Spring 2020

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SPRING 2020 HOMESCHOOL IOWA 13
Some things about homeschooling high school are really
not hard. Scary words like “grades” and “credits” can be
simple when you know the easy way to do it! Let me take
away that worry for you and show you the easy way to calculate
high school credits. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is.
Tip 1: Credit for high school level work at any age
High school credit can be awarded at any age. If your child
is younger than high school age but is doing high school level
work, you can include that work on their high school transcript.
Once they have completed something that is high school level,
include it on their transcript. This tip is particularly helpful for
gifted young children.
The big question is, how do you know something is high
school level?
You’ll know because someone will tell you. The textbook pub-
lisher can be helpful. When Saxon says Algebra 1 is a high school
freshman course, then you record it as such. If Apologia labels
their Biology text as high school level, then you can feel confi-
dent doing the same. You can also determine high school level
curriculum according to its catalog listing. A Rainbow Resource
or Sunlight catalog might say something is appropriate for a 9th
through 12th grader, for example.
If an accrediting agency identifies a course as high school lev-
el, then the course is high school level for your student as well.
For example, Rainbow Science is often considered high school
level general science if you complete it in one year. Sometimes
the parent will simply know best. If you supplement a curriculum
heavily, perhaps you will know it is high school level, even if the
textbook wasn’t designed as a one-year course.
Tip 2: Credit for work completed at high school age
Give high school credit for every class your student completes
at high school age.Whether a high school student takes a class at
home, in a co-op, or in a school setting, it goes on their transcript
if they are high school age. This tip is particularly helpful if you
have a student that struggles in one area or more.
It may seem obvious enough if your child is working at grade
level and doing typical high school classes, but what about other
situations? If your child was in public school and was not quite
up to grade level in English, it would still be included on their
transcript. Each class would be labeled accurately – “Remedial
English” or “Basic English Composition” – but the class would still
be on the transcript. Whether your child is above or below grade
level when they are doing work at high school age, it should be
included on their transcript.
This does not mean, however, that you have to graduate every
student when they reach a certain number of high school credits.
You determine graduation requirements for your child. You can de-
cide if they will graduate in five years instead of four, for example.
Tip 3: Credit for college level work at any age
If your child does any college level work, include it on their
transcript. This works for public schooled children as well, so
don’t think for a minute that you’re cheating. When a child is en-
rolled in a public school and in a community college at the same
time, it’s called “Dual Enrollment.” The student can receive high
school credit and college credit at the same time.
You will know it’s college level material when your child can
pass a college level test, like a CLEP or AP exam. Students attend-
ing community college while in high school are doing college
level work. Your transcript should include all college level cours-
es, including dual enrollment in community college, AP exams,
CLEP tests, and any college credit earned with correspondence
school or distance learning.
Tip 4: Credit based on demonstrated expertise
If a student is working with adult level expertise, you can give
them high school credit. For example, if your child has their work
published in a magazine, they are functioning on an adult level
in their area of specialization. I know a homeschooled student
who was published in National Geographic. He wrote an article
on the migratory patterns of birds and sketched all the artwork
himself. This certainly demonstrates expertise! Feel confident
about including that level of expertise on your transcript.
Lee Binz, The HomeScholar is a dynamic homeschool speaker and author. She under-
stands what it takes to graduate homeschool students who are fully prepared for college
and for life. Lee’s mission is to encourage and equip parents to homeschool through high
school. Sign up for her free homeschool e-newsletter, The HomeScholar Record, at www.
You can also find her at
Four Tips for
Determining
High School
Credit
BY LEE BINZ, THE HOMESCHOLAR