Homeschooling High School



Homeschooling for High School


In 2015, I graduated my first child from homeschooling.  I was very apprehensive whether I could homeschool through the high school years, but we made it.  My second child graduated in 2018. We tried some new things with my second child that we did not do with my firstborn.  I have been digging for information and doing lots of research to make our high school years the best they can be.  I found a great resource if you are looking for more information on homeschooling for High School, I recommend The HomeScholar.  I have been reading her booklets, perusing her website and listening to her webcasts online and on her site.  She has some great information on everything for high school. Below are some of her blog posts on specific high school topics.


Teaching Math to your High School Student 


High School English Boundaries


Social Science for Dummies


Science Labs for High School


Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a great resource for families in regard to homeschool laws for your state, getting started homeschooling, homeschooling high school and so much more.
 
Homeschool Conferences and Conventions

Every year I try to attend a homeschool conference.  For the last 10 years we have made every effort to attend Teach Them Diligently.  Our favorite location is Nashville TN.  A few years ago, one of the speakers , Christine Torre, had some great information on preparing your high school student for college.  Check out her website and information from that session here.

Testing

We opted to do the ACT for my daughters.  I also made the decision to do it blind (not really blind but without any test prep).  I wanted to gauge where my daughters stood and how they were progressing as students, since we have lived in states that did not require testing as part of homeschooling, I was not quite sure where they stood.  My initial plan was to work on the areas where they were weak to improve their test scores, but when the time came to register to retake the exam, neither daughter wanted to retake the ACT nor take a stab at the SAT.  If I could do it over again, I would have had her take the PSAT first around 10th grade to see how she was progressing and then choose the ACT or SAT during 11th/12th grade.  You may want to do some research on the SAT because this year (2015) they are coming out with a brand new test.  I have heard some say not to take the SAT in it's first or second year after revamping but do your research and make that decision for your family.

College

My daughter had no idea what she wanted to do with her life when she was in high school but I wanted to give her a strong college prep high school program. She applied to two different schools, Southeastern University and Lee University and was accepted to both of them.  She received a scholarship to one of them on her ACT score alone. We also took advantage of as much dual enrollment as we could while the girls were still in high school. My oldest graduated high school with 12 college credits and my second child had 26 credits completed when she graduated.  She would have had more but we moved in the middle of her senior year and took a break due to being homeless and living with different family.

Online Schools or Classes – some of these classes are live, others are pre-recorded video classes while others are teacher led curriculum.  All of those listed below are NOT free and are tuition based programs or classes.  I have used and recommend North Star Academy while the other programs listed come personally recommended by other homeschool families that I know.


FREE Online classes – Most of these classes will be a great supplement to your child's education and not enough work for a credit, but you the parent will have to make that decision.


Dual Enrollment

My daughter did dual enrollment online through The University of Valley Forge.  We were also considering Regent University and Liberty University. Each of these schools gave a discount off their tuition for early start students, meaning that it costs between $99 and $150 per credit. They also limited the number of classes/credits a student can take per semester. We could have started dual enrollment in 11th grade but she was afraid that she could not handle the workload so we started with one class.  She got an A and was encouraged.

My second daughter attended community college in 10th grade. The courses were only $75 per credit hour, better than paying for an online high school.  She transferred to Liberty University for her junior year where the cost was about $550 per 3 credit course.  She earned 26 college credits while still in high school.

Transcripts and Grading

If you are looking for examples or templates for a gradbebook or transcript, there are many examples on the internet.  Regent University has a transcript template.    Donna Young has hundreds of forms for homeschooling and you can find her transcript info here.  Covenant College gives guidelines and sample transcripts on their site also. You can find more samples at HSLDA and Baylor has a sample too.

To keep track of your child's grades, you can go the old fashioned way (pencil and paper) and use a Teacher's Planner or you can go digital. The digital method comes in the form of a spreadsheet or an online program created for grading. I have done both and found that I like this grade book from FiveJs.  Donna Young has grading forms and spreadsheets too. 

There are lots of programs out for an online grade book. Some are free, others require a yearly subscription and then there are even some that you pay once price and it's yours to use forever. While I tried the Teach Them Diligently grade book and transcript keeper and I really liked it, I am cheapskate and did not pay for a subscription after the free trial.  Here is a list of online gradbooks/planners.





High School Planning
Regent University has put out a handbook for homeschool parents.  
You can find it here

Gateway Christian School (umbrella school we used in TN)
High School Classes by grade with curriculum listed for Daughter #1

9th Grade (all classes done at NorthStar Academy as we lived overseas with military)
Algebra 1 (1)
Ancient History (1)
English 1 (1)
Physical Science (1)
Health (.5)
Spanish 2A (.5) PowerGlide
Took Spanish 1 in 8th Grade public school (1)

10th Grade
Biology 1 with labs (1)  Apologia
US History (1)  Bob Jones
Geometry (1)  Chalkdust
English 2 (1)  IEW coop class
Physical Education (.5) Exercise plan
Instrumental Music (.5) Piano
Vocal Music (.5)
Bible (.5) Trip to Israel, wrote a paper
Digital Photography (.5) NorthStar
College and Life Prep Skills (1) NorthStar

11th Grade
Chemistry 1 (1) NorthStar, Apologia, Model Chem Lab for virtual labs
Algebra 2 (1) Teaching Textbooks
U.S Government (.5) Notgrass
Economics (.5) Penny Candy, supplemental reading
English 3 (1) LLATL
Physical Education (.5) Exercise plan
Spanish 2B (.5) SOS
Driver’s Ed (.5) attended a local driving school
Personal Finance (.5) attended Dave Ramsey classes, did workbook, put together two different budgets (one making minimum wage/other on $40K)


12th Grade
English 4 (1) Dual Enrollment – College Writing and Research
Business Math (1) North Star, Mary Hansen
Home Economics (1) mixed curriculum
New Testament (1) Dual Enrollment
Ecology (1) Dual Enrollment


High School Classes by grade with curriculum listed for child #2

9th Grade (two classes were taken in HS as the state of TN allowed this *)
English (1)
Algebra 1 (1) Teaching Textbooks
U.S. History (1) Coop Class
Performing Arts (.5) Coop class
Home Economics(.5)
Instrumental Music (.5) 
Physical Science (1) Apologia
Spanish 1A (.5)
Personal Fitness (.5)

10th Grade
Intermediate Writing (1) Community College
General Biology (1) Community College
Voice (.5) Community College
Personal Fitness (.5)
Spanish 1B (.5) SOS
Instrumental Music (.5) Piano
Foods 1 (1)
Driver's Education (.5)
Child Care 1 (.5)

11th Grade
English 101 (1) Liberty University
American Government (1) Liberty University
Old Testament (1) Liberty University
Speech Communication (1) Liberty University
New Testament (1) Liberty University
English 102 (1) Liberty University
Instrumental Music (.5)
Foods II (.5)
Child Care II (.5)

12th Grade
The Human Body (1)
Work Study (.5)
World History (1) Notgrass
Geometry (.5)
Algebra II (.5)
Personal Finance (1) Dave Ramsey

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