Transcripts and college

A friend of mine and I were discussing whether or not colleges require you to have a high school transcript. I told her that one was not required and she said that it was. So I decided to do some research on this subject. I have come to the conclusion that while there are some colleges that do require a transcript, most colleges now are not requiring them of homeschoolers. I think the reason is because some homeschoolers do not follow a strict course schedule and/or grading system. Take for instance unschoolers. They allow their children to choose their own way of learning. People that use unit studies also do not have a grading system because usually the "course" covers several different subjects/topics inter-mingled together. There are some that use an eclectic approach like me. Even though we use text books for most of our core subjects, only one of the books actually has a grading system for their tests. I suppose I could count the number of problems, add up the number of correct answers and divide...blah, blah, blah. That's just too much trouble! Besides, when I do grade an assignment or test, we always go over the incorrect problem and correct it. So, should I grade the assignment or test before we do corrections or after? To me it is more important to correct the problems and grade on that than it is to grade before hand and not do any corrections. The one issue I had with public schools is the grading system. They correct the assignments or tests, pass them back to the child and never go over and correct the problems. What are the kids learning from this? Absolutely nothing, except humiliation. The humiliation of knowing that they did poorly on the assignment or test and now all your classmates know how bad you did too. I would rather my child know the correct answer than how many they got wrong and not know the answer.

So back to transcripts. On the transcripts that I have found, they all require a grade for the course taken and any credits given. Hmmmm, I homeschool, therefore I am the one awarding the grades and credits. If my child did not understand the subject well enough to "pass", then I am not going to continue on to the next subject. I am going to work with my child until they do understand the subject. Eventually my child will earn the credit they need in that subject. To me if my child understands what they have learned, then they deserve an "A", which in turn means that they now have a 4.0 G.P.A. I would put this "grade" on the transcript because that is what they want. As you can tell, I don't like grades. I think they are distracting because then the child is only trying to get an "A" instead of trying to learn the subject. Anyone remember those "A" and "A & B" honor rolls the public schools love to post?

When I mentioned to my friend my feelings on grades, she was pretty much aghast that I don't "grade" my childs papers. She wants actual scores to use and not what I call "made up" scores. Her approach to homeschooling and school work are quite different than mine, but that's her choice. (Ah, the joys of homeschooling)

In doing some research on transcripts I came across this: "The documentation allows admission officers to rank students with other applicants and determine if a student is capable of doing well at their school." (see Cafi Cohen's article entitled "And What About College?" below) and “[Transcripts are] irrelevant because a transcript is basically a comparison to other students in the school.” Since my child is the only student I have, how then can this documentation compare them to another student and even rank them since these other students didn't use the same curriculum I did?

Then at the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) website, I came across this: Testing - Colleges rely more on tests than transcripts for home schoolers. Find out which test(s) and what scores are required for admission to the colleges or universities your student is interested in attending. The school he eventually attends might be determined by his test scores. The site lists some of the tests that colleges might request - THEA, GED, PSAT, SAT, and ACT, the same tests that public school kids take.

On the Home School Texas site I found this:

A common question parents ask when considering homeschooling is, "Can homeschoolers go to college?" The answer is a resounding "Yes".

If your son or daughter is considering a specific college, contact the college and ask them what their enrollment requirements are for homeschoolers. Although each college independently establishes it entrance requirements, at a minimum those requirements will normally include a review of the following:

1) SAT or ACT scores
2) Possibly review work you done during your home schooling and
3) Discuss your involvement in community activities.

Trinity Christian College had this note on their website - * Home schooled students may substitute an academic portfolio plus verification that the home school program has been completed. If the student has been part of an association that issues transcripts, a transcript should be sent.

In my research I found many other colleges that had similar policies for homeschoolers. It is mostly up to the college whether or not they require you to have an "official" transcript. If that is so, then by all means you should make one.

When my daughter was trying to enlist in the Air Force, I made a transcript for her. I did not send off for the "official" transcript from the public school that she attended. All I did was go to the schools website and copy the course information from their listings. That is what I did for the courses she took while homeschooling. I did not put a grade on the transcript although I could have if I wanted to. I could go into more detail on how the military handles homeschoolers, but that's another blog. I did put on there whether she passed or failed (of course she passed the homeschool classes but she also passed her public school classes too).

When it comes time for my son to enter college, I will probably make out a transcript. Whether it will have grades is another story. If the college he chooses to go to requires grades, then I will put a grade down for each subject. In the end he will get an "A" in the subject because he will know the material he has been studying well enough to warrant an "A" grade. I'm not going to give him an "F" and go on to something else. I'll leave the "let's promote them to the next grade level even though they don't know the work" attitude to the public schools. As for me and my child, he'll end up with a 4.0 G.P.A. in my book.

Just as our children have their own learning styles, we as parents have our own teaching and record keeping styles. I hope that this will clear up some of the confusion associated with transcripts. Just check with the college that your child is going to attend and find out their requirements, then go from there.

Meanwhile, I'll think about the grade thing and get back to you.

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I have listed a few more links about transcripts, portfolios and what some of the other colleges I found require.

Waycross College - Scroll down the page to "Homeschool Admission" for info on their policies.

Univ. of Washington - Info for homeschooled applicants.

Trinity Lutheran College states: "When applying to Trinity, we require an application, character reference, transcripts, and SAT/ACT scores for admission. Students should submit any parent-made transcripts as well as any transcripts from distance learning and/or online high schools. If such transcripts are not available, a portfolio of high school completion should be submitted."

Pacific Northwest College of Art had this to say on their website: "Students who have completed their secondary (high school) education by home schooling must demonstrate the federal standard of Ability to Benefit. Along with the home school transcript, home schooled students must submit a diploma recognized by their local school district or an official copy of the GED. Students must also include a letter explaining why the family chose to home school." They also have homeschool students fill out this document: - Home Schooled Requirements

Mary Baldwin College has a Homeschool Transcript Form for students/parents to fill out.

The Wall Street Journal has a very good article listed in their Classroom Edition called "Remaking the Grade - Colleges Devise Formulas to Interpret Applicants' High-School GPAs"

At Homeschoolers.com there was this article "Homeschoolers, Colleges Want You!" that will answer some of the questions about college.

At Houghton College I found this Homeschool Curricular Template which you may find useful in preparing your records for college admission officers. It's a different approach to the traditional transcript but it is very informative.

Another option I have seen is a portfolio. From what I have seen, a portfolio is more or less a collection of work that your child has done but can include just about anything of importance to your child's schooling. The Oklahoma Homeschool website has loads of information on homeschooling to begin with but they did have this example of what should go into a portfolio.

And finally, I am including a link to an excerpt from Cafi Cohen's article entitled "And What About College?" Chap 5: Recordkeeping & Transcripts-Transcripts vs. Portfolios.