Why do you assign credits?

[BibleBeltCatholicMom]

Is this something you do b/c you have to report to a school system or something or is it something you do b/c, as everyone obviously knows, you have to keep track of that for transcripts.

 

If it's the second one . . . I didn't know.

 

Is this something I should be doing? Why do you do it?

[regentrude]

For the transcript. Colleges want to see number of credits, number of credits in core subject areas, and when listing a course, the designation of half or whole credit gives an idea of the scope of the course.

Some people also need it to document that graduation requirements have been fulfilled if your state has graduation requirements for homeschoolers (mine does not).

Edited August 21, 2012 by regentrude

[8filltheheart]

On their transcripts, I define a credit hr as a minimum 0f 150 hrs (though in reality many of their courses have actually been double that......still only 1 credit though)

[BibleBeltCatholicMom]

Hmmmm . . . did not know that. Thanks!

On their transcripts, I define a credit hr as a minimum 0f 150 hrs (though in reality many of their courses have actually been double that......still only 1 credit though)

 

Please don't think me too daft, but how do you count an hour? I assume this mimics PS, where 1 full credit would be roughly 1 hour a day of "direct instruction" in school for 150 days in a school year, and that same class would require between zero and three hundred hours of homework. For example, for a literature class, does reading time count?

[Momma_Bear]

For the transcript. Colleges want to see number of credits, number of credits in core subject areas, and when listing a course, the designation of half or whole credit gives an idea of the scope of the course.

Some people also need it to document that graduation requirements have been fulfilled if your state has graduation requirements for homeschoolers (mine does not).

:iagree:

[Ellie]

Please don't think me too daft, but how do you count an hour? I assume this mimics PS, where 1 full credit would be roughly 1 hour a day of "direct instruction" in school for 150 days in a school year, and that same class would require between zero and three hundred hours of homework. For example, for a literature class, does reading time count?

If my dc finishes a textbook-based course having done all the assignments, and it took less than 150 hour or whatever, I still give her a full credit.

[8filltheheart]

Please don't think me too daft, but how do you count an hour? I assume this mimics PS, where 1 full credit would be roughly 1 hour a day of "direct instruction" in school for 150 days in a school year, and that same class would require between zero and three hundred hours of homework. For example, for a literature class, does reading time count?

 

Exactly. I count instruction time/lectures (via TC or online sources)/reading time/output working time. Some classes, like PE, are basically just hrs put in. Others, like AoPS courses, take 2-3 hrs daily.

 

Different states have different criteria on hrs. I really don't pay attention to our state regs that much b/c I know that what we are doing at home surpasses their minimum standards. But, you might want to look at what the norm is in your state just for comparison.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Please don't think me too daft, but how do you count an hour? I assume this mimics PS, where 1 full credit would be roughly 1 hour a day of "direct instruction" in school for 150 days in a school year, and that same class would require between zero and three hundred hours of homework. For example, for a literature class, does reading time count?

 

Because the way we structure learning is so very different, I do count much of our reading time. (Having said that, we're probably well over 150 on the reading based subjects.)

 

My kids seldom have the experience of me standing in front of them lecturing about a topic, so that they can go home and do homework. They are responsible for reading and understanding their own math lessons. History is a list of readings and lectures. We will get together and talk about what was important (often during a field trip or museum visit).

 

In lit, there is very little reading in "class time". Maybe for poetry, where there is a lot of active digging for meaning. Or for a short story, when I'm teaching annotation. Plays are read aloud as a group. But I will also hand them a book and say they need to be done at the end of the week and here is the assignment on it.

 

That said, I don't consider them done just because they've hit the 150 hour mark. Many of our topics go well beyond that. If I added it up, I think just the Civil War unit we did over the summer probably was over 150.

[momofkhm]

For the transcript. Colleges want to see number of credits, number of credits in core subject areas, and when listing a course, the designation of half or whole credit gives an idea of the scope of the course.

Some people also need it to document that graduation requirements have been fulfilled if your state has graduation requirements for homeschoolers (mine does not).

 

:iagree:

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Is this something you do b/c you have to report to a school system or something or is it something you do b/c, as everyone obviously knows, you have to keep track of that for transcripts.

 

If it's the second one . . . I didn't know.

 

Is this something I should be doing? Why do you do it?

 

I agree with many of the reasons given.

 

Two other reasons why I'm starting to think in terms of credits:

I have a tendency to not know when enough is enough, especially in terms of history and literature. Just as an example, dh put together an 11 week summer unit on the Civil War (plus 4 smaller weeks). We will treat WWI, WW2, the Depression etc in similar detail. I could easily assign a major book every week to month.

Defining what will be a credit helps me know when to stop or move on.

 

Secondly, I'm looking into the future with a kid who might be able to swim in college. That would require NCAA verification of his high school transcript for eligibility. They count credits.