Can high school level courses taken in the 8th grade be put on the high school transcript? Some say “yes”, and some say “no.” This post will weigh out the pros and cons of each viewpoint.
SOME SAY NO
Those who say “no” strive to model the traditional system which does not allow high school level courses taken in the 8th grade to be placed on the high school transcript. It would be an accounting nightmare at a traditional school. Afterall, the school system is designed for students to walk lockstep with each other; the transcript, likewise, reflects that structure. Some parents fear that their state will outlaw homeschool or issue more regulations if they stray from the state requirements. States that monitor homeschool courses closely might discourage that sort of accounting too. Another compelling reason not to add these credits is the risk of looking dishonest. To indicate that your student took a course in the 9th grade but actually took it in the 8th grade seems misleading.
SOME SAY YES
Those who say “yes” realize that the rigid structure of the traditional school is designed to serve a system in which you can’t do courses over, get ahead, slow down, skip years, graduate early, skip courses, or learn at different grade levels in the same year. They understand that the transcript is too rigid for their reality, so they justify flex in their transcripts. Reckoning between their situation and an ill-fitting standard is not necessarily defined as dishonesty according to this school of thought. It can be viewed as a legitimate work-around.
THE CONUNDRUM FOR NOT ADDING THEM
Algebra, physical science, earth science, literary analysis, foreign language, and US history are high school courses that homeschoolers often take in the 8th grade. If these courses are not added to the high school transcript, these students will have to take advanced courses in the subjects they took in the 8th grade to achieve their state’s required credits for graduation assuming they want to or have to adhere to these requirements. For example, if a state requires four science credits, then a student will have to find four more science courses in addition to the physical science or earth science course taken in the 8th grade. That translates into biology, chemistry, physics, and an advanced science course of some sort. The same goes for math and English.
Presuming that your student will take advanced courses can be risky. Advanced courses can be a problem for two reasons. First, advanced courses may not be available in your community or may be expensive. The demand for them is less so fewer instructors are willing to offer them. Community colleges, on the other hand, can be a source of free advanced courses for the high schooler. Second, your child could decide against an academic run later in high school; advanced courses and community college courses could be a complete mismatch. High schoolers can be immature and frankly unwilling to take advanced courses; older high schoolers begin calling the shots on their futures, just saying.
Before you sign up for high school level courses in the 8th grade, try to imagine what your student will be doing in the 12th grade. Do you honestly see this child happily immersed in academics or do you foresee continuous battles about studying? If you are opposed to forwarding credits and you see learning challenges now or pushback on studying, you just may want to wait until 9th grade to start high school courses. Slowing down may reduce the risk of encountering a stressful conundrum later in high school.
ANOTHER OPTION FOR NOT ADDING THEM
If you are truly against adding 8th grade credits to the high school transcript and advanced courses do not fit your student, you could simply set your own graduation requirements. Instead of requiring four English, four Math, and four science credits, your school could require three of each. Some states allow homeschools to set their own graduation requirements. Before deciding this, check your state’s requirements for nonpublic education. It’s a good idea to check admission requirements at target colleges too if college is on the horizon.
EARLY GRADUATION OPTION
If you want the 8th grade credits to count but you want don’t want to move the credits forward, you could “skip” a grade for accounting purposes and call your 8th grader a 9th grader and graduate early. A student could technically graduate after what would have been his 10th grade, depending on how many credits are accrued and what your homeschool accepts as graduation criteria. The student could then apply to college or attend a community college. Be aware, though, if you officially graduate your student early, which some people get really excited about, he or she will not be eligible for free community college dual enrollment which can include some excellent trade courses. Graduating a student early may be a good option for certain students who are not interested in college right away or at all. Some students simply are not happy at school or at home and want out. Early graduation gives them the ability to find employment or join the military. Read Soft Landing Out of High School.
THE BENEFIT FOR ADDING THEM
There’s an advantage to floating four or more credits from the 8th grade to the 9th grade slots on the transcript. Each credit will reduce the credit load by one credit (or one course) or more for each year in high school. In other words, a student can take fewer credits each year during high school. The smaller workload can allow a student to spend more time on challenging courses, trade courses, early college credits, or interest courses. It can also give a student time to be employed or develop a skill. Those four or more credits can allow a student to graduate early if that becomes a goal for whatever reason as mentioned in the previous paragraph.
THE CONUNDRUM FOR ADDING THEM
If you decide to float 8th grade credits to the 9th grade slots, a chain reaction occurs. The courses taken in 9th grade will have to float to the 10th grade slots. For example, if a physical science credit taken in the 8th grade is floated to the 9th grade slot, the biology credit taken in the 9th grade will have to advance to the 10th grade slot. Another way to account for this is to place both science credits in the 9th grade tile. Taking two science courses is not unheard of in magnet schools that offer IB programs and the like. Since homeschoolers have the flexibility to take courses whenever they wish, this may not look too odd on the transcript. Red flags may fly, however, if you double up on multiple subjects like two English credits, two science credits, and two math credits in one year. The large course load might be questionable.
WHAT ABOUT USING A SUBJECT-BASED TRANSCRIPT?
Some people suggest using a subject-based transcript instead of a grade-based one to eliminate the time stamp on when a course was taken. This type of transcript will have separate tiles for each subject like English, math, science, electives, etc. For example, all the math courses taken in high school will be listed together in one tile labeled “math.” The college will not know when the courses were taken so adding 8th grade credits to the high school transcript is less of a moral dilemma. The problem with this format, however, is the high probability that a college will not accept it. I found out from experience that our community college did not approve it. Before you submit a transcript with this format, ask the receiving college if they will accept it. Our community college, Wake Tech, now posts a sample transcript for homeschoolers to model.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
How you handle high school credits earned in the 8th grade depends on the state you reside in, your philosophical approach to education, your moral interpretations, and your student’s potential. If you are against forwarding high school credits earned in the 8th grade, the most conservative approach is to delay high school courses until high school. If your student does takes high school courses in the 8th grade, prepare to take advanced courses in those subjects later in high school and pray that you can find suitable courses and that your student will agree to them. If, on the other hand, you want to forward 8th grade credits to the high school transcript, you will find advantages such as the option for early graduation and the option to take fewer credits per year. Forwarding credits, however, makes transcript preparation more complex. Whichever side you believe in, embrace these precious years and be there for your student each and every day.
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