Record the names of each course taken during the high school years, which are typically ninth through 12th grades, as you teach them. Write titles of the courses that are standard with high school titles, such as U.S. History II, rather than using the title of the textbook for the course name or a homeschool curriculum title, such as Danielle’s History Unit Study.
Use the abbreviation AP, which means Advanced Placement, for any high school courses taken at a college level, but within the homeschool.
Include course and grade information for lab work, such as for a science or computer lab course, as a separate course. Add the lab information on the line following a corresponding class course, so that Chemistry Lab II would go on the line below Chemistry II, if appropriate.
Research the titles of classes that are not standard for traditional high school courses, such as Arboriculture for a course on identifying trees or Intro to Ichthyology for a fishing-related course. Document these courses on the transcript along with the basic curriculum courses to show the student’s potential and expansive education.
Include the cumulative grades received for each course based on a numerical grading scale of 100 equaling an A, as most colleges will accept this standardized scoring.
Use a computer and printer for an official transcript; handwritten transcripts are not professional in appearance and will be received with a low approval by a college admissions officer.
Format the transcript in landscape format. Include the student’s official name, birth date, full address, home phone number and student identification number, which is typically the Social Security number, in block format on the top left corner.
Divide the transcript into grade levels; begin with the first grade of high school, such as ninth grade. Use four charts in a 2-by-2 format, with two charts on the top row and two charts on the bottom row.
Label each grade’s chart with the title of the grade and the corresponding school year. Add a column for the course name followed by a column with the grade received for the course. Write the grade as a numerical amount so you can illustrate the student’s grade point average, or GPA. Include a column with the credit received for each course, such as one credit for each of the mandatory courses, if desired.
Add a key below the charts that explains the grading system for the transcript, such as an A equals 90 to 100.
Include a line with the calculated GPA. Calculate the GPA by adding all of the numerical grade scores and dividing the total by the number of scores. Round the GPA to the hundredth, such as 93.39.
Draw a blank line for each of the homeschool teachers who will sign the transcript to make it official; any outside tutor or teacher that taught any of the courses should sign the transcript. Include a sentence to officiate the transcript, such as: “This document is the official transcript of the course of high school studies for (student's name) as of (date)." Fill the name and date in by longhand. Add the phrase “parental certification” to indicate the homeschool format of study.
Print the final transcript on a clean sheet of white heavyweight paper, such as resume or certificate paper.
Sign the document as the officiating homeschool teacher using ink.