We've posted a new page to help you learn about High School Credits in general, and how you figure them with Tapestry in particular.

Here is an important section to note:
On our website page giving information on making transcripts with TOG, we have this section:

"The Traditional System:
In traditional public and private High Schools, all subject matter has been divided into five major subjects and a handful of minor electives, plus extra-curricular activities. This reflects the discussion above about the transcript being primarily about academic achievement.

The five major areas of study are: Math, Science, History, English, and Foreign Language. These are generally offered at two levels: regular and honors. Christian High Schools add Biblical Studies, or Church History as a sixth, equal subject area.

In addition, High Schools will often only give up to 2 Elective credits over the four years of High School. Within these electives, their goal is variety, so that a student may demonstrate that he does not spend all of his time in core academic pursuits.

In most schools, sports are included as PE. Students are given "letters"--Varsity or Jr. Varsity to put on their extra-curricular activities, or on a resume if the student is going straight into the work force. Systems vary from school to school. Here is one example from one of our local High Schools: if a student plays 3 team sports (seasons) per year, he or she can earn up to one half-credit per year; but, they can earn no more than one credit total for their entire High School career. Students may also substitute 45 minutes of exercise 2 X/week for participation on a sports team in a given season, and thus earn credit equal to participation in a team sport, even though there are obviously much fewer hours involved. (The philosophy is that schools want to encourage regular exercise for well-rounded students.)

The advantage of adopting the Traditional System is that you do not have to keep a record of hours. If the student completes the content outlined in the chart below, you can give him a credit and determine a grade. The disadvantage is that the student does not appear to receive as much credit for actual hours required by the curriculum (for instance, in the Alternate System, for English you give 1 Literature Credit and one 1/2 Credit in Writing. But, be assured that Honors English does carry clout with admissions officers, whereas a transcript listing many many credits (and thereby not following traditional categories) might actually cheapen the student's record in the mind of the admissions officer (by appearing to pad the student's transcript)."

We then go on to detail the Alternate System, based on hours.

We then show how to break down credits for either of these systems. Below is the link to this helpful page.

Dialectic/Rhetoric Helps . Look for "Credits" and "Course Descriptions" for each year.