high school

Getting Credit: Understanding Homeschool Credits

September 10, 2019 by Jenna

“How many credits is this course worth?” Many parents have asked me this question about various courses. It may seem fairly straightforward, but it’s a little more complicated than you might think. What makes up a credit or what counts as a credit varies from state to state and even from city to city. The same amount of work may count differently in New York City compared to the rest of New York state. So, let’s take a closer look at the world of homeschool credits for high school.

What Is a Credit?

The concept of a credit is based on the Carnegie unit, which refers to one daily hour of instruction five days a week for 24 weeks. If you do the math, that’s 120 hours of instruction. This time-based standard helps states and schools determine whether students are present in class often enough to learn and understand the material. In a brick-and-mortar school, the students’ success in a class is usually determined by both attendance and regular assessments. They earn credits by meeting the requirements.

How Do State Standards Affect Credits?

You probably know that most states require 180 days of instruction per school year, which means that most schools’ schedules include way more time than the minimum required for a Carnegie unit. Additionally, each state’s department of education may define the number of hours of instruction required for a credit differently. Larger cities with their own board of education may also have their own definitions. You can usually find out what you need to know about your state’s standards by looking up the graduation requirements set by your department of education.

For example, the New York State Education Department defines a single diploma credit as the completion of the required learning objectives in the class as well as attending 180 minutes of instruction per week (36 per day) through the school year. For graduation, students must have 22 credits total, many of which have to be for specific courses.

However, the New York City Department of Education requires 44 credits total. That doesn’t mean that the city requires twice the amount of work from its students. Rather, completing the required number of hours and assessments earns two credits instead of one. It amounts to the same thing, but the terms are different.

When you’re looking at these state standards, you have to keep in mind that they’re designed for public schools and classroom settings. The teacher must prepare for at least 180 days of instruction, but few students actually attend all of those days. Students have sick days, snow days, doctor’s visits, sports trips, and family emergencies. You know, life happens. Schools may have several buffer days for teacher workdays, weather-related shutdowns, or activity days, but a student’s absences will often overlap with the required days of instruction rather than the buffer days.

What Does This Mean for Your Homeschool Credits?

At the end of the day, homeschool credits aren’t about meeting your state’s regulations for homeschool families. They’re about what you’re going to put on your child’s transcript. You will want to record the credits your student has earned in a way that reflects either your state’s graduation requirements or the admission requirements of your student’s college of choice.

So, keeping records of what you do in your homeschool will be an important part of your daily routine. These records will help you know that you’re at least meeting the 120-hour criteria of a Carnegie unit. This is especially helpful if your state doesn’t have a required number of days of instruction. You can honestly say that your child has met the requirements for a credit even if you don’t have another standard to work toward.

For additional information regarding which subjects your state requires or how many days of instruction you must complete, check the Home School Legal Defense Association database of state homeschool regulations.

The question of how many credits a particular course is worth isn’t actually that helpful. What you should be asking is “Does this meet my state’s requirements?” And, for all current BJU Press courses—provided that you’re following the lesson plan overview or video lesson guide—yes, it does.

4 Reasons to Include Labs in Your Homeschool

August 16, 2018 by Ben

Let’s get real for a moment. Teaching high school science is intimidating. I still remember how nervous my homeschool mom was about high school science. When I got to physics, we couldn’t find any labs kits. It was a nightmare. My dad helped me do one physics lab without a kit. That single lab cost us around $75 in supplies. We also spent hours creating the tool we needed for the lab. And when we finished, it didn’t even work. We couldn’t collect reliable data, and I never finished that particular lab.

So what could my mom do? She knew she needed to keep homeschooling through high school—and that she needed to include labs. Before I tell you how she made high school labs work for our family, here are four reasons she was committed to teaching with labs.

1. Creational Approach

Science at its core examines the works of God. We’re looking at what He did at creation and how His creation functions. As much as nature documentaries and science textbooks can evoke awe and wonder at God’s creation, they’re only presenting what others have discovered by investigating God’s world. If we teach our kids science without incorporating close, hands-on examination of creation, we’re doing it wrong.

2. Deep Understanding

There were a number of chemistry concepts that I thought I understood. After all, I could ace the reading quiz. Then we did the lab over the concept. I discovered I didn’t understand it nearly as well as my quiz grade suggested. Labs are where head knowledge meets real-world experience and critical thinking. If I hadn’t completed the labs, I would have only superficial knowledge of chemistry without deep understanding.

3. Student Scientists

We aren’t teaching our children science so they can win on a TV game show or in a trivia competition. That would reduce science to superficial answers for esoteric questions such as, “Why is the sky blue?” That isn’t what science is at all. Instead, it’s a powerful tool for investigating and solving real-world problems. So when we teach our children science, we want them to act like junior scientists instead of students learning about science facts. Labs are where children act like scientists. This is especially true in high school science. We need labs to give our students the opportunity to behave like scientists.

4. Required Courses

Many states require lab sciences for high school graduation. And even if your state doesn’t, the college your son or daughter wants to attend may require it. And colleges may view non-lab science courses with suspicion. So how many labs should you include? A good rule of thumb is thirty hours of labs for each course. If you figure your setup time, lab time, and post lab time, each lab can last two to three hours. So aim for ten to fifteen labs.

Making Labs Happen at Home

So what did my mom do? She found kits. A number of kits helped us complete high school biology and chemistry. These kits made high school labs achievable. My sister and I could do most of these labs without any parental aid. They also made it affordable. We could have spent thousands of dollars if we had tried to pull together all the individual components that were in these kits. Instead, they cost my parents around $200.

For me, these lab kits made science creational, deepened my understanding, and gave me an opportunity to practice being a scientist.

At BJU Press, we’ve worked with Logos Science, Inc., to create lab kits for all of our secondary science textbooks and video courses. If you’re looking for something to help you bring labs to your homeschool, check out our Logos Science Kits.

3 Ways to Master the Shift to Middle School

June 22, 2017 by Jenna

When you’re homeschooling, you get a wonderful opportunity to help your child through the most difficult stages of growing up. For Dynel Fuller, the transition from sixth grade to seventh grade has been her biggest challenge in homeschooling her ten children.

This shift is full of good changes but can make homeschooling more difficult for you partially because your children’s studies become more application focused in each subject. In addition, with the onset of puberty come strong emotions and, hopefully, a better understanding of their purpose in God’s plan. But as your children mature and make more choices independently, they still need your guidance and input.

Here are some of Dynel’s suggestions. Combined with prayer, these can make this transition smoother and easier for you and your children.

Teach them to take notes from their textbooks.

As the academic rigor of the textbooks increases with each new grade, studying directly from the textbook will become more difficult. The student needs to learn how to find key ideas within the wealth of information in each chapter. Dynel has found that taking notes from the textbook allows her children to practice recall while sorting through the information for key ideas.

Chapters in textbooks usually divide into clear sections that form a basic outline. All your student needs to do is write the section heading down and fill in the key idea or ideas from that section.

Keep communicating.

Since you’re both parent and teacher, it’s twice as important for your student to feel comfortable asking you questions. A child who knows that any academic discussion can easily rabbit trail into a life lesson may avoid asking questions about schoolwork if something else is disrupting your relationship. Praying with that child daily about the struggles he faces, no matter how big or small, assures him that you know and understand what he’s going through. Listening to his prayers may also give you insight into issues that he hasn’t been willing to share yet.

Put academic struggles in context.

With the influx of emotion that comes hand-in-hand with puberty, small issues appear a lot bigger than they are. Struggling to grasp a new concept may lead some students to conclude that they aren’t smart enough or that you’re disappointed in them. In context, any new concept is supposed to present a challenge, so it’s OK if it takes them time to understand it.

Dynel has been able to put her students’ academic struggles into context by marking up her Teacher Edition with a student’s name and the date to keep track of the concepts that she’s taken time to explain. When another student has similar questions, she shares how an older sibling had the same problem and overcame it.

By being a wise counselor in this phase of your students’ lives, you will not only strengthen your parent-child relationships, but you will also encourage them to be more confident individuals—confident their studies and confident in their relationship with God.

Putting on Your Worldview Glasses

February 4, 2016 by Kevin

The Need for a Biblical Worldview

We have always lived in a fallen world, but it seems to be going from bad to worse (2 Timothy 3:13). The issues are snowballing; rebellion against God rages like an avalanche overtaking any chance of escape (Psalm 2:1–3). Will the rebellion of this world swallow up or smother your own children?

Truth claims and moral values that were once clear to many Christian parents are now being questioned by their professing Christian children. Some of the classmates I grew up with—who still profess Christ—have fallen into the traps that seem to be everywhere: justifying their indulgence in immorality, downplaying compromise with evolution, or gravitating toward the edges of orthodox Christianity.

As godly parents, you watch your young people growing up and see that they’re about to depart from home. You’re rightly motivated to equip your children to respond with biblical wisdom to the cultural upheaval: gay marriage, the murder of babies for profit, “safe zones” for the entitled on college campuses, and frequent mass shootings. The cultural situation is grim.¹

The biblical worldview team at BJU Press is motivated to provide the tools you need to equip your young people to face the chaotic world in which they live and to stand firm. That’s why we wrote Biblical Worldview: Creation, Fall, Redemption—to protect Christ’s little ones who truly belong to Him by providing them with biblical worldview glasses.

Biblical Worldview: Creation, Fall, Redemption

This one book brings together the biblical worldview approach that is integrated into all of BJU Press’s curriculum. First, it helps students understand what a biblical worldview is and its significance to all of life. Second, it helps students to specifically understand the biblical worldview of Creation, Fall, and Redemption. Third, it guides an application of this worldview to multiple social institutions and disciplines (marriage and the family, government, science, history, and culture and the arts).

In the process, it introduces students to apologetic methods and guides them to discern and refute false worldviews. Particular attention is given to motivating students to contribute positively to the social institutions and disciplines—to rebuild them according to a biblical worldview.

Four distinctives summarize our approach to teaching a biblical worldview:

Focus on a biblical worldview: The goal is to focus students on a constructive presentation of Creation, Fall, Redemption rather than to overwhelm them with information about a multiplicity of false worldviews. False worldviews will be evaluated, but always in the context of reinforcing the true biblical worldview.
Bible-first perspective: The starting point, the ultimate authority source, is God’s Word. It’s the standard by which all evidence and claims must be evaluated, and not vice versa.
Emphasis on evaluation and positive response: Students should be challenged not only to evaluate ideas intellectually but also to apply the biblical worldview as they become salt and light in the culture.
Content that is both accessible and compelling: This textbook was purposefully written in a style that’s more enjoyable to read and draws from several conservative Bible translations. Rather than introducing students to an encyclopedic overview of abstract philosophical concepts, our approach to worldview studies is designed to be engaging by being set in the context of the unfolding story of the world.

The Student Text is complemented by these additional resources: Teacher’s Edition, a Student Activities Manual and Student Activities Answer Key, and Tests and Tests Answer Key.

Take a look inside the book to learn more.

1. Ken Ham, “The Chasm Is Widening: Are You on God’s Side?” Answers in Genesis (website), April 29, 2013; D.C. Innes, “The Fight for Religious Liberty,” World (website), January 26, 2015.

Tips and Tricks for High School Transcripts

September 23, 2014 by David

This month we have been focusing on college planning. So far we looked at choosing a major and taking financial responsibility for college (part 1 and part 2). For our final post in this series, we will look at some tips for high school transcripts.

Pretty soon seniors all over the country are going to start preparing to submit college applications. One thing that most universities require is a high school transcript. You may be thinking, “High school transcripts are so overwhelming!” That’s OK because, while they can seem overwhelming, that doesn’t mean that they have to be. Here are a few questions you may have been thinking about and some answers you may have wanted to know.

Why is it important to have a high school transcript?

A high school transcript documents all academic achievement and validates the work completed during high school. Without such a transcript, there is no way to actually prove whether the student took an adequate amount of coursework, what quality of work the student was capable of accomplishing, and that the student graduated.

What do colleges look for on a student’s transcript?

Years of high school study
Titles of all courses taken (including any that did not earn a passing grade, any times the course was retaken, and any that were withdrawn)
High school course credits (Carnegie units) earned for each course
All grades achieved in each high school course (including any non-passing grades, any grades earned in a class retaken, and any withdrawn courses)
Grading scale used to determine letter grades
Cumulative GPA
Actual graduation date

When students who have not graduated from high school send in their college applications, they can also have a transcript sent showing the coursework that they have completed so far. After graduation, a final transcript should be sent to the college/university to show their final grades and that they actually completed their coursework and graduated.

Students should check with the college they’re applying to regarding other specific requirements.

What is a Carnegie unit?

A Carnegie unit (credit hour) is a time-based measurement that consists of 120 class hours or instruction time over the course of a year at the secondary level. Typically, a student earns one Carnegie unit by attending class five days a week over the course of a school year. A one-semester course that meets five days a week typically earns half a Carnegie unit.

How should I calculate GPA?

You can find a GPA calculator easily online. A simple one to use is gpacalculator.net.

Regarding the GPA, you should research the common GPA scale in your state. Some states are moving toward a weighted GPA (such as the UGS GPA in South Carolina). In these situations, it would be advisable to provide two GPAs—one based on the 4.0 scale and another one based on the state’s standard weighted scale.

How should I create a transcript?

Making your own transcript from scratch can be intense. To help you, here is a transcript template that you can download creating transcripts for your students or children.

Don’t forget—transcripts should be treated as official documents. Students attending traditional schools can have their school office send transcripts to the schools they are interested in. Homeschool students should have their homeschool teacher (most likely their mom or dad) prepare and send their transcript for them. If you have specific questions about sending transcripts, check with the college/university’s admission office.

Hopefully, some of these questions and answers have helped you better understand high school transcripts. If you have further tips about transcripts, feel free to share them in the comments below.

What has been the most helpful thing that you read in our college planning series?