Preparing Homeschooled Students for College

“I’m scared by the prospect of putting together a transcript for my son who’s entering 9th grade,” a mom wrote. She was scared that she’d mess it up and he wouldn’t be able to get into college.

Below is what I’ve told to numerous parents, including ones who have hired me as a consultant to help prepare their child for college admissions. They’ve all gotten into college, too.

I’m guessing that what really scares you is not typing up a transcript–there are lots of examples, templates, and services online for putting one together–but rather making sure that you have the right information to put on it and making sure he is accepted into college.

Fun Math Practice Worksheets

Want some fun math worksheets to supplement what your child is learning in other math lessons? Search for books in the Math with Pizzazz series. There are five levels for middle school math and high school subjects such as algebra. These worksheets are designed to practice skills learned elsewhere as they include no instruction. Each one is a puzzle with a riddle’s or joke’s punchline revealed as the math problems are answered. Better yet? I’ve looked to purchase these as books and have only found free online pdf versions available. My kids have groaned over a lot of their corny jokes but readily admit these are much more fun than the standard math book lesson.

Cheryl Trzasko
chavivah@yahoo.com

How Are High School Credits Determined?

Figuring out how to grant high school credits seems daunting to some homeschool parents, but it’s not as difficult as many imagine. There are several different options for figuring out credits. Parents can mix-and-match them, using one method for one class and another method for another class. Or pick a favorite and stick with it.

A photo of one of my forms to track hours

High School Documents

For students graduating as Florida home education students, there are only two documents required by law, but you’ll likely want to have several others to be prepared for the future.

Required by Florida law:
1-2. Letter of Termination and a final evaluation should be sent to the school district. These two documents legally end the home education program. Prior to July 1, 2018, only a Letter of Termination was required if the evaluation deadline hadn’t been reached. The addition of a final evaluation was made so the home education office could answer if someone (such as a college or employer) asked if the student finished homeschooling successfully. The home education office will be able to verify that the education ended in compliance with Florida law and a positive evaluation should anyone ask.

Writing Course Descriptions

What are they? Why keep them?

A few years ago, when I was tutoring a public school student, I saw pieces by Shakespeare, Mark Twain, O. Henry, Dickens, and a variety of modern writers in the high school literature book. I also saw something shocking. Not only was this shocking material in the textbook, but a local high school teacher had assigned it to students. I’m sure most parents had no idea that this is what their child was studying and would be upset if they realized it. After all, how could reading stories by Dr. Seuss–the same stories read when their child was four years old–help prepare their child for college? Had high school standards really dropped that low?

Most high school English classes never finish their literature books. Their teachers pick and choose what they’ll cover. That’s true in public schools and homeschools alike. While most never think to question what’s taught in a typical public school, college admissions officers and employers alike might question the quality of education received at home. Course descriptions are one way to help show what your child’s been taught.

High School Graduation

Two of my teens will graduate from high school this year. They’ve both always been homeschooled and will graduate as homeschoolers. That means graduation and all of their high school records are up to me. The oldest will graduate this month. So, I’ve been busy getting ready.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:
1. Polish up the transcript.
A transcript isn’t required under Florida law, but it’s a document that a high school graduate should have. It might be needed for college entrance or by a company considering hiring the graduate. In fact, I was asked to produce a copy of my own high school transcript for an employer more than a decade after graduating from college even though I had a number of graduate school credits.

How Did You Prepare Your Children for College Writing?

The person who asked how I prepared my kids for college writing was likely expecting to hear the name of a fabulous writing curriculum that we used. But we didn’t. There are several well-known intense writing instruction programs that are popular with homeschoolers, but I didn’t use any of those. Honestly, I haven’t had my kids spend a lot of time writing; we don’t work on it regularly every day nor necessarily, every week. I don’t teach my kids that way. To me that’s boring and tedious and isn’t likely to bring about a lot of learning. Instead,

Writing Test

During my daughter’s second week in College Composition 1101, the class was given a surprise test.

“Some of you really shouldn’t be in this class. Your writing skills aren’t strong enough,” the professor told them before giving a test that would be used to determine if they really ought to be in the class despite having scored well enough on an entrance exam to sign up for the class.

What If the Kids Aren’t Doing Their Work?

I saw this question again today online. Parents debated what to do with homeschooled kids who weren’t doing their work. Could doing chores instead of lessons be the homeschool version of in-school suspension and help get them back on track with lessons? Would it be better to have them write a paper on the reasons for learning and getting an education? Should they be denied fun activities and events until they toe the line?

Sometimes kids don’t want to do

Leadership Skills (Day 3 of our “school” year)

This evening, I sat at a table with two other people. As a group, we were conducting interviews. A teenager stood before us. He was asked questions. Some of these were questions whose answers he should know well–the answers he’d recited with a group at least once a week for months, if not years. Some of the questions were typical interview questions of the “How would our organization benefit if we put you in a leadership position?” sort. The young man to my right