HS beginning to end and college entrance

[tuzor]

Recently I have spoken with several hs moms that have said beginning seventh grade hs sucks. This opinion was expressed because of college entrance standards and what is required for a diploma. My children are not in seventh grade yet but when I hear other parents talk about how hard it is to get all the requirments in per state it makes me think.

So I am asking all moms that have hs and gotten their children into university. How did you remain positive and get all the requirements in? How did your children do on the SAT/ACT exams. What is your advice for moms as we approach that time. Thanks.

[AK_Mom4]

Hmmmm. Not that I've noticed!

 

Seventh grade was just fine for DS16. I'm homeschooling a senior this year and it's going well. Jr. High and high school materials are more interesting, IMO, than the elementary ones. Better books, more interesting math, more in-depth on the history, cooler science.....

 

I'm actually looking forward to DD10 being done with elementary so we can start doing some of the cool stuff again. I'm SOOOO ready to discuss good literature and dissect dead stuff!

[Jane in NC]

Have you taken a look at the College Board section of the WTM High School Board? There are many success stories.

[elegantlion]

Well high school doesn't start in 7th grade. :glare: I don't understand the bemoaning about all the requirements. Obviously we're only starting high school, but I don't find it horrendously more difficult. There is more administrative work, maybe more outsourcing, generally more effort.

 

I suppose if you'd spend all the elementary years using open and go materials, it might seem like a lot more.

 

As far as requirements, most states don't have requirement for homeschooled high schools. Many people do follow a similar path as their state requirements, most people look at college admissions to get a good idea and what credits and how they should be dispersed. It's really not rocket science, unless your child wants to be a rocket scientist. :tongue_smilie:

 

I started thinking of high school when ds was in about 6th grade. Not seriously, just putting my feet into the water. Last year a little more, this year he is doing a few subjects that are high school level. Each year I've added a little more knowledge about the process. It's like easing into a cold pool. If you jump it, it's overwhelming. If you step in gradually it gives you time to acclimate.

 

I spent a lot of time lurking on the high school board. At first I could only read a question then leave. Now I feel comfortable over there, sort of. The high school ladies are awesome. They are more helpful than any book or website, imo. Without them, I would fear high school.

 

As for colleges, go to the college board and read the list of admissions for this year alone. It's impressive.

 

Not everyone chooses to homeschool high school. It's not the right choice for everyone, but I certainly wouldn't enroll them in school out of the FEAR of doing high school.

[Chris in VA]

I started homeschooling ds when he was in 9th grade. It wasn't hard at all to get in what he needed, really. I expected to do 6 or 7 courses each year, just like school. Languages were not his strength, so he did something online, and he took an online writing course, b/c I had a hard time editing his papers (I felt there were a lot of mistakes and I didn't know what to prioritize without shutting him down). His dad took over math when ds was in 11th grade (another difficult area for me).

 

Once he figured out what he wanted to pursue as a major, we looked around online at colleges in VA (needed instate tuition) and found one that had a program he wanted. He did not do well on SATs. I would have prepared him better had I known he'd not do so great--but in the end, it didn't matter. He got in the univ, then into the particular program the next year.

 

I kept track of grades in a very low tech way (determining what percentage of the grade would be given for tests/quizzes, papers, homework/"participation, choosing a grading scale, then writing down the numbers as he took them, on a folder). The transcript was easy--I used the example one online at Covenant College. I also enclosed a reading list. No course descriptions. He filled out the app from the Univ, got some recommendations from adults, and sent stuff in. No sweat, really.

 

Advice--Breathe. Discuss. Require writing/papers and ease off of projects unless they are well-documented and involved and "adult." Don't bother with gym unless you value it yourself. Count orchestra/music lessons, athletic teams and teams/clubs (like debate) as extracurricular, not subjects (like ps kids do). FIND OUT WHAT THE COLLEGE WANTS. Do community service hours. Seek leadership positions. Look for something unusual from hobbies (Did dc build his own dulcimer? Go on a mission trip? Sail in the Carribean alone? Raise $ for an organization for 4 years or a lot of $?) Make sure kid takes a language, one that is accepted by the college he wants to attend--3 years minimum or 2 of one and 2 of another (but 3 or 4 is best). Take 4 years of math, english, and science, with at least 2 lab sciences.

 

Good luck!

[JennW in SoCal]

Recently I have spoken with several hs moms that have said beginning seventh grade hs sucks. This opinion was expressed because of college entrance standards and what is required for a diploma. My children are not in seventh grade yet but when I hear other parents talk about how hard it is to get all the requirments in per state it makes me think.

So I am asking all moms that have hs and gotten their children into university. How did you remain positive and get all the requirements in? How did your children do on the SAT/ACT exams. What is your advice for moms as we approach that time. Thanks.

 

I agree with Jane that you should visit the college board and see all the success stories. We have some amazing children who I have watched, albeit virtually through these boards, grow up and go to college. They do just fine on ACT/SATs and excel in college classes, too.

 

I wonder exactly what these homeschool moms you've talked to mean. In California, for instance, it is virtually impossible to go directly to a UC or Cal State university without a diploma and transcript from an accredited high school. The two main choices are to homeschool via an accredited charter school or to transfer in from community college, and both options have their difficulties (annoyances, really).

 

Private colleges are very welcoming to homeschoolers with independent transcripts and diplomas.

 

As for completing the requirements, it really isn't difficult. It takes some dedication on your part as a parent and many of us outsource courses that are beyond our ability to teach. Look up the entrance requirements at your local state universities to get an idea of what courses your child will need. Read the high school (rhetoric) section of the WTM. The high school board here is a font of support, recommendations and ideas.

 

Some kids want to go to a brick and mortar high school. Some kids specialize and spend hours each day working on their specialty. My ds is finishing his high school requirements at a community college as he was ready to move beyond what ol' mom had to offer.

 

In the meantime, check out the college board for some inspiration.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Hmmmm, I really didn't stress. No doubt part of that is that my daughter was capable of keeping up with a good strong program of study except one term when she was fighting to go into remission for an illness. We used a variety of resources (private school, community college, online classes) to supplement which gave credence to what mommy said she was doing. But I didn't stress about any of that. We simply picked the resources that worked for us. DD did fine with standardized testing (despite not having done it growing up) and got into each college we were interested in (she picked a fairly easy one to allow her more flexibility with her main goals in life).

 

I'm a bit more worried about my son. But that would have been the case regardless. And I'm not PARTICULARLY stressed just because I believe it'll all work out. Just gotta go with it :)

 

And now I'm starting over with my littles. I am confident. Sure I wonder here and there, but....

 

Maybe to balance out the stressful thinking of homeschooling teens, you could balance it out with some more laid back (even unschooling examples) so you can see it works just fine regardless? Anyway, no one ever added anything positive to a situation by worrying over-much about it, imo.

Edited February 26, 2012 by 2J5M9K

[Irene Lynn]

I'd say you have been listening to the wrong people. :) My dd's 7th grade year was pretty low key, but then puberty was knocking out her brain and we accommodated that. Her 8th grade year, she much more prepared to dive into a heavier load in preparation for high school. Once high school hit, I just planned to have her do math, science, English, foreign language, history/social studies every year plus one other thing like fine arts or health or PE. I know not everyone will take 4 years of each of those subjects, but that is a place to start. That will take care of 9th and 10th at least. By that time you will have your feet under you and will know more about your child's direction and can fine tune those last two years.

 

Junior year includes the PSAT and looking at colleges and senior year has applications and all things related to graduation. But these things will happen whether you homeschool or not, so it isn't anything bigger. You will have to make that transcript, but that isn't such a big deal, if you plan for it and don't wait to the last minute.

 

In our case, our dd tested quite well on the SAT, was accepted where she applied, and was offered decent scholarships at each place.

[G5052]

No concerns here at all. I talked to the colleges we are thinking about well before high school, and I teach at the local community college, so I know all about how they do this.

 

It helps if you have a plan starting in 7th or so that has your student completing the right credits by their senior year, but it is nothing to panic about. You have to keep up the pressure and not slack off, but it is doable. Most community colleges just want to know that they graduated and can pass some level of placement testing.

 

We've had a lot of local friends give up homeschooling over this sort of thing, but plenty of others who have gone all the way through. We know dozens of homeschooled graduates who did just fine ;).

[elegantlion]

I will add that some people are simply ignorant of the process and that homeschooled students do actually go to college. My own sister, who teaches college classes online, who has spend most of her adult life surrounded by college (now in her 40s), drilled my dad last year on how on earth my child was going to get into college. This, of course, worried my dad because he didn't know.

 

I wanted to smack her honestly. He'll take the ACT or SAT, he'll have an "official transcript" from me, and we may do APs or SAT IIs (as yet unknown). It's just like high school, because it is high school. ;) Some kids don't go to college, some go to a community college, some go to 4 years universities, some even go to selective schools like MIT.

[angela in ohio]

What? :confused:

 

I don't understand how seventh grade is affected by graduation requirements? It sounds like backhanded bragging that their dc were doing high school work in seventh grade. Ignore them. It's not difficult to fit in what a student needs to graduate.

[tuzor]

Have you taken a look at the College Board section of the WTM High School Board? There are many success stories.

 

 

I have not because it is far beyond where we are in our journey. I was just curious because the moms I was around this day seemed a bit negative and I got a little nervous.

 

Well high school doesn't start in 7th grade. :glare: I don't understand the bemoaning about all the requirements. Obviously we're only starting high school, but I don't find it horrendously more difficult. There is more administrative work, maybe more outsourcing, generally more effort.

 

I suppose if you'd spend all the elementary years using open and go materials, it might seem like a lot more.

 

As far as requirements, most states don't have requirement for homeschooled high schools. Many people do follow a similar path as their state requirements, most people look at college admissions to get a good idea and what credits and how they should be dispersed. It's really not rocket science, unless your child wants to be a rocket scientist. :tongue_smilie:

 

I started thinking of high school when ds was in about 6th grade. Not seriously, just putting my feet into the water. Last year a little more, this year he is doing a few subjects that are high school level. Each year I've added a little more knowledge about the process. It's like easing into a cold pool. If you jump it, it's overwhelming. If you step in gradually it gives you time to acclimate.

 

I spent a lot of time lurking on the high school board. At first I could only read a question then leave. Now I feel comfortable over there, sort of. The high school ladies are awesome. They are more helpful than any book or website, imo. Without them, I would fear high school.

 

As for colleges, go to the college board and read the list of admissions for this year alone. It's impressive.

 

Not everyone chooses to homeschool high school. It's not the right choice for everyone, but I certainly wouldn't enroll them in school out of the FEAR of doing high school.

 

Thanks for the great advice.

[Photo Ninja]

I think this particular mother was just nervous or feeling negative, or perhaps not feeling she was prepared for hsing high school. Maybe she is not an organized person or doesn't like to keep records. Don't let her influence you!

 

Hsing high school felt a bit intimidating at first because here, once you start hsing high school, it is for the entire time. The ps won't accept any hsing credits, so you pretty much have no option to enroll there later unless you want your dc to start in 9th grade, no matter how old they are or how many courses they have completed. But that was okay! We didn't intend to enroll in ps anyway.

 

Honestly, hsing high school was the same as hsing all the other grades, just on a higher level, with more records to keep. It was not harder, and mostly the additional record keeping came just before starting the school year, preparing course descriptions. I did the transcript after each semester, so it stayed up to date. In fact, because my dc were older, they were more independent and didn't need me every minute. They had good ideas of what they wanted to study. I gave them their week's assignments on Monday and they had them completed on Friday.

 

It is necessary to research and know of any requirements your state has (if any) so you can meet those and issue a high school diploma. You need to research college entrance requirements because those vary depending on the state, and sometimes change every couple years. Just stay on top of that. But it is not difficult. Once you have that information, make a quick list of what courses you need to be sure your dc complete, and mark them off as you go along over the next four years. They may need four social studies courses, including U.S. History and World History, but you don't have to finalize the content of the others yet. See what comes up for your dc later and decide then. Just meet the requirement. Don't plan every detail, just have a general plan. You will need to adjust it as you go along anyway.

 

My dc were accepted at all the universities they applied to (public and private, in state and out of state), and two have very good merit scholarships. The universities accepted our transcripts without question. Hsing was not a problem as far as university acceptances goes. They did well on the SAT/ACT, and took community college courses while in high school.

 

Please don't dread hsing those years. It is a fun time!

[Sandy in Indy]

I think the key to hs success is looking ahead. I knew that I wanted my kids to have the equivalent of the state's academic honors diploma and planned accordingly. DS knew by 8th grade that he wanted to go into pharmacy. I contacted the local pharmacy schools and asked what they looked for in an applicant. Because of that we modified his program to include 5 hs maths and 5 hs sciences.

 

We did SAT prep courses in addition to our regular school load.

 

Both of my kids were accepted into all schools to which they applied and offered scholarships as well.

 

I think around 7th grade you start to get the feeling that what you do "counts." (Not that it doesn't earlier...but there's more pressure to perform in the upper grades.) It can be scary the first time you guide a child through hs, but with planning and preparation, it can be done and done well.

[creekland]

I'm one who is in the process right now with my oldest a sophomore in college, my middle son a senior in high school, and my youngest a sophomore in high school (though he opted to return to public school for high school).

 

I also didn't hs "the whole way." I started when oldest hit 9th grade, middle hit 7th grade, and youngest hit 5th grade. In "my" ideal world (in hindsight) I'd have started when each hit 7th grade, but that's another story.

 

As for college prep? First, 7th and 8th grade credits tend to not be counted by colleges though some count high school level courses as credits for high school. Since many colleges don't, we didn't either. I did put the courses on our transcripts with an asterisk. It is fairly important to get the student used to doing some bookwork (esp for math - Pre-Alg or Alg, etc) in middle school, but one doesn't have to be strict about grades.

 

For high school, plan on 4 credits each (over 4 years) of:

 

English

Math

Science

 

and three credits (at least) of Social Studies/Government, etc.

 

Most colleges want to see at least 2 years of a Foreign Language. Many of us opt for more than 2 years.

 

Then add electives - Health, Wood Shop, PE, Home Ec - whatever suits you.

 

Almost all of these have various curricula you can buy or you can create your own. We've done a mix of both types. We've also added in come community college (college level) classes that count as high school credits (and pending college, transfer to college credits).

 

Start looking at standardized tests fall of sophomore year with the PSAT. The homeschool board will have threads telling you how to sign up, etc.

 

Junior year is usually the year for the SAT and/or ACT. My guys got top 3% and 1% respectively on their ACT tests. I'd say they did ok homeschooling.

 

Senior year is college apps.

 

Oldest got accepted into all three private Christian colleges he applied to. (He wanted a small Christian LAC due to wanting to head toward microfinance.) He got nice merit aid offers from all three. It's costing us less $$ to send him to where he chose than it would be for him to have gone to our in state schools.

 

Middle son has been accepted so far to (alphabetical order):

 

- University of Alabama (Honors College - with a full tuition scholarship)

- Baylor University (opted not to apply to Honors College as he's not likely to go there - $15,000 merit scholarship and yet to hear about more aid)

- Furman University (still awaiting scholarship info - they notify in March)

- University of Pittsburgh (Honors College - $5000 merit aid scholarship AND we didn't even send them his top scores due to "issues" - see collegeboard for more info. He's not likely to go here.)

- University of Rochester - $14,000 merit aid scholarship - better than many we've seen listed on College Confidential - still waiting on need-based aid

 

And he's yet to hear from Washington University in St. Louis (they notify the end of March). They only had a 15% acceptance rate last year, so if he doesn't get in there, so be it. He has nice options. If he does get in there, he'll have been accepted everywhere he applied. Either way, he'll be making a major decision soon.

 

We do need to hear about need-based aid before he decides as finances matter in our family, but for acceptances and merit aid? Homeschooled kids can do well IMO, but one does need to prepare. It doesn't come without a good foundation. For us, my boys did better NOT being in our local ps. We just don't live in a good school district and while they may have had all As there, they wouldn't have scored as well on the ACT and wouldn't have as good of a foundation in general for starting college.

 

I highly suggest anyone with a middle schooler start hanging out on the high school board if they are thinking of homeschooling high school with college prep in mind. There's a wealth of info on there. Use what you want. Ignore what you want. Many of us do that. There are several success stories!

[Mom0012]

What? :confused:

 

I don't understand how seventh grade is affected by graduation requirements? It sounds like backhanded bragging that their dc were doing high school work in seventh grade. Ignore them. It's not difficult to fit in what a student needs to graduate.

 

In our area, many ps students start getting high school credit for foreign languages in 7th grade and math in 6th or 7th. I have a number of friends, as well as my sister, who have children in ps and they talk about taking high school courses in middle school. I think the schools really sell this. I know this has put pressure on me and made me feel like we must start earning some of these credits in 7th grade. My son is only in 6th right now, but I've really started considering what requirements he will need to get an advanced diploma since that almost seems to be the norm these days.

 

So, if he earns a Spanish credit next year for high school, it just feels like it is the first time a class will really "count" and it is the first time I will have to give him a grade. That's a little scary for some reason.

 

Lisa

[creekland]

In our area, many ps students start getting high school credit for foreign languages in 7th grade and math in 6th or 7th. I have a number of friends, as well as my sister, who have children in ps and they talk about taking high school courses in middle school. I think the schools really sell this. I know this has put pressure on me and made me feel like we must start earning some of these credits in 7th grade. My son is only in 6th right now, but I've really started considering what requirements he will need to get an advanced diploma since that almost seems to be the norm these days.

 

So, if he earns a Spanish credit next year for high school, it just feels like it is the first time a class will really "count" and it is the first time I will have to give him a grade. That's a little scary for some reason.

 

Lisa

 

Just remember that many colleges won't accept credits earned before the last 4 years of high school regardless of what ps offers.

 

Languages can differ. They tend to not accept credits, but have their own placement tests which will put a student in the class where they belong (or test out of classes). For these, they don't care where they had the credits.

 

With math, colleges will expect to see 3 or 4 more years in high school even if the student has Alg 1 in 7th grade and Alg 2 or Geometry in 8th (BTDT). It IS common now to have had Alg 1 before high school for the college bound students.

[Mom0012]

I'm one who is in the process right now with my oldest a sophomore in college, my middle son a senior in high school, and my youngest a sophomore in high school (though he opted to return to public school for high school).

 

I also didn't hs "the whole way." I started when oldest hit 9th grade, middle hit 7th grade, and youngest hit 5th grade. In "my" ideal world (in hindsight) I'd have started when each hit 7th grade, but that's another story.

 

As for college prep? First, 7th and 8th grade credits tend to not be counted by colleges though some count high school level courses as credits for high school. Since many colleges don't, we didn't either. I did put the courses on our transcripts with an asterisk. It is fairly important to get the student used to doing some bookwork (esp for math - Pre-Alg or Alg, etc) in middle school, but one doesn't have to be strict about grades.

 

For high school, plan on 4 credits each (over 4 years) of:

 

English

Math

Science

 

and three credits (at least) of Social Studies/Government, etc.

 

Most colleges want to see at least 2 years of a Foreign Language. Many of us opt for more than 2 years.

 

Then add electives - Health, Wood Shop, PE, Home Ec - whatever suits you.

 

Almost all of these have various curricula you can buy or you can create your own. We've done a mix of both types. We've also added in come community college (college level) classes that count as high school credits (and pending college, transfer to college credits).

 

Start looking at standardized tests fall of sophomore year with the PSAT. The homeschool board will have threads telling you how to sign up, etc.

 

Junior year is usually the year for the SAT and/or ACT. My guys got top 3% and 1% respectively on their ACT tests. I'd say they did ok homeschooling.

 

Senior year is college apps.

 

Oldest got accepted into all three private Christian colleges he applied to. (He wanted a small Christian LAC due to wanting to head toward microfinance.) He got nice merit aid offers from all three. It's costing us less $$ to send him to where he chose than it would be for him to have gone to our in state schools.

 

Middle son has been accepted so far to (alphabetical order):

 

- University of Alabama (Honors College - with a full tuition scholarship)

- Baylor University (opted not to apply to Honors College as he's not likely to go there - $15,000 merit scholarship and yet to hear about more aid)

- Furman University (still awaiting scholarship info - they notify in March)

- University of Pittsburgh (Honors College - $5000 merit aid scholarship AND we didn't even send them his top scores due to "issues" - see collegeboard for more info. He's not likely to go here.)

- University of Rochester - $14,000 merit aid scholarship - better than many we've seen listed on College Confidential - still waiting on need-based aid

 

And he's yet to hear from Washington University in St. Louis (they notify the end of March). They only had a 15% acceptance rate last year, so if he doesn't get in there, so be it. He has nice options. If he does get in there, he'll have been accepted everywhere he applied. Either way, he'll be making a major decision soon.

 

We do need to hear about need-based aid before he decides as finances matter in our family, but for acceptances and merit aid? Homeschooled kids can do well IMO, but one does need to prepare. It doesn't come without a good foundation. For us, my boys did better NOT being in our local ps. We just don't live in a good school district and while they may have had all As there, they wouldn't have scored as well on the ACT and wouldn't have as good of a foundation in general for starting college.

 

I highly suggest anyone with a middle schooler start hanging out on the high school board if they are thinking of homeschooling high school with college prep in mind. There's a wealth of info on there. Use what you want. Ignore what you want. Many of us do that. There are several success stories!

 

This is so helpful to read. I feel so conflicted about what to do in 7th and 8th grades as far as foreign language and math requirements. A lot of children in my area take these classes in middle school for high school credit, so that's what I've been feeling I need to do.

 

Lisa

[creekland]

This is so helpful to read. I feel so conflicted about what to do in 7th and 8th grades as far as foreign language and math requirements. A lot of children in my area take these classes in middle school for high school credit, so that's what I've been feeling I need to do.

 

Lisa

 

For languages, start them early. It's been shown in multiple studies that the earlier a student starts a foreign language, the better they are at it. Colleges will allow a student to test out of a language even if they learn it in elementary school. There are always things one can do to earn credits in high school even if one is already proficient in a language (we keep taking English in high school).

 

For math, most (not all) college bound students will have had Alg 1 prior to high school. Many STEM majors will have had more than that. To be competitive for merit aid, I'd be starting math in middle school IF the student is ready for those courses. There are plenty of options in high school even if Alg 1 and Geometry are completed in middle school.

[Photo Ninja]

I feel so conflicted about what to do in 7th and 8th grades as far as foreign language and math requirements. A lot of children in my area take these classes in middle school for high school credit, so that's what I've been feeling I need to do.

 

It is very important to understand that what high schools count as meeting graduation requirements is not necessarily the same as what universities count as meeting their entrance requirements.

 

Many universities don't accept, as meeting their entrance requirements, high school level work that has been completed prior to 8th grade. Some don't accept any courses completed before high school. The high school may count the course as meeting their high school graduation requirements, but a university may not count it. Many colleges only count the coursework completed during grades 10 - 12, or grades 9 - 12, as meeting their entrance requirements.

 

So what is the benefit of taking a high school level course while in 7th or 8th grade?

 

There can be a good reason to take a high school course while in middle school. If a student plans to take a lot of courses in a subject area while in high school, then beginning that coursework while in middle school can be beneficial. Completing Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry while in 8th grade means there is room in the high school schedule for Algebra 2, Trig, Calculus, and Calculus 2 or College Algebra, or Statistics. Waiting to take Algebra until 9th grade means the student will only be able to complete Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2 and perhaps Trig. This course of study would be perfectly fine for many students who are not STEM majors, but a STEM major would benefit from taking more math, which can mean starting the courses while in middle school. This holds true for science courses as well.

 

The downside to taking core courses while in 7th or 8th grade is that the student is forced into taking more intensive courses in that subject while in high school, like it or not. When a university only looks at courses taken while in grades 9-12 or 10 - 12 as meeting entrance prerequisites, it won't care that your dc took Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry in 8th grade and Algebra 2 in 9th grade, even if the college only requires 3 math courses for entrance. The college will look to see if your dc took the required number of math courses while in grades 9-12. The high school will see that your dc competed Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2, meeting high school graduation requirements. The college only see one math course, Algebra 2, counting towards college entrance requirements. If the college requires 3 years of high school math, then your dc has not meet those entrance requirements. Does that make sense? My dc would have hated taking Algebra and Geometry in middle school, then being forced to take 4 more math courses because of it. So starting high school courses during middle school can backfire if the child doesn't continue taking courses in that subject all the way through high school.

 

Of course, if your dc won't be going to college, then what I am saying doesn't matter as much. Go ahead and meet the high school graduation requirements early and have more room in your child's schedule for interest area courses or jobs while in high school.

 

There are other options that you may want to consider. Instead of taking high school courses during middle school, your dc can take community college courses while in high school and may actually benefit more by it. My dd took a lot of cc courses while in high school and all their cc courses transferred to universities, both public and private. For example, my dd took foreign language at the cc during high school. She took two semester courses one year, and it counted as two high school credits, as well as transferred to the university, meeting college graduation requirements as well. She could have done this in two years as a high school course, not getting college credit for it, but instead completed it all in one year and received college credit as well. That was a better use of her time and effort. She completed 4 courses at the cc in that same language. My dc don't enjoy math. They did take Algebra in 8th grade because that is what our state standards are, and they were ready for the course. But colleges wouldn't count that as meeting entrance requirements. So my dc ended up taking a couple math courses at the community college instead of taking high school content math. This was best for them. They took one semester cc math course that awarded them one full year of high school math credit. They completed two math courses that year, giving them two years of high school math credit in only one year. Plus, it counted as college credit as well. This was a better use of their time and effort because they finished math requirements sooner (a big relief to them) and received more benefit for their effort, and met college entrance requirements as well.

 

If you have a student who wants to take more math in high school, but doesn't want to start during middle school, this could be an option. Algebra in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th grade, Trig at the cc in 11th grade, Pre-Calc or Calculus in 11th grade at the cc, and two more upper level math courses at the cc during 12th grade. This allows your dc to complete 6 credits in math during grades 9-12. If at any time your dc decide that 3 or 4 math courses are enough, they have the option to stop. It is important to note that some universities won't accept cc credits in courses in the student's major, but most will. It is important to check out how each university your dc may want to attend handle transfer credits. But even if the university won't transfer all the credits, your dc still receive the high school credits and know the material, making the courses at the university a repeat and an easy grade to earn. This can work with many subjects.

 

There are also AP courses and tests, which can yield college credit or exemption from lower division college courses, depending on the test score your dc earns and the university's policy, which varies by university.

 

The bottom line is that your dc don't have to start high school courses while in middle school in order to be successful or admitted to college!

 

Pressure is strong! It is easy to fall into thinking that you must do what others are doing, but instead, do what is best for your own dc. For some dc, starting high school level content while in 7th or 8th grade is what is best. For some dc, that would destroy their enjoyment of high school years and possibly hurt their chances of going to college. No matter what your local high school does, you need to determine the best course of action for each of your dc.

[tuzor]

What? :confused:

 

I don't understand how seventh grade is affected by graduation requirements? It sounds like backhanded bragging that their dc were doing high school work in seventh grade. Ignore them. It's not difficult to fit in what a student needs to graduate.

 

She was just saying that once your children hit 7th grade hs sucks. There is so much to keep track of and she felt that she was losing her love for it. I could tell she seemed a bit frustrated, our board of education is constantly changing what is acceptable and what isn't. Which makes it difficult to plan long term.

Anyway, I am choosing to remain positive. And I am taking away that preparation is the key. This is right up my alley considering I mapped out my own path to high school in 8th grade and did the same my senior year in high school. Once I knew what my major was. I laid it all out. No surprises for me along the way I knew exactly what I needed to do to earn my dipolma. :lol:

[angela in ohio]

She was just saying that once your children hit 7th grade hs sucks. There is so much to keep track of and she felt that she was losing her love for it. I could tell she seemed a bit frustrated, our board of education is constantly changing what is acceptable and what isn't. Which makes it difficult to plan long term.

Anyway, I am choosing to remain positive. And I am taking away that preparation is the key. This is right up my alley considering I mapped out my own path to high school in 8th grade and did the same my senior year in high school. Once I knew what my major was. I laid it all out. No surprises for me along the way I knew exactly what I needed to do to earn my dipolma. :lol:

 

You really don't need to keep track in 7th grade, unless your dc is taking high school level courses.

 

It's really not that bad. Of course, I'm in a state with among the least restricitve homeschool regs in the nation. :001_smile: I'm more concerned with what universities want to see, and it's really not hard to meet a fairly rigorous set of courses. The good news is that there are many ways to approach it (that's the bad news, too :D,) so you can spend more money and less time or more time and less money, or some combination thereof.

 

My dc are taking high school level classes in junior high, but it's not because I felt pressured to do so, and I do it knowing that theose classes probably won't "count" anyway. They were just the next thing my dc needed to do, so it wasn't stressful.

[Mom0012]

For languages, start them early. It's been shown in multiple studies that the earlier a student starts a foreign language, the better they are at it. Colleges will allow a student to test out of a language even if they learn it in elementary school. There are always things one can do to earn credits in high school even if one is already proficient in a language (we keep taking English in high school).

 

For math, most (not all) college bound students will have had Alg 1 prior to high school. Many STEM majors will have had more than that. To be competitive for merit aid, I'd be starting math in middle school IF the student is ready for those courses. There are plenty of options in high school even if Alg 1 and Geometry are completed in middle school.

 

Thank you! We've already started Spanish and I can't imagine stopping now. My daughter, in particular, is so excited to learn another language I feel like we have to keep forging ahead whether we want to or not. We'll have to see about the math and what they are ready for.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

It is very important to understand that what high schools count as meeting graduation requirements is not necessarily the same as what universities count as meeting their entrance requirements.

 

Many universities don't accept, as meeting their entrance requirements, high school level work that has been completed prior to 8th grade. Some don't accept any courses completed before high school. The high school may count the course as meeting their high school graduation requirements, but a university may not count it. Many colleges only count the coursework completed during grades 10 - 12, or grades 9 - 12, as meeting their entrance requirements.

 

So what is the benefit of taking a high school level course while in 7th or 8th grade?

 

There can be a good reason to take a high school course while in middle school. If a student plans to take a lot of courses in a subject area while in high school, then beginning that coursework while in middle school can be beneficial. Completing Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry while in 8th grade means there is room in the high school schedule for Algebra 2, Trig, Calculus, and Calculus 2 or College Algebra, or Statistics. Waiting to take Algebra until 9th grade means the student will only be able to complete Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2 and perhaps Trig. This course of study would be perfectly fine for many students who are not STEM majors, but a STEM major would benefit from taking more math, which can mean starting the courses while in middle school. This holds true for science courses as well.

 

The downside to taking core courses while in 7th or 8th grade is that the student is forced into taking more intensive courses in that subject while in high school, like it or not. When a university only looks at courses taken while in grades 9-12 or 10 - 12 as meeting entrance prerequisites, it won't care that your dc took Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry in 8th grade and Algebra 2 in 9th grade, even if the college only requires 3 math courses for entrance. The college will look to see if your dc took the required number of math courses while in grades 9-12. The high school will see that your dc competed Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2, meeting high school graduation requirements. The college only see one math course, Algebra 2, counting towards college entrance requirements. If the college requires 3 years of high school math, then your dc has not meet those entrance requirements. Does that make sense? My dc would have hated taking Algebra and Geometry in middle school, then being forced to take 4 more math courses because of it. So starting high school courses during middle school can backfire if the child doesn't continue taking courses in that subject all the way through high school.

 

Of course, if your dc won't be going to college, then what I am saying doesn't matter as much. Go ahead and meet the high school graduation requirements early and have more room in your child's schedule for interest area courses or jobs while in high school.

 

There are other options that you may want to consider. Instead of taking high school courses during middle school, your dc can take community college courses while in high school and may actually benefit more by it. My dd took a lot of cc courses while in high school and all their cc courses transferred to universities, both public and private. For example, my dd took foreign language at the cc during high school. She took two semester courses one year, and it counted as two high school credits, as well as transferred to the university, meeting college graduation requirements as well. She could have done this in two years as a high school course, not getting college credit for it, but instead completed it all in one year and received college credit as well. That was a better use of her time and effort. She completed 4 courses at the cc in that same language. My dc don't enjoy math. They did take Algebra in 8th grade because that is what our state standards are, and they were ready for the course. But colleges wouldn't count that as meeting entrance requirements. So my dc ended up taking a couple math courses at the community college instead of taking high school content math. This was best for them. They took one semester cc math course that awarded them one full year of high school math credit. They completed two math courses that year, giving them two years of high school math credit in only one year. Plus, it counted as college credit as well. This was a better use of their time and effort because they finished math requirements sooner (a big relief to them) and received more benefit for their effort, and met college entrance requirements as well.

 

If you have a student who wants to take more math in high school, but doesn't want to start during middle school, this could be an option. Algebra in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th grade, Trig at the cc in 11th grade, Pre-Calc or Calculus in 11th grade at the cc, and two more upper level math courses at the cc during 12th grade. This allows your dc to complete 6 credits in math during grades 9-12. If at any time your dc decide that 3 or 4 math courses are enough, they have the option to stop. It is important to note that some universities won't accept cc credits in courses in the student's major, but most will. It is important to check out how each university your dc may want to attend handle transfer credits. But even if the university won't transfer all the credits, your dc still receive the high school credits and know the material, making the courses at the university a repeat and an easy grade to earn. This can work with many subjects.

 

There are also AP courses and tests, which can yield college credit or exemption from lower division college courses, depending on the test score your dc earns and the university's policy, which varies by university.

 

The bottom line is that your dc don't have to start high school courses while in middle school in order to be successful or admitted to college!

 

Pressure is strong! It is easy to fall into thinking that you must do what others are doing, but instead, do what is best for your own dc. For some dc, starting high school level content while in 7th or 8th grade is what is best. For some dc, that would destroy their enjoyment of high school years and possibly hurt their chances of going to college. No matter what your local high school does, you need to determine the best course of action for each of your dc.

 

Wow. This is by far the best explanation I have received about the pros/cons of taking classes in middle school. I have one child in particular who does well in math, but who I think would benefit from waiting as long as possible to take algebra. I love your comments and ideas about utilizing the cc. I was hoping to have the kids take some classes, but the way you have explained it makes so much sense and gives me some new ways to think about things.

 

Thank you!

Lisa

[Mommy22alyns]

It is so good to see all this levelheaded info from experienced hs moms. Makes me feel better about the road ahead. :)