Note: the chart progresses from the most home-centered education to the least

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So, you

ʼ

re thinking about home schooling a high school student. Maybe you

ʼ

ve been home schooling since the beginning—maybe

you

ʼ

re pulling a teen out of school to start the home education adventure for the first time.

Relax! The area around Ann Arbor is a wonderful place to home school. Many families in our area home educate their children; many

have been doing so for twenty-five years or more, and have graduated stellar students who have gone on to succeed in colleges and in

their careers. The educational climate here is open, exciting, and even groundbreaking!

Before you take a look at the various ways people get from “A” to “D” (diploma), we want to assure you that home schooling is entirely

legal in Michigan. Families operating under the “home school statute” in our state are not required to register with the state or district,

pass any particular tests, or have their curricula approved by an education official. You don

ʼ

t even need to follow Michigan

ʼ

s graduation

requirements! (Go to http://www.hslda.org to check out HSLDA – an organization dedicated to protecting the legal rights of home

schoolers in all fifty states of the US. You can find state-specific information on their website, as well as a wealth of information and

resources for your home school; of particular note is their transcript and record-keeping information. We highly recommend membership

in this organization.)

Even though Michigan takes a hands-off approach to homeschoolers, if your plan is to move your teens on to a four-year university, you

will want to structure your course of study to reflect the courses and credits that most universities expect to find on a transcript.

Michigan is in the process of upgrading its graduation requirements to match those desired by more competitive schools; click on

http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/pioneer.counseling/files/grad_req_2013.pdf to take a look at the requirements for this year

ʼ

s freshman, class

of 2013—the new plan will be fully phased in for the class of 2016. You can visit the state of Michigan

ʼ

s website for more detailed

information.

Our organization, The Homeschool Connection, LLC, is a cooperative organization with a mission to support families choosing to home

educate their children through high school. We are the largest group serving high school students in the Washtenaw County area,

drawing families from more than an hour away in all directions. As such, we receive many phone calls every year from people like you,

people considering high school at home for the first time. To assist you and your friends, we

ʼ

ve created the following resource outlining

the various ways people “home school” in our area: everything from the stereotypical family schoolhouse to programs that are actually

alternative high schools rather than “home schools.” Although not exhaustive, each entry on the chart gives you essential vital statistics.

If you would like contact numbers for people who have actually “been there and done that,” you can contact us via

[email protected]. We hope that this will help you launch out in the right direction. Bon voyage!

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School Style

Unique Advantages “All That Glitters . . . “ or Disadvantages to consider

Resources / Programs Transcript Type Cost High School

at Home

Parents have total control over

environment; strong opportunity to create a family culture, impart values Can flex or change curriculum as needed, any time

Hard work!

Parents may have limited knowledge or expertise in some areas that the student needs for future studies

General Overview/Why Homeschool The Big Book of Home Schooling, Vol. IV (High School)

Some Complete Curriculae-- Sonlight Curriculum http://www.sonlight.com

Veritas http://www.veritaspress.com Pick and Choose Materials— Rainbow Resource:

http://rainbowresource.com/index.php

Home transcript – many use software fro EdPlus (“Transcript Pro” http://www.edplus.com) Although usually not an issue, some universities will ask for extra ʻvalidationʼ for your home school transcript, like extra standardized tests Can really vary based on where you buy curriculum and how much you supplement with other options (see the next three)

 

Keep scrolling down!

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Resources / Programs Transcript Type Cost Home

School Cooperative Groups

Strong home school community of like-minded people Can pick and choose classes to

complement home curriculum

Parents as teachers are usually very invested and enthusiastic

“One-stop shopping” allows you to get a variety of enrichment and academic classes for students of all ages in one place on one day

Parents have to work and contribute to the co-op No central coordination of curriculum can lead to inconsistency in quality of classes

Classes not accredited Lose a day or two of home schooling – can be hard to coordinate with full curricula Cannot guarantee that the co-op will offer all the classes you need or want every year; you may have to supplement with at-home, online, or other courses from other co-ops

Visit www.washtenawhsc.org and click on “Home School Support” to find cooperative groups in our area

Home transcript (see above)- parents must transfer grades from co-op teachers or give grades when the teacher does not

Co-op Membership lowers cost of classes

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Resources / Programs Transcript Type Cost Professional

classes / Tutors

Can pick and choose classes to

Ann Arbor area has a huge selection of resources!

Can be expensive You donʼt get the same support from a community of learners that you get by joining a stable cooperative

Did you know that Ann Arbor residents can take electives for free at public schools? Contact your local school to find out how.

Visit www.washtenawhsc.org and click on “Home School Support” to find drop-off programs and tutors in our area

Donʼt forget community rec and ed classes!

Home transcript (see above)- parents must transfer grades from outside teachers

Cost varies depending on program or tutor An average tutoring cost is $35 per hour Online classes

Can pick and choose classes to

Students network with home schoolers nationally and even internationally

Some students do not keep up well with the independent learning requirements Need someone who is technically minded to trouble-shoot computer issues with the virtual classroom

Pennysylvania Homeschoolers offers AP classes online:

http://www.pahomeschoolers.com The Potters School offers classes elementary through high school: http://www.pottersschool.org

K12 offers online classes for student of all ages—can buy a whole grade or pick and choose; self-paced

http://www.k12.com

The University of Missouri Center for Distance and Independent Study (CDIS) offers high school, middle school, and even elementary classes www.cdis.missouri.edu

Home transcript (see above)- parents must transfer grades from outside teachers Exception: AP test scores can be sent directly to universities for college credit

Price varies– check websites for examples

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Unique Advantages

“All That Glitters . . . “ or Disadvantages to consider

Resources / Programs Transcript Type Cost

Umbrella Schools (Distance Learning)

Parents get the support of teachers accredited in their subjects

Parents donʼt have to come up with curriculum, or figure out what is normally required at each grade level

Can be difficult to keep up with the outside schoolʼs deadlines Hard to fit in other classes from your local community- these are pretty full-time; so can be isolating

Catholic classical education-- http://www.motherofdivinegrace.org http://www.kolbe.org

Transcript is “official” but watch out—some universities do not recognize these institutions as ʻschoolsʼ and will still view your transcript as a “home school” transcript Price varies with organization – check websites for examples “Options Magnet” An Ann Arbor “School of Choice” through Community High School (CHS) – students earn an Ann Arbor Public Schools diploma for their home school program & gain access to classes & sports at local high schools Monitors help parents pull together a program meeting MI graduation requirements Program will pay for some online courses, classes at community college, and will allow students to take certain classes at the U of M or Eastern Michigan U CHS counselors help you through the college entrance process

Paperwork! Some courses not allowed for credit, e.g. religion classes Standardized tests are required for certain subjects at the end of each term

Less flexibility re: which classes “count” for graduation

requirements-curriculum must meet MI

benchmarks

Students outside of the Ann Arbor school district may not be allowed to participate in sports at their local high school

http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/community.options/home Official diploma accepted by universities without question Free (public school) – application required

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Unique Advantages

“All That Glitters . . . “ or Disadvantages to consider

Resources / Programs Transcript Type Cost High School-to-College programs Two programs in our area, WTMC and ECA give you the opportunity to earn a high school diploma at the same time as you earn an associates degree and/or transferrable college credit. One advantage of the program that many people appreciate is the guided transition from high school level work to college level work, with a complete course in “soft skills”

This is not really ʻhome schoolʼ – itʼs an alternative high school. Parents do not have control over curriculum and teachers.

Secular teachers teach from a non-Christian perspective and

sometimes are hostile towards Christian views.

Students will need maturity to handle advanced level courses and college-type schedules

Blended environment with college-age students can present social and moral challenges

Hard to switch back to traditional high school if it doesnʼt work out.

Early College Alliance (EMU)

http://extended.emich.edu/eca/index.aspx Washtenaw Technical Middle College http://www.themiddlecollege.org/ Official diploma accepted by universities without question Free (public school) – application process includes a lottery and some testing Dual-Enrollment (community college blend)

Many students take classes at their local community colleges, earning college credit while fulfilling high school graduation

requirements

Restrictions on the number of credits a minor student can take limit your options.

Most colleges have rules about ʻdouble-dippingʼ and will not give you college credit for a course that earned you high school credit. More bureaucratic hoops to jump through for minors and home schoolers can mean hassles– e.g proving youʼve met prerequisties.

For Washtenaw County: www.wccnet.edu

You earn college credits for these classes, sometimes excepting those used for high school graduation requirements – send official transcript to transfer office of university Cost is per credit hour

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