Opinions, thoughts sought on starting HS credits now and giving more time...

[radiobrain]

AS I am looking at all this stuff I have yet to accomplish in the next 5-6 years, I had an idea. I would like to see if I am totally crazy, or if some of you think this is a good idea.

 

I am thinking that I will start keeping records/assigning stuff as if they are high school credits. This gives my kids 1 1/2-2 years extra to get all this completed. Our state is pretty good about everything, so whatever I do is fine.

 

But why not just start now? Give me some valid reasons against it if you can, as I can't see any right now. They are already doing Algebra I and will be doing HS level Biology and English next year anyway..... I plan on doing some CLEP/AP testing as well.

 

Yea or nay from the hive?

Edited April 27, 2012 by radiobrain

[regentrude]

I could not vote because there was no option that I would have chosen.

This subject has been frequently discussed on the high school board.

 

You should be aware that many colleges specifically request that only the work of the last four years of high school is on the transcript and that they will accept only limited credits from before (typically algebra and foreign language).

They still want the student to do four years of high school work in all core subjects in grades 9-12.

 

So, by all means do high school level work, but do not count on being able to use all credits for college admission.

[Parrothead]

I could not vote because there was no option that I would have chosen.

This subject has been frequently discussed on the high school board.

 

You should be aware that many colleges specifically request that only the work of the last four years of high school is on the transcript and that they will accept only limited credits from before (typically algebra and foreign language).

They still want the student to do four years of high school work in all core subjects in grades 9-12.

 

So, by all means do high school level work, but do not count on being able to use all credits for college admission.

:iagree: As tempting as it seems it may not be feasible for the college of your dc's choosing

[Mom0012]

What you are suggesting is exactly what I had been planning on doing. In our County, children can earn high school credit for math as early as 6th grade and for foreign languages starting in 7th. I thought it would be really helpful to get some of my son's foreign language credits out of the way before we got to the high school years, but from what I have read on the HS boards, it is not a good idea.

 

From what I understand, it is fine and great to start earning HS credits in middle school as long as you plan to continue all the way to the end of the high school years with math and a foreign language. However, I have been told on the HS board that even though HS credit will be given for work done in the middle school years, colleges will only look at the last 4 years of work completed, so if you don't meet their requirements within those years, you have a problem.

 

I'm not sure how this affects kids who go to CC and then on to a 4 year university? I'm thinking many of those on the HS board are looking at really competitive schools, and I am not interested in that. I wish I knew because if my son wouldn't wind up having to take a foreign language in college, we'd start Spanish next year in 7th grade.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

I could not vote because there was no option that I would have chosen.

This subject has been frequently discussed on the high school board.

 

You should be aware that many colleges specifically request that only the work of the last four years of high school is on the transcript and that they will accept only limited credits from before (typically algebra and foreign language).

 

They still want the student to do four years of high school work in all core subjects in grades 9-12.

 

So, by all means do high school level work, but do not count on being able to use all credits for college admission.

 

Now this is interesting to me. From what I had read on the HS board, I was under the impression that no credits would be accepted outside of the last 4 years of high school. I need to look at our local university's requirements and see what the reality is. If we can have Spanish knocked out by 9th grade, that would be really helpful for my son.

 

Lisa

[regentrude]

Now this is interesting to me. From what I had read on the HS board, I was under the impression that no credits would be accepted outside of the last 4 years of high school. I need to look at our local university's requirements and see what the reality is. If we can have Spanish knocked out by 9th grade, that would be really helpful for my son.

 

Lisa

 

It depends on the college, of course.

Maybe I did not express myself clearly, but this is what I understand from the discussions on the HS board:

if a college insists on seeing Algebra 1 on the transcript and it was taken before 9th grade, you put it on the transcript to satisfy the college's need to see that it was taken. It does NOT get you off the hook for the "four years of math in grades 9-12" requirement.

If the student wants to demonstrate a special interest in languages, people have put language credits from before high school on the transcript to show that this goes beyond the requirements; this does NOT get you off the hook for the foreign-language-in -high-school requirement

 

Many people who note these things on the transcript do not count them in the calculation of the GPA or in the number of credits earned.

[Crimson Wife]

FWIW, I am considering H.S. courses taken before 9th to be honors middle school courses. I don't want to be held to the pacing and the written output requirements of what I feel it would take to grant it official H.S. credit (which probably wouldn't be accepted anyway).

 

Additionally, taking too many H.S. courses would affect DD's spelling bee eligibility.

[wapiti]

if a college insists on seeing Algebra 1 on the transcript and it was taken before 9th grade, you put it on the transcript to satisfy the college's need to see that it was taken. It does NOT get you off the hook for the "four years of math in grades 9-12" requirement.

 

This. Besides, if you have a student who is capable of learning algebra in middle school, they ought to be capable of, and required to complete, another four years of math in high school.

 

I don't want to be held to the pacing and the written output requirements of what I feel it would take to grant it official H.S. credit (which probably wouldn't be accepted anyway).

:iagree:

[snowbeltmom]

My oldest is only in 9th grade, so take my comments with that in mind.

 

I am listing some courses that were completed in middle school on the high school transcript because I think it would raise questions with admissions if some of the traditional high school classes were absent. I am listing courses by subject and will indicate with an * those classes that were taken before age 14.

 

My local public school permits kids to take foreign language in middle school for high school credit. The kids that are not intested in foreign language study in college get their foreign language requirement out of the way early in high school. It is common for kids to take year one in middle school and then year two and year three in 9th grade (the school is on block scheduling.) That frees up their remaining three years of high school to take the "more interesting" classes.

[Mom0012]

It depends on the college, of course.

Maybe I did not express myself clearly, but this is what I understand from the discussions on the HS board:

if a college insists on seeing Algebra 1 on the transcript and it was taken before 9th grade, you put it on the transcript to satisfy the college's need to see that it was taken. It does NOT get you off the hook for the "four years of math in grades 9-12" requirement.

If the student wants to demonstrate a special interest in languages, people have put language credits from before high school on the transcript to show that this goes beyond the requirements; this does NOT get you off the hook for the foreign-language-in -high-school requirement

 

Many people who note these things on the transcript do not count them in the calculation of the GPA or in the number of credits earned.

 

Thank you for clarifying.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

My oldest is only in 9th grade, so take my comments with that in mind.

 

I am listing some courses that were completed in middle school on the high school transcript because I think it would raise questions with admissions if some of the traditional high school classes were absent. I am listing courses by subject and will indicate with an * those classes that were taken before age 14.

 

My local public school permits kids to take foreign language in middle school for high school credit. The kids that are not intested in foreign language study in college get their foreign language requirement out of the way early in high school. It is common for kids to take year one in middle school and then year two and year three in 9th grade (the school is on block scheduling.) That frees up their remaining three years of high school to take the "more interesting" classes.

 

And this is what I'd really like to get clarification on. I just want to get the foreign language requirement out of the way, but do not want my son to have to take it in college. I'm going to have to check into this some more.

 

Lisa

[snowbeltmom]

And this is what I'd really like to get clarification on. I just want to get the foreign language requirement out of the way, but do not want my son to have to take it in college. I'm going to have to check into this some more.

 

Lisa

 

This was my concern as well. My son really dislikes foreign language, and it's not from lack of trying on my end. He was exposed to French, Spanish and Latin at his Montessori school before we started homeschooling. He has zero interest.

 

Fwiw, none of the colleges on his list will require him to study a foreign language at the college level - this is not a coiniidence. ;)

 

I had him email a couple of his top choice schools to make sure that he would be competitive with only three years of foreign language. They were fine with that.

 

My guess is that the answer you receive will depend on the type of colleges you are interested in. My guess is that the highly selective liberal arts colleges would have given my son a different answer - they would not have been satisfied with only three years of study.

[Mom0012]

This was my concern as well. My son really dislikes foreign language, and it's not from lack of trying on my end. He was exposed to French, Spanish and Latin at his Montessori school before we started homeschooling. He has zero interest.

 

Fwiw, none of the colleges on his list will require him to study a foreign language at the college level - this is not a coiniidence. ;)

 

I had him email a couple of his top choice schools to make sure that he would be competitive with only three years of foreign language. They were fine with that.

 

My guess is that the answer you receive will depend on the type of colleges you are interested in. My guess is that the highly selective liberal arts colleges would have given my son a different answer - they would not have been satisfied with only three years of study.

 

Thank you! I think I need to start looking more closely at what the requirements are in our area for the colleges my son is likely to attend.

 

Lisa

[melmichigan]

I could not vote because there was no option that I would have chosen.

This subject has been frequently discussed on the high school board.

 

You should be aware that many colleges specifically request that only the work of the last four years of high school is on the transcript and that they will accept only limited credits from before (typically algebra and foreign language).

They still want the student to do four years of high school work in all core subjects in grades 9-12.

 

So, by all means do high school level work, but do not count on being able to use all credits for college admission.

 

:iagree: We just call it an honors subject.

[radiobrain]

Well, let me clarify something specific to my state.

 

In our state we have a new thing called "flex credit" where you have 3 different ways to show mastery in a subject. Typical Carnegie unit amount of hours, testing out of or showing mastery through another means, and portfolio review to show mastery in classes/subjects taught outside of the brick and mortar school. If you take Algebra I & II before 9th grade, and can prove it, you can flex out those two classes leaving you to either do more advanced math classes, or finish out your math credits and not do another one, thus freeing up your schedule for more electives or early graduation.

 

This is relevant to those only in PS, but is important to know towards my argument.

 

What I am considering is that as I am following a different path by HSing, why does it need to be done in 4 years? Why not spaced out leisurely over 5 or 6?

 

If my state allows for all sorts of things to be completed and counted when done in 6-8th grade, why can't I?

 

That's what I am thinking.

 

Does this clear things up for you? Also, since when did it all have to do with a calendar? I didn't realize that it had to be within a 4 year time frame. If I am writing a transcript, why does it matter? If I teach Bio 1 in 7th & 8th grade and we do a CLEP or AP test 1 year later, heck 3 years later, isn't that acceptable? And if they complete Bio 1 and I don't do those tests, I'm sorry but if it takes them 2 years to complete...who cares? SOme schools are on a trimester, some on a semester schedule.. why not a 1 1/2 year schedule? I just don't see the issue.

 

I have no problem doing things strangely. :D

[Trilliums]

It may come into play when your kids apply to colleges. I am all for doing things strangely as well, but it does cause some head scratching when one has to sit down and write up a neatly compartmentalized high school transcript. :) We encountered this even this year, DS's 9th grade, when he applied for a summer camp program.

 

Regarding foreign language, our local state U requires students to have a certain proficiency in a foreign language by the time they receive an undergraduate degree. This can be acquired prior to admission to the U, and it does not have to have been accomplished only within the 4 year highschool time frame but they want the final class to be completed during the high school 4 year time period.

 

From their website:

 

To complete this requirement, you must

 

 

• Complete the fourth year in a foreign language in high school; or
  
• Complete the last course in the designated course sequence of an approved foreign language at The University, or the equivalent course at another college or university, or during study abroad; or
  
• Pass an achievement test or evaluation measuring proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to that usually attained after four semesters of college study.
  

 

**********************

[regentrude]

What I am considering is that as I am following a different path by HSing, why does it need to be done in 4 years? Why not spaced out leisurely over 5 or 6?

If my state allows for all sorts of things to be completed and counted when done in 6-8th grade, why can't I?

 

Sure you can. YOU can do whatever you want.

 

Colleges can do whatever they want as well. If the school says "we want to see the work of the last four years" you can choose to jump through the hoop - or you can choose to argue with them that your way is better. I would not want to risk my DD's application to land on the reject pile merely because I refuse to play by their rules.

 

I do some things "strangely", too. But I would feel really bad if my insistence on making my own rules would be detrimental to my student's application.

[radiobrain]

Sure you can. YOU can do whatever you want.

 

Colleges can do whatever they want as well. If the school says "we want to see the work of the last four years" you can choose to jump through the hoop - or you can choose to argue with them that your way is better. I would not want to risk my DD's application to land on the reject pile merely because I refuse to play by their rules.

 

I do some things "strangely", too. But I would feel really bad if my insistence on making my own rules would be detrimental to my student's application.

 

Your opinion is duly noted. I obviously have some more research to do before I do anything, and believe me, I would not take the word of anyone on a web forum as my final decision. Whether in the direction I am leaning or not.

 

I think that by choosing to go outside the system in the first place, we are always in a different category according to colleges. I LIKE that.

 

If my kids become the people they are capable of, and do well on all those silly tests, they should do fine. There are a million colleges, and really...is undergrad that important anymore? Heck between flex credit and PSEO my kids might have their associate's by the time they are 18. Who knows?

 

I will do some research as far as the time frame issue, but I actually don't think it matters that much. Just a hunch.

 

<Besides, with the flex credit law I am already keeping very detailed records, in case I want to utilize it at some point. I am not the ogre you seem to think I am>

Edited April 27, 2012 by radiobrain

[elegantlion]

Your opinion is duly noted. I obviously have some more research to do before I do anything, and believe me, I would not take the word of anyone on a web forum as my final decision. Whether in the direction I am leaning or not.

 

I think that by choosing to go outside the system in the first place, we are always in a different category according to colleges. I LIKE that.

 

If my kids become the people they are capable of, and do well on all those silly tests, they should do fine. There are a million colleges, and really...is undergrad that important anymore? Heck between flex credit and PSEO my kids might have their associate's by the time they are 18. Who knows?

 

I will do some research as far as the time frame issue, but I actually don't think it matters that much. Just a hunch.

 

<Besides, with the flex credit law I am already keeping very detailed records, in case I want to utilize it at some point. I am not the ogre you seem to think I am>

 

You could graduate them early and have them finish an AA before the end of traditional high school.

 

My concern with following your plan might be if your dc decide to attend college out of state. While your state might be used to seeing the flex credit from homeschoolers, out of state schools might balk.

 

We're doing some out of the box things as well. While I don't plan on adding any middle school subject to his transcript at this point, I have records if anything changes. Many of these decisions don't actually have to be decided until you are well into high school. As long as you have records it would be easier to add.

 

I would make sure I had the information I would need to add to a transcript, course descriptions, book lists, etc.

 

I'm sure you are, but I would also keep a close eye on what is happening with college admissions over the years. With the rate some things change, what is true today may not be true when your dc graduate.

[radiobrain]

You could graduate them early and have them finish an AA before the end of traditional high school.

 

My concern with following your plan might be if your dc decide to attend college out of state. While your state might be used to seeing the flex credit from homeschoolers, out of state schools might balk.

 

We're doing some out of the box things as well. While I don't plan on adding any middle school subject to his transcript at this point, I have records if anything changes. Many of these decisions don't actually have to be decided until you are well into high school. As long as you have records it would be easier to add.

 

I would make sure I had the information I would need to add to a transcript, course descriptions, book lists, etc.

 

I'm sure you are, but I would also keep a close eye on what is happening with college admissions over the years. With the rate some things change, what is true today may not be true when your dc graduate.

 

I like just about all of this post darling. ;)

 

The funniest part is that I have no intention of limiting my kids to state schools, which generally aren't as HS friendly as private or "other" schools. As this is a new law, I doubt even state schools will know what to do with the few that utilize it. BTW, schools here try not to tell you about it, and will fight like crazy to implement it. One of the women who helped write the law, is a good friend of mine and I know *everything* there is to know about the law. Probably more than most school admins.:D

 

I can't actually imagine how they will ever do it, as it essentially says... every child can have an individualized education and you have to deal with it.

Edited April 27, 2012 by radiobrain

[Trilliums]

What is happening for us us that even though DS has completed high school level science before high school, during the high school years he will be doing similar subjects at a higher level. Next year he plans to take AP Physics. The following year he might take AP Biology. He simply will not have another physics or biology credit on his transcripts.

 

My 8th grader started World History in Jan. He will probably continue with World History into 9th grade. Eventually his transcript will only list WH for 9th grade. No need, IMO, to indicate that it stretched across a time span somewhat different from the typical school year.

 

Much of what my kids pursue is very hard to define in typical school speak. We plan to continue learning in a way that either for them and then summarize as well as possible for transcripts. Older son is planning on starting classes at our U next summer. At that point, transcripts will be much easier (I hope!!).

[Crimson Wife]

There are a million colleges, and really...is undergrad that important anymore?

 

Sadly, it's been my observation that because such a larger percentage of young people now have their bachelor's and because of the increasing concentration of top students in the most selective colleges (Charles Murray has a statistic in his new book Coming Apart that the top 105 colleges now soak up 3/4 of students with SAT's >1400 or ACT's >30), there has been a "flight to quality". Simply having a bachelor's no longer sets the college graduate apart like it did in the past- the "signaler" is now the prestige of the particular school.

 

Attending a top grad school can provide that "signaler" as well, but many of the classmates will have attended a selective school for undergrad and they do have an edge when it comes to being considered for jobs. My DH got a call from a headhunter once for a job that he wasn't personally a good match for and tried to refer a friend of his whom he thought would be better candidate. The recruiter wasn't interested because DH's friend had attended UT-Austin undergrad (which has an excellent engineering program) instead of Stanford, MIT, or CalTech :001_rolleyes: The fact that DH's friend had a Harvard MBA made no difference.

[Trilliums]

I was thinking of how TWTM has the four year history cycle repeated 3 times, once during each stage. By the time kids reach rhetoric stage you may cover the same material again, but not only will it be covered at a more detailed level, it will probably also be analyzed and processed/thought about differently by the older student. I think the original question is interesting. I do not think anyone was implying it an ogre-ish act or notion. :). You just have a variety of people offering their opinions, complete with their own preferences.

 

About the undergrad degree-- that seems to depend on the type of job market one is looking to enter. Recently I have started asking local engineers about their education and job placement (this has been a situation where once something enters your radar, you suddenly find it everywhere-turns out we have 4 engineers among our closest neighbors!). The trend has been individuals raised in the state who attend the big state U get jobs locally. I asked about classmates as well and most of them had also stayed within the state. These were people with bachelor's degrees in some type of engineering. I think the degree granting school plays more if a factor when you have a student planning on striving for the competitive jobs involving relocation, etc. hm, so if you want your kid to stay local as an adult, a stat U might be best!

 

If one doesn't envision the kids going to a state U, I am wondering what are the advantages of an AA first (assuming they do want to go on to a 4 year degree) For kids who do go to stay Us, the CC credits seem to transfer fairly easily (here at least). Many have agreements with the CCs for transfer credits. It becomes more of an unknown for out of state/private schools. The more selective schools seem to want all the degree credits obtained within that school. Yes there are exceptions, but I am generalizing. Older DS has been looking into some of these issues as he would like to apply to selective schools for undergrad. He is planning on classes at the U for the educational opportunities they present, but not counting on getting much credit for them if he is admitted to some of his top dream-reach schools.

[Janice in NJ]

Colleges are not just interested in seeing the boxes checked. Yes, they want the boxes checked as a bare minimum requirement; you need to meet their minimum requirements. But that's not all they are looking for.

 

I think you are looking at this the wrong way. If your child has the opportunity to accelerate in junior high, colleges want to see what your kid DOES when handed that kind of opportunity. Does he make the most of it? Or does he use the opportunity to do less? In other words, is he looking to grow or is he looking for an easier way? What kids DO with their opportunities says a lot about their character. Colleges are sincerely interested in that. They want kids who make the most of their opportunities on their campuses. They are NOT interested in kids who use their opportunities to do less or "just enough."

 

First of all, the requirements are the requirements. Period. If the college says they want to see four years of English on the transcript, then they mean that they want to see four years of English on the transcript. They don't care what you did in junior high. Unless your child took an AP exam, completed a community college course, or took a CLEP exam in junior high, they are not interested.

 

If your child is stunning in junior high, they want to see what your child DID with that opportunity.

 

 

If you are going to accelerate math in junior high, you should plan to complete at least either one level of calculus or one year of college statistics.

 

If you are going to accelerate the sciences, you should plan to complete advanced science courses, specialized courses (Electronics, Robotics, Etc.), AP science, or CC science to complete the required years of science in grades 9-12. Some colleges also have lab requirements. They are inflexible. For example, it looks like my dd is planning to pursue nursing. At our big state uni they have 2,700 applicants for 40 slots in the freshman class. There are SAT requirements; there are specific science courses they want to see on the transcript with minimum grade requirements. And yes, you read that right: this year there were 40 slots with 2,700 applicants. Of course, we could have done what ever we wanted in high school; NJ is a very flexible state for hsers. But, my dd is passionate about being a nurse. I'm glad our program meets and exceeds the requirements. Otherwise her application wouldn't make it past the intern who sorts them in January. And yes, as her mother I could holler and stamp my feet and put up a stink. But in the end, why should the head of the program take my kid over hundreds of qualified students if we can't even bother to find out what the requirements are? Does she really want my kid in her system? After all, the reputation of her program depends on her state exam pass rate. She needs kids who work hard and do what they are told in her program. Remember, she has plenty of very qualified applicants who have done what they are supposed to do. Eagerly. With attention to the details.

 

Some colleges require that students reach a certain level of proficiency in a foreign language. The students take a placement test in early summer and are placed at the appropriate level in the fall of their freshman year. I know my kids would have a hard time recalling info from their 9th or 10th grade years. YMMV. (And no, the college my youngest is looking at will not accept a community college course or CLEP exam as proof of proficiency; you still have to take the placement exam. They will accept an AP exam if the score is a 5 as the only substitute for the placement exam. However, the child still has to take one more semester of foreign language and pass the course with a B or better in order to secure the credit from the AP exam. Something I doubt my kid could do if he took the AP exam in 10th grade and stopped studying the language. Once again, YMMV. But it is important to understand that colleges have a clear vision for their students. They are not interested in the parent's thoughts on the matter. Of course, you are free to choose another school, but sometimes it is worth conforming.)

 

And here's another issue that you should consider. One of the biggest problems kids have in making the transition from high school to college is the increase in the workload. If you want to accelerate your students and they want the challenge, that's one thing. But if you are planning to complete four years of high school level work at a 2/3 pace over the course of six years, I would think twice. The leap from 2/3 high school-pace to college-level pace would be a tough transition. Unless your kids are planning to go to college part time. Then that might work.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

Edited April 29, 2012 by Janice in NJ

[txhomemom]

The more I look into high school for my dd, the more I don't care what everyone else is doing. I think it is a time for my dd to develop her interests more and set herself apart from the crowd. Sure, there are minimal requirements, but there are a million ways to get there. My dd is not heavily interested in science, math, and does not care to attend a 4 year university, so what we are considering for her academics may be different from others. I am thinking of enrolling her in Kolbe Academy for high school and they allow a few courses completed in 8th grade to be included on the high school transcript...I think math, science, and foreign language. My idea is to let her take at least one of those courses in 8th grade for high school credit so she can get her feet wet before jumping into high school. We would still continue to do further credits in high school. For example, if we take Latin 1 in 8th grade, then we would continue on with Latin II in 9th, and Latin III in 10th. If we decide to do Physical Science in 8th (which can be counted as high school credit), then we would do Biology in 9th, Chemistry in 10th, and then at least one other science of my dd's interest, maybe Marine Biology or Environmental Science.

 

I guess it depends on where you see your kids going as to whether to complete high school credits in 8th grade.

[Janice in NJ]

I agree: matching the education to the child and her goals is crucial. I don't know anyone who follows the program we follow. That's as it should be.

 

We did lots of high-school level coursework in 7th and 8th grade. None of it appears for credit on the high school transcript. But yes, my kids were all introduced to some of the workload before September of 9th grade. That has worked out well.

 

It sounds like your daughter has clear goals. My older two were not clear in junior high. We followed a plan that would allow for flexibility. My youngest is certain about what he wants. He has already chosen his college and his graduate school; he's in 9th grade. Unfortunately his choices don't pull anything from our plate; in fact the choices have pushed a TON of things onto the plate. But he's committed.

 

When the child knows what he wants, it's a LOT easier to help him reach his goals.

 

Peace,

Janice

Edited April 30, 2012 by Janice in NJ
Because pronouns have number. :-)

[elegantlion]

One more item to suggest is the book How to be a High School Superstar. I think the title is misleading, it should be how to be yourself and show it off to college admissions.

 

We'll be approaching some of high school in a non-traditional way. The book gave me a few tips to help make that happen for ds, avoid the AP cram (which he would have none of probably), and essentially "market" yourself to colleges.

 

I'm having ds read it this summer.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I could not vote because there was no option that I would have chosen.

This subject has been frequently discussed on the high school board.

 

You should be aware that many colleges specifically request that only the work of the last four years of high school is on the transcript and that they will accept only limited credits from before (typically algebra and foreign language).

They still want the student to do four years of high school work in all core subjects in grades 9-12.

 

So, by all means do high school level work, but do not count on being able to use all credits for college admission.

 

:iagree:

 

I try to keep separate, sometimes competing goals in my head when I'm planning coursework.

 

On one hand I want to challenge my kids where they are at the moment. That might mean using WWS with my 7th and 8th grader while also enrolling them in a high school level German course and doing challenging algebra.

 

On the other hand I want to make sure I compile a compelling high school transcript. I don't want it so packed that it seems unbelivable (I will count some things as extra curriculars rather than giving "credit" for every single thing they do) nor so scant that it doesn't seem that they are ready for college work.

 

I'm also trying to keep in mind the different demands of high school graduation vs competitive college admissions vs credit for college level work completed during high school.

 

I have a couple of sharp kids that I've been able to challenge because they are strong readers and pretty good at math. But I'm also looking around at the local public schools, which are turning out many students who have AP calc, AP physics, AP this and that and the other thing. So while I'm doing a couple high school level courses in 7th and 8th grade, it is with the intention of buying options for advanced work, not for getting requirements out of the way early.

 

In other words, German 1 before high school buys time for getting to AP German. Algebra before high school buys time and sets skills foundations for physics and for advanced math.

[KAR120C]

If your child is stunning in junior high, they want to see what your child DID with that opportunity.

This is what I've heard from admissions people too. The UNC-Chapel Hill adcom that spoke to our homeschool group a few years back said they wanted to see Algebra 1 and everything that followed it, no matter when it was taken, but that if you started early and just stopped at four credits, that would look bad.

[Alphabetika]

I could not vote because there was no option that I would have chosen.

This subject has been frequently discussed on the high school board.

 

You should be aware that many colleges specifically request that only the work of the last four years of high school is on the transcript and that they will accept only limited credits from before (typically algebra and foreign language).

They still want the student to do four years of high school work in all core subjects in grades 9-12.

 

So, by all means do high school level work, but do not count on being able to use all credits for college admission.

 

 

:iagree: