Would you count this as 2 separate classes?

[ciyates]

We have a speech and debate club and my son has been apart of both for 2 years (they are 2 different classes and you can be in one and not the other). Each year you are in the club the expectation grows. So novice speakers are not expected to compete in as many tournaments, etc... For transcript purposes would you count it as Speech I and Speech II? What they learn each year is the same however each year they are encouraged to spread their wings and try harder categories. DS first year he did impromptu and platform, this year he is doing interp, apologetics, and persuasive.

[Teachin'Mine]

Why not make them two courses - one Public Speaking and one Debating?

[Jenny in Florida]

How is he doing for extracurriculars? I ask because my inclination would be to give just one credit in one year for a single "Speech and Debate" class, then list the activity as a club for the remaining years.

 

We have similar challenges here with things like choir and theatre. My approach has been to give a small amount of credit for some of the most clearly structured, educational components and then list everything else as extracurricular activities.

 

For example, my son sings with a teaching choir. They use a formal curriculum for vocal technique and musical literacy. The sheer number of hours of rehearsals and performances over the course of a year more than justifies a full credit. However, I know that other kids who are in the choir and also attend school consider it an extra. So, I've decided to lump it in with my son's private voice lessons and a few other requirements and give half a credit each year.

 

He also sings with our church choir and, in the past couple of years, has sung a few semesters with two different show choirs. All of that stuff will go in the activities list and not be counted for academic credit.

 

And it's the same thing with theatre. While my son spends a lot of time rehearsing and performing and does definitely take on bigger challenges with each show, I don't plan to give credit for most of that. He will earn credit, as my daughter did, for only a small fraction of the theatre-related work he does. The rest will be listed as extracurricular activities.

[Chris in VA]

I agree with the above poster--one credit, then extracurriculars. Speech/Debate is an extracurricular at our local schools, but one school near us has it as a class, too. I'd just list it as an elective for one (early) year, and a club after that. If he takes any state prizes or is in a leadership role, that would be good to mention in the extracurricular description.

[Jenny in Florida]

I agree with the above poster--one credit, then extracurriculars. Speech/Debate is an extracurricular at our local schools, but one school near us has it as a class, too. I'd just list it as an elective for one (early) year, and a club after that. If he takes any state prizes or is in a leadership role, that would be good to mention in the extracurricular description.

 

After I posted earlier, I had a couple of other thoughts.

 

First, as Chris mentions, I think I might look at how your local schools handle those subjects. Of course, homeschoolers aren't required to stick with what schools do, but when I'm in doubt about how to record something, I find it helpful to look at the local standards for reference. So, if your local high schools offer Speech and Debate 1, 2, 3 and 4 for a full credit each, that's one thing. But, if they offer one elective only, that's something different.

 

Also, I might do some quick calculations to see if the number of hours my kid was spending on those subjects justified the credits I was considering awarding. Although I recognize that the Carnegie unit isn't the be-all and end-all, I do find it a useful guideline. How many hours per week is your student spending on these activities? For how many weeks during each year?

 

I tend to be a little paranoid about the number of credits on a transcript. I want to make absolutely sure that I will be able to defend without a doubt any information we put on there. And I never want any admissions officer to be able to poke holes in it. So, I tend to "over-stuff" credits.