do I put 8th grade stuff on the high school transcript?

[whiskeywife]

DS did the first part of us history this year in 8th grade and he also completed algebra 1. I know those are typically high school courses so should I include them on his high school transcript? If so, where on the transcript would I put them?

[regentrude]

Many universities want to see only the material of the last four years. But some want to see algebra 1 specifically, even if taken before.

 

I put algebra 1 with the math classes, with a note "taken before 9th grade", but I do not count the grade for the GPA and do not give a credit for the course.

I would not list any humanities courses taken in 8th grade. Since you say the student completed the first part of US history, I would award the complete credit for US history during the year the last part is completed.

[gingersmom]

I would not include anything from 8th grade.

 

99% of my daughters grade took Algebra 1 in 8th grade and its not going on anyones transcript.

 

My daughter also took Spanish 1 in middle school and there will be no mention of it.

 

Its so common nowadays for kids to start high school with Geometry or Spanish 2, etc. that I am sure college admissions think nothing of it.

[regentrude]

I would not include anything from 8th grade.

 

99% of my daughters grade took Algebra 1 in 8th grade and its not going on anyones transcript.

...

Its so common nowadays for kids to start high school with Geometry or Spanish 2, etc. that I am sure college admissions think nothing of it.

 

I have read (on this board) that some colleges specifically want to see that/when algebra 1 was taken. Even though the student's math sequence clearly showed that they must have taken it at some point. That's the reason I recommended listing it just for information purposes, to satisfy any admission official's need to check a particular box.

[EKS]

DS did the first part of us history this year in 8th grade and he also completed algebra 1. I know those are typically high school courses so should I include them on his high school transcript? If so, where on the transcript would I put them?

 

I had to create a transcript when my son applied to a private high school in the middle of 10th grade. I had sections for 9th grade, 10th grade, and "Before 9th grade," which had an asterisk that said "High school courses taken prior to 9th grade." I will probably eliminate that section for colleges, with the possible exception of the math, as some colleges specify a course in Algebra I and geometry, which he took prior to 9th grade.

[Brenda in MA]

DS did the first part of us history this year in 8th grade and he also completed algebra 1. I know those are typically high school courses so should I include them on his high school transcript? If so, where on the transcript would I put them?

 

Hi,

 

I put some of my son's 8th grade courses on his transcript because they were high school-level. I did his transcript by subject area, and I did not include the date that any individual course was taken. My son applied to (& was accepted by) 8 colleges, and no one questioned the layout or information on his transcript.

 

I've also read some people on here advising not to put 8th grade courses on a transcript. Perhaps they have specific requirements from one of the colleges their child is applying to, so I would suggest that you take a look at a few potential colleges and see if they specify how the transcript should be done.

 

If it's early in your child's high school career, you can structure the transcript one way now and then change the structure later (before college apps) if you need to.

 

Personally, I didn't see any problem with putting some 8th grade courses on my son's high school transcript because I knew they were high school-level. If he's doing the work, why shouldn't he receive the credit? That extra English credit he had from 8th grade gave him the minimum of 4 credits by the end of 11th grade. That way, the English 101 he took at the CC was able to transfer to his 4-year college. This college has a policy that no courses taken at the CC that are used to fulfill high school requirements are allowed to transfer, so that credit from 8th grade was important.

 

YMMV, so again, it's vitally important that you check with the colleges your child will apply to to see if they have specific requirements for the transcript format.

 

HTH,

Brenda

[sbaloue]

I will be putting French I and Medieval History taken in 8th grade on my younger son's transcript. These will definitely be high school level courses taken alongside his 10th grade brother.

 

At our state homeschool convention a few years ago, Inge Cannon, a homeschooler transcript advisor, says it is totally acceptable to give students credit on a transcript for high school level work done in 8th grade. She advised listing credit by subjects. Now this is only a problem if the school requires subjects to be listed by years. She recommended creating two types of transcripts: one by subjects and one by years.

 

I am not going to keep adding classes to my younger child's homeschool years if he has already meet the requirements for high school graduation in our state.

Edited June 5, 2012 by sbaloue
typos

[hsmamainva]

What I do is organize the transcript by subjects instead of years.

 

For instance:

 

Mathematics - 5 Credits

 

2005-2006 - 8th - Algebra I - 1 Credit - A

2006-2007 - 9th - Geometry - 1 Credit - B

2007-2008 - 10th - Algebra II - 1 Credit - A

2008-2009 - 11th - Precalculus - 1 Credit - A

2009-2010 - 12th - Calculus - I Credit - B

 

You then list all of the subjects (English, Math, Science, History, Electives, etc.) and you can include those high school subjects completed in 8th grade.

 

I've never had a problem submitting this type of transcript to colleges. (My oldest dd applied to 5 colleges and was admitted to all 5, using a similar format).

[gingersmom]

 

At our state homeschool convention a few years ago, Inge Cannon, a homeschooler transcript advisor, says it is totally acceptable to give students credit on a transcript for high school level work done in 8th grade. She advised listing credit by subjects. Now this is only a problem if the school requires subjects to be listed by years. She recommended creating two types of transcripts: one by subjects and one by years.

 

 

Doesn't this sound like cheating?

 

If you can list it by subject and get away with it then you should. Maybe you shouldn't?

 

Maybe it is best to be honest. My child took this in 8th grade and if you want to give me credit it for great, if not my child has fulfilled all their credits anyways during the last 4 years of high school.

 

Why not include classes your child took in 6th grade and 7th grade then?

[marbel]

Doesn't this sound like cheating?

 

If you can list it by subject and get away with it then you should. Maybe you shouldn't?

 

Maybe it is best to be honest. My child took this in 8th grade and if you want to give me credit it for great, if not my child has fulfilled all their credits anyways during the last 4 years of high school.

 

Why not include classes your child took in 6th grade and 7th grade then?

 

Why does it sound like cheating? (That is not a snarky question; I am really asking.)

 

If the student does high school level work the year before high school, why wouldn't it count? How is it dishonest?

 

In the fall I will have a 9th grader and an 8th grader. They will be doing English together. My 8th grader will likely do a better job than the 9th grader. She'll also retain what she learned. I can't think of any reason not to count it and give her the credit.

 

On the other hand, she won't be doing algebra 1 yet, nor a proper biology course, so, I wouldn't count those.

 

I don't see a problem. I'd like to know if I'm wrong!

Edited June 5, 2012 by marbel
fixing a typo

[regentrude]

Why does it sound like cheating? (That is not a snarky question; I am really asking.)

If the student does high school level work the year before high school, why wouldn't it count? How is it dishonest?

 

I don't see a problem. I'd like to know if I'm wrong!

 

I assume the issue is that the college wants to see that the student is able to carry a high school level course load over the last four years. I do not think it is a problem if the student has enough credits during the last four years (albeit it then raises the question why bother listing the earlier classes) - but it would be an issue if the student spread out the credits over five or six years because he was not able to handle a high school course load.

Apart from these principal issues: some schools explicitly state they want to see the last four years only. In that case, I would consider it dishonest to list earlier courses without designating them as such.

[gingersmom]

Why does it sound like cheating? (That is not a snarky question; I am really asking.)

 

If the student does high school level work the year before high school, why wouldn't it count? How is it dishonest?

 

In the fall I will have a 9th grader and an 8th grader. They will be doing English together. My 8th grader will likely do a better job than the 9th grader. She'll also retain what she learned. I can't think of any reason not to count it and give her the credit.

 

On the other hand, she won't be doing algebra 1 yet, nor a proper biology course, so, I wouldn't count those.

 

I don't see a problem. I'd like to know if I'm wrong!

 

It seems like cheating to me because I don't know of any public school/private school student who gets credit for any classes they took before 9th grade.

 

It may be different where you live, but thats how it works in my neck of the woods.

 

My son will most likely take an official high school course in 8th grade (via an online accredited school) but I have no plans to put it on his high school transcript. I am doing it because he loves history, will love the class and will learn a ton. I don't feel like I need to pad his high school transcript with extra classes so he can graduate early or anything else.

[Hoggirl]

I would list the Algebra I course, but not the history. Students typically take American history in 8th grade and again in 11th grade.

 

Around here, for public schools, the only courses that are included on the transcript (not for grades, just to show the pre-requisite courses were taken) are math and foreign languages. I realize you aren't asking about public schools, but I just thought I would throw that out there.

 

My ds did the Apologia Biology book in the 6th grade. No way would I have put that on a transcript, even if he had done it in 8th grade. Just my $0.02.

[marbel]

I assume the issue is that the college wants to see that the student is able to carry a high school level course load over the last four years.

 

OK, that makes sense.

 

I have seen transcript examples that specifically designate work done before 9th grade. Not for padding, but to show work accomplished.

[hsmamainva]

I will be listing Algebra I on my 8th grader's transcript so that a college can see his complete math sequence - Algebra I through Calculus.

 

I won't be listing the rest of his 8th grade classes....which is why I like listing them by subject on his transcript.

[sbaloue]

Is the point of homeschooling to follow the public school system? My son is done with high school when he completes the necessary requirements to graduate, whether he does that in the last 4 years of home schooll or the last 3.5 years. How is this dishonest? If he does high school level work, isn't that what he gets credit for? If he does part of that in 8th grade and finishes a little bit early, then that is the last 4 years of school work.

 

I didn't choose to homeschool my children based on what the public schools do or don't give credit for. Our state, and every other state, gives requirements for high school graduation. That is what I follow. If the colleges we apply to do not have an issue with a subject listed transcirpt, then why should anyone else have a problem with it? As long as my child meets the requirements for admission and I am listing work done within the last 4 years, what is the problem?

[snowbeltmom]

Is the point of homeschooling to follow the public school system? My son is done with high school when he completes the necessary requirements to graduate, whether he does that in the last 4 years of home schooll or the last 3.5 years. How is this dishonest?

:iagree:

 

I have read of many successful homeschoolers that have listed courses taken in middle school on the high school transcript. I will be doing the same.

 

I do not consider this practice "cheating." I am simply communicating to the colleges my kids' courses of study. I do indicate on the transcript with an "*" those courses taken prior to age 14. My kids will have way more than enough credits to graduate, so it will be obvious that these middle school classes are not used to "pad" the high school transcript.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Is the point of homeschooling to follow the public school system? My son is done with high school when he completes the necessary requirements to graduate, whether he does that in the last 4 years of home schooll or the last 3.5 years. How is this dishonest? If he does high school level work, isn't that what he gets credit for? If he does part of that in 8th grade and finishes a little bit early, then that is the last 4 years of school work.

 

I didn't choose to homeschool my children based on what the public schools do or don't give credit for. Our state, and every other state, gives requirements for high school graduation. That is what I follow. If the colleges we apply to do not have an issue with a subject listed transcirpt, then why should anyone else have a problem with it? As long as my child meets the requirements for admission and I am listing work done within the last 4 years, what is the problem?

 

I think your last sentence is important. You seem to be thinking of a situation in which there is a checklist of courses to complete and when they are complete, the student is done, even if that is a year/grade earlier than typical. In other words, four years worth of high school level work completed in grades 8-11.

 

What other people are pointing out as possibly problematic is when the four years worth of high school work is completed in six years. This could be taken as indicating that the student wasn't carrying a full load the last four years or that they didn't take advantage of being above grade level by taking more demanding courses.

 

My two oldest are wrapping up algebra 1 and German 1. I am planning to list them for sequencing purposes, even though this is not at all atypical in my area for public schooled students. On the other hand, I am planning that they each take a full four years worth of core courses. So the early completion of a course will be in order to allow them to take higher level courses in their high school years.

 

(Just my perspective, but I don't consider them "done" with math or history or English or languages just because they've hit the four year mark. I've taken about 9 years worth of high school and college German. But I would still consider myself a language learner.)

 

There is a tug of war between meeting minimums and being ready for demanding (and selective) college environments. Much depends on your area. I am an admissions rep for my alma mater. So a couple times a year I do events where I'll speak with a couple hundred students in a few hours. Some of them have incredible resumes. But there are also many who don't seem to understand that for a competitive, select college application cycle, it is not going to suffice to meet minimums.

 

Cauliflower, my rising 8th grader has always been right in the thick of things with his older brother. He will be taking the same 9th grade classes with Rutabaga. But unless I have a way to quantify the course, I intend to have his transcript reflect four years of higher level courses rather than completing the courses all a year early.

[8filltheheart]

I do put high school credits completed before high school on my kids' transcripts. It is not an uncommon practice at all. Alg 1 and a foreign language have been standard practice for the public schools in the states we have lived in.

 

FWIW, I have 1 student that has credit for alg 1, geo, alg 2, alg 3, counting and probability, physics, and French 1 all prior to 9th grade (so, yes, obviously some of the credits were earned even earlier than 8th grade.)

 

While he will not actually use the math/science credits toward his 4 yrs of math/science in high school (he will continue to take math and science throughout his high school yrs), he will use his French 1 toward his 3 yr of a consecutive foreign language to meet the minimum foreign lang requirements of the avg college applicant these days.

 

I am not "padding" his transcript. His transcript will reflect that he is not the typical applicant. It will reflect his actual abilities and his strength in math and science. (and that his multiple sciences every yr throughout high school is NOT padding. :D) (of course APs, SAT subject tests, AoPS grades, etc also "verify" the coursework)

[Jenny in Florida]

It seems like cheating to me because I don't know of any public school/private school student who gets credit for any classes they took before 9th grade.

 

Locally, our public schools have some kids taking one or two high school classes in eighth grade. They get credit for them on their transcripts. Since my son is likely to go to college in state, I'm doing my best to create a transcript for him that is close enough to what the colleges see from public schools to not cause confusion.

 

I'm doing his transcript by subject and including a completion date for each course. He'll be getting credit for two classes taken before "9th grade," both of which were taken online through Florida Virtual School: Earth Space Science and Geometry.

 

He won't be getting credit on his transcript for Algebra I, both because it was taken so early (in what I guess would be 6th grade) and because he didn't have it verified by any outside agency. Instead, I put a footnote on the transcript following the Geometry listing indicating the year he finished Algebra I and his grade.

 

I assume the issue is that the college wants to see that the student is able to carry a high school level course load over the last four years. I do not think it is a problem if the student has enough credits during the last four years (albeit it then raises the question why bother listing the earlier classes) - but it would be an issue if the student spread out the credits over five or six years because he was not able to handle a high school course load.

Apart from these principal issues: some schools explicitly state they want to see the last four years only. In that case, I would consider it dishonest to list earlier courses without designating them as such.

 

So, then you have a kid like mine. He is a year younger then most of his close friends. One friend is actually two years older, but started high school a year "late" so that he could go into 9th grade. This group has been together in Sunday school classes and as friends for years. And my son has always been a little ahead, academically. When they all went into high school, since he was going to be doing all high school classes at home, we called that year "9th grade."

 

However, he wants to finish his high school credits in three years so that he has time to do a one-year certificate program at the community college before applying to a four-year university at the same time as his friends. In order to make that happen, he's taking an extra credit or two each of his three years at home.

 

It's nearly impossible to fit his high school career into a neat, four-year-sized box. So, we'll just list the information on the transcript--in as clear and expected way as possible--and let colleges make of it what they will.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[snowbeltmom]

I do put high school credits completed before high school on my kids' transcripts. It is not an uncommon practice at all. Alg 1 and a foreign language have been standard practice for the public schools in the states we have lived in.

 

This is standardized practice in our state as well. In addition to math and foreign language, some of the public schools around here are also offering high school level science to middle schoolers.

 

The grades for these high school classes taken in middle school are also included in the students' high school gpa's.

[regentrude]

Is the point of homeschooling to follow the public school system? My son is done with high school when he completes the necessary requirements to graduate, whether he does that in the last 4 years of home schooll or the last 3.5 years. How is this dishonest? If he does high school level work, isn't that what he gets credit for? If he does part of that in 8th grade and finishes a little bit early, then that is the last 4 years of school work.

 

I didn't choose to homeschool my children based on what the public schools do or don't give credit for. Our state, and every other state, gives requirements for high school graduation. That is what I follow. If the colleges we apply to do not have an issue with a subject listed transcirpt, then why should anyone else have a problem with it? As long as my child meets the requirements for admission and I am listing work done within the last 4 years, what is the problem?

 

Nobody is going to have a problem with this. Listing the work of the last four years is precisely what the colleges who ask for the last four years of high school want to see.

My DD started taking college classes in the year she would have been an 8th grader- so we decided to count this as her first high school year, and she will be done with all the high school requirements at the end of the year that would have been her 11th grade in ps (basically she skipped a year and will graduate at age 17.).

 

That is not the same as taking 5-6 years to complete the high school credits typically completed in four years.

Edited June 5, 2012 by regentrude

[regentrude]

FWIW, I have 1 student that has credit for alg 1, geo, alg 2, alg 3, counting and probability, physics, and French 1 all prior to 9th grade (so, yes, obviously some of the credits were earned even earlier than 8th grade.)

 

While he will not actually use the math/science credits toward his 4 yrs of math/science in high school (he will continue to take math and science throughout his high school yrs)

 

Which makes perfect sense because he is demonstrating his special strength!

 

The bolded emphasis is mine; I think this is the crucial part.

You list the credits to show his uniqueness, not to get out of doing math credits in high school.

[sbaloue]

 

(Just my perspective, but I don't consider them "done" with math or history or English or languages just because they've hit the four year mark. I've taken about 9 years worth of high school and college German. But I would still consider myself a language learner.)

 

There is a tug of war between meeting minimums and being ready for demanding (and selective) college environments. Much depends on your area. I am an admissions rep for my alma mater. So a couple times a year I do events where I'll speak with a couple hundred students in a few hours. Some of them have incredible resumes. But there are also many who don't seem to understand that for a competitive, select college application cycle, it is not going to suffice to meet minimums.

 

Cauliflower, my rising 8th grader has always been right in the thick of things with his older brother. He will be taking the same 9th grade classes with Rutabaga. But unless I have a way to quantify the course, I intend to have his transcript reflect four years of higher level courses rather than completing the courses all a year early.

 

 

 

 

 

I love your pet names! Too cute. :001_smile:

 

I have no intention of meeting the state minimum requirements. I am not saying, "Welll you have the bare minimum, so you are done." My son is on schedule to complete Calculus and take both AP Chemistry and AP Biology when he is done with high school. He his leaning towards Pharmacy or Engineering. I have Biolmedical Engineering Degree FWIW. I am saying give credit where credit has been earned. I said nothing about give credit for 6th and 7th grade class that aren't highschool level.

[Second Time Around]

I attended Inge Cannon's Transcript Boot Camp many years ago. You can see her website here: http://www.homeschooltranscripts.com/

 

As far as I can remember, she didn't see it as a problem to list work completed prior to 9th grade. At the time, in fact, she talked about getting foreign language out of the way in the elementary years since it is much easier for the young child to master, rather than waiting until the high school years. She has transcript software that she purposely developed so that you could list courses either by year or by subject for this very reason.

 

I don't think I would personally list things on a high school transcript other than foreign language, science and math - partly because the other subjects often involve a certain level of maturity. For example, my eldest took an English course from a teacher who was also teaching him high school biology at the time ( he was really young - possibly 12 at the time?). I counted the biology, but not the English. I think that the only things from pre-9th grade that we included on eldest child's transcript was Biology and Algebra 1. For DS2 it will be just Algebra I (since 9th grade was Algebra II).

Edited June 5, 2012 by Second Time Around

[KAR120C]

I have read (on this board) that some colleges specifically want to see that/when algebra 1 was taken. Even though the student's math sequence clearly showed that they must have taken it at some point. That's the reason I recommended listing it just for information purposes, to satisfy any admission official's need to check a particular box.

That might have been me.... When we were in NC we had a meeting with a UNC admissions officer (the one who handled homeschoolers in our county) and he specifically said that he wanted to see Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and a fourth math on the transcript no matter when they were taken. Under direct questioning he confirmed that even if they were taking in elementary school he wanted to see them there. He did not recommend quitting math after four years if you started early, but he wants to check off those specific classes without having to hunt through a whole packet for hints, or making assumptions based on later coursework.

 

DS is planning to graduate from a private high school, but if I were writing his transcript (or submitting a homeschool transcript for what we did before switching to private) there would be a section for coursework completed before 9th grade. Partly because it includes work that would not be assumed based on later courses (like discrete math and statistics), and partly because he started some things ridiculously early, and I don't want anyone guessing that he glossed over the basics to get to the interesting part. None of it will be used in calculating a GPA or minimum number of credit hours needed for graduation, or anything like that.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I love your pet names! Too cute. :001_smile:

 

I have no intention of meeting the state minimum requirements. I am not saying, "Welll you have the bare minimum, so you are done." My son is on schedule to complete Calculus and take both AP Chemistry and AP Biology when he is done with high school. He his leaning towards Pharmacy or Engineering. I have Biolmedical Engineering Degree FWIW. I am saying give credit where credit has been earned. I said nothing about give credit for 6th and 7th grade class that aren't highschool level.

 

I don't think we are in disagreement.

 

This is a not uncommon thread. Sometimes the question is about how to represent high school work completed before 9th grade. It's just a formatting question.

 

But sometimes the threads move toward other realms, which seem to suggest that posters are counting courses done in early grades as high school work, perhaps without the work being at a level of difficulty that would be expected in high school.

 

(As an example, my kids have studied German and Latin for several years on a low key basis. They worked through several levels of Rosetta Stone for German while living in Germany. But I will not count that as having completed high school level German because they weren't reading long texts, hadn't mastered grammar on anything other than a customary usage level and had not retained fluency after leaving Germany. If you will, they had time served, but not mastery.)

 

Because this is one of those oft discussed topics, I think people try to put into a reply a distillation of their responses from other threads. Just to head off question at the pass. It doesn't mean that they are implying that they think this is what any one specific poster is proposing.

[beachnut]

Doesn't this sound like cheating?

 

If you can list it by subject and get away with it then you should. Maybe you shouldn't?

 

Maybe it is best to be honest. My child took this in 8th grade and if you want to give me credit it for great, if not my child has fulfilled all their credits anyways during the last 4 years of high school.

 

Why not include classes your child took in 6th grade and 7th grade then?

 

This is not being dishonest if the class is a high school level class and requires the student (regardless of age/grade) to do high school level work. DS took Algebra 1 Honors in 7th grade, and Geometry Honors and Latin I in 8th grade. They are high school courses, using a high school curriculum, and therefore, DS earned high school credit.

 

The same is true for high schoolers getting college credit for AP classes, dual enrollment, etc. If the students are using college texts, mastering college-level material and submitting college level work (regardless of age/grade), then they earn college credit.

 

I see nothing dishonest about any of this. It's only dishonest if the parent/student is trying to claim higher-level credit for work that was really lower-level. It's all about integrity.

[ereks mom]

Hi,

 

I put some of my son's 8th grade courses on his transcript because they were high school-level. I did his transcript by subject area, and I did not include the date that any individual course was taken. My son applied to (& was accepted by) 8 colleges, and no one questioned the layout or information on his transcript.

 

...

 

Personally, I didn't see any problem with putting some 8th grade courses on my son's high school transcript because I knew they were high school-level. If he's doing the work, why shouldn't he receive the credit?

 

...

 

YMMV, so again, it's vitally important that you check with the colleges your child will apply to to see if they have specific requirements for the transcript format.

 

:iagree: Similar situation here.

[Janice in NJ]

I'm in the camp that says, "No. Don't put pre-9th grade courses on the transcript. It's not necessary. If your child has French II, III, IV, and V, it is obvious that they took French I before the 9th grade. Same with the math sequence. But sometimes, the situation demands that you re-think this. My dd has decided to pursue nursing. ALL of the schools she is applying to require that the student takes 3-4 science courses with labs, but they also dictate that the sequence must specifically include "Biology/lab and Chemistry/lab" with grades of "B" or higher. Required. Period.

 

Dd took Biology/lab prior to 9th grade. She went through the BJU DVD course and I added in Teaching Company lectures to include evolution material. She completed twenty-labs including a ton of dissections. She earned an A in the course. Her high school transcript includes four more years of science with labs: Chemistry/lab, Physics/lab, Anatomy & Physiology/lab I (CC course), Anatomy & Physiology/lab II (CC course). (She may take another science course at the CC in the spring. She hasn't decided.) BUT she needs that high school Bio course in order to be a nursing candidate. The requirement is the requirement.

 

One of the schools she is applying to in the fall has 2,700 candidates for 40 slots. I'm guessing an intern sorts the applications. The kids on the right meet the requirements and make it past the initial "sort"; the kids on the left slide into the round file. So in her case, I changed my thinking. I added the following box to the transcript (elsewhere on the transcript there is a key explaining that * Indicates an On-Line Course with an Outside Instructor):

 

 

Note: In addition to studying world history from ancient times through 1800, (Dd's name) completed the following high school courses before the 9th grade.

 

- Algebra I (Grade: A) - Biology /Lab (Grade: A)

- Latin I * (Grade: A) - Latin II * (Grade: B)

- French I (Grade: A)

 

I figured while I was at it, I would include the extra info about the math and foreign language courses. She doesn't need the credits. She has four additional math credits. And she has a ton of foreign language: she's a classically-trained singer, so she wanted to do a lot of foreign language study: French II - IV, Italian I-II, German I. But she did earn a silver medal on the National Latin Exam and there was no other place to jot that down. So I added in the extra courses as a footnote. No credit on the transcript. Just the course info. Regarding the history statement: Dd worked through TOG 3 in 9th grade and TOG 4 in tenth. This year as an 11th grader she covered Honors US History I and II at the CC along with government at home (both state requirements). As a senior she will complete economics and a couple more social science courses at the CC. I was adding the note anyway, so I thought I would make it clear that we didn't completely neglect history prior to 1800.

 

So you may find that a footnote solves the problem without making it look like you're padding the student's credits. FWIW.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

P.S. Just to make it clear, the courses listed above were not listed for credit.

However, the plan is for her transcript to include credit for the following; the courses listed above are not included in these totals. (Note: she hasn't nailed down her spring semester at the college; so she doesn't have final numbers yet.)

8.5 - 9.5 English Credits (Still not sure about her senior year, spring semester. This includes an AP English course and 3 (maybe four) college courses.)

8 Social Science Courses (Four of these are at the college.)

4 Math Courses (The last is at the college.)

4-5 Science Courses (Two at home; two-three at the college)

9-10 Languages & Electives (Most of these were done either through on-line courses or at the college.)

Edited June 6, 2012 by Janice in NJ

[Sebastian (a lady)]

This is a nice way to do it. I think it highlights some of her talents without making it look like she is searching to meet credit requirements.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

FWIW-both of my oldest will have completed high school classes prior to high school. (My youngest is only starting K next year so...too early to tell.)

 

I plan on listing courses taken before high school on their transcripts-provided that they are actually high school courses. They will be clearly labeled as prior to high school and will not be used in lieu of any high school courses or to provide an easy senior year.

 

Right now both kids want to attend competitive universities-I will be using these classes on the transcript to show a constant pattern of choosing academically challenging classes and to show that they have followed a progression of classes in a given topic.

 

For example, they are considering a school that wants to see four years of a foreign language. I want them to see languages taken at the high school level prior to 9th grade. Especially if they decide to complete that one language in 4 years and then move on to a second language.

 

If the work is actually at the high school level I don't consider it cheating to put it on the transcript. I may not be using it to satisfy any requirements for high school or for early graduation. I am using it to give them a picture of my student in a quick form that they are able to understand and used to evaluating. My child is already different than the kids that come from the school system and they may assume that what I call a course may not be what they are used to seeing, I want to be sure that the transcript gives them the best snap shot of what kind of student my child has been. In our case that includes advanced course work.

[snowbeltmom]

If the work is actually at the high school level I don't consider it cheating to put it on the transcript. I may not be using it to satisfy any requirements for high school or for early graduation. I am using it to give them a picture of my student in a quick form that they are able to understand and used to evaluating. My child is already different than the kids that come from the school system and they may assume that what I call a course may not be what they are used to seeing, I want to be sure that the transcript gives them the best snap shot of what kind of student my child has been. In our case that includes advanced course work.

:iagree:

There is a current discussion tread regarding this issue on the yahoo group "hs2coll". A poster today said that college admissions expects to see typical classes -i.e., Alg II, geometry, biology, etc. listed on the high school transcript. It may raise a red-flag with admissions if those courses are not listed. Public schools give credit for high school level classes taken in middle school and list them on the high school transcript. Imo, we put our kids at a disadvantage if we do not list all high school level classes on the transcript.

[Janice in NJ]

Maybe. But not necessarily.

 

Older ds did not receive credit or a footnote for Algebra I or Spanish I on his transcript. No mention. He completed Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, and AP Calculus, all listed on his transcript. And he completed Spanish II, which gave him one foreign language credit on his transcript and made it obvious that he had completed the level I course the year before.

 

No problems getting into secular engineering schools with merit awards.

 

My advice? Keep good records. Encourage your kids to attempt the most challenging courses they can handle. And review your choices twice a year to make sure that you will have something to brag about by the close of 11th grade. ;) Give your kid the opportunity to be different in some way. Help them to see their own strengths and encourage them to push those boundaries. Yes, fill the required holes. But shoot for a confident, psyched kid in one-two areas of passion.

 

Like I said, the footnote NEVER appeared on my dd's transcript until it dawned on me that she might get shuffled aside if I didn't do it. The credits she earned in 9th-12th grade demonstrate that she is a competent, engaged student with an obvious bent and good time-management skills. If you don't need to include information about work prior to 9th grade, I wouldn't. As I said the kids who take Algebra I and Foreign Language I courses prior to 9th grade are a dime a dozen. Use the transcript to scream "I'm distinctive" as much as you can. Don't waste space on "I've handled the basics" - especially when it's obvious. (Unless you need to. :001_smile:) [Note: if the kids had completely Geometry with Proofs prior to 9th grade, I would have included a footnote. That course is crucial IMO to developing a mathematical thinker. It needs to appear on the permanent record. However, Algebra I isn't necessary if Algebra II is listed - at least not in our state.]

 

Maybe it's best to just think about this differently. Sometimes in our attempts to be comprehensive, we play it too safe. Check out this title. Your library probably has it:

http://www.amazon.com/How-High-School-Superstar-Revolutionary/dp/0767932587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338988615&sr=8-1

 

Homeschooling has a ton of disadvantages. The biggest advantage we have is our ability to tailor the education to match the child. Don't waste your biggest trump card. Yes, use the transcript to show that the child met the minimums - unless it's obvious. But save space on the page (and in their lives) to reveal/grow a kid who is different from the rest of the pile. The most important thing to colleges: How did you take advantages of the opportunities that were available to you? Did you use those advantages to coast or to push forward? Keep your eye on that prize.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[8filltheheart]

If you follow a format similar to this one *http://mtpleasant.homeschooljournal.net/files/2011/07/Transcript.pdf and simply include a single column for <9th grade, it doesn't take up enough room for it to be detrimental to a single page transcript. I also include a narrow identification column for using abbreviations for courses taken outside our home.

 

This is similar to the format that I use except I make my columns narrower and the information on the bottom of the pg, I move to the right-hand side. I have boxes w/all relevant test scores (SAT, ACT, PSAT, APs, subject tests), key for abbreviations for outside coursework (like AoPS, PAH, etc)

 

I also include an additional section in the "transcript" portion for all outside activities and awards. (for example, Eagle, XXXX Honorable Mention, xXXX Summer Camp, etc)

 

I don't think there is any right way. The main objective is to provide a single page resume which illustrates your child's accomplishments and why they should pay attention. :)

[Janice in NJ]

This totally makes sense; if you use a format that lists course by subject, then you're all set. All you have to do is squeeze the columns in.

 

We have ordered ours by the year: 9th, 10th, etc. So I didn't want to squeeze to get the 8th grade year in - especially when we were only counting some of the 8th grade courses at the high school level.

 

My suggestion: Just make a transcript when you are done with 8th grade. Use the format "8Fills" listed. Add in the courses that are in your plan. Write it all down. Look at it. Think about it. Be psyched that you have a plan. And then try to hold it loosely. It will change. But your transcript will be started. (It's a GREAT feeling!) When you get to the college app line you'll be prepared to adjust. Brenda's story speaks to that. And so does my dd's. You can change your mind - easy to do when you have more data than you need. :001_smile:

 

(Younger ds took High School Computer Programming (Java) with The Potter's School in 8th grade. List it or not? We'll wait and see.)

 

Yesterday my to-do list included transcript/course description/end of the year filing for my 9th grader. It's done! YEA!

Today? My dd's file needs to be finished up (Transcript, Course Descriptions, etc). As soon as she finishes up her summer session course, I'll add the grade and hit "Save". In July/August we will start and hopefully finish up her Common App. (She has already asked a couple of teachers for recommendations.) She already knows where she wants to apply. Here's hoping there will be no curve balls. ;)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[snowbeltmom]

She already knows where she wants to apply. Here's hoping there will be no curve balls. ;)

 

 

Good luck as your dd wraps up her homeschooling journey!

[Mouseketeer67]

It seems like cheating to me because I don't know of any public school/private school student who gets credit for any classes they took before 9th grade.

 

There are lots of public and private schools that award high school credit for classes take in 7th & 8th grade.

 

http://www.dentonisd.org/5452022412129283/lib/5452022412129283/6th_to_7th_GR_Parent_course_request_presentation.pdf

 

http://www.hilliardschools.org/departments/curriculum/schedulingResources/7thGradeSchedulingPresentation.pdf