Transcript questions

[naturalmom]

My current transcript for my son is arranged by subject (no plans to change that), and has four columns for course name, class info, credits and grade.  Under course info, I have either listed the focus of the course,  the text/resources used, or if it was an outsourced class I list where it was taken along with the college's course number.  I currently do not have test results on the transcript, because I'm at a full page right now.

Here are my questions:

Should the class info be left off the transcript?  I would prefer to leave it on, because it makes it easier to match his high school transcript with the transcripts coming from the other schools.  It also helps me distinguish our foreign language to better show levels we have covered. (Last year was a college level German grammar review book, and this year is German film, also using a college textbook.

Would it be important to list test scores on the transcript?  We have ACT, SAT, SAT subject, and AP scores that could be included.  But these will generally be either self reported on the common app or sent to the school, with the exception of AP scores.

For course descriptions, do I need to include them for courses I did not teach at home? I have descriptions from the course catalog, but since we have to send college transcripts anyway, maybe it's best to leave those descriptions off my list?  

I am leaning toward leaving the transcript as it stands, with the class info but without the test scores, and only providing course descriptions for courses done at home.  Are my instincts right?  

 

[Lori D.]

5 hours ago, naturalmom said:

Should the class info be left off the transcript?  I would prefer to leave it on, because it makes it easier to match his high school transcript with the transcripts coming from the other schools.  It also helps me distinguish our foreign language to better show levels we have covered. (Last year was a college level German grammar review book, and this year is German film, also using a college textbook...

Class info/descriptions go on a separate Course Description document, and extracurriculars and awards go on another separate Extracurriculars and Awards document. You can easily match up the transcripts by using the same course name/number used by the schools where the credits were earned.

Transcripts include:
- course names + grade earned + credit earned
- grading scale
- cumulative GPA
- student and school names & contact info (at top of transcript)
- administrator signature, and optional statement about courses were done in compliance with your state education law ______ (fill in legislature number)
- and, optionally, in a "notes section" (at bottom or right side of transcript) you can test scores and dates (for AP, SAT, ACT) 

5 hours ago, naturalmom said:

My current transcript for my son is arranged by subject (no plans to change that), and has four columns for course name, class info, credits and grade.  Under course info, I have either listed the focus of the course,  the text/resources used, or if it was an outsourced class I list where it was taken along with the college's course number. 

Meaning this with all kindness... as a graphic designer from my earlier life (lol) -- that sounds so visually overloaded that my eyes hurt just thinking about it, and so painfully busy that I would want to run screaming from it (lol)... 😫😉 

What you can do is use the same course name/number that the other schools used for consistency with his other transcripts, and you can include a footnote to indicate where each course was accomplished. That way, your "class info" can be noted for every course, and only have to show up once on the transcript. Example:

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . credit . . . grade
German I ¹. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
German II ¹. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1.00 . . . . X
GER 201 ² . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
GER 202 ² . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1.00 . . . . X
GER 301: Grammar ³ . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
German Through Film ⁴ . . . . .1.00 . . . . X
total For. Lang. credit/GPA . . . . . 600 . . . .X.XXX

NOTES
Notations indicate where/how course was completed:
1 = self study / homeschool
2 = XYZ Community College (on campus)
3 = ABC university (online)
4 = LMNOP course provider (online)
5 = DEF Public High School (on campus)
6 = GHIJK Private High School (on campus)

Perhaps you could instead use your 4th column for all the miscellaneous information: a section for "Notes"; a section for "Test Scores"; a section for "Grading Scale"; etc. And then to list your class info/descriptions -- the "focus of the course, text/resources used", etc. -- would all go on the separate Course Description document. Always, that specific detailed information goes on the separate Course Description document, and NOT on the transcript. 😉 

5 hours ago, naturalmom said:

Would it be important to list test scores on the transcript?  We have ACT, SAT, SAT subject, and AP scores that could be included.  But these will generally be either self reported on the common app or sent to the school, with the exception of AP scores.

Totally optional. Totally your call. Good either way. 😉

5 hours ago, naturalmom said:

For course descriptions, do I need to include them for courses I did not teach at home? I have descriptions from the course catalog, but since we have to send college transcripts anyway, maybe it's best to leave those descriptions off my list? 

Just my opinion: I would be consistent and describe each course. There's no way of knowing what the admissions officers will want to look at in more depth.

BUT... I would also be kind to the college admissions officers and keep the descriptions brief -- just a few sentences or short paragraph (so you're getting roughly 4-5 courses described on each page of paper). List course name (matching your transcript), where/how the course was accomplished, the overall scope of the course (in brief); major works or resources used (do not list every single little thing); and any major/outstanding or special projects, papers, or output. You can make note if there was something unique, accelerated or special.

Many courses are very standard and will only need a sentence or two. For outsourced courses, yes, you can copy/paste the course catalog class descriptions -- but I would still edit each of those down to just the highlights and any special focus.

BEST of luck as you prepare for your records for the college admission process! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Lori D.

[daijobu]

1 hour ago, naturalmom said:

Would it be important to list test scores on the transcript?  We have ACT, SAT, SAT subject, and AP scores that could be included.  But these will generally be either self reported on the common app or sent to the school, with the exception of AP scores.

For course descriptions, do I need to include them for courses I did not teach at home? I have descriptions from the course catalog, but since we have to send college transcripts anyway, maybe it's best to leave those descriptions off my list?  

 

 

My dd had high test scores, so I did include them prominently on the transcript.  

Instead of the "class info" you have on your transcript, I include all that information in my course descriptions.  I have a course description for every class my dd took, whether it was self-study at home or an online class or an in person class.  I appended the course descriptions to the transcript into one pdf.

Here's an example:

AP Statistics

In this course, students are introduced to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students are exposed to four broad conceptual themes: exploring data (describing patterns and departures from patterns), sampling and experimentation (planning and conducting a study), anticipating patterns (exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation), and statistical inference (estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses).

Partner:  PA Homeschoolers

Instructor: Carole Matheny

Text: The Practice of Statistics by Daren S. Starnes, et al. 

 

[Kareni]

@naturalmom, if you or others have an interest in seeing the transcript and course descriptions that I created for my daughter, I'd be happy to email them. Simply send me a personal message with your email address. 

Regards,

Kareni

[catz]

What I did was have a basic one page transcript that just had courses, credits, descriptions arranged by subject.  I highlighted honors and outside and dual enrollment classes in different ways.  Then I had a single page credit worksheet showing how we fufilled graduation requirements (set by me, but loosely based on state requirements and requirements set by a local rigorous college prep private high school.  Then I had full course descriptions, teacher info, resources etc listed after.  Also arranged by subject.  I loaded that as a single doc to the common app.  

My kid had great test scores and they were on his transcript for a while until space ran out.  That single first page was very tight!

Actually Kareni sent me her stuff a long time ago and that really help guide me!  

Edited September 3, 2019 by FuzzyCatz

[naturalmom]

Thank you all so much!  I appreciate the responses, and have made some adjustments.  I have done this twice before, but this one is more complex - more outsourced classes, more out-of-the-box classes .  My other two applied to one school each, whereas youngest has reaches, matches, and safeties.  I'm just a bit more nervous about this one!

[Lori D.]

39 minutes ago, naturalmom said:

Thank you all so much!  I appreciate the responses, and have made some adjustments.  I have done this twice before, but this one is more complex - more outsourced classes, more out-of-the-box classes .  My other two applied to one school each, whereas youngest has reaches, matches, and safeties.  I'm just a bit more nervous about this one!

BEST of luck to you both as you enter the home stretch with homeschooling/administrating this student!

ETA -- PS
You might also double check if any of the schools being applied to *require* transcripts in grade/year format and not in subject format. If so, you could slightly modify your 4 column layout into a 5 column layout to make the transcript both grade/year AND subject based:

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . grade 9 . . . . . . grade 10 . . . . . grade 11 . . . . . grade 12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . credit  grade . . . . credit  grade . . . . credit  grade . . . . credit  grade
MATH
course
Algebra 1 ^*
Geometry ⁴. . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1.00 . . . . X
Algebra 2 ⁴ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
MAT 188: Pre-Calc. 1 ². . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.00 . . . . X
MAT 189: Pre-Calc. 2 ² . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
MAT 220: Calculus 1 ³ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
MAT 223: Calculus 2 ³ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
total For. Lang. credit/GPA = 600 / X.XXX

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
course
German I ¹. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.00 . . . . X
German II ¹. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1.00 . . . . X
GER 201 ² . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
GER 202 ² . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1.00 . . . . X
GER 301: Grammar ³ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . . X
German Through Film ⁴ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.00 . . . . X
total For. Lang. credit/GPA = 600 / X.XXX

NOTES
Notations indicate where/how course was completed:
* = 1.00 credit high school course completed in grade 8
1 = self study / homeschool
2 = XYZ Community College (on campus)
3 = ABC university (online)
4 = LMNOP course provider (online)
5 = DEF Public High School (on campus)
6 = GHIJK Private High School (on campus)

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Lori D.

[Corraleno]

I organized my transcript the same way Lori D did, with courses grouped by subject, and columns used to designate the year taken. I used a 3-letter abbreviation in parentheses after outsourced classes to show where they were taken: (ASU) for Arizona State courses, (TLP) for The Lukeion Project, etc. I included a key to providers, along with a grading key and test scores, in a column on the right side of the page.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Corraleno

[EKS]

I would leave the course info off the transcript and put it in your course descriptions.  Make the titles of your home-based classes more descriptive so that they can be differentiated easily. 

With regard to course descriptions, when my older son applied to colleges five years ago, I was under the impression that I only needed course descriptions for the home-based courses because students in traditional schools don't need to do anything special with regard to that, so why would a homeschooler who has taken classes at those same schools?  Well.  That's apparently not the case because the Common App actually specifically asks for course descriptions (they say to list the "content") for outside courses.  And just outside courses.  Like, what the heck?  And they still do.  So this time around, I've made a course description document that has descriptions for all courses taken.

I don't put any test scores on the transcript.

[naturalmom]

Thank you Kai - your timing is perfect!  I am just starting to work through the course descriptions.  Thankfully I have worked on them from year to year, and I took the time to copy the outside courses from the college catalogs.  I kept outside course descriptions separate from the home administered courses, and was just thinking maybe I could scrap the outside descriptions when I got an email notification and read your post;)

The only "description" I've left on the transcript is the educational institution for outsourced classes (four different schools), mainly so it will connect more easily with the official transcripts that will come in.

I'm starting the School Report on the Common App next week, and will also need to do one for the Coalition - so I may be back with more questions!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

FWIW--My transcripts had a two or three letter code that I included as a superscript after the course title to indicate any outside course provider. At the bottom of the transcript I had a key that explained the codes (ie WTM for Well-Trained Mind Academy). I also added a + or * to indicate a weighted course or AP course with exam.  I went into much more detail in the course descriptions. I viewed the transcript like a first resume, it should have all the relevant information on one single page.  Student name, the phrase "official transcript", contact information, student date of birth, unweighted GPA, weighted GPA, credits earned, credits expected, expected graduation date (be sure to change once they have graduated for the final transcript), class names, grades (I listed as letter grades), credits per class, significant test scores and academic honors. I also included a grading scale, ie A=4.0 or 97-100 B-= 2.7 or 80-82. On the back side of the transcript was a detailed breakdown of credits, weighted and unweighted grades, and how I calculated both GPAs.

[klmama]

1 hour ago, JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst said:

 and how I calculated both GPAs.

Do you mean how many points the various types of courses were worth or something else?  

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

On 9/11/2019 at 11:59 AM, klmama said:

Do you mean how many points the various types of courses were worth or something else?  

I had 6 columns across the back: course titles (in order they appeared on the front), letter grade for that class, number of credits awarded for that class, the course grade unweighted (ie 4.0), course grade weighted (ie 5.0), reason for weighting the grade (honors, AP, college level course).  At the bottom I gave the total credits possible, the total points weighted and unweighted (ie add up the columns), at the very bottom were the total credits earned and each GPA based on the credits.  For a mid-year transcript some courses were designated "IP or In Progress" and not included in the GPA or in the credits used to calculate GPA.

I hope that makes sense and I hope it helps!

[klmama]

1 hour ago, JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst said:

I had 6 columns across the back: course titles (in order they appeared on the front), letter grade for that class, number of credits awarded for that class, the course grade unweighted (ie 4.0), course grade weighted (ie 5.0), reason for weighting the grade (honors, AP, college level course).  At the bottom I gave the total credits possible, the total points weighted and unweighted (ie add up the columns), at the very bottom were the total credits earned and each GPA based on the credits.  For a mid-year transcript some courses were designated "IP or In Progress" and not included in the GPA or in the credits used to calculate GPA.

I hope that makes sense and I hope it helps!

Now I understand what you meant.  Thanks!     

[naturalmom]

Thank you everyone for your help and comments!  I have submitted everything to the Common App and Coalition, and am "finished" until the Mid-Year Report, which should be straightforward.