What if traditional 12th grade seems like a bad fit for your child? He says he doesn’t want to go to college. He’s headstrong. He’s old for his grade. Perhaps there’s a learning struggle. Maybe there’s difficulty at home and current educational methods are coming off the rails. Putting your child in a traditional school is a possible solution but not a very desirable one. Would the school accept the credit your child has already done? Would he end up dropping out with an incomplete transcript? Homeschoolers are in a fortunate position to consider various options for the 12th grade year.
TWO ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO HANDLE 12TH GRADE
Your student can graduate before 12th grade or use that year to develop life skills. Knowing the minimum number of credits to graduate is a key factor when planning each approach. Ideally, your student will have earned the minimum number of credits to graduate before the 12th grade. If your student is going to use the 12th grade year for skill development, a few remaining credits could be earned during that year.
MINIMUM NUMBER OF CREDITS NEEDED TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL
As a reference, find out the minimum number of credits your state requires to graduate from their schools. You can find that information on your state’s public education website. On this website look at the different graduation tracks paying particular attention to the career track. A comparison of the minimum course units for graduation of each state can be found on the Education Commission’s website too. Depending on the rules your state places on homeschoolers for graduation, you may be able to choose your own graduation requirements.
Before deciding on the total course units you will set for your child’s graduation, check to see the number of credits your community college requires to enroll as a high school graduate if your child decides to enroll after high school. Keep in mind, though, that community college courses are typically free for high school students; once they graduate, the free option ends.
LEARN WHAT COUNTS AS A HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT
In homeschool we have to calculate course credits. For information on how to do this read my post: How to Calculate Course Credits. To figure out how employment hours can translate into high school credit, check out your state’s public education website. This information should be found in the career track section.
Once you determine the minimum number of credits needed to graduate, divide that into four years and select courses that will best fulfill the state requirements. If your student will likely enter a career upon graduation, then select courses in the career pathway. For example, college-bound students may be required to take four years (credits) of English, math, and science. But the career pathway might require three of each. Students typically take between 5 – 7 credits each year of high school. My research has shown that North Carolina’s minimum number of credits is 22. If you count 8th grade credits, getting to 22 credits by mid 11th grade is possible.
8TH GRADE CREDIT IS KEY
If you’ve homeschooled since 8th grade, consider treating the 8th grade year as the 9th grade year to provide your child the option to graduate during or after what would have been his 11th grade year. The 8th grade year will become the 9th grade year on the high school transcript. This plan takes advantage of parents having more sway over their kids in the earlier grades of high school than in the later grades. Early credits allow a parent to produce a diploma if her child drops out of school for whatever reason. Certain boys can become rebellious when they get their driver’s license, get a job, and when they reach the maximum compulsory age for school attendance. Peers become a bigger influence than parents in the later teens.
ENROLLING IN HIGH SCHOOL MAY BACKFIRE
I have seen homeschooling parents enroll rebellious sons in public high schools hoping that the school will “straighten” them out but sometimes the plan fails. It can end with the student dropping out with an incomplete transcript containing F’s. The grades are permanent. Furthermore, if your child enrolls in a high school, the 8th grade credits are more difficult to include on the high school transcript even if you return to homeschool status. Without a complete transcript at the age of 18+, the only way to complete a transcript is to earn a GED by enrolling in adult basic education courses at a community college at some point in the future. The GED process will probably be a loathsome task as well as a stigmatizing one. The main goal of this post is to help parents avoid this scenario.
8TH GRADE COURSES TO TAKE
Plan for the possibility of an early graduation starting in the 8th grade. That year, plan to place 6 – 7 credits on the transcript and each year after that to ensure the minimum number of credits is achieved at least by mid-11th grade (what would have been your child’s 11th grade). Good courses to take in the 8th grade are literary analysis with grammar, physical or earth science, pre-algebra or algebra, US history I or world history, PE, and an elective like art, music, coding, etc. For more information read 8th Grade Credits on the High School Transcript.
THE PIVOTAL 11TH GRADE YEAR
If you use 8th grade credits on the high school transcript, your student could be near the minimum number of credits to graduate during the 11th grade (what would have been his 11th grade year). If your student has been quiet quitting education, the 11th grade year is the perfect time try a new strategy. Consider a combination of non-college credit courses (career courses) at the community college, employment, college courses at the community college, or independent CLEP study. All of these options can provide the final high school credits you need to produce a diploma.
The goal for 11th grade should be to motivate your child to stay engaged in education longer and earn a few more credits for the high school transcript. Consider scheduling a lighter course load each semester to help motivation. If you elect a few courses at the community college, a lighter load is a must.
A one semester college course reflects a year of high school work. You don’t need to carry the typical 5 – 7 course load each semester like in high school because you have two semesters to accomplish that. For example, a student could take math and trade/career elective in the fall and then English and a trade/career elective in the spring. These four courses will provide four high school credits on the transcript. Part-time employment adds another high school credit. This amounts to two courses plus employment each semester.
Read How to Calculate Course Credits to learn about credit equivalencies.
NON-COLLEGE CREDIT COURSES
Trade or career courses and transition courses at the community college may not transfer as college credit to a four-year school or help earn an associate degree. But they will serve as high school credit and hopefully serve as an exciting alternative to traditional courses. Have your child look through the online course catalog and choose a trade/career course that seems interesting to him. Reassure your child and cynical family members that the course will serve as an elective credit on the high school transcript and not a career choice. When we took shop class or cooking class in high school it did not mean we were going to become professional carpenters or chefs. There are so many exciting options like computer science, CAD, architecture, auto mechanics, welding, electronics, hospitality, business, etc. Each semester course can serve as 1 high school credit (or 1 year of credit).
My son took CAD in the 11th grade at the community college along with two college level courses each semester. During the CAD I course, he was offered a job as an assistant for future CAD I courses. By taking a trade course for interest, he earned a high school credit and the opportunity for a part-time job in an area he loves. Read Trade and Career Courses Can Benefit All Students.
Transition courses in math and writing can be valuable too. Check to see if your community college allows high school students to take transition courses. These courses are designed for students who are not quite ready to take college level courses in math and writing. This could be a good fit if your student is weak in these subjects or has learning challenges. A good reason to take these courses at the community college instead of at home or at a co-op is that the formality and structure of a traditional classroom might be more motivating. The credits earned in these subjects will be valuable on the high school transcript. Each semester at the community college will be equivalent to 1 year of high school; take two semesters of transition math and score 2 credits on the high school transcript. That’s equivalent to two years of high school math.
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS
If your student is not a candidate for traditional school and homeschool is not working out at all, there’s a possibility your child can enroll in an adult education program at the community college. Wake Tech Community College in North Carolina offers adult basic education courses to earn a high school diploma and a GED. This program is open to minors and would be a good fit for students who are employed. The community colleges in more rural counties of NC provide more options like these for high school students.
EARLY MILITARY
Another option is military enlistment at 17 which requires a parent signature. Some boys are gung-ho about enlisting. If it came down to enlisting at 17 or dropping out of school and hanging around aimless associates, I’d choose the military for my son.
COLLEGE COURSES
Your student may be able to handle college courses at the community college. Perhaps knowing that he’s taking courses that “actually matter” might be motivating. When you enroll your student in these courses, make sure you know the date when the course can be dropped without the withdraw fail label. At our community college, students who withdraw before 60% of the course is taken, will receive a “W” on the transcript. After that point, the grade will be a “WP” or “WF.”
INDEPENDENT CLEP STUDY
Another option is to give independent CLEP testing a try. Your child might be perfectly tuned to handle this sort of study. He can earn a lot of college credits in a short amount of time at home while fulfilling high school credits. To learn about CLEP testing, check out my many posts on how to prepare for various exams by yourself. Start with this post: CLEP Quick Start: DIY.
EMPLOYMENT CREDIT
Employment may be a great fit for students who are giving up on school. A job teaches valuable skills along with a reality check about income and life’s expenses. It provides a productive outlet for students who need time to grow up. Check your state’s public education website and determine how many employment hours will serve as 1 high school credit.
HOMESCHOOLING THE SENIOR YEAR
If your child ends up with enough credits to graduate early but is willing to add a senior year, you can still use the 8th grade credits on the high school transcript. Adjust the courses on the transcript to fit into four years including the senior year. The max number of credits a typical school offers is seven per year. You may have to lop off a few PE courses to fit in higher value courses. Credits can be higher than 28 if your student has taken several semesters of college courses. For creative ideas on how to manage the senior year read my post Homeschooling the Senior Year.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
If your child rebels against all attempts to stay involved in education during or after the 11th grade, hopefully you will have enough credits to offer a diploma and a respectful, soft landing out of high school. Not all is lost. Some people need more time to grow up and some people are simply not cut out for academia. Delaying college has its benefits too. Older students (21+) with community college credits may not necessarily have to provide a high school transcript when applying to a four-year college. It depends on the college. The most important thing we can do for our children is provide them with options to become the best person they can become. The worst thing we can do is leave them without a diploma. The stigma of that will travel with them forever.
TRUE STORY
A mom that I know has a headstrong ADHD son with no interest in college or any school, for that matter. She wisely prepared for the possibility of rebellion in high school. She had him take courses in the 8th grade that could go on the high school transcript. In addition to these courses taken at a co-op, she was able to get him to pass the easiest CLEP tests in English immediately after the 8th grade which provided extra English credits. During the 10th grade, he gave up on studying and turning in work. Thankfully, he only needed a few more credits to officially graduate. In the first semester of the 11th grade, she enrolled him in a computer course (his choice) and a college level math course (her choice) at the community college. The college unfortunately did not allow enrollment in transition math, so he had to take a college level math course. His employment hours added a credit too. Unfortunately, he dropped out of the math course but passed the computer course by 1 point. During the second semester, he passed a second computer course with an “A,” and a music appreciation course with a B. Major improvement! With employment and the three college courses he passed, he earned four more credits for the high school transcript and credits for college. If he decides to pull the cord on additional education in the 12th grade, she can hand him a diploma and give him a soft landing out of high school.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Every child is different. Take careful notice of your child’s strengths and weaknesses before high school. Try to find a pathway that will fit your child the best even if it’s not the one you are dreaming of. If the career pathway seems more fitting than the college pathway, discover opportunities to develop skills to succeed in that career. Community colleges offer many trade/career and interest courses that high school students can take. Structure a pathway for early graduation if that will be a better fit than limping through traditional 12th grade. Another alternative is to earn enough credits for early graduation but instead of formally graduating, use the 11th and 12th grades to take free courses at the community college and/or work a job.
To learn how to proactively get ready for the high school transcript read The High School Transcript: A Targeted Approach.