Homeschooling Through Highschool??

[Brier Rose]

I posted this on the Families board too, but I thought maybe some of you who already have kids in college may not hang out there much.

Anyway..

My DD will be going into 8th grade this year, and so I'm really starting to think more about a plan of attack for high school.

I know there are some of you here who have homeschooled all the way through so I was hoping to maybe get some advice from you.

How did you handle the transcripts/diploma issue?
The curriculum we've used in the past has always provided these things for us, but we're switching to Sonlight this year, so I have no idea what to do about this.


I pulled up what is required for her first year college plan, and it looks like this...
College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC)
Units

English

4 units

Mathematics
-Algebra I & II and Geometry
-one math course beyond Algebra II

4 units

Science
-life science with lab
-physical science with lab
-one science elective

3 units

Social Studies
-United States history
-World history
-one social studies elective

3 units

Foreign Language
-two sequential years of the same language

2 units

1237 for the SAT; 27 for the ACT); and, be able to validate completion of all CPC subject areas through submission of the following:

SAT 2- with the minimum required scores being:

English Writing - 520
English Literature - 530
American History & Social Studies - 560
Math IC, or Math IIC - 500, or 570
Biology - 540
Chemistry - 590
Physics - 540

I would LOVE suggestions from all of you to help me plan out a good path for meeting the requirements!

One of our plans is for her to take some of her classes Jr./Sr. year at the University here, and to do the Sonlight Core 530 Brit. Lit. for a little extra help on the AP exam.

She is taking French 1 this year, with French 2 next year, and plan to just continue on with that. Should we introduce another foreign language?
She has a French tutor twice a week, and is already doing well with it.

Other than that!

TIA

 

[horseshowmom]

Basically, when DD started 9th grade we switched to the A Beka video program where they handle the paperwork (transcript, etc.). Our primary reason was to prevent there being a problem with transcripts when she got to college. Before that, we did A Beka, but I kept up with her work.

I did check the university requirements to make sure she had everything she needed. She took as much math and science as she could get (wound up with a 32 on her ACT, so I think it helped a lot). DD took Spanish for two years but no other foreign languages.

She didn't do the dual enrollment (high school/college classes), but in hindsight, she probably would if we were starting over again. The university DD attends has a great summer program for high school students to gain college credits. The community colleges in the area have dual enrollment (much less expensive) and LOTS of online courses.

If I can answer any other questions, let me know. Good luck!

 

[Brier Rose]

Thank You!

ABeka is what we have been using too, but decided to try out Sonlight this year.

I think we'll like it, but at the same time I'm worried about not having an "outside" source to validate things for us.

I wonder, do you think it would be better to use a curriculum like Abeka for at least 12th grade, or would it need to be all 4 years to make a difference?

From the research I've been doing it seems like most colleges will take a good score in each subject on the SAT 2 as validation of completing an AP course.

I just want to make sure we're EXTRA prepared now, so we won't be scrambling around at the last minute!

 

[barkley]

i think having her take some outside classes jr/sr year will be very beneficial. i have a younger cousin who hs'd all the way thru highschool and found it a hard adjustment to traditional classroom lecture type settings (she was used to working at her own excellerated pace) when she hit college. she ended up doing a distance by learning college program on the internet because she was more comfortable with it.

i also think (based on cousin and comments by friends who are college professors) it's good to get exposed to different teachers and to be submitting different types of writing styles to them. so much of written work in college is graded on a subjective basis. experiencing what different people look at/like/dislike ahead of time can make for an easier time.

one other thing in anticipation of college-since so many are looking at extracurriculars now, you might check into theatre arts classes at the university. some will permit high schooler's to participate (on and off stage) and they meet the criteria of an extra curricular while accruing some humanities credits as well.

 

[LiteBrite]

DD just finished this spring - homeschooled from beginning to end. We always had a "pick and choose" approach to curriculum, never using any one program or line, and that didn't change any for her highschool years. She did do some dual enrollment at the local junior college her last two years, but hubby and I were always the sole "administrators" of her schooling and all record keeping (meaning we never had any outside source like an umbrella school keeping records for us or guiding her coursework).

She scored a 1720 on the SAT, so we must have done all right. I made her "transcript" right here at home on my computer, and that was fine with the university of her choice.

 

[Brier Rose]

Thank you LiteBrite!

Glad to hear you didn't have any trouble even though you didn't have "official" transcripts.

Did you design it yourself, or did you use some type of computer program?

TIA


Oh..and Congrats to your DD!

 

[LiteBrite]

I just made a plain old word processing document up in MS Word. I spoke to the Director of Admissions on the phone first to ask what he was looking for, and he just wanted a list of all the courses she had taken, her grades, how much credit we assigned per course, and a grade point average. For personal information, we included her name, address, date of birth, a name for our homeschool (we just called it the (Lastname) Homeschool), and the date of her graduation. He also asked me to include copies of some documents to show that she was enrolled with the county as a homeschooler.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I do not know anything about homeschooling but my dd is a sophmore in HS.

I frequent this board which has what you are looking for. It is intense sometimes but they know their stuff.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

As far as SAT Subject Tests, do not wait till the last minute.
The honors kids start taking them their Freshman year, that much I know.
I would certainly be very careful how you plan that so she can take them again if necessary.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

She is taking French 1 this year, with French 2 next year, and plan to just continue on with that. Should we introduce another foreign language?
She has a French tutor twice a week, and is already doing well with it.


TIA

My dd is going to take at least 4 years of Spanish, maybe even 5. That way she can take the SAT Subject Test for Spanish. Make sure you don't need this as well...

Alot of colleges require 3 years of a language, some are 4. You really need to give that one some thought.
My dd wants to learn more languages, so we are figuring out how to do this.
We are looking into some laungage immersion stuff for her.

 

[Brier Rose]

My dd is going to take at least 4 years of Spanish, maybe even 5. That way she can take the SAT Subject Test for Spanish. Make sure you don't need this as well...

Alot of colleges require 3 years of a language, some are 4. You really need to give that one some thought.
My dd wants to learn more languages, so we are figuring out how to do this.
We are looking into some laungage immersion stuff for her.

I don't know if UGA is just behind or what, but according to their web site they still only require 2 years.

BUT...

DD really wants to study foreign languages, so I have no problem with going way beyond the 2 years they are asking for. Besides, it looks like that could change at anytime if other colleges are asking for 3-4 years!

Will you be introducing new languages, or is she planning to concentrate on Spanish only?

I know Spanish would be the most practical language for my DD, but she is just not interested at this point.

She plans to go to school in Italy, so she would really like to learn Italian.

She also really really wants to learn Japanese, but I could not find a tutor for that. I've heard it was hard, but then they all are for me!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dd also wants to learn Japanese and other languages too. Right now we are in the thinking stage as her sophmore year will be more than enough for her.
So for her, it is an interest thing. One of the Diser's showed us this site.
http://clvweb.cord.edu/prweb/about/history.asp


Here is the thing about language...
To limit yourself to 2 years of a language is a bit of a gamble. If at the time you start applying to colleges, scholarships, etc...and you only have 2 years it could limit you.
Maybe not but who knows....

Good thing for you to get a jump because it is all pretty confusing stuff. I am a newbie, so don't take my word for it.

As far as scholarships, go to FastWeb!!! Your dd can start applying.
http://www.fastweb.com/

 

[Brier Rose]

Thanks for all of you help Mystery!

That College Confidential board is awesome! You're right about it being intense. Wow..my head is spinning!

I'm feeling all in a panic, and she hasn't even started her 8th grade year yet!

 

[jaycns]

Thanks for the info guys...and for asking Brier Rose!! It's good to get the info early and keep it in mind as we continue our journey through the school years! Luckily my eldest ds is only 9...but high school is already a worry for me and better to be overly prepared than not prepared enough!!

 

[Caradana]

FYI, not sure what type of colleges you're targeting for your daughter, but check their requirements specifically as you determine course selections. For example, Princeton wants to see 4 years of foreign language, 4 years of science, and math through calculus.

 

[horseshowmom]

i think having her take some outside classes jr/sr year will be very beneficial. i have a younger cousin who hs'd all the way thru highschool and found it a hard adjustment to traditional classroom lecture type settings (she was used to working at her own excellerated pace) when she hit college. she ended up doing a distance by learning college program on the internet because she was more comfortable with it.

one other thing in anticipation of college-since so many are looking at extracurriculars now, you might check into theatre arts classes at the university. some will permit high schooler's to participate (on and off stage) and they meet the criteria of an extra curricular while accruing some humanities credits as well.

With the A Beka video school, DD had different teachers for different classes which was somewhat similar to a regular classroom situation (you just can't rewind a regular teacher!).

In DD's case, she had no problem whatsover adjusting to university classes. She's an Early Entry Pharmacy Honors student and just finished her first year with all A's. She took her classes seriously in high school and looked at them as what they were - preparation for post-secondary education.

BTW, I don't think UGA is behind. While some schools may require 4 units of foreign language, I don't think most do.

Also, I agree completely with the extracurricular activities. We made sure that was a part of DD's activities (and kept a written list, so we didn't forget some of the things she had done). We also made sure community service was included.

Good luck!