Transcript is to course description as transcript is to activity list.
On the bottom of the transcript is a place for a VERY abbreviated activity list. Keep a separate page to list all the details about those activities. You know the difference between a transcript and course description… same difference between a transcript and an activity list. The transcript provides just the name, credit value, and grade for each class. The details are in the course description. Similarly, the transcript provides the name, year in school, and honor from each activity, but the activity list gives details. The activity list might give details like: 4 months, 120 hours, May until October of 2010, volunteer position, mentioned in the newspaper, or became Vice Chair of the organization.
You can use ANY grading scale you are comfortable with, truly! Here are a few standard scales to choose from, but every public, private, and homeschool teacher gets to choose their own.
93-100% = A, 85-92% = B, 75-84% = C, 70-74% = D, Below 70% = F
90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, Below 60% = F
If you can’t decide, just print this page and post it on your wall. Throw a dart at the page. The grading scale closest to the dart is the lucky winner! That grading scale is *obviously* the grading scale that the Lord wants you to use, right?
For homes without darts, I have heard that throwing al dente spaghetti noodles will also do the trick!
I have created a series of videos on creating great homeschool records for college. You can find them here.
Hello! I plan to take you with us on our journey through high school. We are only beginning 6th grade this year but knowing that you are available when 9th grade comes is a huge relief and I’ve told all our homeschool moms in our group about you. Since you’ve said that middle school is preparation for high school, I would love a planner for my daughter or myself that would get us in the mode of keeping track of the things we need to. Can you advise me on which company has the best or tell me what we should be keeping track of now that will help us later (and be great records for our BOE.) THANK FOR ALL YOU DO AND GOD BLESS!!!
I’m not a huge fan of planners. I’ve had clients with every sort of planner under the sun, and I’ve figured one thing out. None of them work on their own. You have to actually DO something with them. I can’t tell you how many empty boxes, empty notebooks, and empty computers I have seen!!
Here is what I suggest instead:
First, find out what your state law requires. It may not be the same thing that is required of a public school.
Second, find a record keeping strategy that will work with your style. You can read article about record keeping here: “Cubbies, Tubbies and Binder Queens” . Your goal is to keep the records you need to have. Not lose anything.
I kept a binder for my homeschool, and it was great for us. First, buy a big three-ring binder and a couple of sets of big tab dividers. Put a piece of paper behind each divider with a label for what you “hope” to put there. Keep the labels very general: Math, English, PE, Science. Have a label for every subject. If you don’t know what subject something is, or if it crosses over many subject areas and you can’t decide which one it is, still make a label for that. For example, Dance. Is it PE or Fine Arts? Don’t spend time deciding, just label a divider “Dance” and decide later. Have a label for every item required by state law. Our state requires a declaration of intent, annual testing, and immunization records, so I had a tab for each of those. Finally, add a tab for a transcript and for your reading list.
Each time your child produces something, use a three-hole punch and put it into the binder where it most likely belongs. You can always change your mind later, so don’t spend too much time worrying about whether a report on Lincoln goes in History or in English. Just guess for now, and adjust later if you need to.
Record keeping is like homeschooling. It can be expensive, but it doesn’t NEED to be expensive. I used a three ring binder, dividers, and notebook paper. That was my whole record keeping. Not expensive!
Your best strategy for keeping all those balls in the air is preparation. The HomeScholar Gold Care Club will give you the comprehensive help you need tohomeschool high school.
SAT preparation is a good idea, but you don’t want to announce “WE STUDY FOR THE TEST” in big bold letters, so I don’t recommend the title “SAT Preparation” for a course title. Instead, I prefer calling it something else.
Many public and private schools will include test prep in their regular English and math courses. Others will provide separate classes for SAT prep, like you are doing. It’s completely fine to give credit for test preparation – either by using it as a component of another class, or by given credit as a stand alone class.
You can call it critical thinking, or study skills, college study skills, college readiness skills, or something like that. I prefer “Study Skills” unless there is a critical thinking curriculum or discussion in your study – but that’s just my opinion.
For credit value, estimate the number of hours spent. If the student works 2-3 hours per week for most of the school year, then call it a credit.
Your best strategy for keeping all those balls in the air is preparation. The HomeScholar Gold Care Club will give you the comprehensive help you need tohomeschool high school.
I love hearing back from parents with graduates! I love hearing about her successes with the National Merit Finalist, college admission, and full scholarships. Here is what Andrea wrote:
I have learned so much over these past couple of years and appreciate so much the help your Gold Care Club has been.
My oldest son, Adam, just graduated and is going to be attending Auburn University this fall with scholarships that will more than equal a full ride!! Most of the scholarships are a direct result of his being a National Merit Finalist. Thanks so much for the help you gave in sending me information via email about the forms needed in that application process. It was an online process this year, but the information was pretty much just what you explained. Knowing that information ahead of time was very helpful for us as we functioned as the teacher and the counselor and the principal. I might join up again at a later date if needed, but I really feel that the courses I’ve listened to and the articles that I have read over the past couple of years have prepared me well to handle the transcript and college application process for my other kids when the time comes.
The information from your website, blogs, Gold Care Club, webinars and DVD’s have been very helpful for us in planning for high school and college! Whenever I am asked questions about doing high school at home, I generally always direct people to check out your website.
And yes, I am much more confident with my younger ones and my daughter who just finished her sophomore year even had a transcript as a Freshman. Adam’s didn’t happen until the end of his Junior year- yikes!
Thanks again!
Blessings,
Andrea
Even more than admission and scholarship, I love Andrea’s confidence. And look! With that amazing 20/20 hindsight, with her second child she had the transcript ready after Freshman year. Awesome!
I have created a series of videos on creating great homeschool records for college. You can find them here.
I love hearing back from parents with graduates! I love hearing about her successes with the National Merit Finalist, college admission, and full scholarships. Here is what Andrea wrote:
I have learned so much over these past couple of years and appreciate so much the help your Gold Care Club has been.
My oldest son, Adam, just graduated and is going to be attending Auburn University this fall with scholarships that will more than equal a full ride!! Most of the scholarships are a direct result of his being a National Merit Finalist. Thanks so much for the help you gave in sending me information via email about the forms needed in that application process. It was an online process this year, but the information was pretty much just what you explained. Knowing that information ahead of time was very helpful for us as we functioned as the teacher and the counselor and the principal. I might join up again at a later date if needed, but I really feel that the courses I’ve listened to and the articles that I have read over the past couple of years have prepared me well to handle the transcript and college application process for my other kids when the time comes.
The information from your website, blogs, Goldcare club, webinars and DVD’s have been very helpful for us in planning for high school and college! Whenever I am asked questions about doing high school at home, I generally always direct people to check out your website.
And yes, I am much more confident with my younger ones and my daughter who just finished her sophomore year even had a transcript as a Freshman Adam’s didn’t happen until the end of his Junior year- yikes!
Thanks again!
Blessings,
Andrea
Adam, National Merit Finalist
Even more than admission and scholarship, I love Andrea’s confidence. And look! With that awesome 20/20 hindsight, with her second child she had the transcript ready after Freshman year. Awesome!
This time of year always brings about the feelings of awe and thankfulness for the freedoms that we hold dear in this country. Franklin D. Roosevelt listed these Four Freedoms: Freedom of Speech and Expression, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear .
Homeschool families know these freedoms very well. We express our freedoms by exerting our right to home educate our children. Yet, there are still those things that lurk around the corner as our young children become teens. Today, I’d like to talk to you about the fourth freedom – Freedom from Fear… The fear of high school transcripts!
I want to help parents who are committed to giving their teens the best possible high school education and their best shot at college. I want to take away the fear and give the knowledge you need to ensure success. I want to break the fears that take away your freedom and handcuff your homeschool.
I want to empower and educate you to be the best high school teacher, parent and guidance counselor possible.
That is why I am so excited to be hosting a FREE one-hour educational webinar on Thursday July 7, 2011!
This free webinar is called “Celebrate Homeschool Freedom – Simple Strategies for Grades, Credits and Transcripts.” It will cover all the essentials that you need to determine grades and assign credits. It will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to create your child’s high school transcripts. You will learn how to produce winning homeschool transcripts that will help your child’s college dreams come true…
* Without spending a thin dime on accreditation
* Without using inflexible programs that hamstring your homeschool
* Without beating the joy of learning right out of your child
* And without intimidation by pompous professional educators who insist they know better than you what’s right for your family!
As a special bonus, the first 15 who to take advantage of the special offer made during the webinar will receive a printed copy of my book, The Easy Truth About Transcripts, FREE!
Spots for this webinar are limited and will be filling fast! Make sure you sign up today to reserve your spot!!
Celebrate Homeschool Freedom: Simple Strategies for Grades, Credits, and Transcripts
My facebook friend Sharon told me about a break-through she had. In listening to a Sunday hymn, she decided that God was bigger than all her fears – and was EVEN bigger than her fears about transcripts! She shared with me two key ideas.
1. A Bigger God
Hi Lee, God is bigger than anything—even my HANG-UPS about transcripts! Thanks to you—and Him for giving me this creative idea—to put a big piece of paper (do ALL homeschoolers have rolls of nearly used-up news print from the local newspaper?! Good stuff!) on the wall and start filling in my daughter’s transcript with magic marker. As I walk by through out the day, I add to it til it is complete!
~ Sharon on Facebook
2. Bigger Transcripts
Kinesthetic learners will learn to better when they use large body movement. That’s why Spelling Power includes lessons on how to write very
VERY large as a technique for teaching kinesthetic learners to spell. Use that same strategy with your transcript. Put a GIANT piece of paper on the wall, and write your transcript bit by bit, in little pieces, like Sharon. If you are stuck, try a bigger transcript.
3. Bigger Country Sound
If you are interested, this is the hymn that Sharon was referencing. Here are the lyrics to the country hymn “Bigger Than Any Mountain”
Bigger than all my problems, Bigger than all my fears
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see
Bigger than all my questions, Bigger than anything
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see
Bigger than all the shadows that fall across my back
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see
Bigger than all the confusion, Bigger than anything
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see
Bigger than all the giants, fear and unbelief
God is bigger than any mountain I can or cannot see
Bigger than all my hangups, Bigger than anything
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see
When providing colleges with the information they need, going beyond a transcript can improve your chances of scholarships. A transcript may be the cornerstone of admission, but colleges want more than that if you expect them to give you scholarship money. They generally like to see more comprehensive homeschool records.
Samples of student work are the icing on the cake, the yummy dessert of comprehensive homeschool records.
In our homeschool records, I provided three writing samples with out comprehensive records. I tried to choose a variety of writing styles; research, fiction, and poetry. I tried to use writing samples that I knew were good. We had submitted some writing to essay competitions to win scholarship money. When my children won scholarship funds, I knew the essay must have been good, so I tried to include that piece of work.
In addition, I kept a sample of work for every class on the transcript. I didn’t submit those to colleges (I figured maybe they didn’t really want documentation of four years of PE, you know? That could get long!) Instead, I made a note on each course description about how “written work is available upon request.” I actually did keep something from every class. If they asked me for something, I was able to give it to them.
I was asked for some additional work samples. I was asked for a “graded” English paper (presumably with some red marks on it) and math work in the student’s handwriting. Another college wanted to see a lab report from science. My advice is to be prepared. It’s impossible to guess exactly what records they may ask for. Instead of worrying about it, just try to keep a few representative samples from each class. Then you’ll be prepared for anything!
I received the sweetest note from Stacie this week. She said very nice things about me, which was SO sweet! But I would like all homeschool parents to look beyond her sweet words and see her FEELINGS. She is homeschooling merrily long, doing a great job. Still, her son FEELS like his education doesn’t measure up. As a teacher, she FEELS like she may have failed him academically. Sometimes our feelings tell the truth, but sometimes they don’t. One of the nice things about a transcript is that it’s the TRUTH about your homeschool, and not just a feeling. Read Stacie’s letter:
Dear Lee,
You’ve saved me again. The instructions you provided (about calculating the GPA) were so easy to understand. I was about to just leave out the GPA, but the scholarship paperwork clearly stated that GPA and ACT scores were the deciding factors and must be included. Just like you said, we have to speak the college’s love language.
I could not have done this without your help and guidance over the past few years.
It was quite an experience to put together this transcript. Whether or not we are awarded any of the scholarships applied for, what my son and I learned has been invaluable. He had been thinking his education was quite lacking; you know, worried he didn’t measure up to the other kids. I had been thinking I had failed him academically. After we had it all done, we sat back and digested it all. Wow! We have been quite busy the past few years learning tons of stuff. He’s had quite a varied education. We noticed just how busy he has been with music. Even physical education, the one area I thought he was completely lacking in, ended up with a full 4 credits earned. He ended up with a GPA of 3.81 and 27 earned credits with 8 left to finish out to the end of the school year.
Thank you, Lee, for all you do. I was introduced to your website after 15 years of homeschooling and wondered if your services would even be something I could use. I’m so glad I took that chance on you and your products. Time after time I go back to what you have taught me. You’ve saved me time, headache, and worry. Following your guidance has brought me peace and improved our homeschool. The cost of your products is so small compared to what you’ve done for me. I tell everyone about you. Just today I referred another woman to you. Lee, you’re the best.
From a friend,
Stacie
Every teacher in every educational setting has things that go wrong. Projects left undone, books not finished, kids with attitude, moments of frustration. None of that goes on the transcript. It happens to every one, in public and private school as well as homeschool, but it doesn’t go on the permanent record. Only the good stuff goes on the transcript. Classes that are finished. The finished grade goes on the transcript, not the icky-yucky sausage-making process of coming up with the grade. As homeschoolers, we sometimes get stuck in the middle of the educational process and forget that our end result is looking pretty good.
Your transcript tells the truth about your homeschool. It can calm your nerves. It can help you gain perspective. It can reassure teens.
Here is what all homeschool parents can glean from this letter from the parent of a high school senior.
1. Feeling insecure is normal
2. Children may doubt their education
3. Seeing your homeschool in print can help everyone
4. Your homeschool will look good in black and white
Making a transcript is good feedback. And Stacie was so sweet to give me positive feedback, too! Thanks Stacie!
I am now the Seattle Homeschool Examiner. You can read my homeschool articles here.
Mary graduated her son this year and was EXTREMELY successful as a homeschool parent. Still, she confesses that the job would have been much easier and less exhausting had she done the work before senior year. Here is Mary’s story:
Hi Lee!!!
Haven’t contacted you since my senior, Bryan, was accepted into the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in April! The School of Filmmaking is a fairly exclusive program and I am so very proud of him! His interview went very well (Bryan’s a strong “people person”!) but I understand that they interviewed him with his “Comprehensive High School Record” open in their possession, referring to details within it during the interview! Wow – what fun to know that all that work was of value to them in their job of selecting candidates for their program. Thank you, Lee, for the unspeakably big help you were in that whole process of my documenting his high school years!
I attached Bryan’s picture – do you remember us? I’m the RN mom who had spent the previous 5 years caring for my mom before she passed, and had done NO course descriptions until I started fall of last year!! Nightmare! – but your help and guidance got me through it beautifully (although exhausted) in time to submit it all in December! Well – my rising 10th and 11th graders are NOT going to be in the same place by the time THEIR applications are rolling – this mom’s got some SERIOUS templates to work from: my son’s transcript template, lots of course descriptions needing only updating/grades/etc, and multitudes of know-how, *thanks to my personal HomeScholar tutor!
Blessings,
Mary in North Carolina
Now is a GREAT time to be working on your homeschool records! I used to work on mine during the summer, completing course descriptions for the previous year. I have a FREE Webinar that will help get you prepared for the job: Homeschool Records that Open Doors!
Simply planning ahead over summer can make a world of difference. When you get these record keeping chores done during the break, you will be free to homeschool with reckless abandon during the school year. That makes life SO much more fun!
The Comprehensive Record Solution provides what you need to create homeschool records to amaze and impress the colleges. You get training and templates and real life examples of successful high school records; including my own which resulted in full-tuition scholarships to our first-choice university. Get the guidance and coaching you need to finish the job with confidence. Read on for more information.
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Adam’s didn’t happen until the end of his Junior year- yikes!
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