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Help! Panicking about transcripts!


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I need someone to talk me down off this ledge! My son is a senior this year, and I am trying to make his transcripts. Well, lets just say I have not kept very good records.   :sad: The last few years have been difficult (moving a lot etc.) and I really failed in this area.  My son is a very good student, so I know he did the work.  I just don't have a lot of "proof".  I have some of his work in boxes etc. but nothing organized or anything.  I don't even remember everything he did!  The good thing is, he doesn't need to get into a prestigious college or anything.  He will just be attending a community college for at least 2 years. I don't even know where to start.  Crawling in a hole sounds good right now.  :(  

 

Any advice?  I'll definitely be keeping better records for my upcoming freshmen!  Lesson learned.

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I need someone to talk me down off this ledge! My son is a senior this year, and I am trying to make his transcripts. Well, lets just say I have not kept very good records.   :sad: The last few years have been difficult (moving a lot etc.) and I really failed in this area.  My son is a very good student, so I know he did the work.  I just don't have a lot of "proof".  I have some of his work in boxes etc. but nothing organized or anything.  I don't even remember everything he did!  The good thing is, he doesn't need to get into a prestigious college or anything.  He will just be attending a community college for at least 2 years. I don't even know where to start.  Crawling in a hole sounds good right now.  :(  

 

Any advice?  I'll definitely be keeping better records for my upcoming freshmen!  Lesson learned.

 

You don't have to "prove" the transcript. :-)

 

Some colleges ask for portfolios, which would be a kind of proof; also, SAT/ACT scores can "prove" the transcript.

 

Community college is smart. Your ds can get his lower division classes out of the way for a fraction of the cost of dong them at a 4-year college (depending on whether or not those courses will transfer). Also, many c.c. offer certificates in a variety of careers that don't require a 4-yr degree.

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I agree with Ellie. Transcripts dn't have to be proved. Actually, the simpler, the better, I think. Have you looked at Donna Young's free template? And google sample ones.

 

Here's a bit I am finding helpful in planning to do this:

  • Identification info: Student’s name, address, school name (if applicable), phone number, gender, birth date, person to contact and phone number (usually Mom or Dad’s info).
  • List of courses, by year, and the corresponding grade (either by semester or by year). Include a short course description when the course is not a required course such as Biology.
  • Credit awarded for each high school level course completed: You should award either 1 or ½ credit for each course; give 1 credit for a 1 year course and give ½ (.5) of a credit for a 1 semester course.
  • GPA (see how to calculate GPA)
  • PSAT/SAT scores and/or ACT score and any other state proficiency exams
  • Graduation date
  • Parent’s signature and date
  • Optional: Include extracurricular activities, scholastic clubs, and awards.

So you don't need books read, or anything like that. Just short course descriptions and credit given.

 

Hope this helps!

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Thank you so much.  That makes me feel better.  I know his SAT scores will be fine, so like you said, that would be "proof". You wouldn't include any of the resources used?

 

No, I wouldn't. I don't remember my high school, or college, transcripts mentioning anything used... just the class title (i.e "English", or "Algebra 1", etc.), the grade I received, and the credit. In college, they do get more intense, but the high school ones can be really simple.

 

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Thank you so much.  That makes me feel better.  I know his SAT scores will be fine, so like you said, that would be "proof". You wouldn't include any of the resources used?

 

Not on a *transcript.* The transcript only has courses and credits, not resources used. Those would go in a portfolio.

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you should come over to the high school board and peruse some of the threads on transcripts. Some people even shared their templates.

 

Yep. I'd be glad to share mine with you. There are many formats.

 

For each class on a transcript, you will want the name of the class, the year it was taken, the number of credits earned, and the grade.

 

Most Community Colleges don't even ask for a transcript though, or SATs either. Before you panic, I'd call the CC your ds is planning to enroll in. Ask what he needs. Here, all he would have to do is submit an ACT score or take their placement test, no SAT, no transcript.

 

Relax. His goal is very attainable. If he has done high school, he can get into CC even if you haven't done a good job of record keeping. You're ok.

 

Deep breath.

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Thank you all, so very much.  I love the community here and how helpful everyone is!  I have spent all day working on it, and I feel much better now.  I did make a list of his resources, just so I would have it if I needed it some day.  I called the CC and they do need a transcript, but not a portfolio or anything.  It just feels good to have that done.  It has been bothering me for so long!  I used "Teascript" and am pleased with the results.  

 

Thanks again!   :001_smile:

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You might get more responses to this post over on the high school board; just suggesting...

 

Lee Binz has an excellent book on writing transcripts that is very concise helpful and gives you pointers for sorting out exactly the issues you have.  See here: http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Records-Straight-Descriptions-Scholarships/dp/1449583555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=lee+binz+transcripts

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Thank you, Karen! I will check it out.  

I see you are using LOE with a 7th grader.  How is that working?  I am using it with my 3rd grader and Foundations with my Kindergartener.  I really love it and want to take the rest of my kids through it.  However they are all older.  How much do you do in a day?  You can pm me if you want to.  

 

Thanks again,

 

Renee

 

 

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We haven't started using it yet, so I can't yet give you an answer as to how it is working; school doesn't start until 9/2 for us.  I plan to do 1 lesson/week, rather than a lesson every 2 days, so we are going to work at it at a leisurely pace.  I did explain to DD that we need to use it to remediate her spelling, so that spelling doesn't hold her back from scholarships and the like.  She seemed amenable to that, so I don't anticipate any issues from her about that.

Thank you, Karen! I will check it out.  

I see you are using LOE with a 7th grader.  How is that working?  I am using it with my 3rd grader and Foundations with my Kindergartener.  I really love it and want to take the rest of my kids through it.  However they are all older.  How much do you do in a day?  You can pm me if you want to.  

 

Thanks again,

 

Renee

 

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