I'm looking for a good online high school program that will allow my home-bound son to get his diploma. He has enough credits from a local high to qualify as a junior. Trying to find out how online programs are viewed by colleges, other pros/cons. Anyone heard of Clonlara? U.Nebraska High? Thanks.
Ten years ago when I was a student at the brick-and-mortar University of Texas at Austin, I had a home-schooled roommate who had graduated from Texas Tech University High School. He said it was a good experience all-around and planned to follow the same model for his kids when he had them. The diploma was certainly good enough for UT-Austin, a somewhat selective public university. Of course these were the days before the 'Top 10%' admittance rule in Texas. It may be that an actual high school class ranking would be advantageous to your son, which to my understanding a distance or online high school program could not provide.
The high school chapter of Bears' Guide lists about 20, including the ones run by state agencies in Nebraska, North Dakota, etc. You'll find the ones with DETC accreditation on their site, detc.org And you'll find all options covered in the forthcoming (any minute now) new book by Tom Nixon, a moderator on this forum, which covers every aspect of nontraditional approaches to high school diplomas. Described at www.tenspeed.com
Hi zinobom, Bear's Guide to Distance Learning, 15th Edition is a book. The list resides within its covers. It's available at most bookstores and online sources.
The only one I've heard of before is Keystone. http://www.keystonehighschool.com They are supposedly regionally accredited.
Keystone actually has both regional accreditation and DETC accreditation. Given that many colleges will accept graduates of DETC high schools (at least according to my unscientific survey), it's commendable that they would also get regional accreditation. Tom Nixon
BYU Hello, I noticed BYU is offering some "Best Value" high school courses at $29 per .5 credit. I don't know if this fits into your sons academic scheme. Hille
There are many choices. The number of online programs is growing exponentially. It's becoming clear that most high schools within the next 20 years will offer some courses online (either independently or through consortiums). If cost is a factor, you may want to check to see whether: a. your state or county has their own online high school. Some do and this is likely free. Some of the states which have online programs include Alabama, California, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, as well as others. Your high school guidance counselor should know if this is available in your state. b. your state has any charter schools that are online. Charter schools are public schools that are allowed to function without some of the rules required for other public schools (so can be creative in their educational approach and management). Charter schools should be free for state residents. Some charter schools will accept out-of-state students, but they will charge fees. If neither of those is a possibility in your state, you could try one of the private schools like Christa McAuliffe Academy (Yakima, WA), Internet Home School (Prescott, AZ), Richard Milburn High School, or one of the many others. Remember that location of the school is probably not particularly important. As to your questions, Clonlara is a long-established program that has offered diplomas through their day school since 1967. Obviously, their time on the internet doesn't date back quite that far. They are fairly non-traditional in their approach to learning, but have had many graduates (and many/most go on to university studies). University of Nebraska High School appears to be a good program and they do offer online and print courses. Bear in mind that it doesn't appear possibly to earn the diploma entirely online at this time. Part of the coursework will need to be done through independent study (correspondence courses). Best of luck! If you would like to discuss this further, feel free to send me e-mail at [email protected]. Tom Nixon
