How to Put Dual Enrollment on Your Homeschool Transcript
Dual enrollment. It can be such a sticking point for homeschool families making a homeschool transcript. Follow the 6 steps below to put dual enrollment on your child's transcript.
This post will tell you how to put dual enrollment on a transcript. Want to see what a scholarship-winning transcript actually looks like? Click to download The HomeScholar Record Keeping Samples
- Choose an acronym
Create an acronym for each college or high school location where your child took classes. Like this:
HCC = Highline Community College
I like using the CC part of the acronym for community college, it makes it look so obvious that you are dual enrolled. - Place the acronym before the class title on the transcript
Where you normally put the class title, put in the acronym first, and then use the exact class title that is provided by the community college. Like this:
HCC SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
HCC MAT 101: College Calculus
HCC ART 100: Survey of Fine Art - Define the acronym in key or legend
At the bottom of your transcript, explain what the acronym means. Like these options:
HCC: Dual enrollment classes at Highline Community College
HCC indicates classes taken at Highline Community College - Translate college credits to high school credits
How many college credits equals a high school credit? One whole college class is equivalent to one high school credit. If your child is taking one whole college class, worth 4, 5, or 6 credits, then it is one whole high school credit. If the college class is 1, 2, or 3 credits, I suggest calling it a half credit class. - Insert the exact grade from the college
No matter what the grade is, put the grade on the transcript. You can change it from the number grade to a letter grade, or translate it from a letter grade to a number grade, but you can't actually change the grade. College classes are just plain harder than high school classes, and it's very difficult to get A's in college, even when a child is used to getting A's in high school. (Read more: Community College Success) - I don't recommend weighting grades
If you do decide to weight grades, then it would be easiest to weight it the same as an AP class. However, every high school in the country seems to have their own unique way of weighting grades, which is why I don’t recommend weighting them. It makes it harder for colleges, and colleges will like you more if you make their job easier. Here is the problem, every high school has a different policy on weighting grades. There are so many variation possibilities, and colleges need to compare students from different schools and school districts. For that reason, the first thing they do is to un-weight any weighted grades. Colleges have asked me to tell parents not to weight grades, and so I don’t recommend weighting grades unless your first choice college prefers grades that way. (Read more: Why I Do Not Recommend Weighting Grades)
You can count college credits in high school. Below are the specifics of converting college credits to high school credits, and how to put it on the transcript.
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All parents know that the homeschool transcript is the least of our worries about community college. Our bigger concern is actually how our child performs in the real life college situation, both academically and socially. I do have one big tip to help you guide your child toward higher college grades. The answer lies in vocabulary. 80% of a subject is learned through the vocabulary alone - in other words, if you master the vocabulary, you are 80% of the way to getting an A in the class. Get some flash cards, highlight the book with the vocabulary words, and have the child quiz himself or herself on those vocabulary words.
For answers to your questions on transcripts, take my free class on Grades, Credits, and Transcripts.
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If you still have questions, consider getting the Total Transcript Solution. It has a lot of additional resources, and thoroughly answers all common difficulties, while giving you the tools you need to get things done. At the same time, the Total Transcript Solution has one consultation, so you and I can talk together if you still have a question that hasn't been answered.
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Does that explain it all? I hope that make sense to you!
Comments 26
Lee,
I enjoyed your presentation very much. I would like to add that you can put "number values" on those extra things that are integral to homeschooling education by using rubrics, especially for those of us who have the need to use numbers. I use rubrics to set a clear outline of what is expected and have done this for learning such as "life skills," "basic home renovation," "gymnastics," and after a vacation to Yellowstone writing a five page paper for geology and English composition credits. With gymnastics, since my son was at a high level in high school, I had him help me to determine what he felt he could accomplish each 9 weeks and set the rubrics accordingly.
My guess is that each high school across the country would have their own policy on that. I have seen some high schools that indicate (R) by the class, but I don't think that's necessary. If it were me, I think I would replace the class on the homeschool transcript. I would give the NEW grade and be sure to indicate the NEW completion date. While the class might still be on the community college transcript, it does not need to be on your homeschool transcript if the class has been repeated. I hope that helps!
Blessings,
Lee
Good evening. I am hoping that you will be able to answer my question, and I hope that I can word my question in a way that makes sense! For the duration of my daughter's high school career (two years so far), the grading scale that I have used for her transcripts is the simple one (A=4.0, B=3.0, etc...). However, the private college in which my daughter has now completed four dual-enrollment courses with has a different grading scale than what I use. Their scale is: (A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, B=3.0, B-=2.7, and so on...). How do I record this change on her transcripts? Do I need to change my personal scale to match the college's scale? (I would really prefer not to do this because I love the simplicity of 4.0, 3.0, etc.!) But if I don't change my scale (which is listed at the bottom of the transcript), is it confusing to yet still record a 3.7 (A-) score that she received in Freshman Composition I? I'm just not for sure what to do! Help! Thanks in advance!
Hi Emily,
Lee always recommends keeping your grading scale as it is. It may mean including the college's grading scale in your documentation as well, either as a little box on the transcript, or as an addition to your cover letter. Lee talks about how to create a cover letter here: How to Write a Cover Letter for Your Transcript - https://www.homehighschoolhelp.com/blogs/how-to-write-a-cover-letter-for-your-transcript
If you have not yet taken your consultation with Lee, that would be a good question to ask her.
Blessings,
Robin
Assistant to The HomeScholar
Dear Laura,
I'm so sorry you are frustrated. This can be a very confusing subject, and each high school and school district may have different policies. It's really up to YOU to determine a policy for YOUR homeschool.
Most commonly what I see is that a college class that is 4-5-6 college credits is equivalent to 1 whole year (1 credit) of high school. What I most commonly see is that a college class of only 1-2 college credits is equivalent to a half year (or 1/2 credit) of high school. But with a 3 credit college class, it's about 50/50 whether a high school provides a whole high school credit or a half a high school credit.
My advice: choose a policy for your school and stick to it. Somewhere across the country you'll find someone to agree with it. I've even seen a high school that said ANY number of college credits equals a whole high school credit.
There were some typos made by my assistant that have been corrected in the replies to others, just so there is no more confusion.
To sum up: college credits and high school credits are NOT the same thing. Because they are both called "credits" it makes it confusing to write about and understand, but they are as different as measuring in yards instead of meters.
Blessings,
Lee
It is frustrating that Mrs Binz keeps contradicting herself. Just up above in the conversation with Grace and Ami; she tells Grace " 1 semester = 1/2 credit of high school". Then when Ami says, "1 semester of college = 1 semester of high school doesn't seem right". Mrs Binz contradicts by saying 1st, that is correct, then goes on to say, "One whole college class equals one whole high school credit." ugh. It can't be both. I have always heard if a child takes say, English 111 in college. 3 credits, 1 semester long; it can be counted as a full 1 yr of high school English.
High school credits, at least in my state, are assessed based on the number of class hours. 50 hours = 1/2 credit (1 semester); 100 hours = 1 full credit (2 semesters), though some school districts require 60 and 120 hours, respectively. For my daughter's online college classes, I have assigned her 100 hours of class time for the semester. With our schedule, that works out to just over an hour of work each school day and I've found that it's about the amount of time she needs anyway- any extra time is used creating and using study tools. This satisfies the requirements for both the college class, and a full high school credit.
High school credits and college credits are calculated very differently. While a high school credit is normally 120-180 hours of work, or about an hour a day for most of the week and most of the school year, college credits are different. A full college class is completed in 6-8 weeks, not a whole year. One whole college class equals one whole high school credit in virtually every areas of the country.
Blessings,
Lee
Some high schools will award a grade of A to all successfully completed college classes. Others will give a grade of 2.0 to all classes that earn an S (Satisfactory). At some high schools, they will keep the S for the grade in that class on the high school transcript and leave that class off their GPA calculations. So you have lots of options! It looks like it's time to find out what policy you want to use. Sometimes when moms feel insecure about making that kind of decision, it's easiest and least stressful to ask your local public high school what they do. It's not like we MUST do what they do, but it can help you not be so stressed out about it, or worried that you did it wrong.
Blessings,
Lee
The school my daughter is going to requires two units of foreign language in the same language. It stipulates on the website 1 unit = 1 year. She will be taking two semesters of sign at the cc near us. They are both 3 credit classes as are most of the classes at the school. Do you think a 3 credit class for this will be enough for a unit? If so, how do you put that on the transcript? Do we not have to send the official transcript from the school? She is taking a full courseload this year.
Hi Grace,
To put it on your transcript, you will use an acronym for the name of the CC, and include the grade and the credits earned in your totals. You always provide your transcript, but whether you will provide the official transcript from the community college depends on what the university asks for when you apply.
I hope that helps!
Robin
Assistant to The HomeScholar
Colleges and high schools measure a credit completely different. College credits are like meters, whereas high school credits are like yards - measured completely differently. One whole college class (4, 5, or 6 credits) equals one whole high school credit.
That's what I've seen as a somewhat-standard-but-not-always policy across the nation. Here is the law for my state.... "WAC 180-51-050 establishes equivalencies for college credit and high school credit, specifying that five quarter or three semester hours of college and university course work designated at the 100 level or above by the college or university shall equal one high school credit."
Blessings,
Lee
I know this is late, but I think I can clear this up. Lee is correct when it comes to certain courses. For example, for the community college my daughter is attending, I read that in order to receive a full credit of English 3 then the student would need Eng 111, Eng 112, and American English. My daughter will be taking American English at home. Also, for her to receive a full credit of English 4 (12th grade English), she will need to take Eng 111, Eng 112, and British English. She will take British English at home next year. At the same time, her music appreciation course is counted as 1 elective credit, not 1/2 elective credit.
If English 103 and English 104 are each full college courses (4, 5, or 6 credits) - according to Lee's definition - they would each be worth 1 high school English credit. You can define when your student is ready for those classes. Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior year - It's totally up to you.
Blessings,
Robin
Assistant to The HomeScholar
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