Authoritative Guide to Homeschool High School Transcript

Here is another post in our Authoritative Guide series: Homeschool High School Transcript.

Homeschool High School Transcript

You have made the decision to homeschool high school and now you have a million questions on creating your student’s high school transcript. Since this document will be shared with your student’s college choice or even possible employer, you feel an extra angst to get it right.

We at the 7Sisters are asked that question often and if you were to head over to our website and put transcripts in the search bar you would get about 50 plus related blog posts. Your next question would be which one should I read first? Followed by this must really be difficult if they have written so much about this topic.

If you have done an internet search on the topic you probably found conflicting information on how to handle transcripts. While we always say there is not ONE RIGHT way to homeschool there is also not ONE RIGHT way to create a transcript.

So let’s see if we can grasp the big picture of what are the essentials of a high school transcript before we get into the details of how to make it sparkle.

This post will discuss:

• What is a transcript?
• Credits needed for homeschool high school graduation
• What colleges are looking for on high school transcripts
• What about grading and GPA?
• Course Levels: Level of Rigor
• Basic Information to Include on Transcript
• How do you prove your credits mean something on the transcript?
• How to earn Credits?
• Sparkling Transcripts and Powering Up Transcripts
• What’s the difference between transcripts and course descriptions?
• Recording Internships on the Transcript
• Adjusting Rigor on Transcript
• Transcripts for Students with Special Needs
• Transcripts for Transfer Students
• You have created your transcript template now read these tips to polish the final transcript
• Don’t forget high school isn’t all about the transcripts! Homeschool high school is more than awesome transcripts.

What is a transcript?

Basically, a transcript is a report card that shows the high-level overview of high school. It lists courses taken each year, amount of credit earned and at what level of rigor, and grade for the course. It can also include extracurriculars, competitions and service hours.

Just in case you are wondering what the public and private schools use for transcripts, it differs with each school! Just like homeschoolers differ, so do traditional schools.

The Transcript Basics:

• You need to record credits
• You need to record levels of academic rigor
• You need to assign grades
• You need to record service hours
• You need to record extracurriculars
• You need SAT or ACT scores if your teen is college bound
• You need to record GPA

I have found peace in my planning by scheduling backwards. So let’s take that concept of scheduling backwards and apply it to creating a transcript.

First, take a look at what your state requires and what a possible college choice is wanting. Each state has different requirements for graduation. You can check Homeschool Legal Defense Association’s website for this information.

Check your local colleges to see what they are looking for in their incoming freshmen. This will help you to know what each different college requires. (Each college is a little different.)

Once you have this information, you plan what you need to cover in high school and how to document it for the transcript.

Credits needed for homeschool high school graduation

Generally, students need 26 credits to graduate, although this will vary by state, supervising program (if you have one) and goals for the teen and family. Here are the basics.

• 4 credits of English (Language Arts)
• 4 credits of Mathematics
• 4 credits of Social Studies
• 4 credits of Science
• 1 or 2 credits of Physical Education
• 2 or 3 credits of World Language
• 1 credit of Fine Arts
• 1 credit of Technology
• 3 credits of Career Exploration or Career Pathways
• 2 to 3 credits Electives

If you would like to read more details on what each of those credits entail I suggest reading the blog post Homeschool High School Transcripts: The 26 Basic Credits You Need.

• If you want to hear more about credits and courses listen this Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode: Got-to-Have Types of Courses for Homeschool Transcript. 
• For more tips on setting your 4-year goals, check out this post and this Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode: Goal Setting and Planning.
• Here’s information on what colleges like to see on homeschool transcripts.
  • As well as a discussion on whether or not to include religion on the homeschool transcript.

Now that you have a big picture of what your student needs to cover in the 4 years, you can break that down into what to cover each year of high school.

Planning the 4 years of homeschool high school

There’s not ONE right way to plan your teens’ high school program. You can get fancy and buy a planner or follow Stacey’s fabulous *origami* planning (folded paper). We love it!

A quick sheet of paper divided into fourths can help you lay out the 4 years of high school.

Editable PDF Transcript Template:

If you need help with a transcript form we have created an editable PDF transcript template. It comes with a checklist and guide to help you get it all done.

Now, let’s take a glance at in general what colleges are looking for on high school transcripts

Colleges vary in what they are looking for. Here are some guidelines that have helped our teens and the teens we advise get into college.

• Solid GPA
• Strong SAT or ACT scores (note: many colleges have started NOT requiring SAT and ACT, relying instead on the college application essay, strong transcript and good recommendation letters)
• Academic Challenge
• Non-Generic Courses
• Extra-curricular
• Competitions
• Service hours
• Development of specific skill

Want some good advice from someone in the know? Dr. Renae Duncan served as Associate Provost and Provost of Murray State University in Kentucky for many years. This Homeschool Highschool Podcast interview shares her tips for being college attractive.

What about grading and GPA?

Now, you have a working idea of what classes will be taken each year and an idea of other things you want to track, such as service hours and extra-curricular activities. Your next question might be: How do I assign grades to the various subjects and classes?

I suggest following Sabrina’s guidelines: Good grading comes from goals. 

Set goals for each course. Create a formula that considers the goals for each course for each student, including:

• Effort
• Mastery
• Cooperation with peers (in a group class or co-op class)
• Accomplishment of the goals for the assignment
• Evidence of learning
• For more information on grading, check out these posts:
  • Assigning grades for papers
  • Assigning grades for poetry
  • Assigning grades for elective courses 
  • Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Assigning Grades for Transcripts

Create a rubric for grading each course, as well as specific assignments (such as papers or projects).

Explain the rubric to your homeschool high schoolers so that they know what is expected and what will be graded.

• Incorporate your goals for each course into the rubric
• Use rubrics, especially in courses that include writing, projects or labs. (Also, avail your teen of the peer review process if you have a co-op class.)
• In concrete courses like math, you simply need to explain the grading process.
  • % of grade that comes from tests
  • % of grade that comes from daily assignments
  • % of grade that comes from attitude
  • Explain to teens that they will experience *subjective points* occasionally in co-op classes and in college
• Homeschool moms have the right to adapt rubrics in textbooks for their goals.

Don’t worry if you need help on creating a rubric, we have a blog post for that. But, might I suggest reading it after we finish discussing transcripts? 

Calculating GPA

GPAs (Grade Point Averages) are necessary for the homeschool transcript. Once you make up your mind how to handle them, life gets easier.

GPA: Weighted or Not?

Next, if you are asking yourself whether or not to weight grades, there is not a standard answer for this. Some public and private high schools will weight grades. Others do not.

But the IMPORTANT THING about weighted grades is:

Schools who weight the GPA are doing so because they want to show that students with a weighted grade has completed an academically rigorous course. They might assign a point-value of 5.0 for a rigorous course instead of 4.0.

You can also show academic rigor VERY effectively by including the *level of rigor* right beside the title of the course on the transcript. This Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode explains levels of rigor and how to assign them.

• For example, if your homeschool high schooler completed an Honors Language Arts course, the transcript would say:
  • Language Arts Level 5 (Honors)

College admissions officers must be able to compare students from all the different kinds of GPAs, thus they have an algorithm that equalizes the field. Showing levels of rigor for courses on the transcript is easier and clearer than weighting (in our humble opinions) and just as effective as weighting, when dealing with college applications.

Click here to read an in-depth explanation of handling levels on the transcript.

How to figure GPA:

First, you will need to decide if you will:

• Wait until senior year to figure GPA (when colleges need transcripts)
• Start at the end of freshman year and update it yearly (create a cumulative GPA)
• Record a cumulative GPA AND that year’s GPA

There’s not one right choice. However, if a teen will need to show transcripts during high school for scholarships, apprenticeships or job applications, choose one of the last 2 options.

• Step 1: Determine which percentage points determine the letter grades.
  • This is important because you need the letter grade to figure the GPA. (Also, college applications often ask this.)
  • You get to decide this; there is not a standard.
  • A simple method:
    • Lowest B=  82
    • Lowest C=  73
    • Lowest A=  92
• Step 2: Assign a Grade Point to each course.
  • Again, the simple method:
    • Lowest A= 92= 4
    • Lowest B= 82= 3
    • Lowest C= 73= 2
• Step 3: Assign the amount of credit earned to each course on the transcript
• Step 4: Figure the GPA
  • This is simple math. You are simply going to average of the Grade Points. Do this by:
    • Adding together all the Grade Points earned in a year.
    • Adding the number of credits earned in a year.
    • Dividing the Grade Points by the number of credits earned.

At our umbrella school, we only counted the core courses as part of the GPA. The course courses are:

• Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Social Studies/Histories
• Sciences
• World Languages

Here’s an example, Sally’s 9th grade core courses looked like this:

• American Literature
  • 1 credit, A grade, 4 GP
• Algebra I
  • 1 credit, B grade, 3 GP
• American History
  •  1 credit, A grade, 4 GP
• Physical Science
  •  1 credit, A grade, 4 GP
• Spanish I
  • 1 credit, A grade, 4 GP

Sally’s total GP was 19. She earned 5 credits.

19/5=3.8

Remember, there’s not one right way to figure the GPA, so do what is best for your family. Our college-bound teens have done fine with the simple method, but a more complex one may be more suitable for your family. Either way, you will probably be explaining your methodology on the college application (or the *counselor* portion of the Common Application).

If you want a more detailed way to calculate GPA read the blog post on 2 Practical Ways to Figure GPA on Homeschool Transcript. 

Since you know what credits to cover each year, what colleges are looking for and how to assign grades. Let’s just go over the technical details of basic information. So here is a list of the finer details that need to be included on the transcript.

Course Levels: Level of Rigor

Many colleges want to see the level of rigor of high school core courses.

Homeschool high schools are not the only educational institutions including levels on their transcripts. Many private and public schools will show the level of each core course right next to the name of that class.

It is wise to include a legend on the transcript with a brief description of the way the levels are assigned.

Note: There is not much standardization of levels from school to school.

• Level 1 Remedial Courses
• Level 2 Average High School Courses
• Level 3 College Preparatory Courses
• Level 4 Advanced Courses
• Level 5 Honors Course

If you want to learn more about course levels read the blog post Homeschool High School Transcripts Course Levels Dos and Don’ts. 

When your student needs honor level courses then listen to the podcast on How to Create Honors Credits on the Homeschool Transcript. 

Basic information to include on transcript

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Social Security (totally optional)
• Address
• Contact information (email address, optional)
• Title of your homeschool (optional)
• For most transcripts, break out courses taken by year with name of course, levels, amount of credit, grade.
• Course Summary section
• Extracurriculars
• Service hours
• Competitions
• GPA
• Graduation date
• SAT or ACT scores

You can listen to the podcast where the sisters discuss How to get transcripts right.

The great thing is we have created a Transcript Checklist that you can refer to after you have created your transcript. It is always a great idea to have some one proof your work. We 7Sisters have often been humbled by errors in our work after we have hit the publish button.

Now, you have a working knowledge how to create the homeschool high school transcript. Let’s chase some of the rabbit trails of making transcripts sparkle.

How do you prove your credits mean something on the transcript?

There are some standard ways to choose for earning credits. High school credits are based on Carnegie units. Each Carnegie unit (or credit) can be earned in several ways:

• Use a curriculum.
  • Most high school college-prep texts will require about 120-180 hours of study to properly complete for a full-credit course, or 60-90 hours for a half-credit course.
  • Complete at least 3/4 of the text, do tests, projects or papers to show that learning has occurred.
• Log educational hours.
  • Educational hours can include appropriate movies, field trips, research and writing, online instruction.
  • This is a good choice for classes like physical education and fine arts.
  • Log 120-180 hours per credit.
  • For more information on this type of credit, check out this post.
• Read books.
  • This is a good way to handle courses like history, elective science, literature or fine arts.
  • Books might include biographies, nonfiction, historical fiction, and poetry.
  • We have found that often 16 books with study guides or written summaries will fill the required hours for an average high school freshman.
  • Take dual enrollment courses. One-semester course at a college is 3 credits on a college transcript, but it equals 1 Carnegie credit for the high school transcript. So 1 semester at college is 1 credit on the homeschool transcript.
• Join online courses or local classes.
  • Many homeschool groups offer local classes or online courses.
  • These are usually based on Carnegie units so are easily included on the transcript.

Most importantly remember to keep a paper trail!

How to earn credits?

Check out this blog post about How to Earn Credits. gives more details on how you prove your credits mean something. 

Generally, high school credits are assigned in Carnegie Units. A Carnegie Unit is defined as 120-180 hours of study in one subject (the number varies by state, check HSLDA for your state’s requirements).

Each Carnegie Unit/Credit can be earned in various ways.

• Study with a curriculum. Most high school college-prep texts will require about
  120-150 hours of study to properly complete for a full-credit course, or 60-75 hours for a half-credit course. You generally don’t need to log hours if you are completing a textbook.
• Log 120 hours of experiences. Educational experiences can include field trips, research and writing, instructional dvd’s. This is a good choice for classes like physical education and fine arts or courses that combine credits.
• Reading of real books on one topic of interest. Real books include biographies, nonfiction, historical fiction, and poetry. We have found that often 16 books with study guides or written summaries will fill the required hours for an average high school freshman.
• One semester college course. Colleges assign credits in a different format. Usually a one-semester course at a college is 3 credits to the college, but it equals 1 Carnegie Unit.
• Online courses or local classes.  Lots of homeschool groups offer local classes or online courses. These are usually based on Carnegie Units, but it is good to ask.

Some important notes on earning credits:

• Many states and colleges these days are looking for more hours of instruction in each credit assigned. It is a better rule of thumb to aim for 135-180 for each unit of study.
• Many states and colleges are looking for an additional 30 hours of lab (hands-on) work in most science courses.
• English/Language Arts is considered by many colleges to need much more than 135 hours of study. ELA should include:
  • reading literature textbooks OR real books
  • writing assignments (of numerous varieties, especially large research papers)
  • grammar
  • vocabulary
  • public speaking
• Paper Trails: Your job as homeschool parent is to keep paper trails of your student’s work on each credit. This includes tests, papers, log sheets, college transcripts, and course grades.

Sparkling Transcripts and Powering Up Transcripts

Every high schooler must complete the core courses for graduation:

• Language Arts
• Maths
• Social Studies
• Sciences
• World Languages
• To some extent, all transcripts look the same in those areas.

So how do you help your homeschool high schooler earn a STAND-OUT transcript? By knowing the secret: Electives and extracurriculars give homeschool transcripts sparkle! They show who your teens truly are, they highlight strengths and interests;

Record Teens Interests

There are several components to college-attractive transcripts. One of the important things to show on homeschool transcripts is developing your homeschool high schoolers’ interests.

• Explored interests– Homeschool high schoolers need to “try on hats” and turn up new interests. They can do that with taking out of the box courses.
• Developed interests– Once teens have landed on an interest that could become a major, it is wise to take extra classes in that subject or classes in that subject at an honors level.
• They should, if possible, do an apprenticeship or service in their field of interest.

We have found that it is beneficial to record interests on the homeschool transcripts with two types of homeschool high schoolers:

• Non-college-bound teens’ transcripts
  • For job interviews or applications, young adults sometimes need to bring their transcripts. When employers review the transcript that includes interests, they remember better what mattered and matters to them. It helps them formulate stories about their experiences that they can share at interviews. This enhances their confidence levels.
• College-bound teens’ transcripts
  • Many interests that your homeschool high schoolers want to explore can be captured as credits on the transcript.
  • Show extracurriculars on the homeschool transcript
    • We always include our homeschool high schoolers’ extracurriculars in a special section of the transcript. Extracurriculars do not generally receive credit, but they look great to college admissions officers. We simply add a section at the bottom of the transcript with the type of extracurricular, organization (if applicable), and years participated. Note: this information is usually asked on college applications, so having it handy on the transcript is helpful. (Now we do need to point out there is a difference between electives and extracurricular that I will address in the next section.)
• Show volunteer work:
  • Whenever possible, we have had our homeschool high schoolers do some volunteer work in their interest areas. We include a section at the bottom of the transcript to list this information along with a tally of hours served.

Sparkle up the transcript with electives and extracurriculars

What’s the difference between electives and extracurriculars?

What’s the difference between transcripts and course descriptions?

Transcripts and course descriptions are actually 2 different things. Here is a description of both:

The transcript is the high-level overview of high school. It lists courses taken each year, amount of credit earned and at what level of rigor, and grade for the course. It can also include extracurriculars, competitions and service hours.

• Text used for course
• Topics covered by the student in the course
• Methods used for instruction (text, real books, inquiry-based activities, etc)
• How the course will be graded
• Amount of credit earned and at what level of rigor
• Plus a syllabus, where possible

However the methods, amount of credit earned and the amount of rigor varies by student, so each homeschool parent who needs course descriptions will need to explain those in the description.

Transcripts are a part of educational life for all homeschool high schoolers. Course descriptions are occasionally needed.

Recording Internships on the Transcript

Are internships paid or unpaid?

Most of the time, internships  or apprenticeships are unpaid and time-limited. Sometimes, due to insurance regulations, the student must be paid (auto mechanics). Some require some special HIPPA training (doctor’s office).

How do I keep records for internships or apprenticeships?

When recording an internship or apprenticeship for a transcript, you will want to record this as a Carnegie credit. Keep a file of these things:

• Log of hours
• Job duties
• Networking opportunities, if available
• Photos or samples of work done, if applicable
• Feedback from supervisors, if possible

Adjusting Rigor on Transcript

When your teen needs to spend the bulk of their time on advanced studies in their area of interest but yet maintain college preparatory levels on other courses, you can adjust the rigor of class.

• Start with a user-friendly, simple text that is written for a Level 2 (Average) high school level.
• Have your homeschool high schooler read the text, do the questions throughout the text. Take the tests.
• Have your teen earn 1/4 more in experiential learning activities. For this you will log hours of various educational experiences.
• To know when your teen has earned that 1/4 credit in experiences, simply take your state requirement for credit hours and divide by 4. In our area, we need 135 hours of educational experiences to earn a credit, so 1/4 credit is 34 hours. Some states require 180 hours, so their quarter credit will be 45 hours. Most of my teens logged closer to 50 hrs and/or read an extra real book or two.
• When those extra hours and books are completed and logged, you will include this in your course description.

Note, this is not best practices for courses in your teen’s interest or college-major areas. It DOES free up more time for them to concentrate on their career pathways or other honors-level courses because it is a simple, painless credit-earning process

Transcripts for Students with Special Needs

How does a homeschooler with learning weaknesses develop a strong transcript?

Not all homeschoolers are powerful academicians, but each one has a place in God’s kingdom. Their transcripts should be able to reflect the richness of their experiences and giftings, while being honest about academics. Here are a few tips for developing a great transcript for your high schooler:

• Concentrate on strengths- find an area or two and level up or show as specialty course
  
  • By teen years, you and your homeschooler know strengths and interest areas. Lean into them for a leveling-up experience or a special course.
• Compensate in weak areas
  • High school is the time to remediate where there are weak areas in your teen’s academics.
• Have LOTS of sparkle on the transcript: community involvement, appropriate competitions, service opportunities
  • This is where your teen can shine. Plow into those talents and strengths.
• Try some apprenticeships
  • Discuss good work ethic skills: promptness, politeness, industriousness. Then let him/her try his skills with a time-limited apprenticeship.
• Teach strong interviewing skills
  • Practice some interview skills: dress business casual or business, sit straight, hands on knees, look toward/at interviewer, answer in complete sentences, have some questions to ask the interviewer.
• If needed, update diagnostic testing if he/she will need compensations at college level
  • As mentioned before, not all homeschoolers need to go to college, but if your teen feels led to go- it might be time to get some diagnostic testing. Look at a local educational psychologist or psychological testing service. The test results will include a list of needed compensations, if applicable.

Transcripts for Transfer Students

However, if you are beginning to homeschool after your teen has been in traditional school for part of high school, here are some great ideas for homeschool transcripts for transfer students along with LOTS of planning tips on the Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode: Transcripts for Transfer Students. 

You have created your transcript template now read these tips to polish the final transcript:

• Plugging Holes in the Homeschool High School Transcript

  • Do your research. This takes some work, but it is better to do a little work now than to stress about the transcript during your homeschool high schooler’s senior year. If you know what requirements your homeschool high schooler will need for graduation and a solid transcript when you first start out the teen years, you will feel better.

• College Attractive Transcripts the 7 Things We Always Include

  • If you start planning when for a college-attractive transcript your homeschool high schoolers are freshmen or sophomores, it will take a big burden of stress out of their senior year. It’s tough trying to cram a lot of rigor and sparkle into that last year or two of high school.

• 8 Tips to Start 9th Graders Building a College-Attractive Transcript

  • Long-term commitments. One major mistake some teens make is to neglect extracurricular activities in your underclassman years and suddenly becoming involved as an upperclassman. Admissions officers are well aware that many students that wait to become involved as upperclassmen are playing “the admissions game” and trying to impress the college admissions officers.

• How to Create a Powerful 11th Grade Year on the Transcripts

  • This is year that colleges look at most seriously. (9th and 10th graders might be immature and not performing at their full capability. Seniors will not have a chance to show their full year on the transcript before applying to college.)

• How to Make the Most of Senior Year on High School Transcripts

  • You want to make the most of senior year on the homeschool transcript. Even though colleges will be accepting students without really knowing all your high schoolers’ achievements for the year, they still want to see in 12th grade:
    • rigor in academics
    • sparkle in course choices
    • community involvement
    • drive

• 7 Tips for a Professional Looking Homeschool Transcript

  • The transcript should be easy to read and understand. Some college admissions officers have only time enough for 1 or 2 minutes per application. They need to be able to read quickly through a transcript! Type neatly, use consistent fonts and edit carefully!

Don’t forget high school isn’t all about the transcripts! Homeschool high school is more than awesome transcripts. 

Now, don’t start feeling guilty if you thought that homeschooling high school is just about your teens earning great transcripts! We just wanted to share a few ideas that you may already be doing and not giving yourself appreciation for. OR maybe it’s time to think about reframing homeschool high school so that it’s not only a good experience for your teens. It can be a GREAT experience for your teens.

• healthy relationships
• preparation for life
• career exploration
• citizenship

Homeschool high schoolers must concentrate on academics, but just as important are the well-rounded life skills that we can give them.

There are 5 skills that matter even more than homeschool transcripts!

• service skills
• life-style of prayer skills
• scripture knowledge skills
• thinking skills
• interpersonal skills

Remember Character is more important than transcripts!

I know that to get into college your high schooler has to have a good transcript. However, I know that the high school transcript is NOT the most important thing for your homeschool high schooler.

Why is character more important than the homeschool transcript?

1. Transcripts do not show a student’s integrity but learning to live with integrity will make lasting change to a teen’s character.
2. Transcripts do not show a student’s perseverance.
3. Transcripts do not show a student’s destination.

Reward yourself for taking in all this information! You are your way to being an expert in homeschool high school transcript. Of course we are here if you have any questions!

You can get more good information on transcripts for homeschool high school in these posts from our friends Marcy at Ben and Me and Betsy at BJ’s Homeschool.

Follow our Pinterest board on Homeschool High School Transcript.

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