What to Include on Homeschool Transcripts

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: What to Include on Homeschool Transcripts.

What to Include on Homeschool Transcripts

The most common questions we receive about homeschooling high school are about transcripts. We understand. Transcripts are important! They are the key to getting into college and are proof that high school actually did happen! So Vicki decided to chat with all of you, our 7th Sisters, about what to include on the transcripts.

BTW- Before we even get started, we want to remind you that 7SistersHomeschool.com has an editable transcript template with a complete how-to guide in our estore for your instant download! There are also oodles of posts at 7Sisters, including the popular Authoritative Guide to Homeschool Transcripts. Check them out by searching “transcripts” in the search bar!

First thing, why should you give your teen a homeschool transcript?

We know that a number of states do not require homeschooling parents to issue a transcript. In those states you are totally allowed to say, “Hey, you’re done! Congratulations,” and then move on with the rest of life without a transcript.

However, if you can, we have heard a number of stories about grownups who needed a high school transcript:

Upon applying to college after being in the workforce for a few years
Upon entering graduate school, even though a local college had not required it for undergraduate studies
Upon applying for a significant career-change job

So, you can be gracious and kind to your homeschool high schoolers to keep a transcript throughout high school, then issue a completed transcript when they graduate. Years later, they may come back and thank you.

Now, what do you include on homeschool transcripts?

You do not need to have a highly polished, professional-looking transcript, just get something. Here’s what to put on the transcript.

At the top of your transcript:

Your homeschool’s name, or simply the words “High School Transcript”.
Your student’s full name
Your student’s date of birth
Your address

Sections for each of the four years of high school:

Grade and year (9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade) along with the actual school year for that grade (for example: 9/2020-6/2021)
Courses taken that year, starting with the core courses: English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Phys Ed, Fine Arts, all the Electives that year
- Be sure to use the specific course title, (for example: One year for ELA your teen may take American Literature, so use “American Literature” for the course title)
Note that homeschoolers will often have more credits (particularly electives) than their traditionally-schooled peers. That is because we believe that all of life is education, so we include all valuable learning experiences.
How do you know if your teen has earned a credit? Check out posts on earning credits at 7SistersHomeschool.com.
- You have lots of choices: logging hours, textbooks, co-op classes, online classes (check out our fellow podcaster’s online schools: True North Academy and FundaFunda Academy), CLEP tests, and more. Check out Homeschool High School Podcast’s episode on course formats for more information.
Beside the title of the course, record the
- level of rigor
- grade
- amount of credit (.5, 1 credit, etc).

Summary of courses (optional):

This is a grid that shows that the core courses were taken each year and the electives that were recorded each year

At the bottom of the transcript, list extracurriculars:

List the extracurricular activity (sport, community work, clubs, etc) along with the years involved
Some colleges want to see long-term engagements and community mindedness

At the bottom of transcript, list competitions:

Teens do not need big wins. Participation in competitions shows drive.
Check out this episode with fellow podcaster, Meryl van der Merve, from Homeschooling with Technology Podcast, where we discuss competitions.

At the bottom of the transcript, record GPA:

For instructions on determining GPA, check out this post.
Do you weight GPA’s? We don’t. We have found that colleges have formulas that make the weighting of applicants’ GPAs the same across the board.
Remember: You cannot use the name “AP” for a course unless it is a College Board approved course.

At the bottom of the transcript, record the date of graduation.

Be sure to keep records in a file or master portfolio:
Syllabi
Course descriptions
Evidence of work: Tests, papers, photos of projects

Join 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group for more homeschool high school support (also our friend Ann Karako has an amazing Facebook group).

Homeschool high school: You CAN do it! Homeschool high school transcript: YOU can do it!

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