Making a transcript isn’t so hard….  Well….  Until it gets complicated, LOL!  Renee asked a question about how to put foreign language on the high school transcript when classes were taken at a community colleges.

This is what I would suggest for Renee:

Use the exact grade the college gave him.  A 3.7 is still a 3.7.  Each whole college class is a whole high school. credit.

I would use the college class titles, and indicate the community college where he took the class.  So for example:
*HCC Ger 101: Elem  German 1 – 1 credit *HCC Ger 102: Elem  German 2 – 1 credit

At the bottom of the transcript, define the acronym for your college:
*HCC is Highline Community College

In community college, it’s possible to get three high school credits of a foreign language during senior year if they take three quarters of foreign language in a community college.  That’s one way to catch up on necessary classes when something big is missing.

I hope that helps!  If you are working on your transcript, you can get more information on the Total Transcript Solution.  Then if you still have questions, you’ll be able to call me directly and we can discuss it!

Interesting Lee. One area my daughter did well in was in our local Community College.

Our successful method was — talking to students about the professors; getting recommendations about them in conjunction with RateMyProfessor.com. I found the latter to be highly accurate.

One course was full already because it was known she was excellent.I emailed to ask if she would take one more student as I heard she was excellent, and not an easy A. My daughter couldn’t take an easy A course as writing was related to her career choice and she needed to develop in that area. So I told this prof that and she let one more in. By the end, she was impressed with my daughter’s above average writing skills and helpful critiques on other students work the she offered this glowing letter for colleges and scholarships as well as signatures to enter the Scholastic Writing Contest.

My daughter had one bad experience, but it was incompetence by the teacher not an affront to our values. An abstract expressionist was teaching a classical drawing class  (Representational art aka realism) and she felt like she didn’t learn what she wanted since she chose the course based on the description. It was the one teacher we were not able to bet any information on before enrolling.

Did you know some local public schools will allow a homeschooler to enroll for one or two classes only? Well, I did that for Physics because I couldn’t deliver that let alone supervise it. Nor did I have a lab. I could not find a tutor for it either. I did not think my daughter would do well using Virtual School Online as she needed a person when there was any math being done.

However, that turned out to be a horrific class. Most of the kids got Fs during the year, the teacher could not lecture well at all and spent most of his time talking about his stint in Vietnam. He was in his 70′s. She however, got 95′s because she was a good reader and it turned out she learned most of it on her own reading the book and using You Tube for some real world demonstrations.  But the other kids learned hardly anything, but in the end he gave them As and Bs to pass them. Just terrible.

She at least got to see what a public school was like and her other peers. She thought a lot of them were unethical. Cheating and forging parental signatures even. She never was in a school with a bell system either and her reaction to that was pretty funny when the bells went off. So she got some exposure to public school.

Anyhow, hope my tips can help you or anyone out about how to use your CC. BTW I taught as an adjunct at the college level in the past.

Lois

Sometimes as homeschool parents we panic, and wonder if the grass is greener in another school or classroom.  Sometimes other classes ARE good.  But you know what?  Sometimes your homeschool classes are great too!  The grass is NOT greener on the other side.

If you would like some encouragement on facing high school physics, please see my YouTube tip here: Teaching Physics in Homeschool
For more information and stories about Community College read my article here: Facing the Community College Fad

I would love for you to share your stories about community college too!  Please leave a comment and let me know your opinion.

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Hi Lee,
I have a question and maybe you can advise me in. I have been homeschooling my 4 children for the last 7 years. My oldest will start her senior year sometime in the next few months. My next one will be starting her junior year. For the last year, they have done nothing but beg me to send them back to public school. Suddenly they want to experience it. My head says it would be ok, but my heart screams no! I am so torn. I had my families support but suddenly they are agreeing with my girls. My husband doesn’t understand the point since they want to do duel enrollment. He is from England and still can’t understand why at 17 a child is even still in high school. Any advise? I’d be very grateful!!
Blessings~
Cyndi

Dear Cyndi,

There is an issue you need to consider.  It’s fairly routine to get homeschoolers into college, but it is difficult to get homeschool credits accepted by a public school.  Chances are if she starts public school now, they will consider her a freshman.  Be very careful.  They may be able to experience public school, but end up experiencing it for a long time before graduating.  I believe the principal is ultimately responsible for those decisions.

If they are doing dual enrollment, then you can include those credits on your homeschool transcript, and you probably won’t have trouble.  Dual enrollment can also have some negative consequences.  Community college dual enrollment is often a “Rated R” environment.  Although each  community college is unique, I have heard shockingly consistent stories across the country.  Please research that option carefully as well.

This may be some helpful reading for you: Public School for Senior Year , Facing the Community College Fad

The Comprehensive Record Solution provides the training and templates and real life examples of successful high school records.

Rebecca on Facebook asked:

Hello – I attended one of your sessions on Homeschooling High School a few years ago at Seattle Pacific University. I appreciated so much what you shared!! My son is now in 10th grade and we’re considering Running Start (dual enrollment in community college.) But I had remembered that you mentioned Running Start caused problems for your boys and that you didn’t think it was such a great option. Can you tell me why and what problems it caused for your boys? Many thanks!

Hi Rebecca,
Here is an article about my experiences: Facing the Community College Fad

You can read the experiences of others in these two article: Stories about Facing The Community College Fad

Lovely Landmines: Community College Experience in Canada

A few years ago, another mother heard me speak on the same topic.  She has given me permission to share her experience in a blog post.

Two weeks into our 16-year-old daughter’s first quarter at community college, two pornographic reading assignments were handed out in her required English class. I knew from prior discussions with you that dual enrollment was risky. However, I thought that if we were “selective” in the classes we  took, we could avoid the problems you had warned me about. We are looking for alternatives at this time. ~ Linda

My goal is just to encourage parents to see every side of this issue.  I’m really glad you are doing your research!

Learn how to translate all those great homeschool high school classes into the words and numbers that colleges will understand.  Get the Total Transcript Solution .

Amy on Facebook wanted to know: Lee, does my son need to take the ACT/SAT if he plans to graduate with his AA from community college before going on to the university? Will his AA be enough? He will be a junior next year and we are wondering whether or not to start ACT/SAT prep stuff with him. Thank you!

Some college will also want the SAT or ACT test scores from kids who have done dual enrollment, even if they have an AA as a senior in high school. Not all schools require it, so check with the schools he wants to apply and you can be sure.  But I think that taking one of those tests will help with the application procedure and make it easier for you in the long run.

And remember, choose the test that will highlight your child in the best possible way. A blog post that may be helpful for you is Should I Choose the SAT or ACT for My Homeschooler?

I have created a series of videos on creating great homeschool records for college.  You can find them here.

She provided a great argument in favor of community college.  This would be good to compare and contrast with my article Facing the Community College Fad – http://www.thehomescholar.com/recent-articles/community-college-fad.php

Please read Eunice’s experience with community college, then leave a comment and share your opinion and experiences!  It’s important to share information with each other, so each parent has as much data as possible before making an important decision.

Blessings,
Lee

Dear Lee,
I’ve been following your discussions on “Life after Homeschooling” with interest.

I thought you might welcome some discussion for your Canadian homeschooling clientele as regards what a community college offers here.  My experience is with Camosun College in Victoria, B.C.  We have had three of our children access their programs:  one to obtain university transfer courses, one to get two year computer training, and one to try some of the high school courses (Physics, Math, English) which are fully funded (except texts) until age 19…At which time, many of his first year courses will retroactively give him dual credit for high school and an adult “Dogwood”–high school diploma.

Our experience has been favorable.  It is definitely a transitional time, yet these are the bonuses and the reasons our next child, at least, will also pursue training at this college (likely for graphic arts):

The small class sizes and dedicated professors.  These teachers were KEEN. My own experience in university was that the first year courses were often not as desireable for the professors to teach–Very different at our community college.  They were dedicated and the small class sizes made them very approachable after class.  My daughter actually developed such a good rapport with two of her English teachers that she now considers them friends and has stayed in touch with them.  Some of the programs which had more entrenched instructors were a bit more problematic–one in the computer program and another my son’s friend encountered in an engineering class. Overall there was, actually, a higher level of instruction at these entry courses, though, than is sometimes found at university.  The relative youth and motivation of the teachers might help explain this phenomenon.  One other prof who taught upper level courses at the university also did the high school equivalent Physics course and was pure inspiration.

The low price tag.  These fees are half what university costs in our town. With the small classes and good professors for what might be large first year lecture hall classes at university this is definitely a bonus.

Fast tracking.  Our son’s computer training was equivalent on the job market to a university program.  Two years at half the price means he was not only done in half the time, he’d also spent only a quarter as much.  (I believe this program is actually seen to be more desireable in our hometown because it is viewed as being more practical than the university program–more quickly adapted to the industry.  The only possible drawbacks are that there was less math and the co-op jobs being offered were local rather than international.)

Easy entry.  Our children’s entrance to this college was accomplished based on their writing of an English Placement Test.  Our eldest two did this after grade 10 and, with dean’s permission, could have started university transfer courses right then.  We did not do much preparation for this as I was interested more in some outside documentation of their abilities.  They were both avid readers so the vocabulary element was very easy for them and we had written about three practise essays…Needless to say I was flabergasted.  Our city has many international students so this might account for such a simple bar.  We did need Math 12 for entry into the actual computer training.  My son chose to take this at night school while he worked for a year to save for his education.  (We’ve been debt  free for post-secondary education, by the way, WITHOUT scholarships and the only help from mom and dad being free room and board while they were at school)…

If your student is only there part time, initially, and likely living at home a lot of the pressures one might find are mitigated and I really felt there was not a significant weakening of their faith and no more of an R-rated environment than they would find on the city bus going back and forth to classes.  (The student newspaper was the worst of it from what I could tell!)  I would not recommend taking the college courses in high school across the board, but for the one of our six who did do a few it was helpful.  Lots of prayer needed always as we make these decisions…

This Friday, my daughter invited me along to the creative writing grads’ presentation of their writing–three minutes each only!  It was a fascinating evening:  This was in an informal setting mostly for themselves…Two profs in attendance, a few students such as my daughter who aren’t graduating quite yet, and me, the lone parent (I think   Very eye opening.  The main thing I wanted to share with you was the absolute poignancy of the evening.  There was not a dud writer in the bunch, yet the ones that really stood out were those who connected on a heart level–really putting themselves out there in very much a “truth” way…This is what life is like…So we had poetry, creative non-fiction, play excerpts, fiction and over and over I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing.  So many were able to communicate at a gut level what they were observing in their own lives or offering up these amazing vignettes of another’s life.

To be in that environment was an absolute privilege.  Yet there WAS swearing, overt sexual content, drinking, etc. yet often just the sheer brokenness of the lifestyle came through:  the one girl speaking of her innocence lost, another of jumping from body to body, another the slow closing down emotionally after all the fine hopes at the beginning of the relationship had ended… It went on and on.

And this is it, Lee, if your child is called to this environment, what an absolute gift to connect with these fellow hurting human beings.  Not for the faint of heart and truly a mission field.  And that’s our “test” for pursuing education in a secular institution:  Is God calling you to it?  If so, it can be a powerful place to be.  If not, the land mines are definitely there…Oh, but the ones who were not of this world simply shone:  they just spoke to a different place about different things (maybe still bittersweet, yet LOVELY and true).  Only a couple of Christians in the department, yet what a place for light to shine…  So, please Lee, use whatever is helpful and may you just have all the grace you need to minister into the hearts and lives of parents and their kids…

I hope this helps explain why “community college” is a welcome term in our home,
Sincerely yours,
Eunice in British Columbia, Canada

I have created a series of videos on creating great homeschool records for college.  You can find them here.

Dear Lee,
I am hoping that you could give us some advice.  We have homeschooled our daughter all of her life.  She graduated this past May. She has done well with most subjects at home and at various co-op classes.  She has consistently scored low on the SAT and ACT tests throughout her life.  She took two classes for ACT/SAT prep in her junior year, then again in her senior year.  Now, we have applied at our college, and they were willing for her to enter if she scored well on the Compass entrance exam. She studied hard and did well on the practice tests at home, however, she did not do as well at the actual exam.  They said she is not college ready.She is frustrated and does not want to take the exam again but has a real heart for wanting to be a Vet. Tech. Do you have any advice?
Sincerely,
~ Julie

Dear Julie,

She can study for and take the Compass again.  Often colleges will allow you to take it many times and will take the highest scores.  To get into college, exam scores are only one way to provide validation of her education.  There is another option.  She can take classes at a community college.  Success there will PROVE that she is college ready.  Since she is not a good test taker, she could take classes at the community college, and work toward getting an AA degree.  Once she has that, she will also have many positive letters of recommendation from professors she has gotten to know while she got her AA degree.  With a good GPA and positive recommendations, she should be able to transfer in to a four year institution.

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Math and foreign language are especially difficult at that level, because they move so much faster than high school classes and the material builds on each concept.  If you have to take both math and foreign language during a single semester of community college, it may be quite hard.  Try to ensure the third class is REALLY fluffy class taken at the same time.  The third class should sound “fluffy” in the catalog, but also check the “rate my professors” website, to be sure the teacher is also easy. Taking three heavy classes at a time is not recommended unless you have a very academic child who wants to take all three classes and thrives from in a challenge.  You want to try to guarantee good grades as much as possible.

Since you have two years of community college, there is no real rush for the other classes.  The difference with community college is that you aren’t taking all the classes all at once, you are only taking three at a time. Don’t think you have to take them all at once.   Spreading them out, with a good mix of difficult and easy, can ensure success.  When community college is your external  documentation, you really do want to ensure success.

If you are thinking about community college, remember that it is a “Rated R” environment that is not recommended for everyone.  Please read my article about community college if you are considering this option. Facing the Community College Fad.

I am now the Seattle Homeschool Examiner.  You can read my homeschool articles here.

There are a couple of things I wanted to share about that September 1st edition of my newsletter.

Feedback on Community College Article

Thank you for going against the tide by dealing with this Community College Issue! I hear about this ‘option’ frequently from other homeschoolers and am very concerned about the continuing purity of those students. Our children are doing CLEP testing – 15  credits by 13 years old for under $400! That’s value AND we get to choose the books!

I so disagree with your take on Dual Enrollment. Our very shy daughter has grown into a confident , independent thinker, partially thanks to the amazing professors she has researched and chosen at our Community College. Since beginning her studies at 16 , she has amassed 32 transferable college credits and is constantly sought by top schools. Duke sent her SIX invites to attend /apply in ONE week. This contact from Duke came unsolicited by us . Her German professor contacted Duke on her behalf – solely on the basis  of her stellar GPA of 4th level German. She received most of her classes free through Dual Enrollment. Recently, our state discontinued allowing Dual Enrollment of academics. Our response was to graduate her early. Our daughter so highly values this opportunity that gives her a huge edge on college scholarships that she paid for her own final level German($400) and Sociology class ($ 400) so that she might study with outstanding professors. Please don’t sell your audience short by assuming we are all fearful of allowing our children the opportunities that will facilitate their dreams. My child will attend the college of her choice on scholarship and study International Ethics, going on to serve as a voice and advocate for those who aren’t as fortunate. As a former educator, with 20 years in the public and private sectors, I am blessed with all our Community College has offered my child. By the way , having your child on a college campus while still under your control is a great way to bridge the transfer from home to dorm. Every day is a conversation of how to best handle situations that would she , otherwise would have faced for the 1st time ,alone and scared stiff as an on-campus freshman. Now she knows she can handle herself with professors and students comfortably. She can focus on the reason she is there – learning.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your very candid article on the dual enrollment option for homeschoolers.  You covered many realistic and relevant things to consider before sending kids to community college as highschoolers.  Thank you for speaking up and going against the tide of the current homeschool fad. Yes,  I have felt the pressure of sending my bright, engineering oriented son to community college as a highschooler.  He’s my oldest, so these options are all new for us.  Many of my friends with public school kids also are feeling the pressure.  The big carrot that always comes up is the “free” college education…but your article very aptly spells out what “cost” we may be paying with our kids. Thank you again for you boldness on this issue and your encouragement to teach our kids all the way through highschool.

I do appreciate you speaking up about your experiences.  Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice but to utilize community college in our circumstances. I can’t help think that Daniel, thousands of years ago, had to deal with similar circumstances in his Babylonian “college experience”.  The biggest hurdle for our kids is how to love sinners in the midst of their sin.  By the time we send our “children” off to college, they should be grounded enough in their faith to resist the temptations they encounter.  As far as the new ideas, if we exposed them to differing viewpoints, age appropriately, of course, they’d be able to withstand the assault.

Thank you so much for the column on the trend to go to Community College. I agree with everything you said. I have not seen it as a positive thing and have found that those who  have gone wanted to graduate and not homeschool at all anymore.  Also many dating  relationships have started there since there are no watching eyes. My son has decided to attend Liberty and they clearly lay out how to take the CLEP test to test out of much of the General Ed you must take the first two years.  This sounds like a much more productive use of time to us with no risks!

We’ve had quite the different experience with the local community college from what you describe in your latest article. Our daughters’ experiences there have been very productive and effective. It’s given them a chance to experience a regular classroom environment. They have proven to themselves that they are capable of excelling in college. The quality of education isn’t as good at the community college as it now is for my daughter enrolled at a major university, but it was a good place for her to get her feet wet. Our daughters have experienced few of the negatives that you describe, especially not to that degree. Things aren’t perfect, but they’re certainly better than a public school environment and they’ve learned a lot from it. Now, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to enroll our high-schoolers into the community college full-time. Our oldest took a single class. Our next daughter is taking one class this semester and possibly another the next semester. It makes for a good adjunct to all of the other stuff she’s doing, math, English, college geology text, college biology text. In a number of these things, I think it’s a lot better at this time to get her college-level texts than to try and enroll her in actual college courses. The community college course is more for the experience, the learning how to get along in that environment. I think you do your readers a disservice by coming out so strident against community college. As with everything there is good and bad. You have to make wise choices and be wise consumers. However, with the right choices, community college courses can be very valuable.

The latest article about Community College couldn’t be more right on.  I think it works for a very, very, very small percentage of families, but for most I would agree with the Rated R environment.  We know of four families who have proceeded with the “Running Start” program.  One family has two boys, then two girls.  After having their two boys complete their Running Start, they decided never again and that they would not put their 16 year old daughter into that environment on the campus.  I would venture to say it was a detriment to their boys.  Not so much academically, more spiritually and socially. Other families have had similar experiences.  The one family that it did work for was a family whose daughter was very mature spiritually.  She only took online classes, and received her AA degree in that way.

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Hello Lee,

I noticed you have a link to College Plus on one of your web pages. Can you tell me anything about what you think about them as an option to community college? Or what other options you are referring to when you mention Homeschool College?

Two weeks into our 16-year-old daughter’s first quarter at community college, two pornographic reading assignments were handed out in her required English class. I knew from prior discussions with you that dual enrollment was risky. However, I thought that if we were “selective” in the classes we  took, we could avoid the problems you had warned me about. We are looking for alternatives at this time.

Thank you for any input you can give, or let me know if you recommend purchasing some time with you to discuss this issue further.

With sincere appreciation,
Linda

Dear Linda,

I am so, SO sorry about your daughter’s class!!  What a nightmare for a parent – and how anyone of any age can consider that educational in any way, I will NEVER know….  I feel your pain.  I remember being horrified.

My children were in a similar situation.  In a speech class, one student gave a presentation that was graphic and inappropriate.  We had completely researched the curriculum and the teacher, because of our previous  problems with community college class.  I really thought we had done all we could do!  But this girl gave a raunchy speech with sordid details, and my children now have a thorough understanding of that particular religion she was describing.  Yes, community colleges can be a challenging situation.

CollegePlus is a Christian company that coordinates college by distance learning.  In our family, we used only CLEP exams, and it was easy for me to coordinate by myself because I knew which 4 colleges they were going to apply to, so there wasn’t much of a concern.  CollegePlus can help you make SURE the college credits are transferable.  The only drawbacks are money (they charge a fee) and their emphasis on distance learning over a brick and mortar university.

I have an article about how I homeschooled a year of college with my boys. Here is the article for you to read.

Read the article and see if you feel comfortable doing the CLEP exams without assistance.  If not, then check out CollegePlus.  There is no harm in talking to them, to see how it works.  Since I didn’t use their services myself, I don’t know all the details.  Here is their website.

As you know, I feel very passionately about warning parents about  community college so they can make an informed decision and be careful.  I’m so glad that you were looking out for your daughter so that you recognized this situation as soon as possible.

In this situation, it may be difficult to withdraw from a class.  There are often  rules about how far into the quarter you can withdraw from a class without having it on a transcript.  If it comes down to that, it’s better to formally withdraw from a class and get a “W” on your transcript rather than avoid the situation and end up with a failing grade or an incomplete. I have some clients that have had difficulty with explaining a withdrawal to their child.  A son or daughter may become uncomfortable with class content and then simply stop going to class – and then they fail the class.  In other words, be careful to withdraw from the class completely and formally.

Good luck, Linda.  It sounds SO difficult!

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