Record keeping for high school work done in middle school

[The Governess]

I am trying to figure out what kind of information I should be keeping for dd, who is working at a high school level in certain subjects.

 

This year, the only subject I need help with is Chinese.  She took several classes online with CTY from 4th-6th grade, and worked through levels 1-3 of Ni Hao Chinese.  The timing and expense of those classes got to be difficult to manage, and so I decided to transition her to a different program.  So, last fall she finished book 3, and she is now working through Integrated Chinese Year 1 part 1 with a tutor (this is considered one full year of high school Chinese or one semester of college-level Chinese).  She is finding that it is mostly review and will likely finish the first book in April or May.  It is very possible that the second book will also be worked through at an accelerated pace as well - at this point she has a reading vocabulary of about 1000 characters and can write more than half from memory, and this first Integrated Chinese book only covers about 300.  She will likely be taking the AP exam as an 8th or 9th grader, depending on how she progresses through this series.  My plan is to have her continue Chinese studies by dual enrollment at a local university after the AP exam, and she might add another modern language at that point as well.

 

CTY gives her a grade and teacher comments for each class, as well as course descriptions, all of which I have kept.  They recommend assigning one high school credit for each of the second and third books.  Obviously I won't be assigning high school credit for work she did in elementary school, and she will be continuing with foreign language in high school as well, so these credits aren't "needed" in that sense.  But do I mention this work somewhere?   And what type of records should I be keeping for the work she is currently doing with the tutor?   How do I handle the fact that she is basically repeating the same work with a new curriculum in order to solidify her skills before moving forward? 

 

Most of the other advanced work she will be doing in middle school will be through online classes.  What records should I be keeping for these?  I'm thinking: any official grade reports/transcripts, course descriptions including texts used...anything else? 

 

I know from reading other posts here that the official transcript usually includes only the last four years of schoolwork, but I want to make sure I have all my bases covered! :)

 

Thanks!

 

[rlestina]

There are lots of existing threads on this topic - but, if you aren't already aware, high school level language before high school can be complicated and full of pitfalls.

 

Many colleges want to see 2 to 4 full years of foriegn language *during* high school, and may not give credit for work done before, even if it was at a high school level.  A language AP exam may or may not ameliorate this.  Now, you are saying that she'll continue with Chinese and/or with another language during high school, so this may not be an issue, but be aware.  In terms of record keeping, generally textbooks used, course description, and any outside grades or transcripts, should cover you just in case you need them.

 

As to math - most kids these days do at least Algebra I before high school.  Some people figure that you do not need to show high school level math done before high school on the transcript, because if you have a trascript showing 4 years of higher level math, including Alg. II, Trig, Calc, etc, then the earlier maths are implied.  Other people add a column called something like 'preHS' to their transcript and put classes like Alg I there, but don't count the credits.  Either way, if you keep the official grades/transcripts, course descriptions, and textbooks, you should be covered.

 

Hope that helps.  :)

[EKS]

My son is working with a German tutor and since I will be the one issuing the credit, I am maintaining records the same way as I do for all the other other classes I'm responsible for.  So, what that means here is that all output (homework, tests, etc) is saved and organized and I maintain a gradebook.

[Haiku]

Although I keep reading here at TWTM that algebra I in 8th grade is standard, my experience with my oldest child (who was in school) and my friends' schooled kids and my perusal of over a half dozen local districts' programs of studies does not bear this out. At least in my area, it is not at all unusual for students to take algebra I in 9th grade.

 

Even the the super-elite megabucks private school lists algebra I as the standard freshman math class. Geometry and Honors geometry are considered the advanced classes.

[The Governess]

There are lots of existing threads on this topic - but, if you aren't already aware, high school level language before high school can be complicated and full of pitfalls.

 

Many colleges want to see 2 to 4 full years of foriegn language *during* high school, and may not give credit for work done before, even if it was at a high school level. A language AP exam may or may not ameliorate this. Now, you are saying that she'll continue with Chinese and/or with another language during high school, so this may not be an issue, but be aware. In terms of record keeping, generally textbooks used, course description, and any outside grades or transcripts, should cover you just in case you need them.

 

As to math - most kids these days do at least Algebra I before high school. Some people figure that you do not need to show high school level math done before high school on the transcript, because if you have a trascript showing 4 years of higher level math, including Alg. II, Trig, Calc, etc, then the earlier maths are implied. Other people add a column called something like 'preHS' to their transcript and put classes like Alg I there, but don't count the credits. Either way, if you keep the official grades/transcripts, course descriptions, and textbooks, you should be covered.

 

Hope that helps. :)

That does help, thank you! I will plan on keeping all of that info for any high school level work she completes. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't forgetting anything important...it will be many years before I need to compile a transcript, and I don't want to be kicking myself years from now for not being thorough enough!

 

And yes, I have read about the language issue...which is part of the reason I'm thrilled to have found an option for higher level language studies at a local university. For the official transcript, the goal for dd is to have her complete AP Latin in 10th, so she'll have two years of Latin in high school, and 4 semesters of DE Chinese in 9th and 10th. Then we will possibly add a third language the last two years (DE also, most likely) depending on her interests at that point, with some reading in Chinese and Latin integrated into her other subjects. Lofty goals, I know, but I do think she is capable. It all depends on how her interests evolve in high school and how much time she wants to devote to languages at that point.

[The Governess]

My son is working with a German tutor and since I will be the one issuing the credit, I am maintaining records the same way as I do for all the other other classes I'm responsible for. So, what that means here is that all output (homework, tests, etc) is saved and organized and I maintain a gradebook.

This is helpful. Her output right now consists of workbook exercises. Maybe I should also write up a description of the types of oral exercises she completes with the tutor.

[Arcadia]

it will be many years before I need to compile a transcript, and I don't want to be kicking myself years from now for not being thorough enough!

 

Depending on your state, you might be able to start accumulating credits in 7th which is this fall.

 

sample of a 7th-11th grade transcript from a  private school in Florida

http://www15.uta.fi/FAST/US2/NOTES/images/hs-trans.jpg

[Corraleno]

And yes, I have read about the language issue...which is part of the reason I'm thrilled to have found an option for higher level language studies at a local university. For the official transcript, the goal for dd is to have her complete AP Latin in 10th, so she'll have two years of Latin in high school, and 4 semesters of DE Chinese in 9th and 10th. Then we will possibly add a third language the last two years (DE also, most likely) depending on her interests at that point, with some reading in Chinese and Latin integrated into her other subjects. Lofty goals, I know, but I do think she is capable. It all depends on how her interests evolve in high school and how much time she wants to devote to languages at that point.

 

If she will have 4 semesters of DE Chinese, in addition to Latin and possibly another language, then language classes completed in middle school will be irrelevant. If her DE classes start with Chinese 201 and go through 302, then it will be clear that she completed the equivalent of 101/102 prior to high school.

 

The only reason I would list language courses completed in middle school on a HS transcript would be if the student switched to another language and you want to show the additional work (e.g. student completed HS level Latin 2 in 8th, then switched to Spanish in 9th), or if the transcript would not show the minimum number of years of foreign language (e.g. if the student did Spanish 1 & 2 in middle school, Spanish 3 in 9th, and then stopped). As mentioned above, some colleges will count that as "3 yrs foreign language" and some won't.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2016 by Corraleno

[MarkT]

I would think that most colleges would accept an accredited high school level class taken in 7th or 8th grade for transcript purposes. It is very common in Math.

Of course keep course descriptions and what was actually covered.

[Corraleno]

I would think that most colleges would accept an accredited high school level class taken in 7th or 8th grade for transcript purposes. It is very common in Math.

Of course keep course descriptions and what was actually covered.

 

Most colleges will, but some do explicitly state that they will only count credits done in 9th-12th grades. Generally those are highly selective colleges who expect applicants to have fairly rigorous/advanced coursework in high school, so those students wouldn't need to use classes taken in middle school to meet admissions requirements anyway.

[EKS]

This is helpful. Her output right now consists of workbook exercises. Maybe I should also write up a description of the types of oral exercises she completes with the tutor.

 

Here is the description I wrote for my son's German I class.  The level of detail is in line with what I submitted to colleges when my older son was applying (though he didn't work with a tutor for any of his classes).

 

German I:  This course was taken as a tutorial with [tutor's name], who was formerly a German instructor at [university name].  The course covered material typical of a first year high school German course and focused on speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary acquisition, and grammar.  Topics included greetings, numbers, days of the week, interests, time of day, classroom objects and school subjects, months, weather, languages, foods and beverages, clothing, special occasions, hobbies, sports, parts of the body, travel, and directions.  The text used was Deutsch Aktuell 1 by Wolfgang S. Kraft.  (1 credit)

[The Governess]

Thanks all.  I guess my question had less to do with what should be included on the transcript, and more with what records I should be keeping at this stage to cover my bases.  I do keep general records, but I haven't been worried about going into much detail at this stage.  But now she is doing work that could be considered transcript-worthy depending on circumstances...so I think that, for anything that has the possibility of counting for credit, I should be keeping records *as if* it will be going on her transcript, even if that is not my plan at the moment.   And as I am thinking all of this through, I'm realizing that if we are considering DE in high school I likely need to start keeping these records for that purpose anyway!

[EKS]

Most colleges will, but some do explicitly state that they will only count credits done in 9th-12th grades. Generally those are highly selective colleges who expect applicants to have fairly rigorous/advanced coursework in high school, so those students wouldn't need to use classes taken in middle school to meet admissions requirements anyway.

 

I decided to include all of my son's high school coursework and just flag the courses taken in middle school.  I figured that they could choose to disregard them if they wanted to.  

 

This is what I wrote about this in our school profile:

 

Consistent with [local school district] policy, high school courses completed during middle school are identified on the transcript and are given high school credit, and their grades are included in the GPA.

[Matryoshka]

Dd currently wants to graduate high school in 3 years.  What makes this even trickier is that last year is a bit of a wash because she went to ps halfway through, so didn't finish any of the high-school level courses she was taking that year at home, and the ps's 8th grade classes weren't high school level, and honestly, I'd kinda like to pretend she didn't go there so I don't have to deal.  She did a reasonable high school level Chem in 7th (Mr. Q Advanced with outside labs and additional instruction), AoPS Algebra I and German she's taken every year since Kindergarten at the Saturday School.

 

Someone here linked a transcript template by subject that had columns for years; the original one had five columns where credits were listed by years completed, and the first one was X year or before.  I've taken out one column and now have X year of before, and then three more (which will be her actual high school years).   I'm planning on listing the Chem and Algebra, as well as German I and II in the 'before X year' column.  She's taking German 3 at the CC, and might even finish German 4 by the end of the semester (it's 'flexible studies' so she moves at her own pace) - so I figure I can easily give her credit for 1 and 2.

 

If she sticks to her plan, she'll have around 28 credits without those extra 4... she will probably just go to a not-so-competitive state university so all her CC credits transfer.  I'm hoping that will not raise any alarm bells?  I have all her worksheets and tests from the Chem, report cards from Sat.School for German, and all her notebooks with work from AoPS, but I'm wondering if not-so-competitive StateU will even care...?  I'm actually more worried about the very lite World History course I'm cobbling together after she ditched public high school in November...  I'm hoping two semesters of US History at the CC will make them not care so much...

[JadeOrchidSong]

That does help, thank you! I will plan on keeping all of that info for any high school level work she completes. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't forgetting anything important...it will be many years before I need to compile a transcript, and I don't want to be kicking myself years from now for not being thorough enough!

 

And yes, I have read about the language issue...which is part of the reason I'm thrilled to have found an option for higher level language studies at a local university. For the official transcript, the goal for dd is to have her complete AP Latin in 10th, so she'll have two years of Latin in high school, and 4 semesters of DE Chinese in 9th and 10th. Then we will possibly add a third language the last two years (DE also, most likely) depending on her interests at that point, with some reading in Chinese and Latin integrated into her other subjects. Lofty goals, I know, but I do think she is capable. It all depends on how her interests evolve in high school and how much time she wants to devote to languages at that point.

How does a 9th or 10th grader start to take DE classes? In my area, they only allow 11th graders to take DE. I guess different areas have different policies. Is PSAT a prerequisite for taking DE?

[The Governess]

How does a 9th or 10th grader start to take DE classes? In my area, they only allow 11th graders to take DE. I guess different areas have different policies. Is PSAT a prerequisite for taking DE?

Policies must differ by area... Dd could take classes now at our local CC as a middle schooler, and a local university allows high school students to take a certain number of credits without pursuing a degree.

[Matryoshka]

How does a 9th or 10th grader start to take DE classes? In my area, they only allow 11th graders to take DE. I guess different areas have different policies. Is PSAT a prerequisite for taking DE?

Yes, policies vary widely by CC. Ours allows entry at 14; only test is the Accuplacer.

[Dmmetler]

How does a 9th or 10th grader start to take DE classes? In my area, they only allow 11th graders to take DE. I guess different areas have different policies. Is PSAT a prerequisite for taking DE?

 

In my area, you can't take DE before 11th grade/age 15 -but you can be accepted as a "non-degree seeking student" earlier if you have SAT or ACT scores and a "school recommendation"-which, for a homeschooler, can come from a parent. The big difference is that DE is eligible for state funding support, and Non-degree isn't,but honestly, the cost for a non-degree class and an AP class from PA Homeschoolers isn't significantly different, so for things like science with lab or foreign language we may go the college route.

[The Governess]

In my area, you can't take DE before 11th grade/age 15 -but you can be accepted as a "non-degree seeking student" earlier if you have SAT or ACT scores and a "school recommendation"-which, for a homeschooler, can come from a parent. The big difference is that DE is eligible for state funding support, and Non-degree isn't,but honestly, the cost for a non-degree class and an AP class from PA Homeschoolers isn't significantly different, so for things like science with lab or foreign language we may go the college route.

 

I am feeling pretty lucky that our CC system has such a flexible DE policy.  Like you, I will likely be using DE mainly for foreign language past a certain level, and sciences with a lab component.  DD11 has done well with online classes so far, so we'll probably continue with them for most other subjects. 

[SebastianCat]

How does a 9th or 10th grader start to take DE classes? In my area, they only allow 11th graders to take DE. I guess different areas have different policies. Is PSAT a prerequisite for taking DE?

 

These are the eligibility requirements for dual enrollment as a homeschooled student at one college local to us:

 

Eligibility:

• Be a high school student

• 3.0 cumulative unweighted GPA

• Be enrolled in a home education program and be registered with SDHC Home Education Office

• Test scores (not more than two years old):

• SAT: 440 Critical Reading/Verbal, 440 Math for MAT 1033 and science classes, 510 for MAC 1105, MAC 1106, MGF 1106, MGF 1107, STA 2023
• ACT: 17 ENC, 19 REA, 19 Math for MAT 1033 and science classes, 21 for MAC 1l05, MAC 1106, MGF 1106, MGF 1107, STA 2023
• PERT: 106 REA, 103 Writing, 114 Math for MAT 1033 and science classes, 123 for MAC 1105, MAC 1106, MGF 1106, MGF 1107, STA 2023.