How would you count these credits?

[JeanM]

We are calling this year my ds's 9th grade year. He started two potentially

"high school" courses last year - Geometry (using Jacobs) and chemistry (using Spectrum chemistry). He has a few chapters left to go in Geometry, so I'm guessing he'll finish that in October. We didn't keep good records last year, so we don't have test grades or anything for him. This year we are planning to keep track. Obviously he isn't applying to colleges yet, but I'm trying to keep good records as we go. He's thinking about vet school, or possibly some STEM research, so I want to make sure that his math/science records are clear.

 

Would you put the geometry on his transcript as a credit? Or would you put it in a special section for "before high school" since it was mostly completed before high school? Would you assign his grade for the course based on this year's material?

 

The chemistry he's not even halfway through, mostly because we were trying to do it together with another family, and we ran into scheduling difficulties. The tentative plan is to finish Spectrum Chemistry this year, and to do AP chemistry next year. So he will have another chemistry credit on his transcript anyway.

 

He is going to do another math course (algebra 2) and science course (Earth Science) this year. Those will definitely count as 9th grade, and we'll keep proper records. So I don't think he desperately needs the credits for geometry and chemistry, but I'm trying to do the right thing here.

[KAR120C]

For Geometry, I'd make up a final exam that covers basically everything. Keep that, and use it to support his grade (that is, if it's not the whole grade, make sure that the whole grade is reasonably in line with it). You don't have to decide today whether it's going on the transcript or not, but having that exam as a record will allow you to make the decision when you're writing the transcript later. My inclination would be to put it on as "before high school" because he'll have a ninth grade credit too.

 

For Chemistry I'd finish up this year, keep records, and again decide later whether you want it on as ninth or eighth.

[angela in ohio]

I agree. Keep what you have, write out any information you have, and then set it aside to decide later. We have some similar credits (high school science and math done in junior high,) and I'm just saving everything until I see the final picture.

[regentrude]

Would you put the geometry on his transcript as a credit? Or would you put it in a special section for "before high school" since it was mostly completed before high school? Would you assign his grade for the course based on this year's material?

 

 

I would definitely put geometry on his transcript, because many colleges want to see this as part of the math sequence. You can make a note that it was taken before high school, but I would just list it for the school year in which it is completed: 9th grade.

For a math course I would also definitely want to assign a grade (not just a pass/fail). I suggest you give a comprehensive final exam and base the grade on this (I do this with all math courses; way less record keeping, and a good measure of long term retention and mastery.)

 

The chemistry he's not even halfway through, mostly because we were trying to do it together with another family, and we ran into scheduling difficulties. The tentative plan is to finish Spectrum Chemistry this year, and to do AP chemistry next year. So he will have another chemistry credit on his transcript anyway.

 

I would list Chemistry for this year, if he does a substantial amount of work. It is not uncommon to take a science twice; once as a normal or intro course, a second time as advanced or AP. You still have the option to not put it on his transcript in the end, but I would want to be prepared.

 

He is going to do another math course (algebra 2) and science course (Earth Science) this year. Those will definitely count as 9th grade, and we'll keep proper records. So I don't think he desperately needs the credits for geometry and chemistry, but I'm trying to do the right thing here.

Geometry is a must, in my opinion. You should also list algebra 1 as "taken before 9th grade"; some schools have a need to check this box, even if it is obvious that a student with algebra 2 in 9th must have taken algebra 1 at some point - they want to see it spelled out.

[JeanM]

Wow, thank you all so much for the wonderful advice! This board is just a wealth of information.

 

I really like the idea of a comprehensive geometry final. We can not only get a justifiable grade from that, but it also will be good for ds to review the material he learned last year.

 

We'll keep the chemistry records and decide later, that's an excellent idea too.

[bobbeym]

:iagree: with pp about using a comprenensive geometry test for a final grade and adding it to his transcript with a notation.

 

We had some very rough starts with DS and Algebra 1 when we pulled him out of school mid-year. By April he'd asked if he could just start over just as I found a curriculum that actually worked well for him. It's listed on his transcript as a 9th grade credit with a notation that the course was taken Apr-Sep 2012. (He's 3-4 chapters from completing it.) We'll go straight into Alg 2, so he'll have 2 math credits this year.