11. [F] Grades that are calculated with
numerical percentages work well for
objective learning tasks that highlight
factual knowledge, but at the high school
level there are many learning experiences
that require subjective evaluation. For such
projects or courses, the only way to assign
accurate grades for your student’s work is
to measure achievements against your
stated objectives. A list of anecdotal
descriptions that describe each letter grade
will help you achieve consistency in
reporting the quality of achievement your
student is demonstrating.
12. [F] Don’t even think about using
“pass/fail” grades on your child’s high
school transcript as these usually have a
negative impact on the student’s Grade
Point Average (GPA).
13. [F] Conventional schools tie the assignment of credit to spending a designated
number of hours in classroom attendance
and outside preparation. The formula for
this requirement varies anywhere from
120–200 hours of work, depending on the
definitions involved. In order to assign
credits with integrity, parents have to
balance the need to recognize that not all
classroom time is productive and the need
to avoid inflating their own tutorial advantage. Whatever number you choose as a
guideline, strive for consistency in the
application of your standards.
14. [T] A diploma is just a pretty piece of
calligraphy on parchment if it has no
backup record to support it. The high
school transcript is the document that adds
credibility and substance to the diploma’s
claim of graduation status.
15. [F] Since the tragic events of September
11, 2001, it is not unusual for employers to
require presentation of high school transcripts as a form of security clearance—
proof that you are the person you claim to
be and that you come from the places where
you claim to have been.
16. [F] The academic focus of this
curriculum design is often called “
quad-fours” because of its emphasis on four
credits in each major academic field. A
student may be granted a high school
diploma based on his/her successful
completion of any specified track of
courses required by the school. Thus,
homeschool parents may establish the graduation requirements for their educational
institution as well, highlighting their own
curriculum priorities in response to their
children’s gifts, talents, needs, etc.
17. [F] Since every school has the right to
establish its curricular priorities and the
obligation to document all student work
that fulfills those requirements, the Bible
credits should be listed on the transcripts
regardless of the reader’s response.
18. [T] “Weighting” refers to the process of
adding an extra grade point to high school
courses that feature advanced work, such
as Honors, AP, or college classes taken
during the high school years. Note that
whenever you “weight” a grade on the transcript, you must be able to present outside
corroboration (i.e., CLEP scores, AP evaluations, college transcripts, a bibliography
of college-level text materials or course
syllabus).
19. [T] While most schools do include a
summary of the student’s SAT/ACT scores
on high school transcripts, college admissions personnel are still going to require
that official reports be submitted directly
from the testing companies.
20. [T] Once a student is at a point in his
educational career where he receives high
school credits for his work, parents should
maintain a running bibliography of all
textbooks, workbooks, videos, lab
manuals, related materials, etc., related to
each course.
It is helpful to delegate this responsibility to the student and periodically check
the list.
21. [F] If a student is ready to begin
studying subjects normally reserved for the
high school years at an earlier time (e.g., a
junior high student who takes algebra or
geometry or is ready to work with high
school texts in U.S. history or biology,
etc.), that student should be granted high
school credit. In order to accomplish this
goal, you will have to adjust your transcript
format to sort courses by content categories rather than by chronology.
22. [T] Because the student’s cumulative
GPA needs to include all grades and
credits earned, the expectation at the
high school level is that the graduating
institution provides the student with a
complete transcript that reflects all of
his/her work regardless of where it was
completed.
23. [T] Most schools refuse to accept for
transfer credit any courses in which a
student earned less than a “C” grade. A
homeschool parent may do exactly the
same thing, thus allowing the student to get
a fresh start in taking the course again with
no academic penalty.
24. [T] With careful planning and documentation, it is possible to create a situation where an extracurricular activity is
tied to a specific program of academic
study so that the activity actually functions
as a “lab” for the course content. For
example, parents could create a course in
“Child Development” by combining appropriate reading assignments, seminars,
discussion, and research with what otherwise would be listed simply as a community service activity—working in the
preschool department of the church’s
Sunday School.
25. [T] Whether you categorize these
learning activities as extracurricular or
assign them the status of full-fledged business, trades, or other vocational education
courses, you should definitely list them on
your child’s high school transcript.
Are you ready to add the “registrar” hat to
your home educator wardrobe?
Inge Cannon has served the homeschool
movement for twenty-five years and is
currently the executive director of
Education PLUS, a publishing and
teaching ministry dedicated to helping
home-educating parents maximize the
benefits of a tutorial lifestyle in their families. She is the author/seminar instructor of
Transcript Boot Camp on DVD, a thorough, four-hour presentation about high
school planning and transcript documentation. Her TranscriptPro software gives the
professional edge to every parent and is
extremely easy to use. Details are available
at www.homeschooltranscripts.com and
www.edplus.com.
