88 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT transcript can help with the enrollment process. Server adds that schools will also want to see attendance and disciplinary records. Andrew Hoover, REO for East Asia and the Pacific, says it is important to understand the difference between official transcripts, which are produced after a semester is finished, and unofficial transcripts. The official transcript reflects the student’s completion of their courses of study. So, if the student leaves prior to the end of a semester, the transcript will be incomplete, and the student may get only a progress report or an “unofficial transcript” to take with them. REOs and guidance counselors advise families to be flexible as the receiving school will have to resolve any issues with course credits. Transcript Evaluation Since there is no universal system for translating and evaluating transcripts, aligning curriculum standards and coursework between international schools and U.S. public school systems can present complications. The evaluation process often involves deciphering different grading systems. Grades can be letter-based or percentagebased, strictly pass/fail, narrative, or standards-based, and grading practices can vary depending on the policies of individual schools or teachers, as well as the overall academic performance of the class. These differences can complicate the evaluation of an international transcript when transferring and assigning credits and determining appropriate course or grade placements in a U.S. school. Course equivalency determinations and verification of the completed coursework, credit transfer limitations, and noted gaps in the sequential learning process, especially in math and foreign languages, are common challenges that can affect the student’s placement outcome. If the student is arriving from an international school in the Southern Hemisphere or is a midyear transfer, there may be questions as to the appropriate grade level to place them in. Standardized test scores may be missing, and records may be incomplete or delayed, causing a lapse in obtaining the official transcripts.
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