It’s only the most important homeschool document you’ll ever create!  No pressure.

(Transcript Chapter) 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.

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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!
• Know the difference between remedial, regular, honors, AP, or DE
• High school graduation requirements are not admissions requirements

Livestream Transcript Workshops

Online livestream workshops are taught by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa several times per year. The focus is specifically helping HS4CC families accurately represent high school and college credit on their transcript.   Live Events

Template Build Demo (Recorded)

This 30-minute recorded template building demonstration 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 use to create your own homeschool transcript.  Build it Now!

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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
• FastTranscript has a special HS4CC promotional code that is good for 25% off the monthly The Essentials Plan which regularly costs $7.95. Use HS4CC at checkout.

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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.

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Need advice?  Email Jennifer directly if you have a quick question.  (use form below)

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It’s only the most important homeschool document you’ll ever create!  No pressure.

We have lots of free and paid resource recommendations below. One thing to be aware of, is that recording college credit on a high school transcript is a bit different than recording high school credit.

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.

Step 1: The Basic 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 per FERPA privacy guidelines.
• Remember that the transcript is only one part of the application!

Step 2: Get a Template

• Use a “by calendar” or “by year” format instead of a “by subject” format. While some colleges may permit you to use a “by subject” format, others will ask you to rewrite it. On the other hand, no college will ever ask you to rewrite a “by calendar” into a “by subject” format.
• 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
• Want the BEST template? Build one yourself! The problem with buying or downloading templates (even free ones) is that their formatting doesn’t usually allow you to edit or make changes you need. In Jennifer’s workshop, we’ll go from blank paper to full template in 30 minutes. It’s open to anyone with or without computer skills. (free) Build it Now!

Step 3: Calculate GPA

• The easiest GPA calculator is Back2College   SUPER easy to use, totally free, but it is really just a calculator.  It uses the standard 4.0 (unweighted) grading scale.
• The easiest GPA calculator for weighted GPA  GPA Calculator
• GPA calculator for your phone

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Step 4: Attend a Live HS4CC Transcript Workshop

Date	Time	Registration
January 14, 2022	3:00pm – 5:30pm EST	SOLD OUT
March 18, 2022	3:00pm – 5:30pm EST	Register Now
May, 2022		TBA
July, 2022		TBA
September, 2022		TBA
November, 2022		TBA

This special 3-hour class is offered several times per year (see schedule above), and taught by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa. It’s the best way to get a deep and thorough understanding of building the best transcript for your homeschool teen – especially when it includes both high school and college credit. Classes last for 2- 1/2 to 3 hours and include a Q&A period. Each participant will receive a recording of the entire class, the slide deck/teaching packet, and an invitation to email their transcript for a private review. Space is always limited, classes always sell out. $40.

Course Outline

• What is a transcript? What is it not?
• Homeschool record keeping
• Sending transcripts to college
• Where does a transcript come from?
• What to put on the transcript, and what to leave off
• Why unique transcripts make a poor impression
• What goes in the header and footer
• How to enter courses on any template
• Weighted Honors GPA / College GPA / AP GPA
• Unweighted GPA
• How to use a GPA calculator
• What counts as 1 high school credit? (5 methods to use)
• What makes dual enrollment different?
• Using blending homeschool & DE courses for credit
• Converting dual enrollment into high school credit
• When and how to round with good judgement
• Recording dual enrollment on a homeschool transcript
• Recording credit by exam (CLEP, DSST, AP, UExcel, TECEP, ACTFL)
• Recording ACE credit (Sophia, Studycom, Straighterline, Saylor, etc.)
• Recording continuing education / adult education courses
• Recording remedial courses
• Writing course titles
• Writing course descriptions
• Case Studies (examine several real examples of homeschool and college curriculum and see how it is properly recorded on a high school transcript)

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Special Topics

Listing courses in progress / placeholders

Recording Sophia Courses on a Transcript

High school graduation requirements are not admissions requirements

Know the difference between remedial, regular, honors, AP, or DE

Size and Type of Font for our Transcript

Common Transcript Questions about ASU’s UL Program

Is it important to add in the weighted GPA with the unweighted GPA on the transcripts?

CLEP and GPA

Recording HS Credit Earned Before 9th Grade