GED question

Discussion in 'High School Education via Distance Learning' started by cookderosa, Jun 2, 2015.

Loading...
  1. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Does anyone know if a person can earn a homeschool high school diploma AFTER they have earned a GED, and if so, what type of paper trail exists that might muddy the waters? I've been asked by a former homeschooler that wants to go back to burry the GED. Thoughts? Not so much as to the value of doing so, more in the area of "if" its possible.
     
  2. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Refer your friend to getting an online associates degree instead. If he's going to do all that work, he might as well get something better out of it.
     
  3. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Well, according to the HSLDA, you can just print a diploma once you complete homeschooling. It's a certificate signed by your parents. There really is no "paper trail" because homeschool diplomas are not awarded by the school district and do not rely on any sort of accreditation. A guy I served in the Navy with was homeschooled. His diploma was signed by his father and a pastor. He earned his B.S. at UMUC just last year without trying to substitute a GED for his homemade diploma.

    To your question, is it possible? Yes. Go to the HSLDA and they will sell you a diploma. However, because they didn't actually supervise learning it is, by their own admission, just meant not to look "amateurish" so it doesn't create a problem for you.

    If a person really, really wanted to have a HSD on their wall and pretend they didn't have a GED then I would go with the Ashworth or PennFoster high school programs. The utility is nill. Anything you can do with an HSD from PF or Ashworth can be done with a GED. But if the issue is causing your friend stress then the $1,200 or so (plus actually doing the coursework) might help to alleviate that stress.

    Every so often I start overthinking my own education. Will the Corinthian thing spill over and discredit my B.S.? If it really caused me enough stress I would probably just kick all of my transcripts over to Excelsior or TESC and earn a second bachelors. Zero utility but sometimes you just need to do whatever needs to be done to be comfortable with your resume.
     
  4. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    In my state (NC), associate's degrees are free if you're in highschool- if you've graduated you pay. This is not a friend of mine, but the question was asked on a board I own. I advised them against this, because I felt that obtaining the GED = graduated. In my OPINION it would be wrong to re-enroll your child in homeschool for the purpose of going back and getting the free credit. Now, morality and ethics aside, I need to know if it's really wrong. In NC, the parent determines the grade level of the child.
     
  5. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Okay- hold on. Apples and oranges. The HSLDA diploma isn't a diploma, it's a keepsake. Like a birth certificate you get in the hospital. Each state's laws dictate the graduation process from high school for homeschooled students. I understand homeschool laws well, I know next to nothing about GEDs.
     
  6. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    In a good number of states you do not receive a diploma if you are home schooled. That is the case in NYS. There is no paper. The state gives you nothing unless you actually go to high school. This isn't my opinion, this is from the state department of education and echoed on every NY home school association website I could find. So your choice in NYS is the HSLDA or you don't get ANY diploma. Period.

    We also don't issue "keepsake" birth certificates in this state. All birth certificates in NYS/NYC are issued by the department of vital statistics. I have my original birth certificate from (the now defunct) Brooklyn Caledonian Hospital. It isn't a hospital document, it's issued by the city.

    All of that said, while I am certain you are well versed in "home school law" I would imagine you also know that the regulations for homeschooling differ, sometimes very greatly, between US states. You may also be aware that many homeschoolers take the GED exam in states like NYS so that they can have SOMETHING to show that they have met high school requirements.

    You are correct that each state sets high school graduation requirements. But not every state has a process to award a diploma to children who are homeschooled. Setting requirements and providing some sort of means of verifying that those requirements have been met are two very different things.

    whenever someone asks a state specific question (without specifying their state) I default to my own state's laws.
     
  7. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    My question isn't about homeschooling, it's about GEDs. For instance, if you took an SAT, it's held by the College Board and the score(s)is forwarded to schools. If you earn a GED, who holds that? The state? Everything I'm finding directs me back to the community colleges.

    EDIT: in NC the GED is held by the community college. I've found what I needed, thanks.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 3, 2015
  8. Lavendar

    Lavendar New Member

    Hello,

    In NY, GED diploma and transcripts are held by New York State Education Department. Hope this is helpful. Thanks.
     
  9. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    yes, thank you Lavender.
     

Share This Page