I find that one of the first questions when starting to homeschool or considering homeschooling has to do with the finish… How do I graduate them? J What do I do to prove that they have graduated from high school?
The good news is…from what I’ve found, it’s not that hard. While the answer is more simple than we might think, the process is important (from what I have learned and read from those who have gone before me through high school homeschooling). I’ve included links along the way and at the end of this post to the places I have found answers to my “homeschooling high school” questions. Hopefully these help you or are a springboard to other websites or answers.
As we dig into this somewhat overwhelming topic, take a deep breath…and I’ll help you lighten up a bit by sharing a simple statement that will hopefully bring some relief. (It did for me when I read it.) A high school diploma is simply a piece of paper fancily printed by a school and signed by administrators saying that your student did what the school told them to do. Yep…nothing more than that. (And if, like me, you think back to high school to the “pressure” about achieving your high school diploma, it feels a bit like someone tricked me into believing something more of it. J)
Now, let’s dig in… what does graduating a high school homeschooler involve?
Before I get too far into explaining what I have learned, one thing to consider at the front end of the graduating process is the difference between homeschooling high school through online classes (or an online school) versus teaching everything on your own.
We are doing the latter, which requires a little more involvement keeping records along the way. In the end, one might keep records along the way regardless of the method of instruction… simply in case something in the instruction process changes (like no longer doing online classes where the records are taken care of for you) or just to ensure accuracy or details along the way. Again, it’s not hard; it just involves time along the way.
First, you’ll want to find your state’s graduation requirements. And if you do this when your child is in early elementary years, be sure to check again in late elementary and again each year of high school (or even junior high if planning classes involves a longer plan period). I say this because the Department of Education changes things periodically. And while it isn’t typically implemented immediately, our state changed some requirements between our 6th and 8th grade years. This obviously shows that had I only looked in 6th grade, I would not have been on track by 9th grade with the right requirements. In the state of Indiana, the requirements can be found on the Department of Education website and our local high school’s website. Here is a link to homeschool laws by state… https://hslda.org/legal/.
These requirements will guide the coursework you choose each year/semester throughout high school. There are a lot of printable grade level coursework sheets (https://www.homeschool.com/highschool-planning-high-school/ or https://ihomeschoolnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/4-Year-High-School-Plan-Blank-Printable.jpg ) on various websites to help plan out the high school years.
Next, depending on your avenue of instruction (online…with the instructor tracking the progress versus individual…with instruction at home and you as the instructor), you will want to be sure to record grades throughout the semester and then record them at the end of each semester. Doing this each semester helps keep the details more fresh in your memory (as opposed to trying to remember something that didn’t get recorded at the start of the school year when you are trying to average grades and record transcript data at the end of the school year). Here are some template ideas…https://homeschoolgiveaways.com/2021/06/free-printable-homeschool-record-keeping-forms/)
Since I mentioned a transcript, there are multiple places online that will give different number systems to calculate a GPA (Grade Point Average)…which is referred to often in high school classes and college applications. The main difference I have seen is based on whether an honors or advanced class should be more heavily weighted to represent its higher level of work and knowledge gained. Once you choose a numbering system, you’ll need to stick to the same one throughout high school in order to keep your GPA accurate. The numbering system is a simple way to transfer grades (numbers…like 98%…to letters…like A…to a smaller number…like 3.9….which will sound familiar when used in a phrase like “She’s trying to maintain a 4.0 GPA.”). This creates a standard method of evaluation so colleges can have a more common way to look at student abilities.
So, how do I do this? Well, for us, I record grades on a homemade grading sheet throughout each semester. Then, I calculate the average grade for each course at the end of the semester. (You can decide how to average grades…daily work, quizzes, tests, finals, etc. can have different “weight” by how you average them together.) At the end of the school year, I also then calculate the GPA for the school year. Once high school is finished, I will have a transcript to submit to any colleges. I will also be able to design and print my own diploma for my graduate…and sign it, saying they did what their momma (teacher) said to do! J
So, that’s pretty much it. Now, here are some websites or links to some documents that I have found easy to use.
Helpful preliminary reading…
Thoughts/resources from a homeschooling mom I listened to in person at a homeschool convention…
www. notthathardtohomeschool.com
A helpful place to start with calculating GPA…
Report Card templates…
Info and thoughts on the transcript…
Again, this isn’t a hard task. It is just one that you’ll need to attend to frequently in order to keep records accurate and up-to-date while they are fresh in your mind.
If you have any helpful resources on this topic, please feel free to share them.