Jean Burk

Which one would you take? The SAT or ACT? Well, twenty years ago, making the choice was easy as pie. Back then, it all boiled down to where you wanted to go to college: You took the ACT for colleges in the north and mid-west; and the SAT for the rest of them (colleges in the South, and on both the east and west coast). Nowadays, basically every university in the United States widely accepts both SAT and ACT results. Even if a school prefers one over the other, admissions officers usually convert the scores interchangeably.

As removed as you want (or need) to be from mainstream high school education, if you or your kids dream of going to college you simply have to slot yourself right back into the system. Unless you’ve been very diligent about staying up to date with all the latest, you could be feeling a bit despondent about your chances—and especially when it comes to the ultimate prize: Free College.

Every student needs a high school transcript. They are essential when you’re applying for college, the military and for some entry-level jobs. Today, most colleges and universities are open to, and excited about having homeschooled students apply. Although some colleges might ask homeschooled students to include additional application requirements, most schools require only the basics. These include college entrance exam scores, letters of recommendation, and high school transcripts. Goal setting is very important for your student in these formative years. It doesn’t matter whether your teen is just starting, or half-way through high school. Think about where you want him or her to be academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally. When deciding on a direction for your student, start with the end in mind. It is your responsibility as a homeschooling parent to keep a record of your child’s academic progress throughout their high school years. You should start working on your student’s transcripts in the ninth grade or earlier. Although it usually does not matter when your student takes particular courses, it is important to ensure your they complete the minimum requirement of courses to graduate from high school. Creating transcripts does not have to be a daunting task. In fact it is easy to keep up with the task as long as you’re consistent over time. All you need is a transcript template and the discipline to write down the course material credits, and dates of completion. Simply include every class and record his or her grades consistently over the next four years. And that’s it! There are also some programs that will do it for you. It is also a good idea to save schoolwork samples using the most important assignments or projects. This allows your student the ability to showcase his or her best work and reference examples when applying for college or a job. Be wary of people or companies that sabotage your homeschooling efforts with statements such as “students need their classes accredited,” in order for them to be credible. Transcript Format There is no wrong way to format a transcript. Colleges and universities expect to see a variety of transcript styles because every school uses a different style. As the homeschool administrator, you can choose whatever format works best for you. Again, consistency and clarity are essential. Transcripts can be created on any computer program, including Word. Some homeschool parents prefer a traditional transcript format where details are recorded by semester. Other parents prefer an unconventional transcript format and section the information by class content or subject matter. Either works as long as you are consistent throughout the transcript. Biography Information All transcripts should have identifying information including a student’s name, address, phone number, date of birth, email address, gender, and social security number. Schools use this information as a quick reference to identify applicants and to organize a student’s information. If your student’s transcript is more than one page long, ensure that there is enough biographical information on every page to properly identify the student. This way if the pages get separated, the information can easily be put back together. It is helpful to insert a footer with your child’s name and the document page number. Course Titles and Descriptions When filling out a transcript, you need to use specific course titles such as English I, II, and III; Algebra; Biology; American History, and so on. While it is perfectly acceptable to give your student’s courses generic titles such as English I, you may like to give their courses more specific titles such as Comprehensive Essay Writing. Specific course titles give colleges and universities a better idea of the material your student has focused on. They also add variety and flair to your student’s transcripts and make them more impressive. If you are having trouble coming up with creative course titles, look at a local college course catalog to get some ideas. You can also go to your state’s educational agency’s website to help you name your classes. Grading Scales In order to evaluate your student’s abilities, colleges and universities need your child’s transcript complete with grades and an accompanying grading scale. Establish the grading system for each course. This can be as simple as stating that 90-100 equals an “A”, and so on. The other side of this equation is making sure that your teen knows exactly what is expected of them and how the class is measured. It does not matter what particular grading scale you choose as long as you are consistent. A possible grading system can be broken into 1/3 tests, 1/3 daily work and 1/3 final exam. The standard can be set to accentuate your student’s strengths. Credits While every state’s requirements are different, students typically need to complete an average of 24 credits in order to graduate from high school. A high school credit is a unit of measure to record class time. Typically, students receive one credit per 120 – 150 hours of completed class time in a particular subject. This does not include homework, which should be an extra 50 – 65 hours. Credits are generally given in halves for 60 – 75 hours of class work and wholes for 120 – 150 hours of class work. Credits may also be based on finishing a particular curriculum or book or reaching the level of mastery required for a particular course. Curriculum Information Not all subjects that you include in your student’s transcript have to fall into traditional classroom subjects. Students who undertake independent studies, such as career training, computer skills, or home skills, can receive academic credit. Students just need to put enough hours into these subjects to warrant credit and their work needs some sort of evaluation scale. Credit can be awarded for textbook approach, logging in actual hours, combining related experiences, through college courses and demonstrated expertise. You can also choose to give your students pass or fail grades on such courses. Independent studies are great ways to turn your student’s extracurricular