Why have a four-year plan for high school?
The benefits of having a four-year high school plan are many. A four-year plan is a common tool for planning out a college-level study, however, bringing this to use for high school is a great way to maximize your time. It’s a smart idea at the end of 8th grade for parents and students to sit down together and formulate a four-year high school plan by taking a look at where your teen’s dreams, hopes, and interests lie. Our Career Exploration Course is designed to help your teen ask the right things to figure out the big questions in life.
What is the first step in creating a four-year high school plan template?
You may be wondering how to get started on your high school plan. The first thing you will need to do is find out what the homeschooling regulations are in your specific state for each particular grade. Keep in mind that sometimes homeschoolers may not need to meet the same requirements as public school students, but it still can be helpful to take a look at the state graduation requirements before creating your own four-year high school plan.
What are the benefits of a four-year high school plan?
Having a four-year plan in high school is the best way to maximize your high school experience. If your teen has an idea of what career or profession they want to do when they graduate, then you have the foundation on which to build a well-rounded four-year plan. The four-year plan is a great way to
- Organize your homeschooler’s credits– In general, a course that takes approximately a school year, or 120-180 hours of work to complete counts as one credit. A course that takes approximately one semester, or 60 hours to complete, would receive half credit.
- Learn more at Homeschooler’s Guide To High School Credits
- Plan coursework and studies– What classes will a student need for their freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year?
- Get hands-on experience through apprenticeships and internships- Maybe college is not on their horizon but instead apprenticeship. Apprenticeship VS. College Internships is another potential option.
- Develop pre-college and pre-professional goals– Preparing your student for college is not an easy task. From finding courses to making schedules it really can be overwhelming.
How to implement a four-year high school plan?
- Create your long-term goals
Start the process by creating a goal for the future. This goal could consist of a career path, professional interest, job, or even a trade. Some teens take an interest inventory to help them determine where their strengths and interests align with particular jobs that are available. This is a great place to start if the future is still unclear.
- Create a pre-professional or training goal
This goal brings into play the training or course of study that your teen must-have after high school. If college is the goal and a particular course of study helps support those long-term goals, now is the time to elaborate on that. If hands-on training is needed to actualize those long-term goals, then create that intermediate training goal now. Ask yourself these questions: Does your goal require a college or vocational school? Are their specific courses of study? Does the college you are interested in have any prerequisites? Will the career you desire require experience?
- Research the specifics
Take time to research the requirements needed to fill the career interests your teen has expressed. This often includes a formal study as well as hands-on experience of some sort. Once you’ve seen what is required, research ways that this study or experience can be incorporated into high school courses. These can be as simple as building the correct foundation to later study the core courses in depth. Discover ways that your teen can begin the path to their future career.
- Develop your plan
Once you’ve determined the specific path to your long-term goals, you can begin to create your plan. The easiest way to begin is to work backward – goal – process to reach that goal – specifics involved – 4-year high school plan. Your plan should include a doorway to entering the path to your long-term goals. That may mean a science concentration or high school AP science courses for the teen who wants to become a microbiologist or enter the medical field. Or this could look like courses on entrepreneurial training for the student who wants to start his own business.
- Look for outside opportunities
Homeschoolers often can participate in co-ops, mentorships, and even volunteer opportunities right in the community where they live. Do not forget about the potential for online courses with dual credit options.
Use a High School Guide for your 4-year plan!
You can use the following homeschool high school curriculum guides from Let’s Homeschool High School to help you map out a course of study that will enable you to lay a foundation for future success!
Homeschool High School Language Arts
Homeschool High School Social Studies
Homeschool High School Science
Homeschool High School Foreign Language
Homeschool High School Health and PE
Need More Information on High School Credit Planning?
Visit our guide to homeschool high school credit planning to find out everything you need to know to put together the courses your teen will need for high school graduation.
