Since I'm new to homeschooling, how does my daughter receive a diploma so that she can go to college?

Question

She is now 8th grade. I just took her out of school this week.

Answer 1

The value of the diploma is less than the paper on which it is printed. Every school that issues a diploma has different standards from another. To base college entrance on the fact that a person holds a diploma would be assinine. A diploma does not indicate the course of study or the grades that a student has attained. Grades are also subjective to each teacher's biases. So, grades are not even a good indicator of success or potential. Grades and diploma's are so very ambiguous that one can never tell the meaning behind either.

so.... with that said....

It is to a the benefit of the college program for students to be admitted according to their proven ability. The College entrance SAT is a good place to begin. AP exams and CLEP exams are another. College credits can be obtained through each.

My daughter took a placement exam in order to begin courses at the community college of her choice. The placement exam was the only requirement. When the admissions counselor asked if she had any prior credits through high-school via AP etc.... she told her no and that she was home-schooled for her entire life. The counselor was delighted to hear it and said that it was far better than any of the other options. She was happy to be registering an home-school student because in her words, "homeschoolers know how to think, how to study, and how to get the work done..... unlike the 2 baseball scholarship students that just left the office".

Your daughter should study to the best of her ability every day. It is a good idea to take at least 10 to 12 practice SAT's when she is 15, 16 and 17. This will prepare her for the rigorous real test. High SAT scores are a wonderful boost into colleges and scholarships.

Check with your local home-school groups and colleges --- sometimes a GED will not be a help. We don't worry about the GED -- it is usually an unnecessary expense. Time will be better spent preparing for the placement exam or SAT's.

Answer 2

I was homeschooled in high school and succesfully made it to college. I think different states may require different things. When i was homeschooled i was taking different classes with different programs and groups so we put them all under the umbrella of an independant studies program. That way you can have a diploma issued by the program, which can just be you, as the parent, as the headmaster. We still followed state requirements for graduation. Make sure that as she takes classes you keep track of any course summaries, requirements, grading standards, book lists, textbook names, sylibi, anything you get. since you are not accredited which ever school you apply to will want more information about the program. I submitted a one page summary of each course i took in high school along with a reading list for each class. You will need SATs for most schools, and if you are a home schooled student a lot of schools will require several of the SAT subject tests. Also, applying to smaller schools is also good if she's interested. They're more interested in "non traditional" students and they'll be willing to take the time to carefullly look at your situation.
Good luck!

Answer 3

There are several options, and this question has been discussed on this forum a couple of times, maybe three, in the past couple of weeks, so you could search and find some detailed info.
But, again, the best place to check for info on that subject, so you can receive accurate info for your particular state, is
www.hslda.org
(since you are new, you may want to bookmark that, lol)
Each state is different, and each college is different, too.
some do not require a GED, but will accept homeschool portfolios and transcripts and the same entrance exams as everyone else.
What may have been true 5 yrs. ago is not true today. Universities are beginnning to see the success of homeschooling, and are beginning to not only make their campuses more hs friendly, they are beginning to actively recruit our hs kids.
Some even hold workshops on how to make sure you get through the admissions process with full credit for all your hard work.
It's good that you are starting to think of this issue now. 8th grade will allow you to get comfortable so by next year you will have the strength to keep accurate records.
The biggest complaint from college admissions offices toward homeschoolers?
They do not give themselves enough credit for the work they do. A lot of times, students will have much more to offer, but they don't have it listed, like extra curricular activities, or they will study subjects that would earn multiple credits in the publicschool system but only give themselves one credit, things like that.

Answer 4

To my knowledge, in most states, your child would have to take a general equivalency diploma (GED) test rather than receive a "real" diploma. With high school, in particular, you need to keep test scores, transcripts, lesson plan records, and a portfolio of sample work -- and have your daughter routinely tested by a certified teacher with a certified test (recommend yearly) -- you can find information specific to your region by locating your state's homeschool organization -- most states usually have a main homeschool organization that helps with information like this and will direct you to a local homeschool group. These things are generally accepted by most colleges/universities, etc. There are also some helpful organizational-type books that teach you how to keep these records and how to prepare for college -- look for these in homeschool catalogs and on-line.

Answer 5

Plenty of colleges don't require deplomas. Read The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewelyn. Best guide to homeschooling ever.

Answer 6

Depending upon the state you live in. My sister home schooled her two children. The state provided a teacher to come in once a month to make sure the girls were up to par on their various subjects, would look at tests scores and grade them accordingly.
They took tests and studied as if they were in a traditional classroom, and received regular high school diplomas from the state of California. Both girls, while doing the high school curriculum, attended the local community college and were allowed to take a maximum of three courses because of their age. (My niece graduated from high school, home schooling at age 16). They both have excelled in everything they took. My oldest niece was accepted at Stanford University, California, and is a brilliant student. I wished there had been more advocacy toward home schooling when my children were growing up. Unfortunately, it is slow in coming.

Answer 7

Check out different homeschooling programs, there are a few that have programs where you can receive your diploma. A couple are Abeka and Alpha Omega (they are both christian programs, I have used them both and they are both pretty good) but I`m sure there are other options. Or like Lilybornagain said, you can take the GED. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 8

Once your daughter gets into highschool, Find a program that is accredited. This is a good one http://www.aop.com

You just turn in your bookwork and they will give you a diploma. Or take a GED at 17-18 years old.

Once you make your decision for the course you guys want to take it is pretty much it. You kinda have to choose one that you KNOW you will like for 4 years otherwise it is hard to get everything transferred.

Hope this answer helps!

Answer 9

well, when she finished 8th grade, u can sign her up at penn foster, the website is www.pennfoster.edu, there is a high school program and it is fully accredited. The books and exams get shipped rite to ur door, or po box, w/e, and she can either fone in the exam answers, complete the exams online or mail them back to the school, when she is all done with the course, and all the tuition is paid off, they will mail u a legit high school diploma and a copy of her transcript. Its the program i did and i loved it.

Answer 10

U send her 2 Hiiighh Scchhooool. duh