Guidance for Developing Transcripts
Think of your school profile and transcript as communication tools for an external audience. The goal of these tools is to ensure that your school’s graduates are best positioned as candidates for higher education, employment, or military service. Time spent on formatting and presentation is important, as the school profile and transcript are key to communicating to colleges and universities what your school is all about and what you value. It is important to consider how a reader might interpret the information provided on a profile or transcript, and to provide the reader with any supporting information necessary to understand these documents. Use the guidance and examples below to assist you in developing or revising your school transcript. You may also want to view our guidance on developing school profiles.
An official transcript is created and maintained for all high school students. To ensure that the transcript conveys a full and accurate picture of a student’s academic record and accomplishments, and that it can be accurately interpreted and understood by diverse external audiences, the following guidelines can be used to develop your transcript.
High school transcripts should:
- Align with Grading and Reporting for Educational Equity guidelines
- Include all learning experiences such as courses, internships, dual-enrollment, independent studies, etc.
- Describe learning experiences concisely without abbreviations
- Outline student learning experiences at each grade level
- Contain a summary of grades or proficiency levels for each learning experience
- Include a cumulative grade point average (GPA) along with any other distinctions or awards
- Contain an explanation of the school’s grading scale and graduation requirements
- List student information including the student’s full name, date of enrollment, date of graduation, and other relevant, non-private information
- Identify contact information for the school, principal, guidance counselor, and/or student advisor
Secondary school transcripts can vary widely in their presentation, but many transcripts include similar information. We’ve selected some examples that highlight essential criteria for a strong transcript.
Baxter Academy for Technology and Science — Portland, Maine
Strengths of this example:
- Outlines student learning experiences at each grade level
- Summarizes proficiency levels for each learning experience
- Includes all learning experiences such as courses, internships, dual-enrollment, independent studies, etc.
Farmington High School — Farmington, Connecticut
Strengths of this example:
- Describes learning experiences concisely without abbreviations
- Includes cumulative GPA
- Has a summary of grades and proficiency levels for each learning experience
Souhegan High School — Amherst, New Hampshire
Strengths of this example:
- Explains the grading scale and graduation requirements
- Includes all learning experiences such as courses, internships, dual-enrollment, independent studies, etc.
- Includes student information and school contact information
This resource was produced by the Great Schools Partnership and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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