Homeschoolmom3 Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I know the credits my son needs to take in HS for "competing" with the state requirements but was wondering if they all need to be completed in each year or can they be taken different years as long as he completes the number. (I hope I am making sense) in essence when he needs 4 yrs. of Science or Literature/Writing etc. is he required to take them each year in HS or can he count some he took in MS that were actual HS courses count as part of his 4 yrs. when determining the number? Trying to finish his HS plan and my son wants to take college courses early and you only need so many Lit/Grammar classes in college along with the other subjects. :) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Looks like you have a couple different questions: 1. Does 4 required credits in a subject mean that a student must have 1 credit per year of high school? No. A student could double-up on science one year and take none the next. This is fine. Some subjects are a bit more sequential so you wouldn't want to take algebra I and algebra II simultaneously. It's still possible to complete them in a single year if the student does them at double-speed (algebra I first semester and algebra II second semester). 2. Can I count middle-school courses for high school credit and will this satisfy the number of credits needed? Depends. There is usually some restrictions on what can be counted for high school credit when taken before 9th grade. English, foreign language, and American history are ones I've often seen as not allowed as counting for high school credit if taken earlier. When taking college courses as dual enrollment, keep in mind that it is common to count a one semester course as a full high school credit. They add up quickly this way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschoolmom3 Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 Thanks, that was so helpful! If I remember right, (we are in VA) the homeschool association said that if it was truly a HS class it doesn't matter what course it is if taken in MS. I wasn't sure about English and History either. I know that foreign language here counts because I took a foreign language in 8th grade and it counted on my HS diploma and I was public school. I just wasn't sure about if each course had to be taken each year or if we could vary them a bit giving them more options. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Agreeing with Pegasus above. One other way of accruing credits not all in one year is completing a credit (usually a Fine Arts or Elective credit) over several summers, or spread out over 2, 3, or even 4 years -- so, 1/2, or 1/3, or 1/4 of the coursework in each year of high school with the rest of the courses. On 1/1/2016 at 7:55 AM, Homeschoolmom3 said: If I remember right, (we are in VA) the homeschool association said that if it was truly a HS class it doesn't matter what course it is if taken in MS. I wasn't sure about English and History either. I know that foreign language here counts because I took a foreign language in 8th grade and it counted on my HS diploma and I was public school. I just wasn't sure about if each course had to be taken each year or if we could vary them a bit giving them more options. Thanks again! I recommend caution on what you bring up from middle school. Credits that usually are fine to bring up from middle school include: - Math (Algebra 1 and up) - Science (Biology and up) - Foreign Language (if the student continues with the next levels in high school) These are solid high school credits that the student builds on with higher levels of work. Things that are usually NOT brought up from middle school: - English - Social Sciences (History, Geography, etc.) - Fine Arts - Electives - lower level Science courses (General Science, Physical Science, Environmental Science, etc.) These tend to be more "mushy" and undefined, and not as easy for colleges to see that the student really was working at a high school level. One other option is if all or almost all of a student's 8th grade courses were of high school quality, just call that 9th grade and you can likely graduate your student early. Some possible concerns for graduating your student early: - loss of any dual enrollment benefits (some states offer free or low-cost tuition for dual enrollment) - student no longer eligible to participate in high school extracurriculars - parent/homeschool administrator no longer has access to the student's dual-enrollment college records - student may miss out on opportunities for additional credits of rigor, AP credits, scoring high on SAT/ACT tests, and extracurriculars that all contribute towards making a student really stand out for being awarded scholarships (instead, the student may just meet the minimum cut-off for college credits needed for admission and does not stand out) - student may not be mature enough (emotionally, academically) for: * working at an all-college level * connecting with the older college students and their interests * handling adult material/in some classes (often in Psych, Anthropology, Sociology, English/Writing (teacher's choice of lit.) ) BEST of luck wearing the high school administrator hat and in sorting through all of your options! Warmly, Lori D. Edited September 24, 2018 by Lori D. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Ahhhhh *happy sigh* That feeling when you see an important thread subject and then see that Lori D. has commented on it, so you know the OP got great advice (from at least one person, but as it turns out here, from several people)! Edited January 2, 2016 by Angie in VA 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I plan to count physical science that was started in 8th and completed in 9th using the textbook that Kolbe says is either 8th or 9th grade level. Also my dd took the National Latin 1 exam last year in 8th. I know that many Freshmen in high school take that exam, so I plan to count that as high school credit as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Do be aware that some college applications require that you show all of the classes that have been taken since the start of ninth grade. So courses taken in middle school for which you may have assigned credit will not show up in such a listing. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschoolmom3 Posted January 1, 2016 Author Share Posted January 1, 2016 Thanks everyone so much for your comments! Lori D....I think you are right on the courses you pulled out and plan to stick to that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 If your state regs don't specify, I'd think you could be flexible. PA does require English and PE be taught every year in 9th-12th. Even though only 1 credit is needed in PE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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