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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 29 2010 at 10:28pm | IP Logged
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I know that I have mentioned this in some other posts. I am just wondering if anyone has taken more than 4 years for high school and how you have recorded it on a transcript (there is that T word again!!) My dd is very young and is very motivated to complete high school in 4 years - but it would make my mind feel more peaceful to know that if we want to slow down it would not look bad to future colleges.  ?
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 10:42am | IP Logged
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Marilyn, can I ask you a few questions to help me to better understand your concerns? Why do you feel high school should/must be done in four years? Is it a state regulation thing (states vary with their expectations)? Is it more of a fit for your family to look at it this way? Is it an experience thing (I went to high school for 4 years so that's what I know)?
What would your home high school years look like if you did not feel confined by any perceived expectations from outside sources? From there, can you consider/envision recording your efforts in a way that meet the intent of a transcript - to show in a succinct way that a particular content was covered at a high school level?
Love,
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Angie Mc
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 11:24am | IP Logged
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Angie - I think maybe I am just not getting the whole US system....I am going to try and explain my thinking..
Last year I suddenly became conscious of this whole need for transcripts for high school. My dd who was doing work at Grade 9 level asked if she could do Seton. I was worried about it as she is young for Grade 9 - also I thought Seton was a lot of work and not very flexible. But when I talked to the folks at Seton they told me that we could do Grade 9 at our pace - and it would not affect our transcript. This is probably the only thing that convinced me to enroll her - I figured she could work at her own pace - and have the lesson plans etc she wanted - and they would do her transcript (for some reason this whole transcript thing has me worried)
But now as I am reading more and more - it seems that colleges expect you to have done high school in 4 years - all the transcripts I have seen have had dates.
I guess my question is - Do colleges care if you show one grade as taking a couple of years?"
I am not worried about doing our own course of study - I could do my own transcript - just worry about the dates.
Hope this is not too rambling....thanks for trying to help..
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Willa
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 11:43am | IP Logged
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I count by "courses accomplished" not by chronological years.
My oldest son did highschool over 5 years. For example, he took over 9 months each to finish Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Natural History..... so I just counted it as a course when he finished the requirements. For his transcript I wrote down the credits as completed.
Here's his final transcript (PDF) -- geared towards his application to Catholic college.... I probably would have written it slightly differently if he had been intending to go to State.
I've never heard that it would make a difference, but my experience with secular universities is not extensive.
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 12:02pm | IP Logged
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MarilynW wrote:
I guess my question is - would it be ok on a transcript to have "Grade 9 2009/10 and 2010/11"? Do colleges care if you show one grade as taking a couple of years"
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OK, I see what you mean better now. To the best of knowledge, and I'm not an expert, I don't see transcripts with this type of dating - although it may exist. I believe that most students would simply combine their studies under the header "Grade 9 20010/11." For example, if a student did high school level Spanish 1 in 8th grade, they would place it under 9th grade. The reasoning behind this is that the transcript is to show exposure/mastery of a particular level of work and Spanish 1 is most often studied in 9th grade.
The transcript is a standardized form. The form itself isn't meant to confine as much as present material in a standardized format, making it easy to identify if a student has met particular criteria. Our family comes from the perspective that we want this form to show what is true and for it to be user-friendly. In other words, we "translate" our truth into the transcript format in a way that makes sense to those reading it. We do nothing unusual to send up red flags or cause the reader to scratch their head. They ask for a standard format and we give it to them. Showing uniqueness and/or unusal studies is best shown via other formats, such as a portfolio, personal meeting, etc. The first folks to look at a transcript are often clerks in an office (this is more likely true the larger the school) and they aren't looking for nuances or individuality. They are using the transcript as a sort of check list...did the student do 3 years of lab science - check....did the student do 2 years of a foreing language - check...etc.
Does that make sense?
MarilynW wrote:
- but everyone I seem to speak to locally, tells me that the 4 year thing matters.
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How do they know this? Are they talking about particular colleges? Can they make their argument clear to you in a way that makes sense or are they quickly stating this? Are they saying they simply prefer doing school at home in a traditional schooling way? I might ask them more about this or...
I would most likely steer clear of their opinions in order to protect our family decisions and my peace  .
Willa wrote:
| I've never heard that it would make a difference, but my experience with secular universities is not extensive. |
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Our secular experience is to keep everything as straight-forward and user friendly as possible.
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Willa
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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Angie Mc wrote:
| Our secular experience is to keep everything as straight-forward and user friendly as possible. |
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Yes, I only meant that I probably wouldn't go into such detail in my transcript about the content of religion courses and some other things (I didn't mean it to wake up echoes of the Catholic/secular college discernment thing which is a different topic ).
And I wouldn't THINK it would matter to most colleges how you meet the requirements.... and anyway, I don't see any reason why it really SHOULD matter.
What you say applies, Angie -- you want to make it easy for those college admissions people to see the "essence" of your high school experience. I think it's legitimate to "tailor" a transcript for the audience -- not being untruthful in the least, but just focusing it towards what you are intending.
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Thank you Angie and Willa. This IS helpful. I think I have had some misconceptions - I think I have maybe placed undue importance on the transcript. Most people I have spoken to seem think that you need Seton or Kolbe or other "accredited" to do your transcript - but after my reading and talking here, I am starting to see that I CAN do my own. The transcript is very particular to the US - and so I have had to get my head around it.
Now to clarify - Willa - I love your transcript. But you show it as 4 years not 5 - so I am understanding that it is the Grade level of the work rather than the year that is important.
My dd will complete Grade 9 in one year - her classes are English 9, Algebra I, Physical Science, Grammar 9, World Geography, Religion 9 with electives in Music (piano/clarinet) and PE (dance etc)However next year we may do a different format. I guess I could just use Seton's Grade 9 grades on my own transcript should I choose to do one.
Thanks for your help. I am starting to feel a little relieved. I see the high school years as being the years of "learning how to learn", "developing good habits", "mastery learning" and I need to focus on quality without feeling constrained by paperwork.
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MarilynW
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Willa - did you just make your transcript yourself - or did you use some software? I like the format - nice and simple and uncluttered.
( I did tell you that I am a little transcript obsessed  )
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Willa
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| Posted: Jan 30 2010 at 12:57pm | IP Logged
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MarilynW wrote:
| Now to clarify - Willa - I love your transcript. But you show it as 4 years not 5 - so you and Angie say that the years are immaterial - that it is the Grade Level? |
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My son didn't really take 2 years for one grade, but rather he just moved forward at his own pace. If you see what I mean. He was taking some high school level classes in the second semester of 8th grade. So that was the way I approached it..... I just arranged all the high school level courses within the four year range.
I missed your question to Angie about whether you would put 9th grade in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Personally, I wouldn't do it that way because it might suggest to the college admissions people that the child had had to take 9th grade twice. In a homeschool environment, of course that is silly, but to those accustomed to conventional high school it might look odd. Angie's rule to make transcripts user-friendly applies here, to me.
Here's a site that mentions middle school courses for high school credit. From my research it sounds like this is fairly conventional -- just as many city college classes can be taken for high school AND college credit. In other words, it's the level of the course that matters more than what grade the child took the class in.
So one way to handle it may be to have your daughter repeat 8th grade "on paper". But continue to do the high school level work she is capable of. And give her high school credit. Then on the transcript put the years where she is "officially" in high school grades.
This has the advantage of giving her some breathing room in case some of her classes take a little longer to get through. To me, it was important to have extra "space" during high school years to explore, assimilate more thoroughly etc. Since your child is young for her grade she has that time.
Does this make sense?
I copied the template over from a mixture of templates I found online. I just chose the format that looked prettiest to me -- I can send you the doc version if you want so you can edit. Or there's a couple here and here -- I just used Word or Open Office, I can't remember which right now
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Willa
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Willa - thanks so much.
I am sure that in a few years I am going to look back and wonder what I was getting myself in a twist about - that things will work out.
Thanks to you too Angie.
I think I need a break from all this high school and college thinking - I am going to immerse myself in picture books and poetry and movies - and try to forget about transcripts and GPAs and PSATs!!!
Actually my dd(13) and I have a date to watch Sense and Sensibility tonight - perfect for a snowy evening!! Perfect to take my mind off all these concerns.
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Angie Mc
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MarilynW wrote:
Thanks for your help. I am starting to feel a little relieved. I see the high school years as being the years of "learning how to learn", "developing good habits", "mastery learning" and I need to focus on quality without feeling constrained by paperwork. |
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MarilynW wrote:
I think I need a break from all this high school and college thinking - I am going to immerse myself in picture books and poetry and movies - and try to forget about transcripts and GPAs and PSATs!!!
Actually my dd(13) and I have a date to watch Sense and Sensibility tonight - perfect for a snowy evening!! Perfect to take my mind off all these concerns. |
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Marilyn, you are a wise woman. I really appreciate your concerns, efforts, and discussion starters...so don't stay away too long .
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Feb 02 2010 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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Willa wrote:
I think it's legitimate to "tailor" a transcript for the audience -- not being untruthful in the least, but just focusing it towards what you are intending.
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This is what I was trying to say ...and trying to be polite regarding admissions clerks - I'll spare you some of our encounters! Suffice it to say...know your audience - write to them - and go over the clerk's head when necessary  .
Love,
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Angie Mc
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: More than 4 years for high school?
