Highschool Alternatives

High School Alternatives

There are many alternatives for a young person who is wanting to get a high school diploma including:GED Test, Dual Credit Programs, Home schooling, On-line Schools, Charter Schools and Independent Study Programs. New Earth Cyber School will coach you on options, walk you through the process, and provide as much support as you want as you undertake your course of study.

GED
You can obtain a certificate of high school equivalency known as GED which stands for General Educational Development. Students can take the GED exam through their local school district, community college, adult education center, or university. Call the toll-free GED hotline anytime at (800-62 MY GED) for the location of a test site in your area.

For more information about how to prepare for and get your diploma by taking the GED see the GED Page OR go directly to the GED Preparation Guide

DUAL Credit
Dual credit is a program that allows eligible high school juniors and seniors to enroll in college-level courses, receiving both high school and college credit for those courses. This allows you to fulfill many general education requirements for both high school and college while pursuing areas of interest. You can look up dual credit and your city or state to find programs in your area.

Home Schooling
Home schooling is always an option though each state is regulated differently and obtaining a diploma will differ from state to state. To help bridge the gap of understanding, many home school programs use the term independent study program (ISP). This term is more widely understood by public school officials and others in the educational field. Most home schoolers agree they are meeting the definition of independent study. To learn more about homeschooling and state to state guidelines go to
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/legal/Staying_Legal_Homeschool_Laws_an...

Independent Study Program (ISP)
Many public schools, charter schools and on-line schools offer an independent study program where you receive lessons to complete on your own and then you meet once a week with a teacher to turn in your work, review your learning and take tests. This requires the discipline of doing the work on your own at home or seeking out support to be sure you complete the work and are ready to pass the tests.

Independent study denotes assessing a student's learning process, determining their level of academic functioning, tailoring curriculum and the study process to best fit their needs, and providing a means for evaluation.

CHARTER Schools
A charter school is a public school that is intended to operate independently of the traditional school district structure in order to provide educators, parents and students a method to accomplish the following:

  • Improve the learning experience for all students.
  • Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods.
  • Present educators with new professional opportunities that allow them to assume responsibility for the learning program at the school site.
  • Provide parents and students with expanded educational choices within the public school system.
  • Hold schools accountable for student performance and provide the schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems.

EXAMPLE: Desert Sands Charter High School uses a personalized learning charter school model that allows the learning program to be tailored to each student’s individual needs and interests. Each student focuses on one or two subjects at a time and visits the campus once a week to meet with teachers for instruction and exams. Most of the schoolwork is completed at home.
Links for Alternative HS Options

CHARTERS:
Desert Sands Charter High School http://www.dschs.org
Environmental Charter High School http://echsonline.org/?page=home
University High School Fresno (music focus) http://www.csufresno.edu/univhigh/

Look up Charter HS or Independent study programs on the web with your state, city etc. to see the options for you.

On-Line High School Curriculum:

GENDER SPECTRUM - GLBT Resources - Support to be who YOU are!

HELP FOR HOMEWORK & ASSIGNMENTS

PREP FOR COLLEGE

See Links Below for More Resources