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If you are reading this page, then you probably homeschool a high school student.
And you are wondering all about high school transcripts!
First, I want to congratulate you for homeschooling your high school student and for wanting to learn more about homeschool transcripts.
High school and transcripts can seem scary! And you have many questions.
But, you can do it! And I will help you right here!
I also suggest that you check out Transcripts Made Easy by Janice Campbell.
This valuable resource is fantastic for all newbies to homeschool transcripts! You will learn exactly how to create a transcript in a step-by-step manner. This resource will provide you with enormous amounts of detail about the transcript process.
Before we go any further, you might want to know what is a homeschool transcript anyway.
A transcript is just a concise document which summarizes courses, credits and grade about your education during high school years.
Simple!
But, now you may be wondering why you even need a high school transcript?
A homeschool transcript is mostly needed if your child plans to attend college or vocational school. Admission officers look at the transcript to obtain a quick summary of the academic status of your child.
A summary of high school work is also necessary for individuals who plan to home college. Home college is just an extension of homeschool beyond the high school years and compulsory education period. Of course, if you home college, then you also need to prepare a college transcript! Fortunately, the high school and the college transcript can be prepared similarly.
These transcripts are valuable for future employers and can accompany employment applications. Your employer can get to know you much better from your homeschool transcript.
Even if your child does not have college aspirations now, it is still a good idea to summarized high school work on a homeschool transcript anyway. You just never know when a transcript will be necessary! Plus, it can be a great souvenir for your child and for you!
So, when should you prepare the homeschool transcript?
If possible, I would suggest that you start to plan high school education in seventh and eighth grade. Middle school is a time to assess what may be missing from the elementary education and to do some remedial work if necessary. Also, junior high school can be a time to start high school subjects if ready!
During this planning phase, you need to find out about your state’s minimum high school requirement and various colleges’ admission requirements. You should plan to meet or exceed these requirements.
Also, you and your child need to decide high school goals which should match career aspirations.
If your student is finishing high school now, then you need to assess work done to date and determine how to meet any gaps.
You will need to keep records and document work in the most efficient way for you. Some people use daily planners or teachers’ planners. However, they did not work for me.
Instead, I created my own master weekly log on Excel which listed the texts/books/activities down the left column and the days of the week across the top columns. I made copies of the master each week. Then, I just filled in the grids with the daily assignments. I would give each of my children a copy for them to plan and check off their work for the week. I keep the original in a notebook. I would update the master log periodically.
I am more specific with the daily assignments for my elementary daughter. And I am more general with the weekly assignments for my high school son. I am trying to teach him to plan his work more for himself which is one of our goals for high school!
The fun part of a homeschool transcript is showing your creativity with designing courses! You do not just have to have the traditional courses. You can make up your own courses to meet the interests and desires of your high school student!
Based on my children’s activities and interests, I planned various classes. Then, I created a class log where I summarize texts, books, activities, field trips, documentaries, movies, and projects, etc.
For example, my older daughter dances pre-professionally so she has lots and lots of dance lessons, rehearsals, and performances. So, she has a class in Physical Education – Dance and a class in Fine Arts – Dance Performance. I keep track of specific events and classes on her weekly log. And I periodically summarize this information on her class log.
Easy!!
My son with Asperger’s Syndrome and my younger daughter with PDD-NOS need extra help with communication and social skills. So, guess what? They have a class in Communication and Social Skills! And I get to count social events toward this class!
Wow!
We actually go out of our way to attend social events, discuss various communication techniques and social skills, do “homework” at the events, and then discuss their progress afterwards. We will also use various curriculum from Art of Eloquence during this class. Again, I log the actual events on their weekly logs and summarize the general events on their class log.
By the way, homeschool classes do not have to be completed within a semester or a one year time period. Many of the traditional classes that have a text book usually will be completed within this designated time frame. However, the more creative classes may span several years or all four years!
We have also started classes in Life Skills, Creation Science, Biblical Roots, Christian Worldview, Logic, Computer Science, Natural Health as well as the usual traditional classes. We will add AP (Advanced Placement) classes toward the end of high school for preparation for the corresponding AP Test.
Sometimes it may be difficult to differentiate actual classes from hobbies and extracurricular activities.
For example, my son with Asperger’s Syndrome is taking piano lessons just for fun. It is also helping his fine motor control. Since he is not interested in any other fine arts class and since he needs a fine arts class to meet some colleges’ admission requirements, I will work to turn this hobby into a class.
We will add music theory. I will also have him read about and listen to various composers. We will continue The Listening Program since it has been very successful for him. He will attend his sister's ballet performances and listen to the various classical compositions. After 4 years of much creativity, hopefully, he will have 1 credit in Fine Arts - Music!
Now my older daughter likes crafts. But, crafts is just something that she does for fun in her spare time. She already will have fine arts credits in dance performance and she plans to major in science, so she will not need another another fine arts credit. However, if she becomes more serious about a certain craft and becomes much more skilled, then I could give her class credit at a later date.
The assignment of course credits on the homeschool transcript is actually rather simple. For example, when they finish the Apologia Biology text and labs, they will have 1 credit in Biology. Otherwise, 1 credit will be 120-180 hours of study for the more creative classes. I will figure out the actual credits for many classes at the end of high school.
Now, you need to figure out grades for the homeschool transcript.
If you give tests and quizzes and if you grade projects and reports, then you already have the basis for a course grade. Congratulations!
However, for me, grading is the hardest part!
I give feedback instead of grades and I encourage mastery of the subject instead of finishing the subject. I also expect a lot more quality and quantity of my kids than our public school.
So, if you are like me, you will need to figure out a different way to give grades for high school courses that are fair to your children, yet also representative of their work and capabilities to others.
However, definitely do not give straight A’s unless the PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, and CLEP scores can validate these grades!
Now, you are ready to organize all of this information and actually make the homeschool transcript for your high school student!
The good news is that you can organize this information anyway that you want to! The bad news is that you have to decide how to organize this information!
You can make the homeschool transcript vertical or horizontal. You can group the subjects by year or by subject. You can make the transcript on Excel or you can find someone to type it for you. Try out various formats to see what works best for you and your child.
Even though I have explained a lot about homeschool high school transcripts on this page, you may still want to know even more.
What do you do?
Well, you check out Transcripts Made Easy!
Transcripts Made Easy
by Janice Campbell explains ALL about the homeschool transcript for your high school student in greater detail and in an easy-to-read style.
And you will receive much more information than you just read here. After all, Transcripts Made Easy is a book and this is just a website page!
Here are some of the topics which are thoroughly covered in Transcripts Made Easy.
- How to plan a high school curriculum
- What records to keep?
- How to organize information
- How to determine credits for traditional, creative, unit study and dual-credit classes
- What to do about grades for all circumstances
- What actually goes on the transcript?
- How to actually construct the transcript
- How to use a portfolio
- How to create a high school diploma
- Lots of reproducible forms
- How to make your own forms on your computer
- Many resources
- How to avoid the preparation of a high school transcript
- And so much more!
I highly encourage you to make your homeschool life much easier with Transcripts Made Easy! So, now you know much more about the homeschool transcript for your high school student and you are ready to start your own transcript.
You can do it!
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