It’s only the most important homeschool document you’ll ever create! No pressure.
Be sure to read Chapter 7 of Homeschooling for College Credit (2nd edition).
Families who have a lot of college credit often worry about how to record credit earned through dual enrollment, CLEP, or ACE. Our families also want to be sure they are assigning the proper letter grades, calculating their GPA accurately, and not missing any key essentials.
If you’re really starting from scratch, my advice is to read the full chapter, do a template on your computer (tutorial below if you don’t have one), and just dive in. The other tools on this page will help you calculate GPA and fine tune your work, but getting something down on paper is really the first step.
FAQs
- Length? 1 page
- Titles? Keep them simple.
- Fonts and colors? Resist the urge.
- + and – grades? Only if you like doing extra math.
- To weigh or not to weigh? When in doubt, do it both ways.
- 1 college course taken at a college with a grade = 1 high school credit.
- Brand names shouldn’t appear on a high school transcript.
- Test scores (PSAT, SAT, ACT, CLEP, AP, etc.) shouldn’t appear on a transcript because it’s a FERPA violation.
- Remember that the transcript is only one part of the application!
Homeschooling for College Credit Classes
Live Workshop
This live online workshop is taught by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa and is open to anyone. The focus is specifically helping families understand how different types of college credit should be presented on a high school transcript as well as the possible problems you’ll encounter and how to avoid them. Scheduled a few times per year. Live Events
Recorded Template Build
This 30-minute transcript template building workshop is taught by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa and is open to anyone. The workshop is free and on demand – complete on your schedule. Using Microsoft Word or Open Office, the focus of this class is to build a template that you can then use to create your own transcript. Build it Now!
Other Transcript Template Resources
- The “How To Homeschool” website allows you to create a pdf document that can then be printed or saved on your computer. The only downside is that your info isn’t saved. Transcript template
- Home School Legal Defense Association has a wonderful section about transcripts on their website. Some of it is public, and some requires a membership, but you can also purchase a transcript template from their site. HSLDA Transcript Resource Page
GPA Calculation Tools
The easiest GPA calculator is Back2College SUPER easy to use, I’ve used it for at least 5 years. Totally free, but it is really just a calculator. They use a standard 4.0 grading scale, so if you’re planning to use a different weighted grade scale, this isn’t the best site. Also, you can’t save anything – it’s just to help you do the math.
Alternative GPA calculator if you use weighted grades GPA Calculator
Not sure if you should weight the GPA or not? Explore the pros and cons here.
Need advice? Email Jennifer directly if you have a quick question. (use form below)
Need editing or GPA help? Experts are available for hire if you need your transcript edited, GPA calculated, or more technical support. (use form below)
