How can I legally graduate early?

Find out how to handle homeschooling through high school and college prep!

Moderators: Theodore, elliemaejune

Amy
User
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:18 pm

How can I legally graduate early?

Postby Amy » Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:24 pm

I'm 16, following North Carolina homeschool laws. I am supposed to be in 10th grade. I have finished 10th and am working on 11th. After 11th, I only have one english and one math class to finish. I pushed my graduation date back to August (two extra months) so that I can take those extra classes and graduate THIS year (two years early) I am a straight A student and do schooling every day. I also already have a diploma lined up for when I graduate.

Please help us. Any information on this subject is greatly appreciated. I am following all of the North Carolina laws that I can find, but can't find any rules on this subject.

Is this legal? What documentation do I need to have?
Thanks!

User avatar
Theodore
Moderator
Posts: 2115
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:14 pm
Location: Missouri, US
Contact:

Re: How can I legally graduate early?

Postby Theodore » Thu Apr 20, 2006 9:47 pm

If you will still be enrolled full-time at your local high school, and just want to do those last two courses at home so you can get your diploma one year earlier, then there are no legal requirements for studying at home, and you should just talk to your high school about getting credit for testing out of those courses through CLEP, AP, or DANTES, or some test supplied by your school.

If you will not be enrolled full-time at your local high school, but are not planning to drive (until age 18?), you no longer have to fulfill any legal requirements for homeschooling. You can do those courses at home, and either test out of them or keep a portfolio of work.

If you are planning to homeschool full-time, and also planning to drive, then you need to do the following to fulfill the legal requirements for homeschooling in NC:

From http://nche.com/law.html (comments in parentheses added by me):

- Notify the Department of Administration, Division of Non-Public Education of your intent to operate a school and include your school name (Family Name Homeschool), and name of chief administrator (one of your parents).

- Certify that the persons providing the academic instruction hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent.

- Maintain attendance records on each student (weekly records of what days you did work, with rough estimates of how many hours).

- Maintain immunization records on each student.

- Operate on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year (but with a little imagination, you can count almost anything as education, so this isn't as rigid as it sounds)

- Administer a nationally standardized test, or other equivalent measurement, that measures achievement in the areas of English grammar, reading, spelling, and math, to every student each year, and maintain the results on file for one year, subject to inspection by a duly authorized representative of the State (see the list of standardized test sources)

- Notify the Department of Administration, Division of Non-Public Education, when closing your school (when you turn 18, I assume, or when enrolled in college, whichever comes first)


A final option is to enroll at your college of choice before completing your high school education. Considering your GPA, and that you'll have only two courses remaining, you may be able to get accepted for dual credit. Ask the Admissions department.

Isikole
User
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:29 am
Location: North Carolina

Postby Isikole » Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:43 pm

This might help - it's from the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education

http://www.ncdnpe.org/hhh112.htm

As far as I know, as long as you complete the required courses for graduation, you can graduate, as long as you have reached the age of 16. With driving, regardless of your age, your school administrator needs to get the North Carolina Driving Eligibility Certificate (DEC) from the above department. There may be some exemptions for early graduation. You would have to get one of your parents/administrator to contact the DNPE.


Return to “High School / College Prep”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests