year thing happen. We can either give him credit on his transcript for the four high school-level classes he has already completed (although I know some colleges are finicky about that). Or, if necessary, he can add a summer course or two to fill out the transcript. Well, there is a third possibility, which is that I retroactively carve out an extra credit or two if it turns out he's short. We routinely do much more work than would be required to earn half a credit. I'm kind of sensitive to the perception that homeschoolers may not do all that much work, and I tend to stuff a lot into each class. But, if push comes to shove, I could certainly turn a half-credit course into a full credit here and there or give credit for something I might otherwise count as an extracurricular (dance, for example). Edited February 21, 2011 by Jenny in Florida Adding information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Of course some of it looks great, but I keep getting hung up on the absurdity of doing AP Biology or AP Chem (or AP anything) in a single semester. There just are not enough hours in a day. You may be able to find or ask for statistics on how the students fare on the AP tests. Here, they publish the statistics by school, subject, and teacher. The results vary widely, but on average the results are unimpressive. I asked for statistics from our state virtual school. Same unimpressive results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Personally, I don't care what the local hs is doing. I gear towards the min. requirements to get into a state U. Anything over that is gravy. English 4 Mathematics 4 Natural Science 3 Social Science 3 Foreign Language 2 Electives 2 TOTAL 18 Credits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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