high school truant with Excelsior College degree

An Albany judge told a 15-year-old college student that she was not legally allowed to "skip high school" and threw out an age discrimination lawsuit leveled against the state Education Department that denied her a diploma. State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Malone was ruling on a lawsuit brought by the family of Angela Lipsman of Manhattan [...].

By age 14, she had met the requirements of an associate degree in communications from Excelsior College but could not receive the degree until she provided proof of a high school graduation, which under state law is not granted to teens under 17.

Malone noted that her family could have pursued several options, including a certified home-school program or an accelerated curriculum leading to an early graduation. "They chose to chart their own educational course for Angela and now must deal with the annoying result of that decision," Malone wrote in his decision Monday. "Angela was not legally free to quote-unquote skip high school."
-- http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=151451&category=STATE&BCCode=&newsdate=7/15/2003

(I wonder why "quote-unquote", rather than just properly place quotation marks?)

 

The parents should have used a system that would have provided for finishing high school. It would still be possible to use a home school delivery system to loop around the inconvenient court decision. Many types of home schooling exist, from the 4 year traditional programs to the completely made up as you go version. For 8 years my son went through a very untraditional type education, but for high school I switched to PCDI's more traditional high school program. I still had to, in effect, provide him with a home school diploma, issued by me, a typed up paper saying I granted him one, to bypass some silly college requirements. This, despite him receiving a diploma from a RA-DETC-State accredited DL school. It was just easier to get him into a local college by doing this. I didn't like that I was, in a way, disavowing his good work at James Madison. It was fast, but dirty, to just give in to the system, and give them what they wanted. He's enrolled now so I guess it's worth it, but I disliked having to play the game. This students parents will have to find out what their system requires and feed the monster. Once again someone goes to court when they should have been trying to find the easiest way to get past the problem. We get too caught up in our own vanity and ego sometimes. There would have been a way to have met state requirements that wouldn't have been to onerous. Going to court shouldn't be done lightly, and was in this case, a mistake. A method can be found to get the needed high school diploma in under a year via home schooling. ( IF ) they are ready to stay out of the court system.

 

Is high school graduation an Excelsior requirement? I don't think I have seen it in their catalog.

 

When Excelsior was the Regents External Degree Program, the Regents did not require a high school diploma for admission.

When Excelsior was the Regents External Degree Program, the Regents would award a high school diploma to non-high school graduates who completed a certain number of semester hours through Regents (12?).

Of course, neither applies here.

It seems silly to make a college student go to high school. On the other hand, I've taught a few college students who should have been sent back, but not because of their ages.

 

Maybe I am hard of seeing but the application form has no place for high school. What gives?

I have thought it would be a great idea for a kid to work on university while in high school to get a year or two headstart.

 

If this kid is only 14 and has already mustered up enough credits for an associates, she may as well enjoy high school for a couple more years and continue to accumulate more credits. At the rate she is going, she could have enough for a Bachelors in no time.

Cy

 

Checked the Excelsior catalogue last night and no mention of high school diploma.

If she keeps taking courses, at age 17 she could receive her associates, bachelors, and high school diploma the same day. According to the catalogue 24 college credits can get you a NY high school equivalency diploma.

Alternatively, at 16 she could get her degrees from COSC which also does not mention a high school diploma, but who knows?

TESC requires students to be 21 and have a high school diploma.

 

Yesterday, [...] Joel Klein [Chancellor Of New York City's Public Schools] offered hope to Angela [...]. "We are evaluating the student's college credits to determine whether the credits may be applied toward a high school diploma," Klein said in a written statement.
-- http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/101278p-91697c.html

 

What is it about New York and this 17 thing. I graduated with someone 16 and went to university with someone else who was 16. I don't think it is that unusual.

My daughter had enough credits and met the minimal requirements for a high school diploma and received one at 16. After she completed her remaining university entry courses she got a new one that said honours, at 17.

She took high school math and French in grade 9, took a few correspondence courses, and a full courseload for 1 1/2 years. Then she took 1/2 courseload for her university entrance courses.

A lot of kids normally graduate at 17 years. Pick up a year and you're too young. What gives?