Parents say teaching high school is the hardest. Parents are unsure what is needed to award a student a high school credit. There are some guidelines parents can follow. These will help parents understand what is needed to say a student earned a high school credit in a subject. Students take classes or learn the material in core classes and in elective classes. However, the general requirements for credit in high school are the same.
Hours of Coursework
One credit in high school is normally equal to 120 hours of coursework. This is the equivalent of 160 45-minute periods. Homeschoolers usually do longer than 45-minute periods, especially in math or science. However, 120 hours of work would still be acceptable to earn credit in a course.
What Counts as Coursework
There are a few activities parents can count as coursework. These tasks would count towards the 120 hours required for high school credit. Labs and projects, especially in science, would count towards coursework. Field trips and independent study also count towards a subject’s amount of coursework. At a quick glance, the following should be counted towards the number of hours required:
- Labs
- Projects
- Field Trips
- Independent Study
- Working out Problems
- Reading Time
Required Courses
When it comes to high school credits, there are core classes and elective courses. Each state is different. Colleges are also different. Once your student reaches high school and starts to pick out colleges, check with the colleges for requirements. Some colleges require 4 sciences and others only require 3 with 2 having a lab component. Many colleges will require at least two credits of the same foreign language while others will prefer to see three credits for a foreign language.
Core classes include the following:
- Language Arts: Literature, Composition, Creative Writing, Grammar
- Math: Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Trigonometry
- Natural Sciences: Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, (labs)
- Social Sciences: History, Goverment
- Physical Education
- Foreign Languge: Any language besides English
Elective classes include the following:
- Fine Arts: Music, Art, Drama
- Practical Arts: Shop, Driver’s Ed
- Business: Accounting, Business Dynamics
- Other Electives: Computer Programming, Logic/ Critical Thinking
Dual Credits
Any class taken at a community college or another college or university before earning a high school diploma will also count as high school credit. A literature class taken at a college will also count as a literature class in high school. This would be the same for science classes or even elective classes such as computer programming.
Remember, one course credit is 120 hours. An hour in a history course cannot be considered an hour in a literature course. A student can take a combined course that has different components but each hour can only be counted once and in the corresponding subject. Make sure you do not count one hour towards two different courses simultaneously.
If you liked this post, read Preparing a High School Transcript.
