SCHOOL COUNTS!
School & Work ... Making the Connection

Employer Guidelines for Requesting High School Transcripts
(Academic and Attendance Records)

The SCHOOL COUNTS! Initiative encourages employers to request high school transcripts (academic and attendance records) as one set of past performance criterion when evaluating full-time and part-time job applicants who are in high school or who have completed high school or its equivalency within three years from the date of application for employment.

Transcripts may include some or all of the following information (format may vary):

• Attendance
• Numerical or letter grades for each subject
• Standardized test scores
• Entry date into high school
• Graduation dates.

Guidelines On How YOU As An Employer Can Incorporate Transcripts Into Your Hiring Process:

• Announce your intention to request transcripts as part of the hiring process by:
  • Providing a statement, with all hiring materials, that high school transcripts (academic and attendance records) are requested from and to be provided by all high school job applicants and those who have completed high school or its equivalency within three years from the date of application for employment.
  • Displaying School Counts! sticker, provided by the Saginaw County Business & Education Partnership, informing staff and the community, of the employers’ support for using transcripts(attendance and academic records).
• Treat any records received as confidential and to be viewed only by those who will participate in the hiring process. The records must not be forwarded to anyone outside of the employer’s organization without written consent of the student (and parent/guardian if the applicant is under 18 years of age).
• Use the records received as just one of many sources of information about the applicant. Do not use the information on these records as a single determinant in making a selection.
• Know what you want to learn from transcripts. Look for indicators of success on the job such as rate of tardiness and attendance; math, science or English skills.
• Use the information on the transcripts as talking points during the interview process. This will allow you to determine if there are underlying, justifiable reasons for matters such as poor attendance or poor grades.
• If an applicant is rejected due to information supplied in a school record, make sure that the information relied on is directly applicable to the performance of the position being sought (eg: an architectural design firm should not reject a candidate for a drafts person position for a "D" received in Home Economics).

Any general questions or comments on process, reporting and/or marketing, contact the Saginaw County Business & Education Partnership at (989) 752-2588, ext. 4362.