When teens take English Composition 1 & 2 in high school for college credit, parents often wonder what to do for Language Arts in 12th grade. Some hit that question in 11th grade! Here are 4 options to consider.
Option 1: Nothing
If your teen already has at least 4 high school credits in Language Arts (1 college class = 1 high school credit) and they’ve already met their college English Composition requirements (usually 6 credits) then it’s perfectly fine to use their space for something more pressing. Short of your state law saying otherwise, there is no “rule” that dictates all 4 Language Arts credits must be evenly distributed over 4 years of high school. If your teen earned all 4 credits in 3 years, way to go! In this order, be sure to check your state’s graduation requirements, college admissions requirements, and college completion requirements. Generally, 2 high school English classes + 2 college English classes will check every box.
Option 2: Literature
Often, Literature is incorporated into high school Language Arts curriculum, but in the world of college credit, it’s a separate class. If they enjoy reading, you could take a more relaxed approach and simply work out a reading schedule based on books you select. I love this approach for teens who love reading because it gives them dedicated “school time” to spend in their favorite books. A perfect way to bring college credit into the mix is to have them take the CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature at the end of the class. That specific CLEP exam is a reading comprehension exam, which means you keep the book list you love and your teen gets potential college credit. Dual enrollment programs usually offer a few literature courses too, but be aware that college literature courses almost always include provocative passages that may explore mature topics.
Option 3: Speech
Speech is a great option! If your teen loves public speaking, seek out a dual enrollment class in your community, but if they are shy or uncomfortable in front of people, there are many opportunities to take Speech as a distance learner in the privacy of your own home. My youngest took his Speech class using our local college, but as a distance learner, since there weren’t any sections offered at the time he had available. This was my first exposure to Speech as a distance learner, but it was a lot of fun watching him give presentations to our family “audience” all semester.
Option 4: Business Communications
My oldest son (age 31) took college-level Business Communications for professional development, and I was so shocked that I hadn’t worked a class like this into the homeschool plan for all my sons in high school. What a valuable class! Business and workplace communication skills are especially important given the new technologies in place. Employees are often required to do projects on teams that are connected through technology, work remotely, use shared online cloud software, and attend meetings remotely. From writing a professional email to giving a PowerPoint presentation or hosting a Zoom, these courses teach you how to communicate verbally, nonverbally, through writing, and in a business setting. Highly recommend!
