He wants to graduate a year early, and ASD

[Janeway]

My son has a high IQ and ASD. He is in some outsourced classes. He wants to graduate a year early. I was against it. But in reality, as I do the high school planning, graduating early actually makes a lot of sense. Plus, he is a September birthday. He was reading chapter books by kindergarten. Since he was DX'd with ASD around then, his grade level in each area was tested and academically, he was at 3rd grade level in kinder. If the schools had not been so nutty about grade acceleration, he would have accelerated. 

 

Now I am looking over high school planning. He is already doing all high school courses as an 8th grader. I fully intend to put those courses on his transcript. We will run out of anything I want to do at home by end of 11th grade, and that is stretching it. I pretty much have planned on all of 12th grade to be community college. BUT, he wants to go in to computer science so I am unsure how much of that will transfer over anyway.  If he is attending community college full-time in 12th grade, he can still be labeled a high schooler on dual enrollment and still qualify for freshman scholarships for college. 

 

Regardless of anything, I think I need to keep the options open. He is what he is taking next year...

 

Algebra 2 (Foresters)

World History and Lit 2 (second half)(outsourced)

Progymnasta maybe, some writing added in, even though it is in above class

Science (might be outsourced, have not decided yet)

Art Appreciation

Art

Latin 2nd year

AoP Stats

 

I want to add in a community college course. Actually, HE wants to add it in. Have not yet decided what.

 

Here is what he did this year...

Art

Geometry (Jurgenson's Duke Tip)

World Hist and Lit (1st half)

Latin

Beginning AoP Stats

He started science where it was outsourced but we could not finish due to logistics. We will do a full year science starting end of March to be completed by August.

[DebbS]

I can not tell whether you are asking a question and if so, what that question might be.

[sbgrace]

He's 8th now? Keeping options open seems prudent to me. I think I'd delay the ultimate decision until closer to time. Maturity would matter to me more than academics when making that choice.

[dsmith]

Academically, yes, absolutely. Adding in a community college course will probably help you to decide if it is feasible to graduate a year early. See how he handles it and other college courses in the future. Maturity seems to be the main deciding factor in your case, and if he is pushing for it he must believe he can handle it.

[Leav97]

I would look into how CC courses transfer to the colleges he is looking at.  Depending on want transfers and the financial impact, it might make sense for him to take his Gen EDs at the CC.

[Lori D.]

Not sure if you are asking a question, looking for comments, or wanting confirmation of your plans…? Here's what I see you have credit-wise, with my questions in red:

 

9th grade on transcript (which is your 8th grade this year)

??? credit = English ? (Lit. matched to History) -- what about the Composition portion, or any Grammar/Vocab needed??

1.0 credit = Math: Geometry

1.0 credit = Science -- to be finished in Aug. -- what science?? for a STEM student, preferably Biology or above

0.5 - 1.0 credit = Social Science: World History -- is this 1 credit covering 1/2 of all World Hist. -- or 1st 1/2 of a 1 credit World Hist. course?

1.0 credit = Foreign Language: Latin

??? credit = Fine Arts (Art) -- how much of a high school credit of Art was this?

0.5 credit = Academic Elective: Statistics

5.0-6.5 credits = total

 

10th grade on transcript (which will be your 9th grade next year)

1 credit = English (Lit matched to History; Progymnasta for Writing)

1 credit = Math: Algebra 2

1 credit = Science

0.5 - 1.0 credit = Social Science: World History -- is this 1 credit covering 1/2 of all World Hist. -- or 2nd 1/2 of a 1 credit World Hist. course?

1.0 credit = Foreign Language: Latin

1.0 credit = Fine Arts: Art and Art Appreciation

0.5 credit = Academic Elective: Statistics

6.0-7.0 credits = total

 

In each of the 2 years after that (11th and 12th grades on the transcript), you would need 1 credit each: English, Math, Science; and Social Science. An additional 1-2 credits of Foreign Language for a total of 3-4 would look good, but may not be required for college admissions. So you could graduate DS "a year early", but transcript-wise, it would not be a year early, as this year's 8th grade would really be 9th grade… etc., so 4 years of high school.

 

Since he is interested in a college major of Computer Science, I would suggest some Electives as soon as possible -- next year, if possible -- in programming languages and maybe some Logic (specific to computer programming). That will help prep him for future college courses in Computer Science. And, it gives him the tools to start working on personal projects now in high school, or the ability to be involved in any special opportunities, internships, etc. that might pop up in the next few years -- all of which will increase his knowledge and work-comfort level, and boost his competitiveness for college admissions and scholarships.

 

I would also look into what the community college (CC) offers in the way of Computer Science that would be helpful support for DS and that could be taken as dual enrollment -- things like CAD, Circuitry Design, etc. Maybe even see if the CC has an AAS Degree that DS could work towards or complete by the end of high school...

 

 

The 2 years of credits you listed above certainly looks to put him on track to start dual enrollment after completing next year (10th grade on the transcript), if desired. Starting with just 1 class in the first semester of the junior year can be very helpful to easing the student into working towards all dual enrollment in the senior year.

 

I'd also start looking at the Computer Science programs at a few universities that he might be interested in attending and see what their course load is like. That also helps you see if there are any general ed. courses or core courses DS could be taking as dual enrollment that WILL transfer to get a jump start on working towards a degree, or at least will help make him more competitive for admissions, and esp. for scholarships.

 

Do be aware that some STEM programs are now being scheduled such that pre-requisite and core classes are taken in each year of the 4-year degree, requiring a student to attend for 4 years, with no way of transferring some classes via dual enrollment to shorten the duration of the degree...

 

Also look into if any of these universities (esp. the Computer Science programs) like to see AP tests from students -- and if so, you may need to revamp your plans a bit to work a few AP courses and tests into your high school plans.

 

 

Since I'm not sure exactly what you were looking for, these are just thoughts that came to mind in looking at your list of credits. BEST of luck in your high school and college planning! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Lori D.

[MAIMOM]

He's 8th now? Keeping options open seems prudent to me. I think I'd delay the ultimate decision until closer to time. Maturity would matter to me more than academics when making that choice.

 

I have to say YES! This!  I have two freshmen in college this year. It was funny as graduation approached and I looked back at the last four years and the looked forward to the future I noticed different concerns. When they were in High School I was concerned about what classes they took and what level the classes were. I worried over her spelling and his vocabulary. Yet, with graduation approaching I did not worry about any of that.  Instead I found myself worrying about character issues. Were they mature enough to handle the pressures and pull of socializing and balance that with the need to study? Did they know who they were and were they confident in that knowledge so they would not be swayed by the ideas they would encounter? Was their faith strong enough to withstand the fallacies they would be pushed to acknowledge as truth? Did they have the character to work hard with a long goal of graduation in mind without support near by to keep them on track? Would they be wise in their selection of friends? Did they have an appreciation for money and would they spend their time wisely studying for the classes they were paying an arm and a leg for?

 

The interesting thing I found was so many of the concerns I had during their schooling were things that could be fixed with a computer program or an app. I mean there is spell check for bad spellers and computer programs to help  write papers.There are audio books for the slow reader and quicken for someone not great at budgeting. However, character issues were another thing. An app could not fix that. My question as they were getting ready to leave home was have I prepared them for life? Not did they take the right classes. I wish I had focused a little more on that question in the years leading up to graduation.

 

I think of a little bird that has flown the nest....sitting on the ground under the tree....they are out of the nest but not yet ready to fly away or to be alone. Our society says when they finish school they are ready....17 or 18 years old? ok you are an adult! That is not really so......they are adults in training. They still need our support and encouragement much like they did as preschoolers who knew how to walk yet needed us to hold there hands to cross the street and in crowded places. Do not be in too big a hurry to let go of his hand just because he feels he is old enough to walk alone. As mom that is your call to evaluate his maturity.

 

So, as you look at the coming years do keep your options open. There is a big difference in being academically ready for higher scholastic study and being emotionally and mentally ready for higher levels or responsibility and freedoms that come with being finished with high school.

[8filltheheart]

As the parent of some high performing kids as well as the parent of an Aspie with a high IQ, I would say that I could never have made any decisions when they were in 8th grade.  We have not let any of our kids graduate early even though we have had at least one of our kids taking 300 level courses at a local university in their sr yr of high school.  Of all our kids, our Aspie was the least predictable.  He actually struggled more the older he got,and as an adult, he struggles than he did in middle school b/c he is overwhelmed by all of the balls adults are expected to juggle.

 

Keep all paths open and be ready to make whatever changes/decisions you need to make along the way.

[Kassia]

My daughter is in 8th grade now and insists she wants to graduate a year early.  I think it's foolish, but we will make a plan so that it's possible for her to do so when the time comes if she still feels strongly about it.  I hope she changes her mind because I think it would be better for her to live at home and do dual enrollment even though we pay full price for that.  She has an August birthday, so she would be just turning 17 when leaving for college.  My niece also has a summer birthday and skipped a grade, and she did go to college just turning 17 and has done well but I would rather my daughter just stay home another year.

 

Erica

[Kassia]

As the parent of some high performing kids as well as the parent of an Aspie with a high IQ, I would say that I could never have made any decisions when they were in 8th grade.  We have not let any of our kids graduate early even though we have had at least one of our kids taking 300 level courses at a local university in their sr yr of high school.  Of all our kids, our Aspie was the least predictable.  He actually struggled more the older he got,and as an adult, he struggles than he did in middle school b/c he is overwhelmed by all of the balls adults are expected to juggle.

 

Keep all paths open and be ready to make whatever changes/decisions you need to make along the way.

 

I have an Aspie who is a junior in college and I am very worried about him.  He does fine academically, but I still micromanage much of his life.  He has a summer internship coming up where he'll have to drive to/from work (he's terrible with driving and directions), and live independently (the internship is 160 miles away from us).  I'm a wreck about it.  In college, he's fine since he has a meal plan and doesn't have to shop/prepare food, but I can't see him doing all of that for himself.  

 

Erica

[Janeway]

As the parent of some high performing kids as well as the parent of an Aspie with a high IQ, I would say that I could never have made any decisions when they were in 8th grade.  We have not let any of our kids graduate early even though we have had at least one of our kids taking 300 level courses at a local university in their sr yr of high school.  Of all our kids, our Aspie was the least predictable.  He actually struggled more the older he got,and as an adult, he struggles than he did in middle school b/c he is overwhelmed by all of the balls adults are expected to juggle.

 

Keep all paths open and be ready to make whatever changes/decisions you need to make along the way.

I did not realize that one could do dual enrollment at university. That would be a great option here. My concerns have been that he has a limited amount of classes he can take at community college that will transfer and will need some university level courses, if he plans to do computer science. I do not think they take transferred in computer science courses or engineering courses.

[Kassia]

I did not realize that one could do dual enrollment at university. That would be a great option here. My concerns have been that he has a limited amount of classes he can take at community college that will transfer and will need some university level courses, if he plans to do computer science. I do not think they take transferred in computer science courses or engineering courses.

 

One of my sons went to community college full time in his junior/senior year for dual enrollment and is a computer engineering major at university.  He entered the university with 63 credits.  He won't graduate early but, since he got most of his core, math, and science requirements done at the community college, he can take fewer classes each semester and can focus on his engineering classes more plus he is able to get a minor as well.  

 

Erica  

[Melissa B]

I did not realize that one could do dual enrollment at university. That would be a great option here. My concerns have been that he has a limited amount of classes he can take at community college that will transfer and will need some university level courses, if he plans to do computer science. I do not think they take transferred in computer science courses or engineering courses.

 

This fall, my dd is "officially" going to the university where she is currently a DE student. So, she isn't transferring the credits, they are just already there. A potential downside is that you keep the GPA you earned as a DE student. This isn't a problem for her, but something to consider.

[Matryoshka]

My daughter is in 8th grade now and insists she wants to graduate a year early.  I think it's foolish, but we will make a plan so that it's possible for her to do so when the time comes if she still feels strongly about it.  I hope she changes her mind because I think it would be better for her to live at home and do dual enrollment even though we pay full price for that.  She has an August birthday, so she would be just turning 17 when leaving for college.  My niece also has a summer birthday and skipped a grade, and she did go to college just turning 17 and has done well but I would rather my daughter just stay home another year.

 

My dd is in 9th and also says she wants to graduate a year early.  I think it's mostly that her twin sisters are off to college next year and she feels 'left behind' and wants to follow as quickly as possible.  And that I used to have her a year ahead, and in 5th I adjusted her grade level (not her course work) because I didn't think she'd be ready for high school maturity-wise, so she wants to 'correct' my error.  She has a Dec birthday, so she won't be super-young.

 

I'm also making a plan that will allow her to do it, which is mostly through DE, as a semester counts as a year.  But if taking that many DE courses is too much and she has to slow down, I won't be at all sad if she stays home the extra year...  she does not have ASD, but she doesn't tend to have the strongest work ethic, shall we say.  So I guess if she manages the increased workload to graduate early, she'll have shown me she's matured...  one thing perhaps in her favor is that she's stubborn as all heck, so showing me I'm wrong to doubt she can do it is actually strong motivation for her...  she should have almost 60 DE credits to transfer if she pulls this off - she has decided herself to stick with a State U so that she'll get credit for them all (there are agreements in place).  She's concentrating on getting the Gen Eds out of the way, and also taking classes listed as being able to transfer to her possible school/major.

 

[Kassia]

My dd is in 9th and also says she wants to graduate a year early.  I think it's mostly that her twin sisters are off to college next year and she feels 'left behind' and wants to follow as quickly as possible.  And that I used to have her a year ahead, and in 5th I adjusted her grade level (not her course work) because I didn't think she'd be ready for high school maturity-wise, so she wants to 'correct' my error.  She has a Dec birthday, so she won't be super-young.

 

I'm also making a plan that will allow her to do it, which is mostly through DE, as a semester counts as a year.  But if taking that many DE courses is too much and she has to slow down, I won't be at all sad if she stays home the extra year...  she does not have ASD, but she doesn't tend to have the strongest work ethic, shall we say.  So I guess if she manages the increased workload to graduate early, she'll have shown me she's matured...  one thing perhaps in her favor is that she's stubborn as all heck, so showing me I'm wrong to doubt she can do it is actually strong motivation for her...  she should have almost 60 DE credits to transfer if she pulls this off - she has decided herself to stick with a State U so that she'll get credit for them all (there are agreements in place).  She's concentrating on getting the Gen Eds out of the way, and also taking classes listed as being able to transfer to her possible school/major.

 

 

My daughter has three older brothers who are all out of the house (two in college, one graduated from college) so maybe that is motivating her as well.  When will your daughter start DE (if she hasn't already)?  My daughter wants to start this summer by taking Spanish.  I'm concerned that the summer classes will move too quickly for her, but she already knows quite a bit of Spanish and doesn't want to be bored in a semester-long class for introductory Spanish.  

 

Erica

[Matryoshka]

My daughter has three older brothers who are all out of the house (two in college, one graduated from college) so maybe that is motivating her as well. When will your daughter start DE (if she hasn't already)? My daughter wants to start this summer by taking Spanish. I'm concerned that the summer classes will move too quickly for her, but she already knows quite a bit of Spanish and doesn't want to be bored in a semester-long class for introductory Spanish.

 

Dd started this semester. She's taking German and Zoology. She is signed up for a summer class, but it's just Drawing. I'm going to try to avoid academic-type summer term classes at the CC - they are very intense. She will be doing some academic stuff over the summer, but not with that intensity.

[shoponl]

I'm late to this discussion,  but wanted to second the idea of dual-enrollment classes.  They are tailor-made for kids who are ready for more academic rigor,  but who are not yet ready to live away from home.  Plus, they are good practice for the real world.  :-) 

 

Community colleges and universities publish course equivalency lists and transfer guides on their websites, explaining exactly which courses will transfer automatically and which won't.    If your CC is large enough, it may also be in Transferology .  

 

My eldest son entered university with almost 60 hours, and they all transferred in seamlessly.   The extra credits gave him the breathing room to take two minors in addition to his major and an honors certificate. 

 

My younger son is currently in classes at CC, and will enter engineering school with all but one of his freshman classes, plus a smattering of other requirements, finished (about 70ish credit hours including some credits that won't count for his degree).  Since engineering school can often take 5 years to complete, having these classes out of the way will increase the chances of his finishing in 4 years, plus should reduce the time-pressure stress that most engineering students suffer from. 

 

A few important things:

 

1) Be cautious in getting an AA degree, as you may lose eligibility for some freshman scholarships. 

 

2) List every dual-enrollment class on the high-school transcript, and attach the CC transcript separately.  This will allow the student to be admitted as a college freshman, and receive freshman scholarships on an equal footing with other incoming freshman.  After being admitted, the official CC transcript will be used to populate their courses-completed list.  Some colleges transfer the grades, and some don't. 

 

3) Be cautious if taking college courses in the summer following high school graduation.  For some colleges, taking any college coursework post-high-school-graduation will trigger their computer system to mark the student as a transfer instead of an incoming freshman.

 

4) Keep on eye on the class withdrawal dates.  Since CC grades can transfer along with the credits, a poor grade earned as a 15-year-old might haunt a college student during their entire bachelor's degree (remember, GPA is important for annual scholarship renewal).  I offered my kids the opportunity to drop CC classes without repercussions if they were not getting a high grade; this safety net encouraged them to try difficult classes, but was used only once.  Often a professor will allow a student to finish out the class unofficially anyway, even if they drop, so the student will learn the material. 

 

5) When evaluating high school transcripts, many universities consider one semester of community college work to be worth two semesters of high school work.  For example, if the university requires four semesters of foreign language for its incoming freshmen, you may be able to meet these with two semesters of CC foreign language.  

 

 

 

**edited to reflect change in scholarship eligibility

 

 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by shoponl

[Ellie]

Absolutely. Go for it.

[catz]

I have a similar kid - GT, quirky, but no Dx and leaning toward 2 years of dual enrollment. I really like the idea of trying some college classes before leaving the nest to make sure all the executive function stuff is kicking in, even if not every credit transfers. And I think he can probably get a better transcript/test score together with another year that may pay off financially. You still get to keep freshman status with pseo here.

 

A friend of DH sent his young for grade extremely high achieving dd to college cross country and it didn't work out at all. Academics were not the issue. I'd rather send them a year too late than a year too early. Especially with sight sent on living away from home on campus. I do think it's hard to say in 8th. I am keeping some jr high stuff for transcript in my back pocket.

[shoponl]

II really like the idea of trying some college classes before leaving the nest to make sure all the executive function stuff is kicking in, even if not every credit transfers. 

 

Exactly-- and if you go slowly, they will naturally learn to plan and organize their schoolwork without becoming overwhelmed.  Both of my kids began with one class, and we added more as they felt ready.   

Edited April 22, 2016 by shoponl

[Pawz4me]

I'm late to this discussion,  but wanted to second the idea of dual-enrollment classes.  They are tailor-made for kids who are ready for more academic rigor,  but who are not yet ready to live away from home.  Plus, they are good practice for the real world.  :-) 

 

Community colleges and universities publish course equivalency lists and transfer guides on their websites, explaining exactly which courses will transfer automatically and which won't.    If your CC is large enough, it may also be in Transferology .  

 

My eldest son entered university with almost 60 hours, and they all transferred in seamlessly.   The extra credits gave him the breathing room to take two minors in addition to his major and an honors certificate. 

 

My younger son is currently in classes at CC, and will enter engineering school with all but one of his freshman classes, plus a smattering of other requirements, finished (about 70ish credit hours including some credits that won't count for his degree).  Since engineering school can often take 5 years to complete, having these classes out of the way will increase the chances of his finishing in 4 years, plus should reduce the time-pressure stress that most engineering students suffer from. 

 

A few important things:

 

1) DO NOT get an AA degree.  With an AA degree, you are limited to transfer scholarships, which are typically renewable for only two years and are less generous.  

 

2) List every dual-enrollment class on the high-school transcript, and attach the CC transcript separately.  This will allow the student to be admitted as a college freshman, and receive freshman scholarships on an equal footing with other incoming freshman.  After being admitted, the official CC transcript will be used to populate their courses-completed list.  Some colleges transfer the grades, and some don't. 

 

3) Be cautious if taking college courses in the summer following high school graduation.  For some colleges, taking any college coursework post-high-school-graduation will trigger their computer system to mark the student as a transfer instead of an incoming freshman.

 

4) Keep on eye on the class withdrawal dates.  Since CC grades can transfer along with the credits, a poor grade earned as a 15-year-old might haunt a college student during their entire bachelor's degree (remember, GPA is important for annual scholarship renewal).  I offered my kids the opportunity to drop CC classes without repercussions if they were not getting a high grade; this safety net encouraged them to try difficult classes, but was rarely used.  Often a professor will allow a student to finish out the class unofficially anyway, even if they drop, so the student will learn the material. 

 

5) When evaluating high school transcripts, many universities consider one semester of community college work to be worth two semesters of high school work.  For example, if the university requires four semesters of foreign language for its incoming freshmen, you may be able to meet these with two semesters of CC foreign language.  

 

The bolded isn't true across the board.

 

My youngest DS is in an early college high school program and if all goes well will earn an AS degree before he graduates from high school.  Every university we've checked with so far will treat him as an incoming freshman for scholarship purpose.

[Carrie12345]

I "graduated" my ASD kid from middle school a year early (and he was a young 8th grader), but he wanted to go back to public school, which pretty much had him repeating the 8th grade.  By 10th, he was SO sick of high school, and I do think a big part of it was the lack of challenge.

 

Because he was no longer homeschooled, I couldn't exactly graduate him, but he took the HiSet (with terrific scores) during the summer between 10th and 11th and enrolled as a freshman in community college.

 

My son would absolutely not have been prepared to go away to college early, but he was definitely ready for the academic content and freedom/variety.  All that said, there was no way I could have plotted this path when he was 12/13 years old.  A lot can happen. Be prepared for anything!

[shoponl]

The bolded isn't true across the board.

 

My youngest DS is in an early college high school program and if all goes well will earn an AS degree before he graduates from high school.  Every university we've checked with so far will treat him as an incoming freshman for scholarship purpos

 

I've just searched college confidential, and you are right; many people have reported receiving frosh scholarships with an AA.   However, I know we were strongly warned against it three years ago-- they said it would trigger the wrong category in the system.  Perhaps it varies by scholarship program or university?   

 

So-- I'll amend my previous note to: 

 

1) Be cautious in getting an AA degree, as you may lose eligibility for some freshman scholarships. 

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by shoponl