Preparing a High School Transcript

Tomorrow my daughter and I have a meeting with the admissions dept. of the (potential) college of her choice. So, today we're going over her high school transcript.

Creating a high school transcript for a homeschooled student sounds like a daunting task to many parents. However, if you spend just an hour or two on it each semester starting in 9th grade it's really pretty easy.

The first thing I've done with each of my high school children is find a good homeschool transcript template. I always use the form found at Donna Young's Homeschool Printables and Resources. They are basic and easy to use. Just fill in the blanks with course titles, credit hours, and grade.

Then to convert the letter grades to a number GPA, I use an online GPA calculator. This little online gadget has been incredibly handy over the years.

I then add in extracurricular activities at the end and I'm almost done. Before sending it off to a university, I have it notarized. That's it. It's that easy.

Homeschool Record Keeping Solutions

Homeschool Connections does not provide transcripts or record keeping services. Families who use home study programs usually contact their counselor to receive credit for our courses. Families who design their own curriculum simply add our courses to their own homeschool transcript.

If you are just beginning and need some help with record keeping, a great place to start is Donna Young's Homeschool Printables and Resources website. Donna provides every homeschool form imaginable for free even though it's practically a fulltime job for her. Personally, I use her transcript forms which have been accepted by my teens' college choices no problem.

Another resource is Homeschool Tracker. This is a software program that helps you with planning as well as record keeping. There is the Basic edition which is free and probably has most of what you need. There is also a Homeschool Tracker PLUS edition which has all the bells and whistles for just $49. If you'd like to try out the Plus edition first, there is a 30-day trial for $5.