One of the things I worried about most, in our early years of homeschooling, was how I would handle high school – especially high school graduation requirements and transcripts. I know I am not the only one! I am asked every single week, more than once, about how we handle high school transcripts in our interest-led homeschool. It can be hard to picture how such a relaxed lifestyle of learning translates into formal documentation. After graduating one homeschooler and sending him off to college, I realize now that it is so much easier than I thought.
Before you take any steps at all in creating a transcript, I recommend you double check your state’s high school diploma requirements. This will form the backbone of your transcript and will also help guide your coursework decisions.
Although my youngest son has no plans to go to college post-graduation, I use the university bound standards as a guide for all of my record keeping and transcripts.
Because I have been sharing all of our learning as it progresses in my weekly lesson plans, you already know most of the topics we’ve covered. The first step in creating my 9th grade son’s actual transcript was to group all of his areas of study by subject.
Because I create these lists throughout the school year (usually once a month, but at least once a quarter), I have everything I need for the actual documentation for his transcript.
The standard for awarding course credit is in increments of .5 and 1.0 credits per class.
Based on the amount of time, as well as the amount of subject material covered, credit is awarded accordingly. (See sample transcript below)
For more information on how to determine course credit, I love this post from Kara.
Given all of the above information, I create a semester or year long course description for each subject. (If you are not sure what to name a particular course, this list is one I have found helpful to determine what to name certain courses of study for high school transcripts —> Sample High School Courses For Strength Based Learning)
This is what it looks like when you put it all together. Take a look at my youngest son’s 9th grade transcript for this past school year.
| Grade 9 | ||
| COURSE TITLE | Course Description | CREDITS |
| Language Arts 9A – Literature Study | Intensive study and analysis of world literature, including the classics, as well as a comparative study of world mythologies. | 0.5 |
| Language Arts 9B – Language Study | Figurative language study, essay writing, creative writing, poetry | 0.5 |
| Math 9A – Integrated Mathematics | Algebraic concepts and application, Financial Literacy, Discrete Math, Mathematics in Nature | 0.5 |
| Math 9B – Integrated Mathematics | Algebraic concepts and application, Financial Literacy, Discrete Math, Intro to Geometry | 0.5 |
| World Cultures and Geography | Countries of the World Study and Mapping, Current Events Analysis | 1.0 |
| US History and Geography | United States Study and Mapping, Ancient Civilizations through Declaration of Independence | 1.0 |
| Life Science 9 – Biology | The Scientific Method, Ethical Obligations in Science, Genetics and Mendel’s Law, Cellular Biology, Evolutionary Theory, Animal Adaptations, Marine Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology | 1.0 |
| Physical Science 9 – | Beginning Physics, Astronomy, Geology | 1.0 |
| Art Exploration | Introduce and develop skills and knowledge in the areas of art history, art criticism, design concepts, art production, and art careers. (see attached private school transcript) | 1.0 |
| Performing Arts 9 – Voice and Guitar | Integrated vocal and guitar instruction. Includes music theory, music history, and music technology | 1.0 |
| Physical Education 9 | Competitive rock climbing, stretching basics, nutrition and wellness | 1.0 |
This is a snapshot of what this looks like in my son’s actual transcript.
Now that you’ve seen our entire 9th grade school year, both weekly and in transcript form, you might be wondering what the entire transcript document looks like.
I am happy to send you a sample of the transcript format we use, for all four years of high school. Just fill-out the information below and I will send it right over.
Shawna Wingert is a former training and development professional turned education specialist, and has homeschooled her two children for the last ten years.Shawna has written four books about homeschooling unique learners and has been featured in homeschooling discussions on Today.com, The Mighty, Simple Homeschool, My Little Poppies and Raising Lifelong Leaners.
