Home Schooling Question

Hi All,

I know several of you home school your kids, and I was hoping I could pick your brains a bit. One of my students was recently expelled from school for a year due a very stupid mistake he made. He was a very bright kid and was in all honors classes, including a few dual enrollment courses such as my PLS 211-212 US Government course. Since he was a senior, I'm wondering if it would be possible for him to now be "home schooled" and if so, how it would work.

I'd like to recommend something to his mom, who just wants him to get a chance to finish school and go on to college. He's definitely college material. With only a semester of high school left, how would he get the remaining credit to "graduate"?

I've seen a few of you mention how your kids have taken courses through Clovis or another similar school. I'm just looking for things I can pass on to his mom so that he at least has a shot at finishing school and moving on. Any suggestions you all could recommend would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Matt

 

Tom Nixon has a book called _Guide to Online High Schools_, which might be helpful in your friend's case. Have him take a few online classes (with the right credit distribution) and transfer them back to his original high school.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. The problem is that he is one semester away from graduating, but has been expelled for a full year. I would like to try to find a way for him to finish everything and be done with high school at the same time he normally would have been done. (If that's even possible...)

-Matt

 

Sure he can homeschool. How his parents go about it depends on which state they're in. Different states have different laws so my suggestion would be research that doing a search for homeschooling in whatever state we're talking about or going to http://www.hslda.org/.

 

Thanks for that website. We're in Virginia, by the way.

-Matt

 

You're welcome. It doesn't look like the laws in Virginia are that bad. By the way, there's a lot of free information on that site so joining HSLDA isn't required to get basic information.

 

Ever consider just helping him get his GED and letting him Unschool himself the last year?

Then he can go the community college to a four year college route easily enough.

 

That is one of the routes that's crossed my mind. I'm just trying to put together some ideas to take to his mom.

Our community college offers a special program for people to get their GEDs and them move on to college. I told him that if he gets a degree, his high school diploma or GED won't even matter anymore.

-Matt

 

Okiemom is right- so your state will define "school" vs "private school / homeschool" which is the first step. It's worth asking his age. In Illinois, compulsory law states that our kids only have to attend school through age 16. Meaning, technically, they can "graduate" at 16 - why? Because I say so. Credits needed are up to the school, in my state- that's the parent.

So, if he has enough credits, he can "transfer" to homechool and do whatever is required by law for the remaining semester. (have mom get a hs transcript and then she simply creates a new one writing in his classes for the last semester)

If he is old enough, in all honesty, just graduate him. Why? Because it takes any parent a year or 12 to figure out what the heck is going on! By the time the mom buys curriculum, gets a schedule, plans a transcript, etc- the school year is over.

Enroll him at the local community college and call it done. His credits earned will make him a transfer student if/when he wants to apply at a 4 year school. If this were my child- that's the path I would take.

Additionally, I have a few cents to toss in. He needs to prove to me, mom, that he has his head in the game before any homeschooling or university tuition is happening. Whatever this mistake was, it was flipping serious! They don't expel seniors withing one semester for no good reason. So, it's time to be a grown up and I'd enroll him in 9 credits at whatever level he tests at. If he swims, he can get a head start on his college life, if he sinks...well, at least it has become clear early on before making friends with Sallie Mae.

 

Hold up - I'd STRONGLY advise against getting his GED. This won't go away- it does matter. Homeschooled students GRADUATE with a high school diploma, and HSLDA has fought BIG battles to differentiate between high school diploma and GED. (some colleges and military over the years were trying to make high school graduates get a GED, this is no longer the case as homeschool diplomas are legal in all 50 states) GED has a dropout stigma, diploma is a graduate. Graduate this kid!

Also, avoid that program at the community college. CCs have open enrollment for people over the age of 16 (your state's age may differ) so enroll as a credit seeking student, not a GED seeker. Worse still, the GED classes are all non-credit. If he is bright, let him start earning credit right away.

 

I understand what you're saying about the GED, but my point was that once he has a BA/BS, high school doesn't matter. I never list my high school education on my resume because it's assumed I have one since I have a degree. I do follow you though regarding the stigma of the GED.

I just want the kid to have a chance. He's a really smart kid, who just happened to make a very stupid mistake. He was enrolled in 3 dual enrollment classes, so technically he already has 9 credits from the first semester. He'd only need 51 for an associates, and then he could transfer to a four year school. It's just the getting a diploma/GED/certificate/whatever part that I know zilch about, and I'm thankful for you guys who are clearly more knowledgeable about all of this.

So, let me make sure I understand what you're saying...

1) Kid's parents establish a homeschool situation.
2) When Kid turns 18 in 2 months, he can instantaneously graduate.
3) Kid enrolls in college.
4) Kid lives happily ever after.

I suppose my question is... where does a homeschool diploma come from?

Thanks,
-Matt

 

The homeschool diploma comes from the parent, as do the high school transcripts. Personally, I didn't issue a diploma to my kids but I guess some parents do. With us, they completed their senior year of high school the same way they completed the other years- when they completed the material I wanted covered.

Cookderosa is right about the GED. It screams drop out. Why do that when he can graduate?

 

Matt, something else to consider. If he is a bright young man, the parents could easily use CLEP and DSST prep as a way to earn any credits he might need for highschool. It's killng two birds with one stone. Example- he passes Geology DSST, he gets both highschool credit and college credit.

 

Another option is an on-line high school. Here is one thats accredited by WASC: http://www.alliedhighschool.com/

 

You might also try Vincent Kiernan's _Finding an Online High School_.

 

Yep. I came here to offer Indiana University High School. It does have specific course distribution requirements, but only five of the forty required credits need to be completed at IUHS. One credit equals a single one-semester high school course.

Here are the credit distribution requirements for a general diploma: http://iuhighschool.iu.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=247&Itemid=1243. Requirements for college prep and academic honors diplomas are at that page in the links to the left.

You should also check the various Virginia state universities to see if they have similar programs.

 

I'm not down on online high schools in the least, but in this case, I think it's a total waste of money. We are already in the Spring semester, and his mom gets to decide how many credits = diploma. This is a no brainer, if he has earned 24 credits, then she can make the requirement 24 (25, 26, whaterver).

If you have a few hundred bucks to spend on school, and he has already broken away from the public school, community college is the way to go- I wouldn't spend any money on non-credit high school curriculum when he can be earning more credit. This kid has 9 credits and is 17, it's college time. EVEN if he doesn't go to campus, he can take an online course at home from the local campus.

P.S. MANY colleges have spring late start- both the colleges I attend have semesters that start in March, so if this is an option for him, he needs to get going ASAP.

 

My son was a few credits short of his HS diploma, when his class graduated, so he enrolled in the Adult High School offered at the local CC and graduated with a diploma, not GED.

Look for Adult High School programs in Virginia like Woodson Adult High School
http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OACE/ahsc/options.htm#wahs

 

I'm not wishing to argue, only to offer a different perspective. I have a GED. I also have a BS and MS in chemistry (both B&M). When qualifications are sought I always list my degrees. The topic of high school has never come up.

I'm not saying a GED is equal to a diploma, but when a degree is earned it likely won't matter.

 

I am also a GED grad. I agree that there is stigma to having a GED if that is your highest credential.

As others have said, once you get a degree the GED doesn't matter.