How to Homeschool College

I get this desperate plea a lot! I want to tell you that the "desperate mom" feeling is completely normal when you are homeschooling high school! Winter and Spring is the absolute WORST time of year for that feeling. Most students have already chosen a college, and have already applied and are eager to leave home. Yet most parents are looking at the sticker price of the college and feel completely overwhelmed because they haven't received any financial aid yet.

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The HomeScholar's new e-book, "The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts teaches you how to create incredible homeschool transcripts the easy way. No need for complicated software or expensive accreditation services. You have everything you need to impress colleges with your student's transcripts.

Read more about it here.

In our consulting, Lee and I have encountered two schools of thought about senior year planning. First is the "Laissez-faire" method - parents who take a hands-off approach to college planning. The teen is responsible for every aspect of the college application experience, from initial college search to the final result.

Such parents will often only weigh-in when it comes to the final selection. Not surprisingly, their "concern index" increases dramatically when the conversation gets around to college costs. "You have GOT to be kidding!" is a typical refrain.

While I'm a strong proponent of natural consequences and allowing teens to take increased responsibility for college plans as they mature, I have to say that "detached indifference" on the part of the parent typically does not result in a positive outcome. There are three reasons for this.

Read why "detached indifference" doesn't work here

Right there on the brochure it said: "Who takes CLEP? A homeschooled 15-year-old." I felt somewhat reassured when I walked into the test center, knowing that my son couldn't be THAT unusual, since his demographic was right on the brochure. And imagine my surprise! Within the month, my son obtained college credit in "Principles of Marketing" and "Business Law" and yet I had never purchased marketing or law curriculum! How does that happen, exactly? As a homeschool parent, you may know what your children have been taught, but you may not realize what they know. There is a place where knowledge reigns supreme. A place where you can also discover their hidden learning -- your local CLEP testing center.

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It seems like the idea of "taking a gap year" is growing in popularity among homeschoolers. A "gap year" is a period of time (usually between 6 months and a year in length) where the high school graduate takes a job or does some volunteer work to gain experience before beginning their college career.

Gap Year policies varies WIDELY between colleges. Some colleges say if you take a gap year, you may be considered a transfer. Other colleges (including Ivy League colleges) will admit you, give you great scholarships, ENCOURAGE you to take a gap year, and STILL allow you to have your scholarships and freshman status when you return! Unfortunately, any specific advice I give on gap years will be incomplete. Your best bet it to contact three of four colleges that your child would MOST like to go to, and ask them specifically about their gap year information. Remember too that their policies can change from year to year. Also, be careful to get assurance that the policy they quote you is "grandfathered" and will not change if your student leaves for a year!

Even if your student is planning a gap year, you will want to prepare your application and fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) during their senior year! If they don't apply as a senior, then they really COULD be considered a transfer student and miss out on many freshman scholarships. So have them apply while they are still in high school.

General advice: fill out the applications just like any other student, with transcript, reading lists, and course descriptions. In one of the application essays, they should focus on their gap year plans, what specifically they will do and what they hope to accomplish. Remember the essay is COMPLETELY written by the student. On the other hand, you as the parent can help your student brainstorm facts to include in that essay. While your student completes the application and essay, you can call the colleges to research their policy. Make sure you visit each college, and have your student talk face to face with someone in the admission department. That's as good as an "interview" and can go a long way to proving they really are taking a gap year and not just goofing off.

Yes, fill out the FAFSA. Colleges will base their financial aid decisions on the FAFSA, and (with luck) that financial aid decision will carry over once your student returns. You don't want your child to come back with a college admission but not be able to afford the college!

Gap year is NOT affected by "dual enrollment" college courses. Those are college level classes taken at community college or online that are taken while the student is officially a high school student. When they have dual enrollment credits, you put the information from the community college course onto the high school transcript, to prove that it is "dual enrollment" and NOT just a college class. Only college classes taken AFTER high school graduation will mess up your gap year. Your student can take anything BEFORE graduation but NOTHING after graduation (no classes during the gap year.)

Taking a gap year is an excellent way for a student to demonstrate their area of passion (specialization.) One of the parent's most important tasks in high school is identifying and encouraging passion in their students. Failing to do so is one of "The 5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make When Homeschooling High School." Learn how to avoid all 5 mistakes in my FREE e-mail mini-course.

My e-book, "The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts" will show you how to how to package that great education into an AMAZING transcripts that will impress the colleges!

Lee Binz, AKA, The HomeScholar, is an expert in "helping parents homeschool high school." Both her two boys earned full-tuition scholarships at their first choice university. Learn how she did it on her website, TheHomeScholar.com, which includes a free monthly newsletter and daily blog support.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Binz
http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-School-High-School---What-About-Taking-a-Gap-Year?&id=1873542

For those new to the subject, CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program, and it allows students to earn college credit when they have achieved a college amount of learning on a particular subject. CLEP exams do not have an age limit. It is not unusual to see 14 or 15 year old kids taking and passing CLEP exams. My youngest son passed 16 CLEP exams when he was 15 years old. This was worth almost two years of college, but the college he wanted to attend would only accept a year's worth of CLEP for credit (9 tests.) The other tests weren't wasted, however, because they allowed him to place into upper division college classes when he started at the university at age 16.

One question I get from parents who are pursuing this path is where to put the CLEP exam results on their homeschool transcript, especially for a young student. Here are a couple of ideas you can consider.

Determining High School Credit

Since each CLEP is a college level test, you can be sure that if they can pass it as a college course, they could CERTAINLY pass it as a high school course. Make sure you put every college level course on the transcript, no matter how you prove the class (community college or CLEP exam) and no matter how old they are (12 or 18 - it still counts.)

Naming Courses

For each CLEP exam your student passes, put a class with the same title on their transcript. That's especially helpful if you're not exactly sure what your child has learned in a course. The exams can help you decide what they learned and how much.

Deciding on Honors

Since CLEP represents a college amount of knowledge, just like an AP exam, then it truly would be an "honors" class. When they pass a test, you can add "honors" to the course designation. CLEP tests would be handled on the transcript just like AP exams.

Outside Documentation of Learning

Since CLEP exams provide an "official transcript" it can be the third-party proof you need to show this course holds up to any scrutiny. By each CLEP course, put a designation by the course title on the transcript, showing there is external documentation. So it might look like this on a transcript: CLEP English Literature, or CLEP Microeconomics.

Early High School Credits

If they pass the CLEP exam before high school, you can choose to record classes by year, and either put the CLEP courses under 9th grade OR by indicating it was "early high school credits." You could also choose to avoid all that by simply organizing the transcript by subject, instead of by year.

Whatever you decide to do, you are ahead of the game because you are paying attention to your student's high school records. Forgetting about homeschool records in high school is one of "The 5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make When Homeschooling High School." Learn how to avoid all 5 mistakes in my free e-mail mini-course.

My e-book, "The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts" will show you how to how to package that great education into an AMAZING transcript that will impress the colleges!

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, is an expert in "helping parents homeschool high school." Both her two boys earned full-tuition scholarships at their first choice university. Learn how she did it on her website, TheHomeScholar.com, which includes a free monthly newsletter and daily blog support.

Are you thinking about homeschooling high school? Perhaps you have already started and have a few questions. Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, has created a resource just for you! The HomeScholar Gold Care Club is your one stop shop for all your homeschool high school questions. You can get expert advice on transcripts, grades, credits, record keeping, college preparation and more. This site is filled with parent training tools (videos and audios), templates, planning guides and good solid advice for all parents who are considering homeschooling high school with an eye toward college.

Get more information here

Lee-I love your stuff and will be telling others to check you out. Can't wait to get your next newsletter. Very helpful.
~Jeannie Fulbright in Georgia (jeanniefulbright.com)

Hi Lee; I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your website and your business. You come across as very professional! I have been enjoying your "preparing for high-school" mini-course, even though my oldest is just 10 years old.
~Pam in Indonesia

Lee, this is really great! A wonderful idea. And the first lesson is so very well written, too. I can't wait to get the rest, lol! I will
definitely be forwarding the info on, and mentioning on my blog. I wish you lots of great luck with this promotion!
~April in North Carolina

Thank you so much for this, Lee. I've read lesson 1 and all I can say is "right on". I'm sending the link to our entire homeschool group, because I'm sure many others will benefit from this as well. I can't wait for the next 4 lessons!!!
~Robin in Arizona

This is fantastic, Lee! Thanks so much. I'm going to add this information to the announcements for our co-op (and pass it along to others). You're wonderful!!
~Kathy in Washington

Thank you so much for your website and newsletter...it has been a God-send for our family. Thanks so much for sharing what you know with other homeschooling families!!!
~Jackie in Illinois

Lee, The mini course was good, especially the emphasis of this 5th mini course on the need to keep records and that we will need to make a transcript! It is also good to be reminded to contact the college or university you may want to attend to find out exactly what they require. Thanks for your work on helping those of us who were really concerned about homeschooling through high school. Thanks again.
~Leona in Washington

Thank you, Lee, for taking the time to create your five-part mini-course about high school. It confirmed a lot of what the Lord had taken me through as I prepared my now 18 yod, who is currently in college, for college. I'm sure your course and your business will help a lot of moms. Blessings on your ministry and you as you serve others to His glory!
~Linda, Military

Don't miss out on this wonderful resource! Grab your FREE mini-course here!

Homeschoolers today are homeschooling through high school - and even PAST high school! Called "homeschooling college" it is fast becoming a popular path for many young people. One very popular way for homeschool students to get some quick college credits is to take CLEP exams. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers a wide variety of tests that measure a college amount of learning. These exams are graded pass/fail, with a score above 50 considered passing. One of the questions I am often asked is whether CLEP exams factor into the student's college GPA.

College Admission Policies are unique in many ways, and every college has its own unique policy about CLEP exams. Some colleges give a grade that affects GPA and others give credit but not a grade. Some don't give credit but do give placement into upper level classes. My homeschoolers applied to four colleges, and three of them granted credit for CLEP exams. None of them gave an actual grade for the exam, however, so our student's GPA was not affected. I haven't read about many college giving an actual GRADE for a CLEP exam. CLEP exams are usually reported to colleges as a Pass/Fail with any score above 50% being a passing score.

In contrast, AP exams usually do have a grade that is applied. Generally for an AP exam, a score of 5 (perfect) is an A, 4 is B, 3 is C, and less than 3 is not given college credit. I know one homeschool student who took an AP exam and scored a respectable 4. She was disappointed, though, because that was the only "B" for her entire college career. You might want to check the colleges where your student may apply in order to understand their policy.

As with many such questions, college policies are as varied as the colleges themselves. Check with the specific colleges you are interested in to get their policy on CLEP and AP exams.

When homeschool parents encourage their children to learn, there is a chance their children may actually pick up a college amount of learning - enough to pass a CLEP. Failing to promote a student's area of passion is one of the "5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make When Homeschooling High School." Learn how to avoid all 5 mistakes in my free e-mail mini-course.

To learn more about homeschool high school check out my website and blog.

From Lee Binz, The HomeScholar - Helping Parents Homeschool High School

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Binz

>>>>Can you compare AP and CLEP exams? Why did you choose CLEP?<<<<

Read response here

Should your child have a 'gap year' before college?
Some students need a break after high school - and some colleges approve.

Read more about getting off the treadmill for awhile.

Hi Lee,

We just published our second Annual Online College Rankings at:

http://oedb.org/rankings

For each college, we gathered data for eight different metrics: acceptance rate, financial aid, graduation rate, peer Web citations, retention rate, scholarly citations, student-faculty ratio, and years accredited. The overall ranking ranks each college by its average ranking for each metric for which data was available.

As a respected blogger, we'd love to get your feedback on the results or our methodology. And if you think your readers would find the rankings useful, any coverage would also be appreciated. Either way,
keep up the great blogging!

Cheers,
Amy S. Quinn

A client writes: "In Florida, the state universities have a reciprocal policy with the community colleges if complete your AA. So, we'll probably go that route and do his AA via CLEP and dual enrollment."

(Read my response here)

Lee,
I think Landon's transcript that you did for me is excellent. I just made two copies because he is applying at two colleges today. I am very grateful for all your help, I was really panicking and desperately wanted to do it right, I feel incredible relief now to know that it is done and looks so professional. Today I viewed your dvd about scholarships. I took four pages of notes, it was just full of good information. Thankfully I can watch it again to be sure I did not miss anything. I look forward to seeing the other dvd Finding a College. I may watch it tomorrow, we need to get this done asap.
~Linda in Washington

"Lee,
I read with interest your article on CLEP exams and have a question. How does taking the exams affect your GPA in college? I understand that in some instances you can get college credit for passing the exams, but are you assigned a grade that factors into your GPA?
Thank you, Maureen"

Hi Maureen,

I'm glad you found the article useful to you! Every college has its own unique policy about CLEP exams, and some colleges give a grade that affects GPA and other's give credit but not grade, and others don't give credit but do give placement into upper level classes. 3 of the schools we applied for provided CLEP credits, but none of them gave a grade, so our GPA was not affected. I haven't read about many college giving an actual GRADE for a CLEP exams.

In contrast, AP exams usually do have a grade that is applied. Generally for an AP exam, a score of 5 (perfect) is an A, 4 is B, 3 is C, and less is not given college credit. I do know one homeschool student who took an AP exam and scored a respectable 4. She was disappointed, though, because that was the only "B" for her entire college career.You might want to check the colleges your student might apply for, and see what they have for their own unique policy.

I wish I could give you a more direct answer to your question, but each college makes up their own rules. I can suggest a website that provides some free lessons plans for CLEP study available online: clepprep.tripod.com. I hope that helps!

Blessings,
Lee

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