Help me create this 8th grade transcript (Cross Posting)

[AimeeM]

DD is applying to a local Catholic high school.

 

She repeated 8th grade, or did a 9th grade "lite." By "lite" I mean that we focused almost entirely on her weak areas - processing issues in math and language arts (she's dyslexic and ADD). This was definitely meant to be a gap year. 

 

The school deals pretty frequently with homeschoolers and the admin in charge of admissions told me she would help me with the transcripts, but I'm not even sure how to word that she really did little of any content subjects - intentionally. 

 

ETA: This particular school has tried and true, excellent support programs in place for students with learning differences.

[OneStepAtATime]

Couldn't you combine what she did for both 8th grade years into an 8th grade transcript?

[PeterPan]

The first question is whether you want any of the work you did for 8 and 9 to count toward her graduation requirements.  If the answer is no, then is she entering as a 9th grader?  And is her application contingent how how the academics of this looked?  To me, assuming she's going in as a 9th grader, I'd probably just skip grade levels, put the years, and put the actual work she did.  You seem insecure about what she did, but how many hours a day did she spend working?  Remember high school units go back to carnegie units, time spent.  So if she did LOTS of LA, that's awesome!  You could make the transcript reflect that.  Break up what you did into multiple LA labels that make sense.  You might even see something in it you hadn't before.  Like maybe she was listening to audiobooks but they all fit a certain interest (dystopian lit, whatever).  Or maybe you put down writing intensive 1, english 8, pre-algebra, study skills, etc.  Like flesh out what you did and put words on it that sound a little swankier.

 

If you did a good work (which you obviously did, because she's ready to go!), then put good words on it.  Was it a gap year like oh she did NOTHING but math and LA and then did minecraft and crocheted cats all day?  I doubt it.  You've got a very full sig.  If you want *some* of what she did to count toward graduation requirements, then put the year (2015-2016) and the credits.  

[AimeeM]

We went lite with almost everything in my signature that isn't math or language arts (and she did some MORE of those two skill areas that aren't even in my signature).

This school wasn't on my radar until this week because I was completely unaware that they had these programs in place for children who need additional support. 

I do not care if any of it counted towards high school - she would be entering as a 9th grader, since we had planned on her being in "9th grade" this upcoming fall, at home. All of this year was meant to get her ready for high school level work because it became pretty apparent, quickly, that she needed more time to mature (for her academics, stamina, study skills).

I would say, unfortunately, that this year really was sincerely almost entirely language arts, math, and study skills, with concentration on building up stamina in areas that she found difficult. For example, for the past couple months she has been working with a private math teacher (and will continue that throughout the summer, no matter where she goes to school next year), and having "homework" assigned with that teacher, tests to study for, etc - things that I had noticed she was ill prepared for and that we needed to work on.

 

The school is aware that most of this past year was concentrated on English, math, and building up weak areas. They didn't say anything negative about that. She did some early American and world history, some chem, some physics, etc interspersed, but we generally fell back on our main concentration - language arts, math, and learning how to learn and concentrate.

 

How I flesh out the language arts is confusing me (flesh it out on the transcript, I mean). I guess I could list the individual components, since there were several. The writing was more focused than a typical middle school English course that simply has a composition component, for example, and there was still very explicit grammar instruction; the focus was on reading, rather than "literature," if that makes any sense (reading to retain information, recognizing important details, main topics, etc).

 

Again, I wasn't planning on anything she did this year to count towards graduation (with the possibe exception of Algebra 1, which she will not be finished with until end of summer), so my main question is how in the Hades do I write a middle school transcript (I can find tons of high school examples, but no middle school examples) and how do I flesh out, and explain, on paper the language arts and study skills.

The first question is whether you want any of the work you did for 8 and 9 to count toward her graduation requirements.  If the answer is no, then is she entering as a 9th grader?  And is her application contingent how how the academics of this looked?  To me, assuming she's going in as a 9th grader, I'd probably just skip grade levels, put the years, and put the actual work she did.  You seem insecure about what she did, but how many hours a day did she spend working?  Remember high school units go back to carnegie units, time spent.  So if she did LOTS of LA, that's awesome!  You could make the transcript reflect that.  Break up what you did into multiple LA labels that make sense.  You might even see something in it you hadn't before.  Like maybe she was listening to audiobooks but they all fit a certain interest (dystopian lit, whatever).  Or maybe you put down writing intensive 1, english 8, pre-algebra, study skills, etc.  Like flesh out what you did and put words on it that sound a little swankier.

 

If you did a good work (which you obviously did, because she's ready to go!), then put good words on it.  Was it a gap year like oh she did NOTHING but math and LA and then did minecraft and crocheted cats all day?  I doubt it.  You've got a very full sig.  If you want *some* of what she did to count toward graduation requirements, then put the year (2015-2016) and the credits.  

 

[PeterPan]

In reality you're just giving them paper trail.  If they want to use your algebra 1, they'll put it onto their own transcript.  I would just be informative.  It sounds like you could put:

 

English Lit and Composition

Reading Intervention 

Study Skills

Algebra 1

Survey of World History

Physical Science

Art

Religion

 

Am I seeing she also did some latin?  Your sig says earth science but you mentioned a mix of chem and physics.  That's why I'm saying you could put that down as phsyical science.  *Don't* do that if you intend for her to take physical science next year.  If that's what she's taking next year, then put her science for this year down as earth science or general science.  If she's taking bio next year, then you could put any of those three labels down for 8th and be fine.

 

It sounds like she spent significant time on her LA, so that's why I was breaking it into three.  For the history, same gig.  As long as what you put down doesn't preclude what she wants to take next year, you're golden.  To me that looks like a pretty good list, kwim?  I think they'll roll with it.  Something like that.

[Storygirl]

I think OhE's suggestions for course titles are good. Unless they have a particular format they are looking for, I think you could just create a document where you list each course title and then provide a brief description. So list English and then type out some of the topics covered and/or curriculum used and/or books read. You could say something like, "This course focused on building strong paragraphs and writing short essays, with an emphasis on blah blah blah." I think listing a reading intervention course is an excellent idea.

 

Because they are willing to work with students who have learning challenges, it's a really good idea to show them what kind of extra help and intervention she has been receiving. It might be helpful to include a cover letter in which you describe in detail the extra supports she has needed and what help you think she will require at their school. Does she have an IEP?

 

I wouldn't worry about format. I'd just make up a list of course titles, annotate it, and give it to them. Don't worry about assigning credits or GPA or anything. If they want an idea of grades, you can put a letter grade beside the title. Something like:

 

English 8         A-

annotate here with a description of what she learned

 

Algebra 1        B+

annotate here with description of curriculum and tutoring help she received

 

And so on.