Homeschooling through High School can be a very challenging and daunting task at times. This page will hopefully provide you with some information that will make the challenges of high school a litte easier. We have provided links to various organiations, such as the State Department of Education, that we feel will benefit you in your journey through high school years. You will find links for everything from graduation requirements for the State of Oklahoma to parent initiated Driver's Education programs available. If you know of a site that would benefit others homeschooling through high school, please send us a link by clicking on the e-mail icon below.
The Basics
In the home school it is not necessary to specifically differentiate ninth grade from tenth, or tenth from twelfth for that matter, except as necessary in relating to the rest of the world (Sunday school, etc). Rather, be sure that courses follow in logical progression (do not start Advanced Math before Algebra I).
A minimum outline of college preparatorywork will look like this:
English - 4 credits (Must include Composition and Literature; Recommended to include Research, and Public Speaking)
Social Studies - 3 credits (Must include World History, U.S. History, State History; Recommended to include Government or Civics, and Economics)
Mathematics - 3 credits (Must include Algebra I and II, or Algebra I and Geometry; Recommended to include additional 2 credits in Trigonometry and Advanced Math.)
Science - 3 credits (Must include Physical Science and Biology; Recommended to include additional 2 credits in Chemistry and Physics with labs-see discussion below)
Fine or Practical Arts - 2 credit (Music, Visual Arts, Home Economics, etc.)
Physical Education/Health - 2 credits
Foreign Language - 2 credits
Electives - 5 credit
One credit in high school is traditionally accepted to be one year of a subject working forty minutes per day for 180 days (or 120 hours), plus homework. In the home school, students do not waste the huge amount of time that is wasted in the classroom, so the same amount of work may take your student much less time. College bound students should have a minimum of twenty credits, being sure to cover all required subjects.
You will want to tailor work in the later phases of high school to fit the college study goals your child anticipates. For instance, if he/she wants to study in a field of science, another two years of math and science are recommended. In choosing electives, you can use a subject of interest. Be aware, however, that most state funded colleges do not consider Bible a valid elective. Also, be sure to keep your child's uniqueness in mind when you design his/her course of study.
For exact minimum graduation requirements for the state of Oklahoma, visit the following link, but know that as homeschoolers, these "requirements" are merely a guide to go by and good suggestions. You have the freedom to create a program of study that works for you and your students.
Click the Site Index on the left and then scroll down to Graduation Requirements.
This brochure from HSLDA is also helpful in preparing a 4-year program for high school.
Developing a High School Program--Sample 4 year Plans
The State of Oklahoma now allows for a Parent Taught Driver's Education Program. In order to teach your child how to drive, you must choose an approved curriculum provider, and send in an eligibility affidavit to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. After receiving acknolwedgement from the State, you will complete the curriculum. Once the training is completed, the provider will supply the completion certificate for driver education. Currently, there are three approved providers for the State of Oklahoma. We have listed them below with a brief decription and links to their websites. The eligibility affidavits are available upon request through the Department of Public Safety or you may get a copy from GPCHE.
For more information about Driver's Education and licensing, visit the following links:
Driver Ed in a Box®, is a complete parent / teen driver training program for both classroom and in-vehicle phases offered by Driver Ed In A Box, LLC. The program provides parents with educational materials and training tools necessary to train their teens to be safe, collision-free drivers.
Driver Ed in a Box® NOW SHIPS on 3 Interactive CD-ROMs & 3 Audio CDs. Lesson plans are laid out in an easy-to-follow format to make the classroom hours go smoothly and quickly. Included are 17 short videos, 15 of these videos from the perspective of the parent and teen actually working together in the vehicle.
These videos are unique - produced solely for use with the Driver Ed in a Box® program to assist you in producing a collision-free driver.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS), an offshoot of the American Automobile Association (AAA), has come up with a solution that might help. Called Driver-ZED: A Crash Course in Crash Prevention, this computer program focuses on teen drivers and the development of better risk-management skills.
The program is graded in video game-like scoring, with 100 points being the maximum score. To make the software more accessible to young people, the videos are hosted by teens.
This appears to be an excellent tool for addressing new driver training. The program can be ordered by calling 1-800-305-SAFE or by logging onto their Web site.
You will find an excellent article highlighting this program at the following link:
Scholarship and Financial Aid Information
Finding the funds to send your child to college can be very stressful. We have tried to find some resources that will, at the least, give you some ideas and direction toward scholarships and college.
If Your Child is in Grade 11 or 12......
Be sure your child registers by the deadline for the ACT. The ACT is typically given in the fall and spring of the junior year and fall of the senior year. Your child can take the test more than once to improve his or her score. You can find schedules and practice online at http://www.act.org Another helpful site is http://www.actprepinfo.com
Attend a college or job fair with your child.
Help your child narrow his or her choice of college.
Encourage your child to consider mentoring younger students or providing some form of voluntary community service.
Check into a Job Shadowing program at places of interest to your child. This allows your student to gain first hand experience in a field they might have some interest in pursuing.
Get a Career Assessment for your student. This will help them and you determine what path best suits them. You can then plan your classes to that end.
CAREER ASSESSMENT NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
Francis Tuttle is making the Discover Career Assessment
available to homeschoolers to take at home online.
You need to contact Mary Brundage of Francis Tuttle and give her your address
and she will mail you a password to gain access to the assessment. It takes
approximately two hours but you can exit and return as needed. Her phone number
is 717-4277. She said to feel free to leave your phone number, address and a
description of what you need on her voice mail if she is away from her desk. She
will follow up with you as soon as possible.
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is also now available for homeschool students. Originally for military entrance, this program is designed to help students learn more about themselves and the world of work, identify and explore potentially satisfying occupations, and develop an effective strategy to realize their goals. This test in no way obligates anyone for military service and will not put your student's name on any contact lists for the military. You determine the release of your scores to the military.
All information is kept strictly confidential.
For more information or to schedule a test, contact:
Investigate concurrent enrollment programs. These programs allow qualifying juniors and seniors to take college courses for credit. Some colleges offer free tuition for high school juniors and seniors. Here are a couple for you to look into. Many of the classes are available online to do from home.
OSU-OKC CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS
Are you considering concurrent enrollment for your high school junior or seniors?
They can begin accumulating college hours for free tuition at OSU-OKC as soon
as this Summer. They get free tuition but must pay for fees. For more information
and a copy of the guidelines and an application go to the following website:
For more information about attending RCC or to receive an admission packet,
contact Student Services at (405) 262-2552, ext. 2417, or e-mail
studentservices@redlandscc.net. Trisha is the counselor you would talk to.
CLEP tests are also available and give full credit for a fraction of the cost. Students can begin taking the CLEP test as soon as they have mastered the information in that subject area, such as Math, Science, English, History, Foreign Language, etc. The cost for the test itself is $50 and can be taken on very short notice at the campus of their choice. Some colleges may charge an additional processing fee.
Encourage your child to explore taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses and get a head start on college.
Tour the college campuses your child is considering.
For more detailed information about the SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Tests, PSAT/NMSQT, ACT, GED, AP, or CLEP tests, click HERE.
As you do your research, the moderators from HSLDA's Homeschooling Thur High School website have passes along
some of the parameters you will want to keep in mind :
College size--Large and small colleges each have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example,
large colleges have a wide range of majors (helpful for when a student starts out in one major, but later
determines he or she is really interested in pursuing another). On the other hand, smaller schools often
have smaller classes with professors who are more approachable and able to make themselves
more available outside of class.
Proposed major--Not all colleges offer all majors. Certain colleges are well-known for specific majors, while some
concentrations that are not as sought after may only be offered at a few colleges nationwide.
School websites list their majors and often will let you know if a particular major necessitates particular high
school courses for admission. Students in high school may have no idea what major they may want to consider, but
if they are interested in two or three different possible majors, you may want to be sure that a particular
college offers all three of the possibilities or a transfer to another school may be required.
Location--Location is an important factor when choosing a college. How far from home do you want your student to be?
Will she be coming home for weekends? Is the school within driving distance, or will it necessitate plane fares for each
trip home? Also consider whether the college is urban, in a small town, or in a rural area.
Secular or Christian--Carefully consider whether or not a secular or Christian school will best fit your child's education.
To help you narrow down your search for a college, the College Board website (www.collegeboard.com) has a great
college search engine. Just specify your parameters and the search engine will bring up a listing of colleges that match
Cost--Consider all costs including tuition, books, fees, room and board if relevant, and the cost of a computer (an essential
these days). Also, consider miscellaneous types of fees such as school supplies, clothes, cost of transportation, etc.
Proximity to a sound local church--Check to see if there is convenient transportation provided to local churches each week
and if the church of your choice is student friendly (Do they encourage members to adopt a student?). Take time to visit
possible churches with your student during the campus visit. Doing such homework and searching out a good local
church is extremely important. Also, investigate the campus ministries that will be available to your student.
For some families, this may be completely new information, but learn as you go and remember that we are here to support
and help you through the college process.
Printed with permission from HSLDA Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter. http://www.hslda.org/highschool
Make sure admissions applications are sent in to the colleges your child is interested in attending.
Obtain financial aid forms from the colleges your child is considering. Complete the forms as soon after January 1 as possible of your child's senior year.
Set up a record-keeping system to monitor your student's progress and keep some type of written record of educational experiences. This information can be recorded by hand in a journal or professionally with a computer program. The following is a list of known homeschool record keeping programs for the computer with links to their websites. The first two I know will print out a professional looking transcript from the information you enter.
Last, but certainly not least, prepare your student spiritually. This article from HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter leads us to a great start.
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Spiritual preparedness is crucial for your student as he enters this next phase of his life.
Below are some suggestions and tools to help you in this process.
First, we recommend that you and your child set aside a special time to pray together as you
explore this next phase of his educational journey.
Second, help your student develop a biblical worldview that he is able to articulate. You can start this
process by asking him to write out his own personal spiritual manifesto--what he believes and why. As
preparation, consider having him read Paul Little's books, "Know What You Believe"
This is only a partial list of sites offering general scholarships to inquiring students.
DO NOT pay for shcolarship searches, most are scams and not worth your money. There are many, many free resources out there. If any of these sites does ask for money to search, or is no longer a valid link, please let us know and we will remove them!
In addition to learning in a fun and flexible environment, our students are provided state specific information that is very important when taking your state's test. Learn the way the military and business professionals learn. Computer Based Training is the newest and greatest learning technique on the market. Other courses will try to fool you by saying they have a computer based training course, don't fall for it. All you do is read their information on a computer screen. You might as well have a book. You will show your child just how much you really love them when you purchase Virtual Drive of America .
Clicking on the picture to the left will take you to their site.
Clicking on the picture to the left will take you to their site.
Clicking on the picture to the left will take you to their site.
High School Students: Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three
By Mary Schofield
When students reach high school, it seems they are bombarded with a battery of tests. There are enough tests offered to make it very confusing and, to make matters worse, they are titled by letters, not names, and many of the names have changed over the years. So it is hard to identify the test and what it is for. This makes it hard to tell which ones would be worth taking and which could be skipped. In this article, we'll look at a few of the most common exams:
(Click on an exam to go straight to the information.)
The SAT was originally named the Scholastic Aptitude Test, later renamed to the Scholastic Assessment Test, and finally renamed again to just SAT, with the letters standing for nothing. It was originally referred to as the S-A-T, not the "sat," but with the name change to letters only, most people began calling it the "Sat" (rhymes with "cat.") Most recently, it is called the SAT ("sat") Reasoning Test.
The SAT Reasoning Test is a college aptitude test which is taken by high school juniors and seniors. It covers math, writing skills, and critical thinking and is supposed to show how likely students are to succeed in college. The score is thus used by colleges for determining eligibility for admission. Most colleges have a table which correlates the SAT score to the students' grade point average (GPA) for high school. The higher the GPA, the lower the SAT score is to meet minimum admission eligibility requirements.
The current SAT Reasoning Test is 3 hours and 45 minutes long and is offered seven times from October to May in locations throughout the world. Students must register about a month prior to the date they want to take the exam, and must take the exam at an official SAT test site. The test fee is $43. No school credit is typically given for the SAT Reasoning Test -- not college credit, and not high school credit either.
The SAT Subject Tests were originally called Achievement Tests, then SAT II's. Either name is still used, but most references now call this series of tests the "SAT Subject Tests." There are twenty exams available, each an hour long. The tests are used to show prospective colleges the level of knowledge and ability that a student has reached in a particular subject area.
While many colleges which do require the SAT Reasoning Test don't require the SAT Subject Tests, it's a good idea for homeschool students attempting to gain admission to a "mainstream" university to take at least three of the subject
tests to demonstrate their level of knowledge. The College Board recommends that students take the SAT Subject Tests as soon as possible after completing coursework in the subject to be tested. For foreign language subject tests, students should take the SAT Subject Test after completing two years of study of the language.
The SAT Subject Tests are generally offered on the same dates and at the same sites as the SAT Reasoning Test, but students can't take both the SAT Reasoning Test and subject tests at the same sitting. Also, there is quite a bit of variation on which subject tests are available on particular test dates, so students will need to plan in advance to choose a test date which offers the exams they want to take. The subject tests cost about $20 each. No school credit is typically given for the SAT Subject Tests -- not college credit, and not high school credit either. However, the scores on the SAT Subject Tests may be used to determine placement in college courses upon enrollment, for example,
determining that a student who has scored well on a foreign language exam should be placed in an intermediate rather than introductory college course in that language.
The PSAT/NMSQT stands for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It tests math, writing skills, and critical thinking skills. This test is generally taken by 10th or 11th grade students who fall into one of two categories (or both). First, students who plan to take the SAT tests and use the scores for college admission purposes may want to take the PSAT/NMSQT in 10th or 11th grade for practice. The test is similar to the SAT Reasoning Test and using the PSAT/NMSQT to identify weak areas can help students plan the next
year or two of high school to improve. Second, students who wish to apply for scholarships should take the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade. The test is used by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to assess eleventh grade students. Scores on the test are used to determine National Merit Scholars.
The PSAT/NMSQT is offered once per year, in October. It is offered at local high schools, so homeschooled students must arrange to take the test at public high schools in their communities. Because homeschooled students are given special test codes which allow the scores to be sent to their homes rather than to the school where they take the test, homeschooled students must sign up well in advance. The College Board recommends contacting the public high school where a student wishes to take the exam in June, four months prior to the test date.
The PSAT/NMSQT is two hours and ten minutes long. The test fee is $13. No school credit is typically given for the PSAT/NMSQT -- not college credit, and not high school credit either.
ACT originally stood for "American College Testing" program and the test was called the A-C-T, but the name has been changed to just "ACT" (rhymes with "fact.") The ACT is a college aptitude test and, like the SAT, is used to determine the knowledge and skill level attained by high school students applying for college admission. The ACT is just under three hours long and tests English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. There is an optional 30-minute writing test which, if taken, makes the total ACT about the same length as the SAT Reasoning Test.
Some colleges require applicants to take the ACT (with or without the writing component), others require the SAT Reasoning Test, and many require that students take one or the other, but leave the choice of which one up to the student. Since ACT and SAT tests differ, it's likely that students will perform better on one that the other. Thus, students who are applying to colleges which accept either test, and where admission is very competitive, should probably take both tests and then submit the better score to the college.
The ACT is offered about six times per year at test centers throughout the world. The fee is $30, with an additional $14.50 for the optional writing portion. No school credit is typically given for the ACT -- not college credit, and not high school credit either.
The General Educational Development Test, called the G-E-D, is a program of the American Council on Education (ACE), and is administered in every state, in Canada, and in the U.S. military, and in some foreign locations. The exam was originally offered in 1942 and was designed for World War II veterans to finish their high school education and transition back into civilian life. The current modern format of the test is designed to show that an individual has attained the academic knowledge, critical thinking skills, and "real-life" contexts as
what would be expected after attending a four-year high school program. The GED is thus used to establish equivalency to a high school diploma. According to ACE, more than 65 percent of those who take the test do so to gain entry into postsecondary education, while 30 percent take the test for employment reasons -- presumably to meet job requirements for a high school diploma.
The GED is given in five separate sections, covering reading (interpreting literature and the arts), writing skills, mathematics, science, and social studies respectively. Since it is used to demonstrate equivalence to a high school diploma, each state sets its own requirements related to who can take the exam and what score is required to pass. Some states require students to be 16 years old; others require students to be 18. However, some states with lower age requirements allow out-of-state students to test there, so it may be possible for a 16 year old who lives in a state which requires test takers to be 18 to take the exam in a neighboring state which allows 16 year olds to take it.
Because of the variations, students must contact the governing authority in their own states (usually the state department of education) for specific information.
The test is offered at official GED testing centers only and warnings have recently been issued regarding entities who falsely claim to offer the GED online or via correspondence programs. The test is commonly offered several times a month and, since the total exam takes about 7 1/2 hours, the different parts may typically be taken on different days. While fees vary, expect to pay about $100.
No school credit is typically given for the GED -- not college credit, and not high school credit either. However, since the test is used to show equivalency to a high school education, course requirements for high school graduation would effectively be waived and the student who passes the GED would be considered as equal to a high school graduate.
The Advanced Placement Program (pronounced A-P) is administered by the College Board, and includes both courses and exams. This is a widely used program which was designed for high school students who are academically advanced -- ready for college-level work while still in high school. Students who pass an AP test are generally awarded up to a year of college course credit. (The actual amount of
credits varies and often depends upon whether the college follows the quarter system or the semester system.) As the AP system grew, many high schools began offering "AP courses" which are college-level courses that advanced high school students may take. Because the scores on the AP are tallied for each high school offering them, having lots of students do well is a plus for a high school's own academic reputation. Thus, many high schools which offer the AP exam and preparation courses control who may take the AP exam. Very often, high schools will only allow students to sit for the AP exam if they have successfully completed the AP course offered by the school.
Even though many high schools don't allow "outsiders" to sit for the AP exams at their school, there is a way around this. Since the College Board does not require students to complete a course in order to be eligible to take the exam, homeschooled students can ask the College Board to assign them a separate test site number. This will allow a student who takes an AP exam at the local high school to avoid having his score attributed to that high school. With the removal of the possibility of having an unknown student's score affect the school's pass record, they may be willing to allow outside students to sit for the exam. It also may help to offer to pay the proctor a fee for allowing the student to sit for the exam.
The AP exams are given nationwide on the same day in May, so students have to plan ahead. There are over 30 different AP exams, each two to three hours long, on a variety of subjects including Art History, Biology, Calculus, English Literature, foreign languages, etc. As already discussed, testing centers are typically public high schools. The fee for each exam is $84.
The AP has an excellent reputation and is probably the most widely accepted exam for obtaining college credit. The exams are rigorous and usually test the knowledge that a student would be expected to gain by attending a full-year course at college, although some exams are designed to test a semester's worth of material, and these exams tend to be two hours long rather than three. College credit is generally awarded for passing an AP exam, however, each college sets its own requirements in this regard. Most colleges award a full semester or year of credit -- typically three to six semester credits, depending on the individual AP exam taken -- but some award fewer credits or even choose not to honor the AP exams at all. Therefore, students will need to check with the college they plan to attend to find out what is allowed.
In addition to earning college credits while still in high school, many students take AP exams to fortify their homeschool transcripts by showing, for example, that an "A" in Physics wasn't just a gift from a sympathetic homeschool mom. Also, while high school credits aren't usually given just for passing an AP test, a passing score can be a good indicator that the student has independently studied the subject well enough to earn a year's worth of high school credit. Further, the high school credit will usually be listed awarded as "honors" level, meaning that grade point averages are boosted a full point (an "A" is equal to five grade points rather than the typical four.)
The College-Level Exam Program, called the CLEP (rhymes with shlep) is another program by the College Board. Most CLEP exams are designed to test knowledge equivalent to what would be covered in a semester-long first or second year college course, although some test a full year's worth of material. Thus colleges which grant credit based on passing a CLEP exam typically award the same number of credits for passing the exam that they would award for successfully taking a similar course. Available are over 30 exams in various college subject areas.
Colleges have their own "cut scores" on CLEP tests as they determine when to give credit or when to allow the test to stand as fulfillment of a course requirement, but without credit, thus allowing the student to have some flexibility in not repeating the study of material they already know but going on to substitute another course with "new" content. Some colleges also actually require tuition for the hours they are posting on a student's transcript via CLEP testing -- and this, too, varies greatly both in terms of a proportion of the credit hour fee vs the whole fee and based upon whether the student is going to pay for substitution hours. The bottom line is that "one set of rules applies
to all" simply is not the case.
Anyone can take a CLEP exam at any time; there is no age requirement. Each college sets its own requirements as far as granting credit by exam, how many credits per exam, and which exams will work. There is a wide variation and that changes from state to state and even among different regions of the country. Therefore, students must check with each college to find out what their policy is. For example, in California, it is quite common to have colleges allow up to 30 credits by exam, which is the equivalent of about one year of study. However,
which exams are acceptable to the college varies. A lot of California's colleges allow some CLEP exams but not others. This seems more common here than a straight yes or no to CLEPs.
CLEP exams are offered at test centers throughout the world, usually local colleges or private test center businesses. The tests exams are available any time the test center will schedule them, as opposed to being offered nationwide on a specific date. So students can generally contact a test center and schedule an exam at their convenience. Fees for the exams are $65 each, although test centers generally charge an additional fee for proctoring the exam.
In addition to earning college credits, homeschooled students are often awarded "honors level" credits in the subject for which they took and passed a CLEP exam. This is typically handled in exactly the same way as for AP exams.
Conclusion
Just as there is a variety of tests available, the acceptability of tests varies among states, regions, and schools. For college admissions, ACT seems to be more commonly used in the East and Midwest, while SAT is more common in the West. For high school equivalency, the GED is recognized nationwide, but eligibility requirements vary. For earning college credits, one generality that seems to hold true is that the APs are more widely accepted than the CLEPs, but again, each college sets its own testing requirements just as they set their own
