If your teen’s upcoming year includes dual enrollment, there are 3 tips that are super-important as you transition from high school to college in terms of schedule, attendance, and GPA.
Schedule
The absolute biggest difference between a college class and high school class is the schedule. In high school, we often take 1 class for a full year (Aug-May) and have summers off. In college, classes are never longer than 1 semester (12-16 weeks) but there are at least 3 semesters in each year (fall, spring, summer). In instances where a 2-part sequence is required (General Biology 1 & 2) the student will register (pay) for both classes separately and in order (part 1 before part 2). A student is required to pass part 1 before progressing, since enrollment in part 2 is dependent on the “prerequisite” of passing part 1. The student will always get different grades for each class, and may even have a different instructor.
Something to look for: Once your student gets proficient at handling college classes, you may want to take advantage of shorter semesters. Instead of juggling 2 classes at a time, you can stagger them so your student only has to take only 1 class at a time. In both schedule options below, the students completed 15 college credits (5 classes) but the top schedule student only took 1 class at a time.
| FALL SEMESTER (16 weeks) | SPRING SEMESTER (16 weeks) | SUMMER SEMESTER (8 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (weeks 1-8) | Class 3 (weeks 1-8) | Class 5 (weeks 1-8) |
| Class 2 (weeks 9-16) | Class 4 (weeks 9-16) |
| FALL SEMESTER (16 weeks) | SPRING SEMESTER (16 weeks) | SUMMER SEMESTER (8 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (weeks 1-16) | Class 3 (weeks 1-16) | Class 5 (weeks |
| Class 2 (weeks 1-16) | Class 4 (weeks 1-16) |
Attendance
In high school, attendance is required by law. This is called compulsory attendance. Schools often require a note or reason for any absence. Some states require homeschool parents to track attendance.
In college, students choose to enroll and attendance is the student’s responsibility. Most college professors do not need (or want) to know if you’re going to be absent, and most do not make provisions for “excused” vs “unexcused” absences.
Something to look for: There are 2 important dates a parent must be aware of. First is the census date. All colleges will track attendance during the beginning of a semester to comply with federal financial aid rules. This is the “census” date, though your college may call it something else. The exact date is set by the college, but will be made known to students. A student may be required to do something (sign a form, take a quiz, log into an account, etc.) prior to the “census date” to confirm that they are actually and intentionally enrolled. Students who are not accounted for during that period may be administratively dropped from a class.
The second date is the official withdrawal date. If there is ever a time for a parent to get involved, it is regarding the withdrawal date. Look up this date, write it in huge red letters on your calendar. As that date approaches, be 100% sure that your teen can pass their class. If your teen is struggling or has stopped attending, you must be sure they formally withdrawal before this date. Failing to withdrawal will result in the grade of “F” on your teen’s transcript. That will be part of their GPA and that will have to be disclosed to future colleges. You can avoid an “F” by formally withdrawing.
Grades
In a homeschool high school class, the parent issues a grade and records it on their high school transcript. In a dual enrollment course, there are actually 2 grades being recorded. The first grade is issued by the college and recorded on the college transcript. That transcript will have a GPA, grades, credits, etc. The second grade is issued by the parent and recorded on the high school transcript. With dual enrollment, the “dual” means that they are receiving credit in two places, so it’s very important that parents remember to award high school credit for their teen’s college classes.
If you do not weigh the high school grade point average, then all entries are the same scale. Whether the class is high school, honors, or college, the student receives the same quality points for an A, B, C, etc. If you intend to weigh the high school grade point average, then you’ll use different “weights” based on the course level.
NOTE: high school transcripts may indicate weighted GPA, unweighted GPA, or both. A college transcript will display your student’s college GPA as unweighted.
Unweighted GPA
| Grade | Regular high school course | Honors high school course | Advanced Placement high school course / College course |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Weighted GPA
| Grade | Regular high school course | Honors high school course | Advanced Placement high school course / College course |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| B | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| C | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| D | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
