Homeschooling Through High School

After homeschooling my children since Kindergarten, I must admit, I was a bit nervous about teaching through the high school years. I thought, can I really do this? Well, after lots of prayer and seeking wisdom from above, I can say I am no longer stressed out about teaching through the high school years. God has given my homeschool a plan and I pray these simple tips will encourage you as you homeschool through high school.

Create a Master Plan
If your student is college bound, you need to ensure that the classes you've planned meet or exceed the admission requirements of the college your student hopes to attend. Because each college determines its own high school credit requirements for admission, check the minimum requirements listed on admission websites. State graduation requirements are minimums - it is the college's expectations that should guide your high school plans.

I suggest creating a Homeschool Planner that includes: subject, course, assignments, grades, test scores, awards, community service, leadership, and employment. Keeping these records in a notebook will give you easy access to everything you need to create a transcript and to provide supporting evidence for the grades you grant. (I will share my Homeschool Planner with you in the summer.)

Create a Grading Scale and Grade Point Average
Assign grades for each class. I personally use the following grade scale: 100-94 is an A, 93-87 is a B, 86-77 is a C, 76-70 is a D, and 69-0 is an F. Each letter grade has a numerical equivalent that is used to calculate the grade point average (GPA): A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0. To calculate the cumulative grade point average, add together all the semester grade point averages and divide by the number of semesters.

Create a Transcript
When your student begins to fulfill high school requirements, create a blank transcript form on your computer. A transcript documents the academic achievement of your student in one page and consists of three general sections: personal information, academic information, and certification.

Personal information includes school information (school name, "Official High School Transcript", parents' names, home address, home phone number, and email address) and student information (student name, home address, home phone number, email address, date of birth, graduation date with month/date/year). Due to identity theft, please do not include a social security number on your student's transcript. Listing both school and student information gives your transcript a more professional appearance.

Academic information is organized by school year: ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Under each school year, list the course completed by course title, credits earned, and final grade awarded. At the bottom of each grade year, calculate and show the grade point average (GPA). Most transcripts also show a cumulative GPA that includes all completed school years.

Certification is at the bottom of the transcript. You will add wording that attests to the truthfulness and completeness of the transcript. Each time you send a transcript, print, sign, and date an original. Transcripts should be sent from the school, not from the student.

Happy Homeschooling!