Advice on early elementary transcripts?

[kubiac]

DS5 will continue at his Montessori school for at least 1st grade. At some point between 1st and 5th we will need to plan for transition to another situation, likely either another independent school or homeschool.

 

Our Montessori school doesn't have grades and the transcripts are narrative and developmental. They assess annually with the Stanford achievement test, but that's it for assessments.

 

In talking to other moms who have left our school, I have realized I need to make some external record of his academic progress.

 

Off the top of my head, I know I can keep a list of books he's read independently and a list of educational field trips we take as a family (Junior Ranger programs at National Parks, etc.)

 

We are also a Kumon family, so I will have those records as well.

 

QUESTIONS:

• Is there a book or website that has good information on "homeschool" transcripts?
• Are there any things that you have included on your transcripts that were particularly appreciated by school admissions directors, academic counselors, future teachers, etc.?
• Are there any private tests/assessments/evaluations you recommend to determine if your child is "on track"? We'll probably eventually consult with an educational psychologist about what she recommends, but curious if there's something you wish you'd done more or earlier.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

[SebastianCat]

None of my friends whose kids transitioned from homeschool to public school ever needed a transcript prior to high school. In elementary school, the kids were placed in the appropriate grade according to their birthdate. One friend did tell me that the guidance counselor asked for a list of curriculum used, but only for the current year. I would keep whatever transcripts the Montessori school gives you, plus copies of the Stanford test results, but I don't know what an elementary school would require beyond that unless the student had something akin to an IEP.

Edited February 25, 2016 by SebastianCat2

[myfunnybunch]

Typically, elementary schools place students in the age-appropriate grade, and may do some placement testing of their own to determine math/reading groups.

 

Unless your child has some special needs, the school likely won't need educational evaluations, either. If you're concerned about whether your child is meeting academic standards at the same age/grade as peers, looking at the common core grade level standards will give you an idea what kids in that grade should/will be learning. (Which is the purpose of common core, btw. I'm hesitant to bring it up because it's gotten such bad press, but as a guideline to what kids will be learning in each grade, it's just a list of academic standards.) It's a lot cheaper than hiring an expensive expert to gather information the school won't use. Note: If you're looking at placing your child in some ultra-competitive academic private school, this may not apply. I'm only speaking to the typical elementary school. Even the private ones here operate this way.

 

The school won't care about field trips or book lists. Make the lists anyway, as they're fun to have around when they get older and you start to reminisce or they ask, "Hey, what was that one book you read, the one with the....?" :)

[wapiti]

IME, you shouldn't need to come up with anything resembling a transcript on your own unless you are actually homeschooling.

 

If you are applying to a private school, there may be a place in the application forms to list special accomplishments and certainly you'd want to include any "good" standardized test scores, though the current school may well provide those along with the transcript.  I would look at the private school's application forms and, if you really want to know, ask your current school's register what the transcript looks like.  (I asked such a question of our Montessori school's registar just last week :))

 

If you are switching your student to a public school, it is likely that nothing will be needed beyond whatever the current school typically provides for transcript - if that - and that elementary transcript is not necessarily the same thing as what appears on report cards!  I just switched two of my kids from one charter to another charter and the transcript may have been sent later, purely as an administrative matter, though actually I doubt it...  it was nothing more than a list of their first semester courses (middle school), no grades or anything.  New school handled its own placement tests.

Edited March 4, 2016 by wapiti

[G5052]

FWIW --

 

Locally, public and private schools test them and ask for writing samples and a reading list up through 6th grade if you're coming from a school they're not familiar with and/or homeschooling. A full transcript isn't required at all.

 

For high school, they do look at a transcript if you have one, but they use test scores for placement.

 

I homeschooled the whole way (one in college, one in 11th), and I actually didn't keep grades or do a transcript until 7th grade. Then it was primarily for planning purposes to make sure we were on track for high school.

 

I live in a state that requires a list of subjects and standardized test scores (my choice, there are other options) for homeschooling, submitted every summer. So I have that too.

 

Edited February 27, 2016 by G5052

[Arcadia]

My school district would get the transcript from the previous schools themselves. I didn't need to do anything when I applied in 3rd. They don't ask for homeschool transcripts.

 

The private k-5 schools does placement tests anyway when confirming enrollment.

 

ETA:

The placement tests are for K entry as well. My local public school does a kindergarten readiness test after registration.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Arcadia

[Lori D.]

How fun! Keeping track of all the field trips and books will make a great family scrapbook! :)

 

 

• Are there any private tests/assessments/evaluations you recommend to determine if your child is "on track"? 

 

There are several national standardized tests that homeschoolers often use -- BUT, because young elementary students are developing at all different rates in different subject areas, it's common to either wait until at LEAST 3rd grade (and sometimes 4th or 5th grade, if the student has LDs or is delayed, or a "late-bloomer") to start testing. If testing is done earlier, it's mostly considered "practice" testing, since it's too difficult to compare student results and come up with anything meaningful before then.

 

These are the 3 "big" national standardized tests for elementary students:

CAT (California Achievement Test)

ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills)

Stanford 10 Online (Stanford Achievement Test)

 

We personally used the ITBS, testing with our homeschool group, which was a fun break in the routine for DSs for those days. DS#1 did the ITBS from grade 4 through grade 8, and DS#2 did the ITBS from grade 5 through grade 8. For high school, we switched over to the PSAT (11th grade), and SAT and ACT (11th/12th grades), as those scores are used for college admissions and scholarship purposes. When we were using the ITBS, we used a test prep booklet for the first year or two, to help DSs get a feel for what would be asked on the tests, how to fill in "bubble test" answer sheets, and for the test-taking tips.

 

 

The Typical Course of Study lists by grade from World Book Encyclopedia are helpful to see if you're covering all of your bases and if your student is "on track". Do be aware that the scope and sequence for when many of these topics are covered varies widely from school to school, esp. in the elementary grades, so DON'T panic if, for example, you haven't seen some of the material in the 1st grade list -- take a look at the grade 2 and 3 lists as well, and you'll see LOTS of overlap on most topics. That just shows that the topics are apt to be explored in any of those grades, not just at one grade. :)

 

World Book Encyclopedia Curriculum Guide / Typical Course of Study for:

grade 1

grade 2

grade 3

grade 4

grade 5

 

Enjoy your Kumon/Montessori/family exploration education! :) Warmest regard, Lori D.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Lori D.

[Ellie]

DS5 will continue at his Montessori school for at least 1st grade. At some point between 1st and 5th we will need to plan for transition to another situation, likely either another independent school or homeschool.

 

Our Montessori school doesn't have grades and the transcripts are narrative and developmental. They assess annually with the Stanford achievement test, but that's it for assessments.

 

In talking to other moms who have left our school, I have realized I need to make some external record of his academic progress.

 

Off the top of my head, I know I can keep a list of books he's read independently and a list of educational field trips we take as a family (Junior Ranger programs at National Parks, etc.)

 

We are also a Kumon family, so I will have those records as well.

 

QUESTIONS:

• Is there a book or website that has good information on "homeschool" transcripts?
• Are there any things that you have included on your transcripts that were particularly appreciated by school admissions directors, academic counselors, future teachers, etc.?
• Are there any private tests/assessments/evaluations you recommend to determine if your child is "on track"? We'll probably eventually consult with an educational psychologist about what she recommends, but curious if there's something you wish you'd done more or earlier.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

 

There aren't transcripts for elementary children.

 

If you have standardized test scores, that's all you need, although the narrative from the Montessori school will be fine. As long as he attends there, you won't need to do anything else; the Montessori school will forward their records to the new school. I'm sure other schools are familiar with the way Montessori evaluates students, and at the elementary level, that is perfectly fine.

 

If you homeschool, you could have some sort of report or evaluation for each subject area, but for the sake of providing a new school with academic information you do not need to include titles of books he's read or educational field trips. If Kumon is your total math instruction, then you only need a final score, not everything that happened to get there. Here is a sample elementary report card.