In my last article, Indiana Registers Dropouts as Homeschoolers, I mentioned how school districts in this state and several others are reclassifying homeschoolers as high school dropouts. This manipulation lowers a schools dropout rates while also lowering the perceived success of homeschooling. This is a bad thing for all involved.
Still, there will be high school students who find themselves out of school, told they are homeschoolers and are left to fend for them. Many of these students will want to make some kind of effort but will soon give up without guidance. If you or your child are one of those students who left high school as a “homeschooler” but do not know where to start, here are some tips you can use.
Get a copy of your high school transcript. Your high school has to provide you with a document that shows all of your completed classes and grades.
Determine how many classes you need to take to graduate. This includes classes you did poorly in that you will want to re-take. You can get this information from the school, or from a local college that you plan to attend.
Then
Sign up to take classes using an online high school to complete your education. This will cost some money, but will provide a good private school education.
Or
Demand the public school enroll you into their K-12 program, which will allow you to get a public high school diploma and make you technically a public school student again. This program is supposedly offered to all homeschoolers in states where it is available, there is not reason homeschooled dropouts cannot use it.
Or
Find an experienced homeschool guide to help you evaluate your records and make recommendations of classes you can take locally for a low cost as well as books and curriculum that you can use to get your education. They will also help you to write a homeschool portfolio, which you will use if you apply to a college.
Read our articles on college preparation for homeschoolers.