Table of Contents
- The Value of Receiving a Homeschool High School Diploma
- Why Is a High School Diploma Necessary?
- How to Create a Homeschool Diploma
- Is a Homeschool Diploma Valid?
- Does the Military Accept Homeschool Diplomas?
- Do Employers Accept Homeschool Diplomas?
- What Else Do Homeschool Graduates Require?
- Resources and References:
The Value of Receiving a Homeschool High School Diploma
A high school diploma is a document that shows that you have successfully completed your program of study. After graduating from homeschool, your teenager earns a homeschool high school diploma, whether you print him or her a certificate to remember the event or not. Homeschools issue high school diplomas similar to other learning institutions.
High school diplomas might be accredited or non-accredited. An accredited high school diploma is issued by a verified learning institution. Many public and private schools are accredited. This means that they have attained standards set by a governing body, typically the department of education in the state where the learning institution is situated. Non-accredited high school diplomas are issued by schools that haven’t met or are not committed to adhering to guidelines that are set by accrediting agencies.
Nevertheless, with a few exceptions, this fact doesn’t negatively affect a homeschooled learner’s post-graduation choices. Homeschooled learners are admitted to universities and colleges, and they can earn scholarships with or without accredited high school diplomas similar to students attending traditional classes.
There are several options for getting an accredited high school diploma for families who want the validation of their students. One alternative is utilizing eLearning or online schools like High School of America.
Why Is a High School Diploma Necessary?
High school diplomas are essential for employment, military acceptance, and college admission. Homeschool high school diplomas are accepted by most universities and colleges. With few exemptions, colleges necessitate that learners take admission tests like the ACT or SAT.
These test scores, together with a transcript of a learner’s high school programs, will meet entry requirements for many learning institutions.
Check the sites for the university or college your teenager is interested in attending. Most schools have precise admissions information for homeschoolers on their websites, including admissions specialists working directly with homeschooled students.
Homeschool diplomas are accepted by the U.S. military. A high school transcript that validates the homeschool diploma might be requested and ought to suffice for attesting that the learner met the graduation requirements.
Graduation Requirements for a High School Diploma
There are many ways of earning a high school diploma for your homeschooling teen.
Parent-Issued High School Diploma
Many homeschool parents opt to issues their teens a high school diploma themselves. Many states do not necessitate homeschooling parents to adhere to specific graduation guidelines. You need to examine homeschooling laws in your state in order to be sure.
If the regulation does not explicitly address graduation requirements, then there are none for your state. Other states manipulate graduation requirements depending on the homeschooling choice parents select. For instance, homeschooling parents that enroll in an online school such as High School of America must meet the graduation requirements of the school so as to earn a high school diploma.
If your state doesn’t state graduation requirements for homeschoolers, you can create your own. You have to take into consideration the career goals, abilities, aptitudes, and interests of your students.
One commonly suggested finding out the requirements is following the public school requirements of your state or employing them as a guide for setting your own. The other option is researching universities or colleges that your teen is considering and adhering to their admissions guidelines. For all these options, it is important to know the standard course requirements for high school learners.
High School Diplomas from an Online School
If your homeschooler is enrolled in a virtual academy, an umbrella school, or a virtual school, that school might issue a high school diploma. In many instances, these learning institutions are treated the same way as to distance learning schools. Additionally, these schools will determine credit hours and courses needed for graduation.
Parents who use an umbrella school have some degree of freedom in attaining the course requirements. In many instances, parents can pick their own homeschool curriculum and even their own high school courses. For instance, learners might be necessitated to obtain three credits in science, but individual families can decide which science courses their learners take.
Students taking virtual high school courses or working through an online academy will enroll in courses that the learning institution provides so as to meet the credit hour requirements.
Private or Public High School Diplomas
In many instances, public schools do not issue high school diplomas to homeschooled learners even if homeschool worked under the umbrella of local school districts. Homeschoolers utilizing a virtual public school choice, like K12, will get a state-issued high school diploma.
How to Create a Homeschool Diploma
Parents opting to issue their high school diploma might want to utilize a homeschool high school diploma template. Here are the minimum requirements of a high school diploma:
- The date of issuance
- The signature of the individual who oversaw the homeschool program
- The name of the homeschool that is issuing the high school diploma
- The student’s name
- The state and city where the high school diploma is issued
- A statement that it’s a “high school diploma.”
- Language indicating that the learner completed the high school program that was required of him
Individual homeschools are regarded as non-accredited private schools, and many employers, universities, and colleges accept homeschool diplomas as proof of high school graduation. Homeschooling parents prescribe their teens’ courses and present diplomas that show that they have completed them successfully.
If you opt to print your own high school diploma, it is vital to offer your teen an appealing, professional diploma to avoid questioning. Utilize quality paper, utilize spell check, and ensure that that wording and font are similar to an official high school diploma.
Title your certificate as “High School Diploma” rather than ‘Homeschool Diploma’ so as to evade possible doubts. However, they are similar.
Is a Homeschool Diploma Valid?
Yes, a homeschool high school diploma is valid as a traditional high school diploma. Homeschool diplomas in the U.S. carry the same weight as a private school or public-school diploma. Parents of homeschooling teens issue high school diplomas rather than a private or public school after learners have attained graduation requirements and state laws where they reside.
Does the Military Accept Homeschool Diplomas?
If you intend to join the United States military as a homeschooler, you are required to submit a homeschool high school diploma and a comprehensive and detailed homeschool transcript. The certificate ought to outline all the learner’s high school coursework as well as proof that the learner has attained the basic state graduation requirements.
The U.S. military accepts homeschool documents. They opt for homeschool diplomas to General Education Development (GED) and are shifting away from accepting GED completely.
Do Employers Accept Homeschool Diplomas?
Yes! Homeschool diplomas are valid similar to private or public school diplomas and ought to be accepted by employers. Nevertheless, there are some employers or organizations that might be confused regarding homeschool diploma requirements. In case of any issue, organizations such as the HSLDA can assist homeschooling families as well as employers in understanding homeschool laws.
What Else Do Homeschool Graduates Require?
Most homeschooling parents usually wonder whether their teens ought to take General Education Development. A GED isn’t a high school diploma but a certificate that shows that a student has proved mastery of knowledge equivalent to what he or she would have studied in high school.
Regrettably, most employers and colleges don’t view a GED as similar to a high school diploma. Besides, they might assume that an individual couldn’t meet graduation requirements or dropped out of high school.
If a learner has met the graduation requirements that you set or homeschooling laws of your state, he or she has earned a high school diploma.
Also, your high school student is supposed to have a high school transcript. The transcript ought to include the student’s basic information such as date of birth, address, and name, together with the list of courses he or she has taken, the grading scale, the overall GPA, and a letter grade for every course.
Also, you can maintain a distinct document with descriptions of courses if it’s requested. The document ought to list the course name, materials utilized in completing it (online courses, websites, textbooks, or hands-on experience), hours completed in the course, and concepts mastered.
As homeschooling continues growing, employers, the military, universities, and colleges are becoming gradually accustomed to seeing parent-issued homeschool high school diplomas as well as accepting them like regular high school diplomas.