“High school” classes in middle school

[Anonymous]

It’s funny when people brag that their kid is taking “high school” algebra/geometry and FL when it’s been pretty normal to take time in Ms for years.

I guess people want to believe that’s special?

[Anonymous]

One of my kids was bused to the high school to take Algebra 2 in 8th grade, because there wasn't a big enough cohort at her school to have a class there.

My other kid had the option of doing the same for language, but he decided it was too much of a hassle and we found another way of practicing the language.

All these are very unimportant distinctions in the big scheme of things. Once you get to college, no one cares.

[Anonymous]

This is school/district-specific. In FCPS, certain courses are considered "high school" courses and are included on the HS transcript. In our new out-of-state district, this is not the case; the HS transcript includes only courses taken in 9th-12th grades.

[Anonymous]

The world language classes and algebra I that I took in middle school were not part of my high school transcript. I graduated from a small town high school in the Midwest in 1992. Nowadays, I believe those same classes appear on the high school transcripts of students at my high school Alma mater, even if they were taken in middle school. It’s just a change that took place over time.

Back when I graduated, my school only offered one AP class and didn’t calculate weighted GPAs. They had a whole different grading scale. They didn’t offer dual enrollment with local colleges. They didn’t offer virtual high school classes. Now they have all of those things. Times change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny when people brag that their kid is taking “high school” algebra/geometry and FL when it’s been pretty normal to take time in Ms for years.

I guess people want to believe that’s special?

I have not seen this in the context of bragging. It's usually mentioned in the context of details like high school GPA calculation and how many levels of a high school subject were taken. These details can impact college admissions.

[Anonymous]

You need to read your high school's policy on what happens with these course grades. Things to look out for:
- You might want them to be taken off the transcript if the grade was not an A or if including the course lowers the weighted GPA and you are in a high school that ranks.

- You might want them to remain on the transcript if the grades were As and they help the student's GPA (calculate with and without). You might also want them to remain on the transcript if you want colleges to see that the specific course that was taken (e.g., geometry).

Not all high schools give you a choice in the matter. My one kid's private high school does not have a middle school and does not include grades from other middle schools on the transcript. My other kid's public charter followed district policy, which required deciding on removal or not from the transcript in fall of junior year.

[Anonymous]

- You might want them to be taken off the transcript if the grade was not an A or if including the course lowers the weighted GPA and you are in a high school that ranks.
To add explanation, high school courses taken in middle school tend to be unweighted courses. Additional unweighted courses can lower the weighted GPA even if the grade in the unweighted course is an A.

[Anonymous]

When I looked into this for my kid's public school, I found out that in our state (not DMV), the high schools are required to include those classes and grades on the high school transcript unless the kid opts-out (as noted by other posters above). The reason given for including it in transcripts is that once a student meets the requirements for graduating from high school, they are by law (again, in our state) required to allow you to graduate with the high school degree. So, some kid who may have a bunch of credits from middle school (through advance math or foreign language) should not have to be required to stay through 12th grade if they, for example, wanted to graduate and go to college after their junior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son took Algebra 1, Geometry and French in middle school. The grades stay there. His high school transcript starts with Algebra 2, French 2. Not sure why it makes a difference? We didn't think of the classes as "high school" classes, he was just on an accelerated math track in middle school. Everyone took foreign language.

My kid took Alg1, Geometry, Spanish 1 and Biology in MS. They petitioned to have it on the HS transcript and included in the HS gpa, as they got all As. Or you can leave them off if you want.

But they are "HS classes" as those courses are only taken by a few and normal track is taking in HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I looked into this for my kid's public school, I found out that in our state (not DMV), the high schools are required to include those classes and grades on the high school transcript unless the kid opts-out (as noted by other posters above). The reason given for including it in transcripts is that once a student meets the requirements for graduating from high school, they are by law (again, in our state) required to allow you to graduate with the high school degree. So, some kid who may have a bunch of credits from middle school (through advance math or foreign language) should not have to be required to stay through 12th grade if they, for example, wanted to graduate and go to college after their junior year.

My daughter has a high school aged sports teammate who burned out and simply graduated a year early, having met the minimum graduation requirements already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son took Algebra 1, Geometry and French in middle school. The grades stay there. His high school transcript starts with Algebra 2, French 2. Not sure why it makes a difference? We didn't think of the classes as "high school" classes, he was just on an accelerated math track in middle school. Everyone took foreign language.

My kid took Alg1, Geometry, Spanish 1 and Biology in MS. They petitioned to have it on the HS transcript and included in the HS gpa, as they got all As. Or you can leave them off if you want.

But they are "HS classes" as those courses are only taken by a few and normal track is taking in HS

Are they, really? Isn't everyone taking a language in middle school? It was required at my middle school back in the day. The only people taking Spanish 1 in high school were the people switching languages.

I don't even think my high school had Algebra 1. I took it in 7th as an advanced student, but the standard was 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Only the APs that my child took in middle school counted towards high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can drop it off their high school transcript if you want. It’s not that big of a deal.

That’s district specific. In ours, your cannot. Even if they retake the class in high school. The grade they received in middle school is on the transcript and factored into GPA. I specifically inquired with our Dead of Students about this. While it may not be like this everywhere, don’t assume it “won’t count”

[Anonymous]

My child took Alg I through precalc and 9th-10th grade English in middle school. They are all on high school transcript and calculated into high school GPA. There is no way of removing if you want to (for our specific school).