Blog

What do they do for fun?When I’m helping parents with a transcript, that one question can open the floodgates! How does your child spend unstructured time? When they are supposed to be working on school, or emptying the dishwasher, what are they doing instead? That can be a great indication of their Fun Factor.If they enjoy their fun for more than one hour a day, you may be able to translate that into high school credits....

How do I get it ALL done? That is a big question. It all depends on what your "ALL" means to you? Is your "All" too big? What are your priorities?

Non-Traditional Ways to Determine High School Credit There are many different ways you can determine high school (and sometimes college) credit for your homeschool student. It's one of the great things about homeschooling! The usual test-and-quiz evaluation method isn't the only way to give your child credit on their high school transcript. Other methods are just as legitimate, and in some cases even easier!One way your child can earn credit is through dual enrollment in a...

According to www.pahomeschoolers.com, homeschoolers in Pennsylvania may receive high school credit if they do any ONE of the following in a course:1. Complete two-thirds of a textbook2. Have 120 daily logged entries3. Have 120 hours of logged study4. Complete a 10 page research paper5. Complete a college course6. Pass an AP exam What Can We Learn From Homeschoolers in Pennsylvania? Do any ONE of the followingYou don't have to do ALL of them. You don't have to complete...

Summer is a great time to compile your student’s reading list, in preparation for college applications.  A reading list is simply a list of books your child has read, including title and author.  Often requested by colleges, and sometimes useful for scholarship applications, reading lists are an important part of your student’s high school record.  Include books you have assigned your children to read over the summer, books they’ve used in their coursework, and books they...

 The other day, a client asked me, “What is the best way to record transcript credits for classes that do not fall within a given school year?”  This family homeschooled year-round, and had courses that spanned several ‘school years,’ so they wondered how to reflect that on their homeschool transcripts.One of the best ways to handle this situation is to record the end date when you actually finish the course. That’s actually what our family did. ...

It’s not too hard to create a stellar transcript for a student that excels in all they do, but what about the more average student who struggles in certain areas, and may be a little reluctant to learn?  How do you make their transcript look acceptable without any stretching of the truth?Usually the first thing I suggest when I consult with somebody in this situation is to figure out what your child does for fun. There...

 If you are planning to use community college classes to replace or supplement junior and senior year, I have some specific suggestions.For maximum benefit.... Make sure to have your child take a class in each major subject area: English, math, history, etc.  If you are trying to get an AA degree, that means you will be covering all of those major subject areas plus a little more. Make sure to have her take a class for...

 Parents often have a hard time figuring out how to assign grades to their homeschool students, and get stressed just wondering whether ‘mommy grades’ are even valid or not!  At a recent webinar, one of the attendees asked, “Can you give some options and factors to use when evaluating grades?”  Another mom wondered, “My daughter is autistic and we do a lot of hands-on type things. How do you decide grades for hands-on assignments?”There are many...

  My Gold Care Club members love having their biggest questions answered promptly - and they love having a monthly webinar too!  Recently Anne shared her burning question for the week, and I thought it would be helpful information for others as well.My burning question for this week is:  What about The Great Courses company?  Are their DVDs enough to “count?  I know you said that just reading Susan Wise Bauer’s History of the Ancient World...

 Lots of homeschoolers have a "Crazy Lifestyle of Learning".  I'm a huge fan of Delight Directed Learning , and I love helping my members turn that into words and numbers that colleges understand - and putting those on a Homeschool Transcript. Here is one example!"My son spends his remaining school day working on film projects. He had already won two contests. I took him to the San Antonio Christian film festival academy a few Weeks back....

For my children it was chess and economics. Those things that your homeschool student spends their time on. That thing that sometimes gets very annoying to you. These are the things that could actually end up becoming credits on their homeschool transcript.   Subscribe to my YouTube channel. You’ll get notified when I create new videos on homeschool high school topics!

When you are pulling together a curriculum from free, online, or mix-and-match sources, it's hard to figure out what to put on a transcript - especially if you aren't using tests.  No matter what you use, these general guidelines may help.For credit value Give credit based on the number of hours worked.  Working about 45 minutes per day, 5 days a week, most of the school year, is a 1 credit class each year.  Working 15-30...

What is honors?  When do you put honors on a title?  Is Apologia Science an honors curriculum?Is Apologia Science courses, plus labs considered honors on a high school transcript. (Biology, Chemistry, etc.) - SallyDear Sally,If the authors/publishers of your curriculum, Apologia Science, say it is a honors course, then you can call it honors.If your child passes a honors level test after taking taking the course, then you might call it honors. (AP or CLEP exam...

For the problem of “too many credits” you can handle it a few different ways. You can keep only the most recent credits. You can lower the credit value of all classes. You can eliminate classes that could also be considered an “activity” instead (so ballet would be an activity and not a PE credit.) You can pick and choose some classes to drop off the transcript if you have more than the usual requirements. (Drop...