skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 This is a more detailed S/O question about language classes taken before high school and transcripts. I have read all of the stickies on this and am hoping to get some feedback about our specific situation. From past posts I see that many colleges do not want to see high school level coursework completed before high school on the transcript or if it is there to not be included in the credit count or GPA. For many students, that is fine because they are taking the next progression in the subject area so it is obvious that they took the earlier coursework. For example, if a student took Algebra I in 8th grade, there is no real need to list it on the high school transcript since Geometry, Algebra II, etc... will be listed. I have a specific situation involving foreign language that I am not sure how best to address. How I handle it on a transcript will be a big factor in how we plan high school coursework in general so it is something I need to decide and understand now. My state does not require foreign language for graduation, although some specific schools do including our local public school. I expect that any college dd applies to will require two years of foreign language. So one way to another, we need that to be on dd's transcript. Dd will have taken Lukeion Latin I and II as a 6th and 7th grader. We originally planned for her to take III and AP in 8th and 9th. The idea being that even if I did not list I, II, and III, the presence of AP Latin on her 9th grade transcript would be enough to "fulfill" the two-year language requirement for college admissions. Dd also planned to take another language in high school anyway so even more reason not to worry about pre-high school classes. But. Now we are not sure dd will continue on in Latin. We are exploring several different options at this point. Even if she does, there is a significant chance she will not take AP Latin which means ALL of her Latin credits would be pre-high school. If she does indeed take another language in high school, this still is not an issue since that language would presumably fulfill her language requirement. Another but. One of the main reasons we homeschool to begin with is that dd has two very time-consuming interests that are not directly school-related. Homeschooling has given her the flexibility needed to pursue these interests. Both are ramping up in involvement much more than we originally anticipated. This may not continue but I feel the need to plan accordingly. If dd does indeed get more involved in one or both of the interests, we will need to pare down our plans for high school. Worst case scenario is that dd discontinues Latin having completed Latin I and II (with high As) and does not take any more foreign language. This is where my question comes in: Is there any way we can legitimately call dd's Latin I and II her "two year foreign language" requirement for college admissions purposes? I know the answer is not black and white. This will vary from college to college. Has anyone done this or know of anyone who has? Anyone try to do this unsuccessfully? I am really looking for any input anyone can give. Quote
OneStepAtATime Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Not all schools accept Latin as a foreign language, regardless of whether it was before High School or during High School. Does she (or you) have any idea what schools she might want to attend? ETA: You might try looking for colleges that don't require a foreign language credit. See if there are any that would support her interests. Are her time consuming interests things she is intending to turn into a career of some kind? Edited February 15, 2016 by OneStepAtATime 1 Quote
regentrude Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) You will probably receive conflicting answers from different board members. I personally would be hesitant to do that. The cases on this board where people include foreign language credits from before high school are usually when they wanted to demonstrate a particularly strong interest in the foreign language that is studied over the course of more than four years, or where a language begun early leads to an earlier AP exam. I would be extremely hesitant to use middle school Latin credits to satisfy the high school foreign language requirement, thereby sending a clear message that my student did not care enough for those languages to work on them long term. It also raises the question whether these courses really constituted high school level work, since they did not lead to any standardized test that would give outside validation. I see just too many red flags that this might raise. FWIW, I am not counting DS's Latin I course he took in 7th grade towards his high school credits. You really need to ask the colleges. Some colleges specifically say they only care about the coursework of the last four years. And some do not accept Latin at all. Edited February 15, 2016 by regentrude 3 Quote
J-rap Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 A few of my kids took high school level courses in middle school. If they really fully did the course as I would expect a high schooler to do, and if they were courses that seemed necessary, then I did sometimes end up listing them on their high school transcripts. However, I don't list classes by year. I list them by subject. The exact year in which they took them doesn't show up at all. So for example, in your case, I would simply list "Foreign Language" as the subject, and then Latin I (1 credit) and Latin 2 (1 credit) underneath that. In the same way, I'd put "Science" as the subject, and then list Physical Science (1 credit), Biology (1credit), Chemistry (1 credit), and Physics (1 credit) underneath that. The above poster stated that sometimes Latin doesn't fulfill a foreign language requirement at colleges. That's something to consider. Perhaps you could check with a few colleges in your state to get a feel for this. 2 Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 This is all very helpful. I do plan to ask our local university whether they accept Latin as the language requirement and about when it was taken but I realize that is only one college and while there is a good chance this could be where dd starts out, there are no guarantees. It did not even occur to me that Latin would not fulfill the requirement at some schools so I am very glad I asked! That would be a huge factor is how we play to precede. One of her interests could very well develop into a career but if it did it is also unlikely she would attend college at all so this would all be a moot point. Of course, we have to plan for that to not be the case. Quote
Arcadia Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Crazyforlatin mentioned it is possible to take SAT Latin after Lukeion Latin II. Her daughter intend to do it. Maybe your daughter can take the SAT Latin subject test just to have a standardized score. Thread link http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/585902-sat-2-latin-subject-test/ I couid list a high school class taken in middle school on my kids transcript but it has to be a class taken by high school kids. So if my kids are to take high school foreign language from an online high school for example, the ambiguity isn't there. ETA: We are looking at putting kids back for high school so accedited high school courses in middle school would get them out of prereq. Edited February 15, 2016 by Arcadia 2 Quote
OneStepAtATime Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) FWIW, there are some colleges that accept sign language or computer programming credits in place of a foreign language. I thought I would mention it in case those were areas she had any interest in. Edited February 15, 2016 by OneStepAtATime 1 Quote
wapiti Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) FWIW, my vague recollection is that the colleges not accepting Latin as meeting the foreign language requirement are rather rare (see e.g. this thread). (It is also important to distinguish between a foreign language requirement for college admission vs for college graduation. I think the latter varies widely, even among different programs at the same university.) Also, some colleges may be looking for 3 years. The info should be easily available on college websites - you might start with the website of your state flagship. E.g., a two-second google pulled up the app for our state flagship, which allows Latin for admission but requires the applicant to indicate which grade levels the student studied the language and to specify the highest level completed. I'd suggest having her take Latin III in 9th grade, potentially followed by the SAT subject test. Edited February 15, 2016 by wapiti 2 Quote
Heather in VA Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Not all schools accept Latin as a foreign language, regardless of whether it was before High School or during High School. Does she (or you) have any idea what schools she might want to attend? ETA: You might try looking for colleges that don't require a foreign language credit. See if there are any that would support her interests. Are her time consuming interests things she is intending to turn into a career of some kind? We have found no colleges that do not accept Latin. This includes Ivys, state schools, private, and private Christian. It's offered in our public high schools as well. Edited to add that many schools expect a minimum of 3 years of foreign language or 2 years each of 2 different ones. If you put a foreign language from middle school on the transcript, schools will expect to see continued studies in that same language. Edited February 15, 2016 by Heather in VA 1 Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 I couid list a high school class taken in middle school on my kids transcript but it has to be a class taken by high school kids. So if my kids are to take high school foreign language from an online high school for example, the ambiguity isn't there. I'm pretty sure Lukeion Latin would be considered high school level. We are looking into the SAT option. But even with an "standardized evaluation," it is sounding like trying to count the classes towards high school language is going to be problematic. That is obviously not what I wanted to hear but I would rather know now than after it is too late. Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) We have found no colleges that do not accept Latin. This includes Ivys, state schools, private, and private Christian. It's offered in our public high schools as well. I have not found any in my initial searches either. I have been looking primarily at public universities. Edited February 15, 2016 by skimomma Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 I'd suggest having her take Latin III in 9th grade, potentially followed by the SAT subject test. This is one of several options we are currently considering. I worry though, that it still will only be one year of language taken during high school. Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 In my college searches, I am finding language like "two years recommended" but not specifically required for admission. It seems like that if one were applying to a school like this, one could list high school level language courses taken prior to high school on the transcript (with a note that they are not included in the GPA or total credit count). Thoughts? That is still a little too shaky for my taste as I want to be sure to not unintentionally close any future doors. But worth noting as we continue to ponder our options. Quote
snowbeltmom Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) This is another one of those situations where the answer may vary depending on the college. I also think the answer may vary depending on whether the college is a STEM school or a liberal arts school. The schools in my area give high school credit for foreign language taken in middle school. * Fwiw, my son took high school level Latin I and II in middle school and finished up with Latin III in 9th grade. He did not take a subject test to validate his foreign language studies. He was accepted to every college he applied, but he is a STEM kid, and refused to even apply to a school that would require him to study a foreign language in college. My middle kiddo will be attending a liberal arts school, so I waited until he was in high school before he began his foreign language studies. Good luck with your decision. The choices can be overwhelming at times. * ETA: foreign language grades from middle school are listed on the high school transcripts and included in the high school GPA Edited February 15, 2016 by snowbeltmom 1 Quote
JanetC Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 First, give credit where credit is due. If they were high school level classes, it's OK to give credit and document them as such on your transcript. Second, recognize that these credits will not be acceptable to all schools. Your choices are to keep going on language so that you can make sure she's ready to apply to places that want to see foreign language in the high school years, or to accept the fact that the things she's decided to do instead of more foreign language will make her a stronger candidate at some schools and a weaker candidate at others. That's a "gut check" call that only you and your DD can answer. It's really hard at this age because we cannot see clearly what our children will want to do in the future. 4 Quote
Arcadia Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 I'm pretty sure Lukeion Latin would be considered high school level. We are looking into the SAT option. But even with an "standardized evaluation," it is sounding like trying to count the classes towards high school language is going to be problematic Just to clarify, SAT would be credit by exam for us which is what makes it convenient as a get it done, check the box option for my kids. I am pretty sure Lukeion Latin is high school standard too but I have a bureaucratic school district who finds it easier checking off high school requirements if the courses are UC (California) approved. So I am just making life easier for me if we put kids back in public school. After all we are doing foreign langauage in middle school to make the high school load lighter for our kids. 1 Quote
MinivanMom Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 In our state, high school classes taken in middle school are listed on the transcript along with the grade earned. Credit is granted for them, but the grade is not included in the high school gpa nor is it used for figuring class rank. Individual colleges have different policies on how they treat those credits, but I don't think there's any harm in listing them on the transcript. Has your daughter taken the National Latin Exam each year? Good NLE results are something that would also substantiate her mastery. I think taking Latin 3 in 9th grade followed by the Latin SAT subject test is the best suggestion, though. Could she switch to a Latin 3 course that is easier and less time consuming than Lukeion? 2 Quote
Lori D. Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) … From past posts I see that many colleges do not want to see high school level coursework completed before high school on the transcript or if it is there to not be included in the credit count or GPA. For many students, that is fine because they are taking the next progression in the subject area so it is obvious that they took the earlier coursework... … Dd will have taken Lukeion Latin I and II as a 6th and 7th grader. We originally planned for her to take III and AP in 8th and 9th... Sounds like DD is advanced to be taking high school levels of Latin in early middle school. Is she also advanced in other subject areas as well? If so, you might consider skipping a year of middle school -- so, what would have been grade 8 will be grade 9, and then DD would take Latin I and II in middle school, and Latin III in 9th and AP Latin in 10th, which would take care of any Foreign Language concerns. ...One of the main reasons we homeschool to begin with is that dd has two very time-consuming interests that are not directly school-related. Homeschooling has given her the flexibility needed to pursue these interests. Both are ramping up in involvement much more than we originally anticipated. This may not continue but I feel the need to plan accordingly. If dd does indeed get more involved in one or both of the interests, we will need to pare down our plans for high school. If the time-consuming interests continue to ramp up, you can still accomplish 2 years of Foreign Language in high school (whether Latin or something else) without it stressing your schedule very much. If you do the "4x5" credit schedule, that's 4 credits each of all the academic subjects (English, Math, Science, Social Science, and Foreign Language), which will get you into the majority of non-selective/competitive colleges. Realistically time-wise, that "4x5" plan is just 5 credits per year of high school (about 5 hours of school a day), and depending on what curricula you use, that does not have to all of the most rigorous/time-consuming programs. And because that "4x5" often goes above and beyond minimum credit requirements for admission, that can make the student more competitive for scholarships. Also know that the "4x5" is actually more than what the majority o non-competitive/non-selective colleges have as their required credits for admission -- with slight variations, the minimum typically looks like this: 4 credits = English 3-4 credits = Math 3 credits = Science 2-3 credits = Social Science 2 credits = Foreign Language 1 credit = Fine Arts 4-8 credits = Electives 20- 24 credits total That is a totally "do-able" number of credits, esp. when the time-consuming interests can most likely be partially counted towards a few Elective credits. Also remember: - credits can be accumulated in the summers, or knocked out as a summer school class - older high school students often take dual enrollment college classes which count for credit both as high school AND college credit -- and a 1 semester college course frequently = 1 YEAR (credit) of high school, so you can knock out 2 credits of Foreign Language (or other subject) in 1 year ...Worst case scenario is that dd discontinues Latin having completed Latin I and II (with high As) and does not take any more foreign language... … Is there any way we can legitimately call dd's Latin I and II her "two year foreign language" requirement for college admissions purposes? I wouldn't, for reasons stated by previous posters above. Also, JMO, but I think it is extremely early to be planning for college admissions SO far in advance. Colleges change their requirements. You also don't know at this point what unexpected opportunities will pop up for your DD during the high school years, or how her maturity level will change which may allow you other options that are not on the horizon right now. Your DD's interests or abilities may change dramatically partway through high school. JMO! BEST of luck as you take one year at a time, while also planning for the future -- and holding loosely to those plans to be able to be flexible for whatever changes or new opportunities come your way. :) Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited February 15, 2016 by Lori D. 2 Quote
JanetC Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 Also, JMO, but I think it is extremely early to be planning for college admissions SO far in advance. Colleges change their requirements. You also don't know at this point what unexpected opportunities will pop up for your DD during the high school years, or how her maturity level will change which may allow you other options that are not on the horizon right now. Your DD's interests or abilities may change dramatically partway through high school. Honestly, it's too early for "average" kids. Kids who are going to compete for higher tier colleges or programs really do need to start in middle school. I am kicking myself for not having DD take the SAT in 7th grade - I think she's turning out to be more ambitious academically than I realized at the time, and it's too late to apply for the gifted programs that would help her be competitive. 3 Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 To avoid quoting all of your very appreciated posts, I will address common themes. Dd did take the NLE last year and plans to this year as well. She will take it any year that she takes Latin. I didn't even think of that as another "marker" for deeming her pre-high school language as "legitimate." So, that will help should we need it. I am exploring different Latin programs if we/she decides to continue. Lukeion is not even off the table at this point, we are just exploring our options. I do worry about having her sit out of Latin for a year and pick up at Latin III in 9th grade. But with home study, that is yet another possibility. With the SAT, that might be our best bet at this point. Quote
Lori D. Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 Honestly, it's too early for "average" kids. Kids who are going to compete for higher tier colleges or programs really do need to start in middle school. I am kicking myself for not having DD take the SAT in 7th grade - I think she's turning out to be more ambitious academically than I realized at the time, and it's too late to apply for the gifted programs that would help her be competitive. Thanks for adding that addendum about average vs. rigorous competitive. :) TOTALLY agree that you have to go way above and beyond starting in middle school and into high school if shooting for top-tier and selective/competitive universities. From the original post, it sounded like the two outside time-consuming interests were the priority, rather than top-tier or selective/competitive colleges, and that OP was looking for ways of streamlining high school to leave more time for the two extracurriculars. :) 1 Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 Sounds like DD is advanced to be taking high school levels of Latin in early middle school. Is she also advanced in other subject areas as well? If so, you might consider skipping a year of middle school -- so, what would have been grade 8 will be grade 9, and then DD would take Latin I and II in middle school, and Latin III in 9th and AP Latin in 10th, which would take care of any Foreign Language concerns. If the time-consuming interests continue to ramp up, you can still accomplish 2 years of Foreign Language in high school (whether Latin or something else) without it stressing your schedule very much. If you do the "4x5" credit schedule, that's 4 credits each of all the academic subjects (English, Math, Science, Social Science, and Foreign Language), which will get you into the majority of non-selective/competitive colleges. Realistically time-wise, that "4x5" plan is just 5 credits per year of high school (about 5 hours of school a day), and depending on what curricula you use, that does not have to all of the most rigorous/time-consuming programs. And because that "4x5" often goes above and beyond minimum credit requirements for admission, that can make the student more competitive for scholarships. Also know that the "4x5" is actually more than what the majority o non-competitive/non-selective colleges have as their required credits for admission -- with slight variations, the minimum typically looks like this: 4 credits = English 3-4 credits = Math 3 credits = Science 2-3 credits = Social Science 2 credits = Foreign Language 1 credit = Fine Arts 4-8 credits = Electives 20- 24 credits total That is a totally "do-able" number of credits, esp. when the time-consuming interests can most likely be partially counted towards a few Elective credits. Also remember: - credits can be accumulated in the summers, or knocked out as a summer school class - older high school students often take dual enrollment college classes which count for credit both as high school AND college credit -- and a 1 semester college course frequently = 1 YEAR (credit) of high school, so you can knock out 2 credits of Foreign Language (or other subject) in 1 year I wouldn't, for reasons stated by previous posters above. Also, JMO, but I think it is extremely early to be planning for college admissions SO far in advance. Colleges change their requirements. You also don't know at this point what unexpected opportunities will pop up for your DD during the high school years, or how her maturity level will change which may allow you other options that are not on the horizon right now. Your DD's interests or abilities may change dramatically partway through high school. JMO! BEST of luck as you take one year at a time, while also planning for the future -- and holding loosely to those plans to be able to be flexible for whatever changes or new opportunities come your way. :) Warmest regards, Lori D. Dd is only really "advanced" in Latin. She is a bright but typical 7th grader is every other subject. The Latin thing was a result in my own poor planning. We started it at home in 3rd grade and I took her as far as I could. She really liked it and I knew I had to outsource. I did not think ahead to the ramifications of her having high school credit before high school. Dd very much wants to continue in Latin but is struggling with the time commitment so I feel compelled to lay out all of her options and the potential issues those may or may not cause in a couple of years. I have not really given much thought to the other high school subjects or plans at this point since she is still solidly middle school in her other subjects. The 4x5 plans sounds about like what we will do. The language part alone concerns me because we kind of "used up" Latin ahead of the game and my perfectionist child will spend WAY more time than she needs to or really should on certain subjects....language being one of them. That, of course, might change significantly in the next couple of years but I do suspect it is part of her personality. It is currently eating up more of her time than I would like to see, especially as I see her outside interests also ramping up in time commitment. There are only so many hours in a day and above all I want to be sure there is time left to be a kid, even in high school. Maybe even more in high school. Dual enrollment is another option on the table for fulfilling the language requirement should we decide to. I know it is early. I do not typically think ahead to college or even high school much. But we are currently making registration decisions for next year and it crept up on me that this particular decision could have longer-term ramifications. It is exactly my own not thinking ahead that got us into this spot to begin with. So I feel compelled to pay a little more attention to the future. 1 Quote
regentrude Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Kids who are going to compete for higher tier colleges or programs really do need to start in middle school. I am kicking myself for not having DD take the SAT in 7th grade - I think she's turning out to be more ambitious academically than I realized at the time, and it's too late to apply for the gifted programs that would help her be competitive. No. It is not necessary to have early SATs and gifted programs to be competetive for highly selective, top tier, schools. ETA: DD took the SAT in 7th grade and did very well. We never used the score for anything until negotiating dual enrollment in 10th grade. Middle school was a time for interest led learning without "curriculum" or gifted programs. We spent 5 hours daily on schoolwork in 7th grade. She graduated high school with 32 college credits from a 4 year university and attends a college with a 92% rejection rate. Edited February 15, 2016 by regentrude 3 Quote
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Honestly, it's too early for "average" kids. Kids who are going to compete for higher tier colleges or programs really do need to start in middle school. I am kicking myself for not having DD take the SAT in 7th grade - I think she's turning out to be more ambitious academically than I realized at the time, and it's too late to apply for the gifted programs that would help her be competitive. OT: I'm not sure what grade your dd is, but I had one of my kids take the SAT as an 8th grader. We used those scores to qualify him for Johns Hopkins CTY and for Duke's program. (Having said that, I didn't end up registering him for any of the actual programming or courses. I would also agree with Regentrude's comment that participation in gifted programming is not an essential marker for selective university admissions success.) Edited February 15, 2016 by Sebastian (a lady) 1 Quote
skimomma Posted February 15, 2016 Author Posted February 15, 2016 Thanks for adding that addendum about average vs. rigorous competitive. :) TOTALLY agree that you have to go way above and beyond starting in middle school and into high school if shooting for top-tier and selective/competitive universities. From the original post, it sounded like the two outside time-consuming interests were the priority, rather than top-tier or selective/competitive colleges, and that OP was looking for ways of streamlining high school to leave more time for the two extracurriculars. :) That is a correct assessment. Although I generally do not think a whole lot of advanced planning will do us much good, I do want an eye to the future so we don't do anything now that will make it unnecessarily difficult to leave more time free than a typical high school student might have. 2 Quote
Lori D. Posted February 15, 2016 Posted February 15, 2016 … The Latin thing was a result in my own poor planning. We started it at home in 3rd grade and I took her as far as I could. She really liked it and I knew I had to outsource. I did not think ahead to the ramifications of her having high school credit before high school... Does not at all sound like poor planning on your part, to follow your student's interests. :) If you find the Latin doesn't pan out for high school credit for whatever reason, it will serve your DD very well as a foundation is she decides to go with Spanish, French, or Italian as the Foreign Language in high school. I know it is early… we are currently making registration decisions for next year and it crept up on me that this particular decision could have longer-term ramifications... I think you're doing a great job of thinking ahead to how your plans for next year might have effects that ripple upwards into high school. :) Wishing you and DD all the BEST, whatever the 2 of you decide for the next year, and in planning for the future. Warmest regards, Lori D. 3 Quote
Arcadia Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 Your daughter might enjoy planning out how she wants to fulfil her high school credits. My oldest kid who is a perfectionist and a planner is thinking about what subjects he want to test out of and what he wants to be able to spend more time on while fulfiling high school requirements. No harm planning early and being prepared to modify as you go along. 2 Quote
Reefgazer Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 I asked about what our local high school does. Kids who are on the honors track take biology, algebra I, geometry, and first year language in middle school. All of that goes on the high school transcript, as well as getting rolled into the GPA. OP, can you take the last Latin and "drag it out" at a slower pace so that it extends into high school and you award the credit in the year it is finished? That would have the benefit of it having been completed in high school, would be a lower workload as your DD's outside interests ramp up, and also would have the benefit of your DD keeping up her language skills, just at a slower pace. Not sure if this is acceptable or not, but if it's genuine high school level, I don't see why it wouldn't be. In my college searches, I am finding language like "two years recommended" but not specifically required for admission. It seems like that if one were applying to a school like this, one could list high school level language courses taken prior to high school on the transcript (with a note that they are not included in the GPA or total credit count). Thoughts? That is still a little too shaky for my taste as I want to be sure to not unintentionally close any future doors. But worth noting as we continue to ponder our options. 2 Quote
Pegasus Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 One option is to simply re-do the high school Latin courses that she has already done, starting in 9th grade. It will not be time consuming since she will be very familiar with the material and there will be no doubts from colleges about the timing and content of the course. This will also keep her Latin skills sharp in case she does decide later to continue with Latin study. 5 Quote
fourisenough Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 I heard an admissions counselor from Univ of Michigan say they require a minimum of 2 years foreign language taken while actually in high school. Our district allows 7 & 8th graders to take high school-level FL, and since our state requires 2 years FL to graduate, many kids assume they are 'done' with FL before high school, but she clarified that those students won't be getting in to U of M. That was a surprise to many in our district (but not to me- I assume most selective/highly-selective colleges will want to see 2 years while actually in high school). 1 Quote
skimomma Posted February 16, 2016 Author Posted February 16, 2016 Your daughter might enjoy planning out how she wants to fulfil her high school credits. My oldest kid who is a perfectionist and a planner is thinking about what subjects he want to test out of and what he wants to be able to spend more time on while fulfiling high school requirements. No harm planning early and being prepared to modify as you go along. Absolutely. If only I could get dd to have a realistic grasp on time. She wants to study it ALL. 1 Quote
skimomma Posted February 16, 2016 Author Posted February 16, 2016 I asked about what our local high school does. Kids who are on the honors track take biology, algebra I, geometry, and first year language in middle school. All of that goes on the high school transcript, as well as getting rolled into the GPA. OP, can you take the last Latin and "drag it out" at a slower pace so that it extends into high school and you award the credit in the year it is finished? That would have the benefit of it having been completed in high school, would be a lower workload as your DD's outside interests ramp up, and also would have the benefit of your DD keeping up her language skills, just at a slower pace. Not sure if this is acceptable or not, but if it's genuine high school level, I don't see why it wouldn't be. The only way I could see to drag it out would be to do it ourselves. We currently outsource with Lukeion which is live. I am looking into other programs and slowing it down might be on option but it has to be with someone else teaching as I got left WAY behind somewhere in the middle of Latin I. We will have to outsource any language as that is probably my weakest area. Quote
skimomma Posted February 16, 2016 Author Posted February 16, 2016 I heard an admissions counselor from Univ of Michigan say they require a minimum of 2 years foreign language taken while actually in high school. Our district allows 7 & 8th graders to take high school-level FL, and since our state requires 2 years FL to graduate, many kids assume they are 'done' with FL before high school, but she clarified that those students won't be getting in to U of M. That was a surprise to many in our district (but not to me- I assume most selective/highly-selective colleges will want to see 2 years while actually in high school). Good to know. Quote
Reefgazer Posted February 16, 2016 Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) Can you hire a private tutor for her, in order to "do it yourself"? That's what we do with DD's French and the tutor is willing to play along with that plan and slow things down a bit. I'll admit that is a darned expensive option, though. The only way I could see to drag it out would be to do it ourselves. We currently outsource with Lukeion which is live. I am looking into other programs and slowing it down might be on option but it has to be with someone else teaching as I got left WAY behind somewhere in the middle of Latin I. We will have to outsource any language as that is probably my weakest area. Edited February 16, 2016 by reefgazer Quote
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