So many parents say that they cannot homeschool their high schooler due to the amount of paperwork and planning. But we had the opportunity to review Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork written by Janice Campbell and published by Everyday Education, what seemed like overwhelming paper work is actually extremely manageable for families to tackle!
We have already had one son graduate, but he had no plans for college. So the transcript that I needed to create for him was very basic. Our daughters on the other hand, are both planning at minimum an Associate's Degree in fields of their choice. Our youngest has actually already started cracking down and knows exactly what she wants to do currently, and in our state students can actually start college classes toward a degree as young as 7th grade. So I'm looking at needing to really get her paperwork more in order much earlier than I needed to do anything for our oldest.
Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork by Janice Campbell is packed full of useful information, but not an overwhelming read. I really do not like extremely lengthy how-to books. When I feel overwhelmed before I even get started reading, I simple shut down and do not learn anything from the material. I never felt like this when I started reading Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork.
We received the easy to download PDF book to go review. This roughly 138 page book was laid out in an easy to use layout. It helps parents to see what a transcript actually and why the information included is important. But not just record keeping is included. One of the issues I faced with our oldest was those General study electives that they needed to complete a certain amount of credits for. There is no real direction on what electives could be in the standard State of Ohio forms. So with a wide open drawing board, I let him pick a few things and I picked a few courses for him also.
In Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork Part 2 focuses specifically on how to plan out high school. How to choose those electives to the educational benefit of your high schooler interests and their career goals. How to lay out their schedule to finish their requirements in the best way possible is also something that is looked at, since many states allow flexibility for families in their class scheduling for homeschoolers this is something that parents struggle to understand. Exactly how do you want to schedule their classwork to make sure they are finishing the coursework for even possible early graduation can be looked at in these chapters.
Janice Campbell even helps parents by including samples of first year college schedules so that when you get to that point, you can help your child plan out their classes. She also includes some excellent tips on how to even survive their first year of college whether they are still living at home or living away in a dormitory.
Included in the book are reproducible worksheets. These include transcript worksheets and class information sheets for the various classes that you have listed. Janice Campbell encourages parents to set up a simple notebook that allows you to continually add information as your child completes their high school work. She has even included worksheets if you are completing the materials for a student with special needs, who have have learning disabilities that have them taking a different level of classes than a more "typical" class schedule.
The grade vs. no-grade debate is covered also. Since you will need to figure a GPA for most colleges in the United States. Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork takes the guessing game out of how to create this portion of the transcript.
I like that she has given me so much information that I can take and get prepped for Lydia and Caty's transcripts, since we are basically there now. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed again, knowing that these will need to be turned into a college. After going through the section on how to stay organized with each class that they take, I am more confident in what I need to do.
I really like that Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork is not only budget-friendly, but it can be used with multiple students. This makes life easier for parents of large families. I will still have to keep an eye on the most current college requirements for materials, which would be the reason to purchase the most updated version of Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork.
Getting myself more organized to get the girl's paperwork under control really has not taken much time. I feel more confident as we move forward through middle school. Now that I'm more organized, upkeep will also take minimal time. Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork really does show how easy it is to plan out your student's high school career, and get them prepped with the right transcripts for college. And not just regular transcripts, but she shows you how to really create an official transcript for your student.
Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork by Janice Campbell. Click on the link below to see how they used this book in their homeschooling planning.
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