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Do any of you homeschool your children for high school level subjects? If so, can you recommend a resource for putting together a college-ready transcript?

Our 8yo is doing high school level work in many areas, and I need to learn more about the best ways to document his progress in terms of preparation for the college admissions process.

I've looked at a lot of books on Amazon, but it's difficult to tell what would be the best resource, so I thought I'd ask for advice.

Thanks in advance!
Tara

Czechdrum,

Is it correct that you're applying to DYS? Or is you child already a YS? I ask this because a few months ago I participated in a colloquium about that exact topic. I will try to look up the guy's name and see if he published a book about it (I was only half-hearted interested, because I am yet to fully prescribe to radical hybrid education and most of the people were having their kids take college courses about your son's age, or putting work/volunteer experiences on their transcript. The work/volunteer experiences were so incredible, it made me almost want to crawl back in to "ordinary" box. This guy also writes transcripts for such students professionally (or that was the impression I had). Let me see what I can find...

Hi Tara,

When are you thinking your son might like to go to college? Perhaps this is a naive thought on my part, but could he take a community college course or two. It seems I've read in previous posts that some younger children had enjoyed doing this.
Again, I would imagine that most early-entrance colleges would look at SAT/ACT scores and take into consideration the your son could "cut it" as demonstrated by passing a few CC courses.

Just a thought,
Incog

Cym, thanks for your reply. My son isn't in DYS, but we applied for the February deadline and didn't get our response yet.

I'm not really after the be-all, end-all transcript. I just want to be educated enough about high school transcript documentation to produce something that accurately shows his accomplishments. To be honest, I'm the mellow unschooler who is being whipped into shape by my structure-demanding 8yo. *snort* He is juggling two Algebra programs full-time and his leisure reading is Zaccaro and Life of Fred. He's Mister Motivated.

I don't see him applying to colleges until, at the earliest, age 11 or 12. But since we let him go at his own pace, some subjects (like math) are progressing at light speed. He could plausibly be ready for Calculus at 11 if he continues at his current pace, in which case we'll be looking for a tutor/mentor/class. A big reason why we applied to DYS was their promises of advocacy. I am loathe to be labeled the pushy mom when it's my kid (not me) begging to take a Calc class at the local community college. It would be great to have an objective third party like DYS lending credence to our son's requests.

Let me know if you find the guy's name, and I'll check out his book.

Tara

Hey Neat,

Thanks for your note. I'm very open to the community college option, especially for the requirement courses. I'm hoping that is the route he can take, or that he would be able to find mentors/tutors locally who could do an individual class for him on an ala carte basis. At this point, I think the earliest he would start college courses would be 11 or 12. He would be ready for some subjects earlier than others.

Mostly, I wish I had other homeschooling parents to talk to about this sort of thing. All of our son's homeschooling friends are doing 2nd/3rd grade, and our state doesn't even require me to file his homeschool affadavit until the 2008-2009 school year. So starting to keep records for a high school transcript feels a little odd.

Tara

Yes, that makes for an odd situation. I'll bet your son will just love the college courses when he can take them.
I've said it before, there is no manual for us!
Even if we wrote one, would it even apply to many others? Our dear ones are wonderful in their uniqueness!!
At least, that's what I tell myself when I find myself in a jam.

I

hi czechdrum,

The seminar was by Wes Beach, who is a consultant in California
I believe he's done 1200 transcripts.
When I googled him, there were no publications I could find, bbut there seems to be a lot of info out there.

One of the blogs read the following:

Have you checked the hsc.org website (California Homeschool Assn)? There's a teen section, and in it you should find a link and info re Wes Beach. He's worked with many, many kids who've done alternative things for high school and gone on to college.

Tara,
If you just act calm, kind, and confident, with a little smile, and talk slowly, you won't be percieved as pushy even if you ask for the moon. And if you are percieved as pushy, in the service of doing what's right - that's not the end of the world...wouldn't you have wanted to be part of the pushiness when ((insert favorite time during your favorite liberation struggle here)) ? Some people have found that YSP paves the way when they name drop it, but my experience is thay YSP is great for planning, but I don't even refer to it when advocating, since it draws blank stares. The person on the other end wants to believe that YOU are confident and standing behind your decision. Lucky for you, once they spend time with your son, they will see it isn't you, it's HIM! Try to approach any professor you can to meet with your son, and they let them pull the strings.

In the meantime:
Here are some easy ways to Document that you child has completed a particular high school course -

1) go online and find your local school district's scope and sequence for the class, and item by item check when your child completes.
2) Sign Kiddo up for SATII subject tests. They are standardized tests that cover the various high school subjects that Colleges want to see. You local library should be stocked with 'review' books for the various tests, which can be used as outlines for the subjects.
3) Some classes, like Calculus, which are normally taken in High School are called 'AP' and there exists tests, and test prep books, and online classes to prepare for thoses.

Seems to me that if you child does really well on an SATII test, and an AP test, that no one is going to argue that he doesn't really know the material. Now I've never done this, and am just being logical here - which I've learned can be dangerous, so take this advice with a grain of salt.

There is an amazing website, http://learninfreedom.org/ run by a homeschooler who knows more about getting homeschooled kids into college that anyone I know. So my info is just the band-aid while you delve through this website. BTW - continue to ask your questions here, but also email anyone who has a website that looks interesting, and ask the questions you want answered.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

czechdrum, I sent you a PM yesterday. I just wanted to be sure you saw it...

Am I reading this right, you haven't had to give your school anything showing what your child is doing, and won't have to until next school year? Oh my, if that is true, can I be there when you give the elementary school a portfolio of his math papers? Pleeeeaaaase, I *want* to see the looks on their faces, hahaha.

School officials > Let's see how your DS is doing with 2nd grade math. Hmmmm, you must have misunderstood what you are supposed to be teaching him. We want to see pages of adding and subtraction problems. You have not done your job.

czechdrum > But this is the math he is doing.

School officials > But this isn't adding and subtracting.

czechdrum > That's correct, it isn't plain adding and subtracting, it's 'algebra'.

School officials > We want to see pages of adding and subtraction problems. You have not done your job.



I just have to see the look on their faces.