| At a minimum, keeping track of grades and | | | | Most (but not all) colleges will accept homeschool |
| credits can start in 9th grade. Grades 9-12 are | | | | grades and credits, given by a parent, typed on |
| considered high school, and those are the only | | | | their home computer using nothing fancier than a |
| grades and credits that colleges want to see. | | | | Word document. In my experience, most (but not |
| I will often suggest that parents start keeping | | | | all) colleges will use your credits as real credits *if* |
| homeschool records in middle school, however. | | | | you have test scores to back them up. If you |
| This is important for two reasons. First, middle | | | | don't have some evidence that your grades and |
| school is "parent training time" for keeping | | | | credits are true, then colleges tend to look only at |
| homeschool records. You will be able to figure out | | | | your test scores, and look at the transcript as if |
| a good system prior to high school, when it really | | | | it's just a list of classes, rather than real numbers |
| counts. The second reason is that as | | | | they can use for scholarships or placements. |
| homeschoolers, you won't always know precisely | | | | Grades and credits can be determined as you go |
| when your student is entering high school! They | | | | along, or at the end of each school year. Often |
| may begin doing high school level work in one or | | | | your grading standards will evolve as you |
| more subjects early. It is always better to have | | | | homeschool for awhile so it is always a good idea |
| those records already done than going back and | | | | to review all the grades and credits that you have |
| recreating them (a practice I refer to as "forensic | | | | given at the end of each school year to make |
| record keeping.") | | | | sure they accurately reflect your homeschool. |