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With a student preparing to graduate in just a couple of months, I've really been keeping an eye on his grades and thinking about how everything will look on his transcript. We are very fortunate that our homeschool oversight group does record-keeping, which also includes providing transcripts to schools or employers that need to see them. Of course, all the information on the transcript comes directly from my records, so it's up to us to keep track of the grades and to determine the course titles, and to provide all that information in a timely manner.
A transcript is essentially a one-page overview of a student's academic record. It can be used to show a student's individual strengths and achievements at a glance. Of course there are many factors beyond the transcript that are considered when a student is applying to college, trade school, the military, or any of the other places that ask to see a transcript. But the transcript is a very important starting point.
Even though Landon doesn't have immediate plans to go to college, having a professional looking transcript is still important, because his plans could certainly change! The majority of students who are going on to college or trade school will very likely need a transcript; and the quality and acceptability of the transcript will depend to a great extent on the quality of the records of coursework and grades. Keeping a consistent standard of awarding grades is important, as is giving some thought to how the material will be organized on the transcript. For instance, if your student fails a class but then repeats it the next year or semester and passes, you don't have to put the failed class on the transcript. Similarly, if your student completes a credit course that straddles two years, as mine have done, award the full credit in the year the course was completed rather than a half-credit in year one and another half-credit in year two. Also, take some time to choose course titles that colleges will understand.
Although I'm confident that my homeschool group's transcript will be accepted anywhere Landon may choose to go, I know that I can also produce an accurate and professional transcript using one of several other resources as well.
First, I already make extensive use of Homeschool Tracker Online for my homeschool record-keeping. And if I wanted or needed to, I could produce a transcript for any of my students directly from the tracker. HSTOnline offers three different styles of professional looking transcripts.
(You can read my complete review of Homeschool Tracker Online, although I don't really discuss transcripts in that review.)
Another powerful online planner popular with homeschoolers is offered through Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Their online planner, Homeschool Planet, can keep track of calendars and schoolwork, all your homeschool's lesson plans and resources, and it can help you produce records and transcripts. Read my full review of Homeschool Planet here: Homeschool Planet - A Schoolhouse Crew Review.
And finally, Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has an easy and affordable solution for families needing to produce their own transcripts. Fast Transcripts makes it possible for homeschool parents to create professional high school transcripts and takes the guesswork out of the GPA calculation. When I tried this, it took me just a few minutes to get set up and enter my student's information; then fill in each year's courses and the grade and credit earned for each. The course title field offered suggestions for the course titles, which made that easy. Enter a letter grade for each course and whether it's a full or half credit course, and the program calculates the GPA. Read my full review of Fast Transcripts here: Fast Transcripts - A Homeschool Coffee Break Review.
Check with the college your student is wanting to attend to get specific information about what they require on a transcript and how to submit it.
Link up your posts about homeschooling high school here. Visit your neighbors and leave some encouraging comments!
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This post is linked at Blogging Through the Alphabet, hosted by Cristi at Through the Calm and Through the Storm and Meg at Adventures with Jude. This week participating bloggers are featuring the letter T.
This post is also linked to the Homeschooling Through High School Round-up on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.
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2 comments:
Great info! I used HSLDA to write out transcripts. With my oldest, I started them when he was a sophomore, and that took more work. Now for the rest of my kids I fill it in semester by semester, so we don't forget anything.
I'm in the process of filling out Luke's transcripts. I agree that it's better to do it as you go -- far easier with Matthew!
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