When your child has taken homeschool AND public school classes, it's best to create a homeschool transcript that is a summary of ALL educational experiences.
As I explain in my book, Setting the Records Straight you want to be the clearing house, so that the sum of all your child's education is in your single homeschool transcript document. Here are 7 steps for putting public school classes on your homeschool transcript:
1. Choose an acronym
Create an acronym for each college or high school where your child took classes. Like this:
HHS = Highline High School
2. Place the acronym before the class title on the transcript
Where you normally type the class title, type in the acronym first, and then include the exact class title provided by the high school. Like this:
HHS: Choir
3. Define the acronym in a key or legend
At the bottom of your transcript, explain what the acronym means. Like this:
HHS indicates classes taken at Highline High School
4. Insert the public school grade
No matter what the grade is, include it on the homeschool transcript. You can change it from a number grade to a letter grade, or from a letter grade to a number grade, but you can’t actually change the grade. No, not even if it is a bad grade.
5. Collect course descriptions
The public school probably has course descriptions available online or they were provided on the first day of class as a "syllabus." Be sure to collect these course descriptions so you can include them in your comprehensive homeschool records.
6. Explain difficulties or changes
If your child took public school classes or withdrew from public school, it's often best to explain what happened in a cover letter. A cover letter is helpful when sending a college your child's transcript or comprehensive homeschool records. Often it consists of a very simple statement of "enclosed is my child's transcript." When your child has taken some high school classes or spent a couple of years in high school, this is your opportunity to briefly explain what happened. Keep it to one page or less. Don't mention anything that happened before high school. Don't talk about yourself or your family, only your student. Be positive about what happened.
7. Send all transcripts to the college for admission
When your child is applying for college, they will need all transcripts from all schools sent directly to the college. Your homeschool transcript provides the summary of every educational experience. Your acronym use will clearly show what schools will also be sending transcripts. They can use your transcript as a checklist, to make sure they have received information from the other schools. Public and private high schools must send their official transcripts directly to the college, not through you.
Don't attach a public school transcript to your homeschool transcript. Simply include the information in your homeschool transcript. Public schools will send transcripts directly to the college where your child is applying.
Does your child have a mix of public school and homeschool classes? Please share!
