Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#1

Post by jkurnia » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 5:26 PM UTC

Hi everyone,

Great Books Homeschool has just released this free tool for generating high school transcripts using the standard American unweighted GPA system. It's available to the public at no cost, and no account creation is required.

These are both resources that would have saved me time as a new homeschooling parent, and I hope they are helpful to others.

Comments and feedback are welcome!

Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers
greatbookshomeschool.com

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#2

Post by fbrchps » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 7:30 PM UTC

[flagged]

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#3

Post by SoftTalker » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 7:34 PM UTC

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program.

If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#4

Post by kej » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 7:40 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #3

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program. If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

Having been homeschooled for high school myself, there are definitely people who won't accept anything that isn't official, but there are also people who just need to check a "received transcript" box on some form.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#5

Post by iambateman » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 7:41 PM UTC

This is cool! We are thinking about homeschooling and need all the tools we can get.

As an aside, I finished high school homeschooled. A state scholarship requires you to be in the top 10% of your class, so the state added me to a cohort of 120 people I had never met, decided I was 7th in that cohort, and gave me an extra $10k in scholarship money.

So yea, “top 10%” metrics are dumb.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#6

Post by hobobaggins » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 8:16 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #3

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program. If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

We just created a homeschool transcript in Libreoffice, since it was required as part of the application process. Our daughter was admitted to both universities applied to and offered a "full ride" scholarship for one (which is the one she accepted). She was also offered (and accepted) a part time role in the CS dept at a different university.

Not sure what "a recognized homeschool program" is; we used a mixture of materials.

When you start homeschooling, you will begin to meet other parents who are also homeschooling, but it's still your journey and not anyone else's; we've found that different tools work for different kids, even within the same family. Choose the tools that work best for your children and your style of teaching.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#7

Post by biomcgary » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 8:35 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #3

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program. If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

I had no problem getting into college after homeschooling using a Microsoft Word based transcript. I'm old enough that back then standardized testing mattered more, so a good score on the SAT or ACT meant that your transcripts were less critical as a signal for future success.

OTOH, some places recognize homeschooling provides a unique perspective on education. For example, I was invited to interview at Yale's biology graduate program at least in part due to my homeschooling background.

My guess is that low end institutions looking for respectability are more sensitive to getting official transcripts, where the high end is looking for more diversity of background.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#8

Post by monocularvision » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 8:36 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #3

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program. If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

This is what the HSLDA is for.

Colleges have become increasingly comfortable with accepting homeschool high school transcripts both because of their increasing regularity but also because of the actions of the HSLDA. One of the reasons we’ve been members for well over a decade.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#9

Post by xnyan » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 9:00 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #3

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program. If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

Most institutions in the US will accept a homeschool transcript. How much they will value that transcript is another question.

Re: Show HN: High school transcript generator for homeschoolers

#10

Post by assimpleaspossi » Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 9:03 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #3

Good luck. Pretty much anyone who "requires" a high school transcript as a prerequisite for anything will only accept them from an accredited school, or maybe from at least a recognized homeschool program. If you're entirely homeschooling on your own, a transcript that looks like you created it in Microsoft Word is not going to go very far.

Both of my sons were homeschooled from third grade on. One graduated from the University of Missouri. The other from Roosevelt in Chicago.