Another Assigning Credits Question (Math)

[Reefgazer]

I have yet another assigning credits question (well, two questions), this time regarding math and science.  Can you tell I am deep in the transcript weeds? 

1.  Our local high school assigns 1 high school credit for each DE semester class at the local college; I am following their credit designations in counting DE credits.  Pre-calculus in high school is one credit, but my DD took Pre-calculus at the local college over 2 semesters ("Pre-calculus" I and "Pre-calculus II with Trigonometry").  Should I assign 1 high school credit for each of these semester courses (for a total of 2 Pre-calculus credits) or just 0.5 credit for both courses (for a total of 1 Pre-calculus credit)?  2 Credits seems a lot for Pre-calculus.  OTOH, if I am consistent and following our local high school, it would be worth 2 credits.  When I was in high school, Trigonometry was 1 year/1 credit and Pre-calculus was another year and also 1 credit.  FWIW, DD will have 4 high school math credits if I count each semester as 0.5 credit and 5 high school math credits if I count each as 1 credit. 

 

2.  About assigning science credits:  DD will graduate with 4 credits of lab science.  She completed an Equine Science course with a college-level text and spent 3 hours per week working at a barn, where she was able to put much of what she learned in the text to use.  Should this course be an elective or a science course?

[MamaSprout]

5 hours ago, Reefgazer said:

2.  About assigning science credits:  DD will graduate with 4 credits of lab science.  She completed an Equine Science course with a college-level text and spent 3 hours per week working at a barn, where she was able to put much of what she learned in the text to use.  Should this course be an elective or a science course?

Right now I have "science and technology" as a subject heading, and am putting those types of electives there. I don't have an elective heading. I also have "arts and humanities" as a heading for fine arts, foreign language and history. So, English, Math, Science & Tech, Health & Physical Education, and Arts & Humanities. YMMV

Edited June 11, 2019 by MamaSprout

[fourisenough]

I would probably assign just 1 credit for the 2 semesters of DE pre-calc combined. 

I would put Equine Science in the electives category. 

JMHO, though, so do whatever makes sense to you.

[Reefgazer]

6 hours ago, fourisenough said:

I would probably assign just 1 credit for the 2 semesters of DE pre-calc combined. 

I would put Equine Science in the electives category. 

JMHO, though, so do whatever makes sense to you.

 Well, assigning one credit for both semesters of pre-calculus makes sense to me.  I just don’t know how to word that on the transcript because everything else is one semester equals one credit and I have a note that I follow public school protocol.  Do I have to note that this is an exception?   Also, DD received different grades for the two semesters.  How would I list that on my high school transcript when the college transcript says differently?

 

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Reefgazer

[MamaSprout]

You could list them separately with their actual course title and give .5 per semester. Or give a full credit per semester. Either way it will be clear what you are doing.

example:

Precalculus 1 (XCC) MA 123      .5 credits       A

Edited June 11, 2019 by MamaSprout

[Farrar]

Most transcripts I’ve seen don’t separate out core classes in a subject from elective ones. So, for example, “English 9” and “Special Topics in Shakespeare” would both be under English on a subject based transcript. So I don’t think Equine Science needs to be anywhere but science.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Farrar

[teachermom2834]

I had the precalculus over two semesters issue. While it makes sense to me that it would be equivalent to one credit it just made it cleaner in my opinion to follow the very strong local custom of one high school credit per three credit hour class. He had more than the necessary credits so it really didn’t matter. It was just easier to be consistent with the awarding of de credits. I also knew that this was very common in my region so it just made sense to be consistent and I knew the colleges would be used to seeing it that way.

But I think either way works. I am sure the colleges are used to the scenario.

[BusyMom5]

I'm organizing by year, so I'd just lost the horse class under the year taken.  If you list by topic, I think it fits best under electives rather then science.  I took AG science is usually counted as an elective at most high schools.  

[EKS]

When my older son took trig at the CC, I counted it as 0.5 credits because of the reason you mentioned.  Then I decided to count all of his CC courses as 0.5 credits because he didn't need more credits and because that seemed to me to be the amount of work they required (compared to our homeschool courses).  That said, I will be counting the CC courses my younger son takes as 1 credit for various reasons, but one of which is that he doesn't have the precalculus/trig issue.

Regarding the horse course, why can't you call it a science elective?  I don't separate out electives from core courses in the same subject (I organize the transcript by subject), but then again, nothing that might be considered an elective is taking the place of a course in the standard high school sequence.  So, in the case of science, my kids had biology, chemistry, and physics as well as several other elective credits, but they are all listed under science.  My "graduation requirements" list has an asterisk that notes that the four science credits required must include biology, chemistry, and physics.