Homeschooling High School with Transcripts Made Easy (Review)

{Thank you Homeschool Review Crew for this review opportunity!}

Moms of homeschooled high schoolers can now rejoice! Your job just got a whole lot easier with Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler’s Guide to High School Paperwork. This resource by Janice Campbell of Everyday Education will take the stress out of homeschool paperwork so that you can spend your time actually homeschooling.

This newest edition of Transcripts Made Easy also addresses questions related to the unique role of guidance counsellor that homeschool parents find themselves in. So, no matter your concerns with homeschooling high school, Transcripts Made Easy will answer them. Let me tell you all about it!

Part 1: Transcripts

Transcripts are like educational resumes that every student should have. Homeschooled students probably experience a bit more pressure in this area, as potential colleges and employers sometimes don’t know how to react to homeschool educations. This is why many homeschool moms welcome guidance and step-by-step help in preparing transcripts. That’s exactly what you’ll find in Transcripts Made Easy.

This section of the book explains the parts of a transcript, then gives a one-page overview of the transcript process, including where in the book you can jump for more detailed explanation.

So, for example, the overview says that while teaching, I need to “have a record-keeping routine.” Then it shows that Part 3 of this resource will give me all the help I need with this step.

The beauty of this book is that you can pick and choose to use what is helpful. If your kids aren’t in high school yet, you will still benefit from reading the planning section and how to keep good records.

Janice Campbell also breaks down where to start in this book based on the age of your kids – from “if your student is in junior high school” to “if you need a transcript tomorrow.” Wow, she’s got you covered!

Part 2: Planning Out the High School Years

I found the Sample Four-Year Schedule for College-Bound Students very helpful because it not only includes course plans, but also tests to take and skills to work on.

The scheduling options were genius! I had always considered using the traditional one-hour-per-subject daily grind through high school, but the optional suggestions have inspired me to consider other layouts for high school.

This book includes discussions on alternatives to college degrees and dozens of relevant links to additional resources about each one.

Part 3: Record-Keeping

I love the emphasis on simple record-keeping and this section includes detailed explanations of how to implement it. If you need examples to better understand, they’re included too.

If your kids participate in lots of extracurriculars or have a microbusiness, then this book will explain how to include the time invested in these pursuits into actual credits on a transcript.

Another valuable part of this book is the information about homeschooling struggling learners. Testing accommodations, special needs resources, disclosure on the transcript, plus more related topics are covered.

Part 4: Grading

Transcripts Made Easy rightly admits that grading might be the hardest part of homeschooling. Before diving into the details of assigning credits and figuring GPA, this book discusses “tips on how to fairly and ethically grade someone you love.” That’s gold.

Naturally, assigning a grade to a writing assignment can be the most challenging because we can approach it in a subjective manner. To remedy this problem, the book includes a helpful Writing Evaluation Rubric and instructions for using it as not just a grading resource, but an instructional tool to help your teen’s writing improve.

Even though our writing curriculum includes rubrics, I think I may copy a big stack of this particular rubric and start using it for my high schoolers.

Are you an unschooler? This book has grading and transcript ideas for you too! Every homeschool style will find some solutions and inspiration in this resource.

Are you confused about how to grant credits to your homeschooled teen? Then this resource will be invaluable to you as it sorts out AP, dual credit, granting credit for unit studies, how to list special classes on the transcript, and calculating your student’s GPA.

Part 5: Transcript Creation

Janice Campbell also walks you through all the details of creating your student’s final transcript. She has blank reproducible forms included as well as samples.

Part 6: Resources & Reproducible Forms

I love the Subject Worksheets and Class Profiles included in the reproducible forms in Transcripts Made Easy. As I prepare for having three homeschooled high schoolers next year, I will be adding these forms into my planning and record-keeping routine.

How We’re Using It

I already have two kids in high school, with a third starting 9th grade in the fall. I thought I knew it all already. However, the section on scheduling courses gave me some great inspiration for how we might restructure high school moving forward.

She suggested using a college-style schedule with Monday/Wednesday humanities classes and Tuesday/Thursday maths and sciences focus. Then, Friday can be extra studying, reading, or field trips. This is a great idea for giving my kids the time to dig deeper, to manage their time well, and to be prepared for what they will experience in college.

I am also considering the Sequential Scheduling or One-Subject Plan variations she describes in the High School Planning section. How have I never thought of these flexible homeschool styles before?

So this book includes much more than just how to type out a transcript. It gives you best practices and guidance on homeschool planning and scheduling too.

I hope some of my explanation in this post will help you see how this resource could help you in your homeschool. In short, I highly recommend Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler’s Guide to High School Paperwork. It has tremendous value for every homeschool mom, especially those of us with older kids.

But don’t just take my word for it – check out other reviews at HomeschoolReviewCrew.com!