4 ms·

The college I most recently consulted with had to take a homeschool "transcript" that can literally be a signed paper from the parent handwritten with nothing t

The college I most recently consulted with had to take a homeschool "transcript" that can literally be a signed paper from the parent handwritten with nothing to back it up. It's astounding. I don't know if that's just because that particular state doesn't have very strict rules around homeschooling, or if that's standard; I just haven't done the research.

Amezarak 3y ago
How else do you think a transcript should work? What makes you think a random private school transcript has anything else backing it up? Presumably the students are also applying with ACT/SAT scores in hand, which do have an established meaning.
- tivert 3y ago
  > How else do you think a transcript should work? What makes you think a random private school transcript has anything else backing it up? Are you saying things written on a fancy letterhead with a stamp can't be unquestionably trusted?
- Loughla 3y ago
  Because they have some kind of accreditation body that monitors and approves the schools with established standards and approved/documented practices, whereas homeschool does not? And ACT/SAT has become optional since covid for most institutions.
  - Amezarak 3y ago
    > Because they have some kind of accreditation body that monitors and approves the schools with established standards and approved/documented practices, whereas homeschool does not? There are "accredited" homeschool programs, and the "accreditation" means probably about as much as it does for "accredited" private schools, many of whom don't even bother. Elsewhere in the comments I mentioned the Baltimore public school system, where clearly whatever "accreditation" it has is completely and utterly worthless. Heck, even my ABET accredited university, although overall of high quality, had a few teachers that taught me nothing at all and who had no checks on their failure to teach.
  - hotnfresh 3y ago
    I don't think it's the case that if you show up with a transcript written in crayon and don't bother to submit a standardized test score, your college admission prospects are likely to be very good. The tests may be optional, but I don't think that means they have to assume you'd have done well on them, if other evidence looks iffy.
  - bigstrat2003 3y ago
    > And ACT/SAT has become optional since covid for most institutions. So they should go back to requiring it. Seems pretty easy.
- eszed 3y ago
  >Presumably the students are also applying with ACT/SAT scores in hand, which do have an established meaning. Except... >More Than 80% Of Four-Year Colleges Won’t Require Standardized Tests For Fall 2023 Admissions >An additional 85 schools will be test-blind or score-free, meaning that applicants’ standardized exam results are not considered even if they are submitted. Included in that number is the entire California public university system.... >[And] at least 1,450 colleges and universities have made their test-optional and test-blind policies permanent. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/11/15/more-than-80-of-four-year-colleges-wont-require-standardized--tests-for-fall-2023-admissions/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/11/15/more...
  - Amezarak 3y ago
    One imagines that students with any reason to suspect the university they're applying to will not know enough about their high school, or possibly derogatory information about their high school, will submit an application with test scores attached in the "optional" cases. One of the other reasons for this is because students completely unprepared for college from public schools are an increasing problem. This is also why they now all offer remedial classes under varying names and programs, and why first-year university programs are much easier than they were in say, 1940.
  - jimbob45 3y ago
    "Test-optional" and "test-blind" are vastly different. If I can get a leg up on the competition by taking the test, then it's basically required even if it's technically optional.
    - eszed 3y ago
      True. I find the ideological movement against standardized testing really disturbing. Their basic point is that students from affluent families are more likely to do well on standardized tests (which is true), and that therefore eliminating the tests as enrollment requirements will level the playing field (which does not follow). For instance - to use your example - which student is more likely to be given your advice: the one from an affluent family attending a well-funded school, or the (let's posit much smarter) one from a family of non-college attendees living in an under-funded district? When the SAT was a formal requirement they'd be more likely to be judged on an actually level playing field.
Ancapistani 3y ago
How is that any different from someone who attended a rural public high school? Many of the school districts in my area have consolidated, and it's not even possible to verify attendance of students from the small schools that no longer exist. To my knowledge, there is no "accreditation" that matters for public high schools - there are only thresholds for which state funding is available.
ejb999 3y ago
how is this worse than some schools not even requiring students to be able to read, write and do some mathematics in order to graduate with a HS diploma? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oregon-suspends-graduation-requirements-citing-discrimination-against-minority-students/ar-AA1iMeD4 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oregon-suspends-graduation...
- watwut 3y ago
  Difference is thatbin one case it is a scandal that is investigated. In the other, there is no one to investigate, no rules are broken, it is just homeschooling exactly as meant to be per law.
  - bitlax 3y ago
    https://nypost.com/2023/09/23/students-at-40-of-baltimore-high-schools-failed-math-proficiency-exam/ https://nypost.com/2023/09/23/students-at-40-of-baltimore-hi... Oh please. No one's going to jail for this.

Amezarak 3y ago

How else do you think a transcript should work? What makes you think a random private school transcript has anything else backing it up? Presumably the students are also applying with ACT/SAT scores in hand, which do have an established meaning.

tivert 3y ago
> How else do you think a transcript should work? What makes you think a random private school transcript has anything else backing it up? Are you saying things written on a fancy letterhead with a stamp can't be unquestionably trusted?
Loughla 3y ago
Because they have some kind of accreditation body that monitors and approves the schools with established standards and approved/documented practices, whereas homeschool does not? And ACT/SAT has become optional since covid for most institutions.
- Amezarak 3y ago
  > Because they have some kind of accreditation body that monitors and approves the schools with established standards and approved/documented practices, whereas homeschool does not? There are "accredited" homeschool programs, and the "accreditation" means probably about as much as it does for "accredited" private schools, many of whom don't even bother. Elsewhere in the comments I mentioned the Baltimore public school system, where clearly whatever "accreditation" it has is completely and utterly worthless. Heck, even my ABET accredited university, although overall of high quality, had a few teachers that taught me nothing at all and who had no checks on their failure to teach.
- hotnfresh 3y ago
  I don't think it's the case that if you show up with a transcript written in crayon and don't bother to submit a standardized test score, your college admission prospects are likely to be very good. The tests may be optional, but I don't think that means they have to assume you'd have done well on them, if other evidence looks iffy.
- bigstrat2003 3y ago
  > And ACT/SAT has become optional since covid for most institutions. So they should go back to requiring it. Seems pretty easy.
eszed 3y ago
>Presumably the students are also applying with ACT/SAT scores in hand, which do have an established meaning. Except... >More Than 80% Of Four-Year Colleges Won’t Require Standardized Tests For Fall 2023 Admissions >An additional 85 schools will be test-blind or score-free, meaning that applicants’ standardized exam results are not considered even if they are submitted. Included in that number is the entire California public university system.... >[And] at least 1,450 colleges and universities have made their test-optional and test-blind policies permanent. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/11/15/more-than-80-of-four-year-colleges-wont-require-standardized--tests-for-fall-2023-admissions/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/11/15/more...
- Amezarak 3y ago
  One imagines that students with any reason to suspect the university they're applying to will not know enough about their high school, or possibly derogatory information about their high school, will submit an application with test scores attached in the "optional" cases. One of the other reasons for this is because students completely unprepared for college from public schools are an increasing problem. This is also why they now all offer remedial classes under varying names and programs, and why first-year university programs are much easier than they were in say, 1940.
- jimbob45 3y ago
  "Test-optional" and "test-blind" are vastly different. If I can get a leg up on the competition by taking the test, then it's basically required even if it's technically optional.
  - eszed 3y ago
    True. I find the ideological movement against standardized testing really disturbing. Their basic point is that students from affluent families are more likely to do well on standardized tests (which is true), and that therefore eliminating the tests as enrollment requirements will level the playing field (which does not follow). For instance - to use your example - which student is more likely to be given your advice: the one from an affluent family attending a well-funded school, or the (let's posit much smarter) one from a family of non-college attendees living in an under-funded district? When the SAT was a formal requirement they'd be more likely to be judged on an actually level playing field.

Ancapistani 3y ago

How is that any different from someone who attended a rural public high school? Many of the school districts in my area have consolidated, and it's not even possible to verify attendance of students from the small schools that no longer exist. To my knowledge, there is no "accreditation" that matters for public high schools - there are only thresholds for which state funding is available.

ejb999 3y ago

how is this worse than some schools not even requiring students to be able to read, write and do some mathematics in order to graduate with a HS diploma? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oregon-suspends-graduation-requirements-citing-discrimination-against-minority-students/ar-AA1iMeD4 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oregon-suspends-graduation...

watwut 3y ago
Difference is thatbin one case it is a scandal that is investigated. In the other, there is no one to investigate, no rules are broken, it is just homeschooling exactly as meant to be per law.
- bitlax 3y ago
  https://nypost.com/2023/09/23/students-at-40-of-baltimore-high-schools-failed-math-proficiency-exam/ https://nypost.com/2023/09/23/students-at-40-of-baltimore-hi... Oh please. No one's going to jail for this.