Hi everyone! I have decided to home school my children coming this fall. As I'm sure you all know there are many many questions. One of my questions is about high school(I have middle schooler so high school is not very far away). From what I have read home schooled high school children receive a GED(I am in FL). I am not sure how a GED works as far as college but my daughter is very advanced and I would not want to do anything to disqualify her from a good collage. I have also read many stories about parents having to record high school credits and I am not sure that I can do that. My question is, Is it damaging to a child to home school them until 8th grade and then put them back in public high school? Has anyone done this? One of my children is in first grade so if I did this then her high school experience might be shocking to her if she hadn't gone to public school in so many years.
We plan to put our kids back in PS for high school, but since we haven't done it yet, I don't have the experience to share. I don't think it will damage them in any way. We want them to get a HS diploma and have the opportunity to participate in fine arts and sports at that level. It may be a bit surprising, especially other kids' behavior/attitudes, but I'm confident that my kiddos will adjust just fine.
You do not need a GED if you homeschool high school. Some homeschoolers do choose that route but you do not need to do that to go to go to college. Many colleges actively recruit homeschool students, this includes ivy league schools such as Harvard. One of the advantages that advanced homeschool students have in high school is they can take AP or CLEP test for college credits even if their district does not offer those classes. They can also take classes at local community (jr) colleges which help them get ahead for college. Keeping track of classes and a transcript is really not that hard. I used a program called homeschool tracker plus where I put in all of sd's grades and it prints out a very nice transcript which we used to apply to colleges. She is actually going to college down in Fl. and had no problems getting in. Here is a link to some articles about homeschooling high school in FL: http://www.fpea.com/category/highschool/ Now your question about returning to ps, we went the opposite way and pulled sd out in high school. I do know a few kids who did go to ps after hs'ing through 8th grade. My nephew was one of them. I will say he did encounter a bit of bulling but he made it through and graduated at the top of his class. The bulling was probably not so much because he was hs'ed but because of his personality and his intelligence. His brothers did not choose to go to ps but instead hs'ed through high school and now both have graduated from college (actually one is working on his phd).
My daughter went through Grade 11 homeschooled, then we put her in a public cyber-school so she could take college classes free through the PSEO program her Senior year (last year). She is now enrolled in an Honors program in Engineering. We visited both private and state colleges. Both were willing to take her without any hassles. It was interesting talking to the head of the Engineering program at Ohio University. He was nice and polite to us, and my husband asked a question about her Calculus classes from the local community college. Would the community college's class be up to par with the class she would go into at OU, or would she be behind. The department head acknowledged that this was a legit concern. Then he asked about where she attended high school. Rachael explained that she had been homeschooled. The man's attitude changed INSTANTLY. He became much more respectful, and said that it wouldn't be any problem, that homeschooled kids knew what they needed to do to get the job done and were willing to do it. This was from a STATE university! DON'T GET A GED!!! People with GED's are considered "drop outs". Yes, I know it takes a lot more gumption to go back and get your GED after having dropped out, and it really should be accredited to them, but unfortunately it isn't. A homeschool diploma is really all you need. And keeping track of hours really isn't that difficult IF YOU DO IT AS YOU GO, and not put it off to the end (like I did! OUCH!!!)
No, you definitely don't need a GED. People get them for a long list of reasons, but homeschooling (usually) shouldn't be one of them. (My mom has been a GED teacher for 25 years, so I have nothing against the program... I just know it's not necessary for college and for people who don't know any better, a GED looks bad on your college entrance paperwork.) You'll make up a high school transcript on your own. That, along with all the usual standardized test scores and essays that everyone else does, will suffice. The majority of incoming freshmen are accepted to college before finishing high school anyway, so when you think about it, no one has a high school diploma when they go to college. (LOL)
I can't really comment on homeschooling through high school, because my kids are still young. However, I can offer my personal experience as a homeschool student that chose to enter public high school in 9th grade. It really worked out well for me, but I went to a small, rural high school and managed to get into a good group of friends. The timing was perfect and I really enjoyed high school, enrolling in college for 11th and 12th grades (Minnesota allowed high school students to attend college full time.). Homeschool would have driven me crazy to continue through high school. I've heard about other MN homeschool students that enrolled in public school just to take advantage of the PSEO college program. I don't know how that works in Florida, but it was an awesome deal!
That's so true! lol I can't think of any reason I've ever had to use a high school diploma anyway.....but it is around....somewhere..... :wink:
Keep in consideration, I live in Florida and the great Tim TeBow (Jet's Quarterback) which was University of Florida's Heisman quarterback was home schooled. He turned out great!
I always just make up my own transcript and diploma for my children when they graduate. One of mine stated college when he was 16 and I still hadn't made him one up yet. They just tested him and let him start. And as someone mentioned above take tests and give the scores to the colleges. I would not send my children to school for one of their diplomas. But that is just me. We stay far, far away from the government schools.
You could look for an online diploma program that would issue a diploma, and usually help you maintain the transcript. PA has 4 programs....and they all issue a PA Certified Diploma. We're planning on enrolling our daughter next year when she'll be 9th Grade. Several of her science classes will already count towards her credits! Not sure if FL has such programs, might be worth looking into.
Jackie, I am in Ohio also and my daughter is in the 6th grade and I would like for her to get a highschool dipoloma. I was looking at the OHVA program for high school but from the yahoo group, i have been seeing where they are spending 10-12 hours a day on school in highschool and are still behind. Can you let me know what online program you used for your daughter to graduate that she only had to take 1 year? How did this work, they used your transcripts for the rest of her credits? Thanks for your help, Tracy
Rachael did ECOT. I had to write up her transcripts and send them in, then they sent me THEIR form and I had to write them up AGAIN on that :roll:. Then they sent me a list of what credits they gave her, and what she still needed. There were some things we disagreed with...like British Lit, when she had more than enough English credits, and had World Lit. But it doesn't take NEAR that long to do!!! And my friend's daughter decided she wanted to graduate early (so she could marry her brother's best friend, etc.), so she transfered from public school to ECOT and was able to double up on her classes. Keep in mind, however, that Rachael transfered in during the end of her Junior year, and only was taking two classes at the time...French and health. Then the next year, she only took one ECOT class each semester, and the rest of her classes she took PSEO at Columbus State. So the time might be more for your daughter's grade level. http://ecotohio.org/
Yes. At that point, she was a public school student, which means OGT is required. And that's a story in itself! We knew she'd have to take it, but we thought that as long as it was taken before she graduated, we were OK. So then she learned (on Wednesday of Test Week) that she had to pass it BEFORE registering for PSEO at Columbus State!!! The couselor at ECOT isn't in on Thurs and Fri, so I called the school and asked for her email. She got back with me fairly quickly, and told me that Rachael could take it the next week (make-up week). Two days would be near us, but the last two we would have to drive all the way to the other side of Columbus. We worked out the details. Then we showed up the first day. The guy in charge told her she could take two tests then, and another two the next day, and there'd be no reason to go across town. So she took them without any real preparation, and passed with flying colors. ("Mom! That language test was so simple Phillip could have passed it!!!" Phillip was ten at the time!)
