Their are no set graduation requirements in Texas for homeschool students.  YOU set them for your student.  As you are entering the late years of middle school, sit down with your student and spouse and write up a graduation plan.  Having the plan will keep you on track through high school and help you know you've covered everything you intended to.

Here are some things you should consider when creating that plan.

Texas Education Agency's (TEA) requirements for public schools

The TEA recommended and distinguished high school programs consist of 26 credits, while the minimum plan consists of 22 total credits.

• 4 credits of English/Language Arts - each year should include literature, grammar, and writing.  Could include things like creative writing, speech/communications, journalism, debate, American literature, British literature, short stories.
• 4 credits of Mathematics - including Algebra I, II, and Geometry plus an additional course which could be Pre-Cal, College Algebra, Statistics or a financial math.
• 4 credits of Science - including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics plus an additional lab course which could be things like A&P, Earth Science/Astronomy, Marine Biology, or Geology.
• 4 credits of Social Studies - including American History, World History, Geography, Government/Economics.
• 1 credit of Physical Education
• 1 credit of Fine Arts - could be art, music, drama, photography, etc.
• 2 credits of Foreign Language - preferably the same language
• 5.5 credits of Electives

Your student's future plans

Each college has suggested admission requirements.  If your student has specific colleges in mind, check out the requirements for those colleges.  This is especially going to be important for students looking for careers in competitive fields such as law or engineering.  Here are a few links to the requirements for local colleges.

• Baylor University
• Dallas Baptist University (DBU)
• SMU Dallas
• UTA
• University of North Texas
• Texas State Technical College
• Navarro Community College

Not every student will go to college!  It's important to provide your student with a solid education so they have that option should they choose in the future, while still encouraging them in their future plans, whatever they may be!

Your student's interests

As homeschoolers, you can build your students interests into their high school plan.  Do they really enjoy astronomy?  Then consider that for their 4th science credit?  Are they interested in building cars?  They don't need a formal curriculum to get an elective credit in Automotive Technology.  Are they interested in photography?  Then make it part of the art credits.  These years are a great time for them to explore all types of things!

Your family's values

Do you want to require your student to complete a full survey of the bible?  Add those credits as required.  Do you feel strongly about making sure they are financially ready to be an adult?  Add a financial literacy credit requirement.  Do you want to make sure they can cook a meal, sew a button, and change a tire?  Create a class for Life Skills and make it a required credit.  

What is a credit anyway?

A credit is officially 180 hours of learning.  As homeschoolers, without the mundane parts of classroom learning, that could be closer to 150 hours.  

1 full year class is 1 credit.

1 semester class is 1/2 a credit. 

2 1/2 credits make a full credit.  If the complete 2 classes in PE worth 1/2 credit each, that gives them a 1 full PE credit.  It does not have to be in the same year.

A dual credit class at a college is typically 3-5 credits.  Their college transcript will reflect those 3-5 credits.  Their HIGH SCHOOL transcript will reflect it as a 1 credit class - even if it was only a semester class at the college.  They fulfilled the full 150-180 hours, just in a condensed time period of a semester.

For homeschoolers, a credit doesn't have to be a formal class with curriculum.

- A PE credit could be a basketball season

- A credit in Automotive Technology may be building a car

What goes on a transcript?

Only academics!  Colleges only want to see academic information on the transcript.

• Classes completed
• Schools attended
• GPA
• Graduation Date
• Testing scores - PSAT, SAT, ACT, TSI

Consider creating a resume for your student at the start of high school.  This would be in the same general format you use for an employment resume - but it would focus on the things that make your students high school years unique.

• Job & volunteer positions
• Honors & awards
• Clubs, teams, instruments
• Special skills & talents

What should the transcript look like?

You can find a blank transcript template below.  It provides all the general information colleges need.  Please note that some colleges require you use their specific format, but this template will give you the details you need to fill out their template if required.

Blank Transcripts:       Word Document                 Google Sheets (make a copy to edit)              PDF

In case it helps, here is a sample completed transcript.

Calculating GPA

You can find a GPA calculator online but it's easy to calculate on your own.

Step 1: Calculate the points & Score

Regular classes - A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D = 1 point

Honors Classes (including Dual Credit) - A = 5 points, B = 4 points, C = 3 points, D = 2 point

Step 2: Calculate the GPA

Score   /  Total Credits  

In the above scenario that would be 20.5 / 6.5 = 3.15 GPA

Cumulative GPA

A cumulative GPA is simply the average of previous years GPA.  For example, if their GPA in 9th grade calculated to 3.15 and their GPA in 10th grade calculated to 3.45, their cumulative GPA is

(3.15 + 3.45) = 6.6

6.6 / 2 (2 years of GPAs) = cumulative GPA of 3.3

Maintaining grades is one of the more routine parts of homeschooling high schoolers!  You have many options.

Co-Op Classes - Most middle school and high school co-op tutors provide you with grades.  Add those to your records and check that class from your "issue grades" to-do list!

Formal Curriculum - Most formal middle school and high school level curriculum providers provide you with guidance for grading and maintaining grades.  Check out the curriculum's "For the Parent" page and/or the curriculum provider website.

Participation Grades - For subjects where you will require your student to continue working through assignments until they have mastered the concepts and as such receive a 100 on all assignments, you could consider grading based on participation.  Did they complete the assignment when assigned?  Then they get a 100%  If not, they get a 0.  This grade becomes more about their effort and diligence then assignment completion.

Traditional Letter Grades - The rest of this page will address how to issue and maintain traditional letter grades.

Percentages
Letter grades are based on a percentage of the work that is correct.  Typically you calculate a percentage grade by determining the number of questions answered correctly, divide that by the total number of questions in the assignment, and multiple the result by 100.

As an example, suppose your student completed a grammar worksheet with 23 questions total.  They got 19 questions correctly.

19 / 23 = 0.83
0.83 x 100 = 83%

Grading Scale / Letter Grade
The next step is to transition the percentage into a letter grade.  Here is a traditional grading scale, but you are free to use one you prefer - just be consistent through all of high school.

0-100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
0 - 59%= F9

Maintaining Grades
Where should you maintain grades for your student?  There are many ways to do that as their are homeschool strategies!

• Traditional Paper grade tracker - You can download a template here if that is your preferred method.
• An Excel File - You can find a free one here or by searching for "homeschool grading template"
• An electronic system such as Google Classroom or Homeschool Planet

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do classes before 9th grade count for High School?

Q: When should I begin tracking grades?

Do classes before 9th grade count for High School?

For high school graduation purposes, YOU make that decision for your homeschool. 

For college admission, you must be more careful.  In general, colleges are more likely to accept a math and science class taken in 8th grade because students take future classes that confirm their knowledge.  For example, if your student takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade, they have to take Geometry and Algebra 2 in later years.  Many colleges will not count English, Social Studies, or other electives taken in 8th grade.

To truly answer that question, consider you goal in having your student take a high school class in 8th grade.  Is it to push them?  Because they are ready?  In those cases, it's not going to hurt anything for them to do so!  They can take 5 years of high school level English if you decide that's best for them - even if the first year isn't on their transcript!

When should I begin tracking grades?

You have to track grades beginning in High School.  It would be helpful if you start in 7th or 8th grade so you have some practice and time to figure out the system that works best for your family.