Homeschooling High School? Start Here!!

Welcome to The HomeScholar Helper - your one stop shop for all your homeschool high school questions. Learn about homeschool transcripts, recommended high school courses, record keeping, college admissions, scholarships, grades and credits.

Do you really NEED to take college admission tests?  Even when you have dual enrollment in a community college?

Quick question. If my daughter is in the Running Start program,  doing dual enrollment, and will enter college as a transfer student, does she need to take the SAT? Thank you in advance,
Leslie

Dear Leslie,

Quick answer:  yes!

Long answer:  She doesn’t rally “have to” take the SAT in that position, but it will help.  If she is doing dual enrollment her junior and senior year in high school, she is only a transfer in terms of academics.  She’ll still be a freshman in terms of admission.  So having the SAT scores will help her freshman admission package to look as complete and awesome as possible, and can lead to more financial aid.   If she really stinks at tests, then the SAT probably won’t hurt her, and her grades at community college will be more important than her SAT.  But if she does above average on the test (above 500 on each section) then it will improve her chances of admission and scholarships.

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>>>>Is it also possible to finish high school earlier than 4 years?  Is this a good idea?<<<<

It’s very hard to say if it’s a “good” idea, because it varies so much family to family, child to child, college to college, and even year to year as maturity changes things!  But yes, you can graduate early, or you can start high school early and then do it in four years.  Or both.

I can tell you what worked for me.  I waited until it was time to graduate my son.  Then I arranged the previous 4 years of education and called it “high school.”  He had collected some college credits at that time, so he graduated high school at 16 - and he entered the university with Junior year status.

If you find yourself in a similar situation then you should consider my e-book, “The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts” for two reasons.  First, it will help you with keeping records “as if” your child was in high school so that you’ll be ready for anything, no matter what the future holds.  Second, it will also give you a 1 month free membership to the Gold Care Club, so you can learn more about record keeping, and what credits these classes are worth.  It also gives you a free 20 minute consultation with me every week, so we can talk about this issues regularly, so you feel more confident.

Is it helpful or even necessary to enroll with an online or correspondence school for high school?  I have had friends tell me it is much easier then trying to keep records yourself.

You do NOT have to do an online or correspondence school!  In fact, sometimes (often) those will require MUCH MORE paperwork than doing it yourself.  I was in a similar situation in my own home, and my children did not use an accredited program.  We were admitted to every college we applied to (even graduating early) and we given a full tuition scholarship to our first choice university (even graduating early.)  I know for certain that you can do it yourself.  I even think it’s easier and less stressful!

Do you Twitter?  Follow me here!

Confused about “Parent Partnership Programs”?  If so check out an article I wrote here.

Homeschooling is NOT the same as being in a parent partnership programs.  There is LOTS of freedom with independent homeschooling!  My Gold Care Club will give you all the help you need to succeed!

High School?  5th grade?  Where do you draw the line between “smart” and “put it on the high school transcript?”

I received some questions on my Facebook the other day.  Some big, beefy questions!  How about if I give you the “readers digest” version with some resources for more information.

>>>>My son is 10 and he is interested in studying Birds.  I would like to purchase a Bird Study course from Cornell University.  My daughter is 11 and would also like to study various things including Baking Science with a book typically used at a culinary school.  Can I use their studies toward a high school course later on?<<<

It’s possible to use that information on a high school transcript.  Instead of deciding what you’re going to do with it for their transcript, I suggest that you just save that experience with lots of record keeping.  Then later, when they are ready to graduate high school, you’ll have all the information you need about that course.  You’ll be able decide at that time if you want to include it on the transcript or not.  I found myself in that same situation with economics when my son was that age.  At first I didn’t think I would want to use it on the transcript, but later on I found out that I did want to use it.  So just save the information, practice your high school record keeping with that class, but leave the “deciding” for later on.

If you think you child is ready to start some high school courses when they are the age of a typical 5th or 6th grader, then you are likely dealing with someone very gifted.  In this situation, I recommend my audio course, “Gifted Education at Home.”

Some people wonder if Christians should go to college.  After all, college is filled with faulty humans.  For many people and for many reasons, college is the next step after high school.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”
1 Corinthians 13: 11

We spend much of our homeschool years explaining to people the reasons we keep our children safe at home.  Those reasons don’t change when our children grow up - it’s our children that change.  In fact, they become adults.  Adults must interact with a fallen world on a regular basis.  Firm in their faith, adult Christians need to negotiate the contrasting world views with their own beliefs intact.  At some point, and you will know when it happens to you, your child will be ready to “become a man” (or woman) and move on into life - and that “life” may include college.  So train up your child in the way they should go, and when they become adult, allow them to engage the culture and change the world.

Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  Mark 16:15

It’s a command.  Jesus said it.  That verse just screams for our attention.  He doesn’t say, “Go into all the world, but not college.” So if college is in your child’s future, prepare them to face it as a mature adult.

But of course, you don’t have to throw your children into the lion’s den either.  Responsible Christians don’t generally choose to hang out in bars or clubs for fun.  So with your students, choose your college carefully, weighing the options - just don’t be afraid of college in general.

If college is the next natural step after high school, then prepare your students to step boldly into adulthood.  Allow them to engage the culture so that they may change the world.

Pondering why Jesus said “follow me,” instead of “follow me on Twitter.”

Where to begin with a Junior in high school?   Probably the best place to start is this article.  You can ignore the parts if you’ve missed them already.  Better yet, make a plan to catch up.  Even if you are behind on your planning for college, don’t lose hope!  You can recover with a well thought out senior year plan!

I can help you brainstorm ideas - just call or email me.

Record keeping is for important so that you keep things that are needed by your state law.  It’s also important to keep records that you will need to make course descriptions AND keep records that colleges may ask you for (writing samples, etc.)

One of the things colleges seem most interested in is a high school reading list.  But why should they care?  The reading list gives a snapshot of the student, so colleges will know more about their reading level, interests, and extracurricular reading.   The reading list should include ALL books, whether for school or for fun.  Not every college asks for one, just like not every college asks for a course description.  So both come under the category of “always be prepared.”

Learn more about finding a perfect college fit with my DVD, Finding a College!

I am occasionally asked about how I graded my kids in high school.   I gave tests in about 1/2 my courses at home, and the other 1/2 we evaluated their learning in NON test ways.  You can get a sample of what I mean in my article about grading English here.

I have a LONG section about grading in my e-book, The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts.  The process of grading is also described in the audio course called “Making a Transcript,” which comes as a bonus with the book.

Darcy asked me some followup questions after my homeschool high school seminar in Vancouver.  Here are the answers I provided.

Can sign language count as a foreign language?

Yes!  Most colleges will accept sign language as a foreign language.  It’s always a good idea to ask the colleges you are looking at, to find out their specific policy, because it can vary.  However, most colleges that I have seen will accept American Sign Language and Latin (those are the two most asked about languages!)

If a child does dance, can that count for PE as well as Fine Arts?

Yes, but not with double-dipping.  One credit of dance can be PE or it can be Fine Art, but it can’t be BOTH.  The 150 hours of a credit can only be counted once.  Usually people who like dancing do a LOT of dancing.  They will often have different kinds of dance, so that one can be the PE credit and another can be the Fine Art credit.  (Remember you don’t need to have both of those every year!)   You can’t use the same hours for two purposes.  But you might have enough hours to do both.

Would 4-H things like “Horse Group” or sewing be counted as electives?

4-H and Boy Scouting are very similar in one way:  almost all of it is completely educational in nature.  I haven’t met a 4-H that didn’t belong on a transcript!  I would include your “horse group” as an elective, but if you are doing much riding, it might be a good fit for PE.  Sewing can be a wonderful elective for textile science, fashion design, or home economics.

Can “Horse” be science?

The study of horses can certainly be a science, as long as you are studying the SCIENCE of a horse.  Equine studies, veterinary studies, biology of the horse, and that sort of thing are great.  In my opinion, using a horse for science would probably involve some lab work or veterinary skills.  A good rule of thumb for determining if something can be a science is to just look at a college course catalog.  Is there anything in a college catalog like that?  Since we know that veterinarians exist, and that some kids work as a vet assistant, then the science of a horse would be workable.

I am now a featured expert on Bizymoms.com!  You can read my first articles here.