Pa high school diploma programs

In this memorandum, the Pennsylvania Department of Education clarifies compulsory attendance requirements as they pertain to education by home education organizations that the Department has recognized as being able to issue diplomas and education by private licensed correspondence schools. Students of compulsory school age, between the ages of eight and 17, are required to either attend a public or private day school on a daily basis, be privately tutored or be home educated.

There are several exceptions to this requirement for working students. Students of compulsory school age cannot meet compulsory attendance requirements through enrollment in a private licensed correspondence school.

Students of compulsory school age who enroll in a private licensed correspondence school without complying with home education requirements will be considered truant.

Any private licensed correspondence school with approval to offer a K curriculum must ensure that its enrollment materials clarify that Pennsylvania students who are of compulsory school age must also comply with home school requirements or the students will be truant. However, such schools may continue to enroll students who are not of compulsory school age without any additional requirements. An entity that offers correspondence or distance learning curriculum to students ONLY in an approved home education setting is considered to be a curriculum vendor and is not required to be licensed as a Private Licensed School.

There are organizations that the Department has recognized as home education organizations that can issue diplomas. These organizations can provide curriculum for use by students of compulsory school age in a home education program and they can issue diplomas to students who complete the courses required for graduation in a home education program.

However, a student of compulsory school age cannot meet compulsory attendance requirements if the student tries to take these courses without complying with the home education statute.

Unlike private licensed correspondence schools, the home education organizations cannot provide their high school courses to students who are not of compulsory school age and issue diplomas to those students, unless the students are continuing in a home education program with the acceptance of the school district. If these organizations want to use their programs for students who are not of compulsory school age and not continuing in a home education program with the acceptance of the school district, they must seek appropriate licensure from the Division of Private Licensed Schools.

Students of compulsory school age can use curriculum from a licensed private correspondence school and a home education organization only in conjunction with a home education program. School districts must ensure that these students are meeting the home education requirements. For further information regarding private licensed schools, please contact Patricia Landis, Division of Private Licensed Schools, , plandis state. Contact askPauline. About PA Diploma Programs A home educated student in Pennsylvania may fulfill the requirements of a PA diploma program and receive a home education diploma.

Contact info for all eight is here. Some, such as Mason-Dixon , are associated with conservative Christian organizations. An Official Pennsylvania Government Website.

Department of Education. Page Content. Eligibility Criteria The Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma may be issued to an applicant who: Is a resident of Pennsylvania; Is at least 18 years of age or, for 16 and 17 year olds, has an approved age waiver from the Pennsylvania Department of Education ; Does not possess a secondary school diploma from the United States; Is not enrolled in a public, licensed private, registered accredited or licensed nonpublic secondary school; and Has either scored a passing score on a high school equivalency test in the same language OR has completed 30 semester hours of study at a U.

Equivalency Options. Re-Engagement Center offers assistance to students ages 16 — 21 who would like to earn their GED, or are interested in accelerated high school options. Accelerated schools allow students to earn credit toward graduation within three years.

Many schools offer support services, and assistance finding affordable child care. Monday through Friday, 9 am — 3pm. Educational Options Programs classes towards a high school diploma are offered at four locations, Mondays through Thursday, from — pm. Students must have at least 8 credits prior to enrolling and cannot be enrolled in a traditional day school. About Us Calendar News.

Improve access, affordability, and completion in postsecondary education and training. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server.

Please enable scripts and reload this page. An Official Pennsylvania Government Website. Department of Education. Page Content.

Diplomas Parents, businesses, and postsecondary institutions are all interested in knowing the status of a home education diploma or privately tutored program and whether it is recognized by PDE. School District Online Schools or Programs Some school districts have online programs or online cyber programs where students work from home via the Internet and complete the required credits to obtain a high school diploma as an enrolled student of the district. Cyber Charter Schools In Pennsylvania, a cyber charter school is an independent public school established and operated under a charter from PDE and in which the school uses technology in order to provide a significant portion of curriculum and to deliver a significant portion of instruction to its students through the internet or other electronic means without a school-established requirement that students be present at a supervised physical facility designated by the school, except on a very limited basis, such as for standardized test.

Umbrella Schools An "umbrella school" is any alternative source of education which provides curriculum and oversight of homeschooled students to fulfill the requirements of a state government.

Examples of Umbrella Schools Umbrella schools include such entities as correspondence courses, private cyber schools, or any type of private provider of virtual or remote education. While PDE does not recognize a diploma granted by an umbrella school, other institutions may.

Private Tutoring Programs There is no direct path to a state-recognized diploma through a private tutoring program; therefore, there are no graduation requirements. Home Education Programs Homeschooling Occasionally PDE is asked to verify the diplomas of students graduating from home education programs. Supervisor-Issued Diploma Act of modified the law to allow home education supervisors parents, guardians, legal custodians to award a state-recognized home education high school diploma to their children.

Legal Requirements The supervisor must submit an affidavit to the superintendent of schools in their district of residence for the student's twelfth grade graduation year. The student must complete the graduation requirements of the law while enrolled in the home education program.

See the Curriculum section. The home education evaluator must fulfill the legal requirements as a secondary level home education evaluator.

See the Evaluators section. The evaluator who signs the diploma, in confirmation that the student has completed the graduation requirements of the law, must be the same evaluator whose evaluation was submitted to the school district for the student's twelfth grade graduation evaluation.

The diploma must be awarded to the student on a standardized form developed by PDE. Duplicate Diplomas It is imperative that a parent-issued diploma be preserved in case the evaluator moves or does not keep a log of the diplomas they have signed.

Home Education Association Diploma The Department grants authority to certain home education associations to provide home education program diplomas.