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Frequently Asked Questions For High School

What courses must my child take to graduate from high school?

Private schools including home based private schools and private independent study programs create their own graduation requirements. If you are enrolled in an ISP, check with your school for requirements. Below are some resources to help your home based private school create graduation requirements:

Requirements to graduate from PUBLIC high school

State by State High School Graduation Requirements

CDE Frequently Asked Questions: High School Graduates

University of California freshman admission requirements (a-g requirements)

Can homeschoolers take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests?

Advanced Placement courses are courses that either offer an in depth, advanced study of a subject, or explore subjects outside the scope of typical high school coursework. Students headed to college may want to take AP courses in order to facilitate testing out of some college coursework. AP courses on a transcript may also look appealing to college admissions officers. These courses may be taken through private schools, or through local community colleges. Enrolling in AP courses is NOT a requirement for college admission or for taking college Advanced Placement exams. Homeschoolers have the option of studying any subject in depth, at an advanced level, so even if your student hasn't taken courses labeled "AP", they may still opt to take AP exams at the college level to test out of coursework. Read more about AP courses on the College Board web site.

Can my child earn a diploma?

All s chools, including home based private schools and public, charter and private independent study programs can issue a diploma once the requirements the school has set for graduation are completed. Private and public school independent study students are issued a diploma from their school when they have met the graduation requirements. You may also earn the equivalent of a public school diploma by taking the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE(.

What is the CHSPE?

California Education Code section 48412 establishes the California High School Proficiency Exam as a means to earn the legal equivalent of a high school diploma. You may take the test if you are 16 years old OR if you have completed one year at the 10th grade level OR if you will complete one year at the 10th grade level in the semester the test is taken. You are no longer required to attend high school if you pass the test AND your parent/guardian is willing to allow you to stop attending. For further information or to register to take the test, go to http://www.chspe.net.

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What is the CAHSEE?

This is the California High School Exit Examination. Students in public schools must take this test in order to graduate. Private school students including those enrolled in a private school independent study programs and home based private schools are not required to take the test.

Can homeschoolers take the SAT?

Yes. Homeschoolers may find testing centers, prep classes and register online for the SAT at the College Board Testing Site. Some other links on the College Board website that you may find helpful are:

Homeschoolers and the PSAT

Can we teach Driver's Ed at home?

California requires driver's education students to take a course certified by the DMV and pass the written portion of the driving test before they are issued a learner's permit. The California DMV Site provide instructions on how to do this. There are many online services that provide a course for the written portion of the test, and there are driving schools in most communities where the course is offered on site. When the course is completed, the students must take the written test at the DMV to obtain a permit. You must be 15 1/2 years old to obtain a learner's permit. Once you hold a permit, the first six hours of driving must be completed with a certified instructor. Instructors are available at local driving schools. After the first six hours, the student can complete their driving practice with any licensed driver over 25. After 50 hours of driving time is logged, and the student is 16 yrs. old, they may take the behind the wheel portion of the driving test at the DMV to earn a license.

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Can my child enroll in a single course or participate in band or sports at our local public high school?

This is a decision solely up to the public school. Most will not allow homeschoolers to participate unless they belong to a public independent study program. If you are not willing to join a public high school ISP, or one is not available in your area, you might check with private schools and programs in your area, or look into participation at the community college level.

For sports, the California Interscholastsic Federation (CIF) makes the rules for CIF affiliated schools, which includes all public schools. They have stated that homeschoolers are eligible to play only if they are enrolled in a public independent study program. If you intend to participate in sports at the college level, read the frequently asked questions section of the NCAA web page, and remember that there is a limit on the number of semesters a college student can compete, and community college sports do count towards that limit.

Can my child take community college classes while still enrolled in high school?

Most community colleges in California allow concurrent enrollment for high school students. Each college sets it own policy on this matter, so age requirements, available courses, fees and procedures vary from school to school. Most colleges require that concurrently enrolled students apply for admission and submit a special form from their high school authorizing the student to enroll. A new authorization form from the high school is usually required each semester, and a reapplication for admission is often required each semester. Students from home based private schools should apply as private school students, and the director or principal of the home based school may fill out the required paperwork signing as the school principal. Some colleges offer courses for free to students under 18yrs old, but some require these students pay regular tuition. Most colleges restrict concurrently enrolled students to two courses maximum per semester, but exceptions can be obtained from the counselor's office under some circumstances. Your home based private school, private ISP or public ISP decides whether to issue high school credit, college credit, or both for the courses taken.

Can a homeschooler go directly from high school to college?

Yes, but each college or university sets its own rules for admission. Contact the admissions office of the colleges you are interested in and ask for admission requirements. Here are some resources you may find helpful:

College Board Planning Page. Resources to help your high school student prepare for college.

Federal Student Aid Application Site

California Student Aid Commission and CALGRANT Site

Scholarship Search

A List Of Colleges Known To Admit Homeschoolers

Can we participate in a graduation ceremony and/or a prom?

Homeschoolers sometimes come together for graduation ceremonies or proms. California Homeschool Network offers a graduation ceremony at the Family Expo every year. Details are available at the Expo graduation page. Check on your local support group loops for local ceremonies, proms and celebrations.

How can my child get a work permit?

There are two types of work permits in California.

The Entertainment Work Permit is for work in the entertainment business only. Download the permit here. Print the form, fill it out, and afix your school's stamp in the appropriate spot. Do not offer any information on this form that is not required or attach any documentation that is not required such as transcripts or letters from your school. This will only slow down the permit process. The permit is generally good for 6 months. Mail the permit application to the office nearest you. If you have questions, please call CHN at 800-327-5339.

The second type of permit is a regular work permit to hold a job. It is available here. You must fill out this form, take it to your local public high school (in some cases a local private high school may accept these). Sometimes, your public school will refuse the permit because they cannot verify the student's attendance and academic performance. If that happens, you may try contacting your county department of education to see if they will process the permit, or contact your CHN Local Contact or local support group for advice.

What is a transcript, and how do we get one?

A transcript is simply a list of courses completed. If you belong to an ISP, you can requrest a copy of your transcript. If you are the administrator of your home based private school, it will be your responsibility to create a transcript for your student. There is no one format for a high school transcript. Your transcript may be similar to the traditional list of courses your local public high school offers, or it may look more like a resume or a portfolio. Most traditional transcripts include the school's name, address, student's name and identifying information at the top, and then list all courses taken and their completion dates. Some also list credits and grades earned.

A home based private school is not required to issue credit units. If you do want to list credits, credit for courses in high school is often awarded using the Carnegie Unit. One Carnegie Unit is usually defined as 120-190 hours of instruction time over the course of a year. One typical year long course would earn the student one credit. A semester long course would earn 1/2 credit. A student at a school using Carnegie Units and requiring a total of 24 courses for graduation would need a minimum of 24 credits listed on their transcript. One semester of a community college class is usually awarded a full year credit on a high school transcript.

Not all schools issue letter grades, and not all transcripts list grades. If you do not want to issue grades, you may place a note on your transcript explaining that letter grades are subjective, so credit for each course is awarded when the material has been completed to the school's satisfaction. If you wish to assign letter grades, the College Board has a white paper that may provide some helpful information. If you assign grades, you may want to list a GPA on your transcript. For a standard A-F grade assignment where A equals 4 points, B equals 3 points, C equals 2 points, and D equals 1 point: Convert your grade for the course to points. Multiply those points by the number of credits the class was worth. Add up all the points from all your classes. Divide that number by the total number of credits you took.

We are continuously compiling a list of links to help the parents of teens. Please visit our Teen Resource page now!

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