CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS FOR A SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA
There are two governmental bodies that can establish regulations regarding education in South Carolina. The first, the Department of Education (DOE) has the responsibility to review the accountability associations each year to make sure they require their members to fulfill the points of the home schooling law. They also make all the requirements for the public schools. The other one, the Commission on Higher Education (CHE), is responsible to regulate the colleges and universities (institutes of higher education or IHE) in the state. One of the things the CHE does is set minimum requirements for admission to state IHEs. An IHE that admits a student that does not meet that set of requirements will lose all state funding- including the state scholarships. The CHE also sets the requirements for and administrates the various state scholarships. Home schoolers do NOT have to meet the public school requirements for graduation. However since the CHE minimum requirements for admission to college are essentially the same as the graduation requirements from public school, if a home school student plans on going to college in state, they must be aware of and meet those minimum requirements.
SC public schools require 24 Carnegie units (credits) for graduation. A Carnegie unit is the measure of how credits are earned toward graduation. Home schoolers do not have to meet that requirement but colleges expect that their applicants will have completed that number. A Carnegie unit is considered to be a minimum of 150 hours of study in a subject. (Ex: 1 credit of Biology would be 150 hours of study and lab work.) A half or quarter credit may be given. The unit requirements are distributed as follows:
CHE College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements Fall 2019.pdf
- This is a four page document that shows the current and new course prerequisites for admission to a state IHE. This should be your planning guide as you consider high school courses for your student.
Enterprise [en-ter-prahyz] (noun)
1. a project undertaken or to be undertaken, especially one that is
important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy
2. boldness or readiness in undertaking; adventurous spirit; ingenuity
Common High School Help/Information
LEVEL OF COURSEWORK
High School credit courses must be taught utilizing high school level material. This ensures the integrity of their final transcript and properly prepares them for college. We suggest contacting colleges early during the high school years and see what courses they expect your child to take before graduation. College requirements are non-negotiable so plan and prepare early.
CP - H - D - AP COURSES
These refer to course classification and weight.
CP courses are considered traditional College Preparatory courses and is the level most nationally recognized publishers write their curriculum based on. (Abeka, BJU, Apologia, etc.)
H courses are considered Honors and are courses that are either written on a specific honors level and/or CP courses that have additional time and elements added. True Honors courses have greater requirements than CP courses (College Prep). Textbooks and any course material must be differentiated and more rigorous than those used in CP courses. Parents must maintain the published syllabus with their records to verify that the course is beyond the college prep or tech prep requirements. Just because your child 'struggled' through a 'real difficult' subject, or even 'someone I know that teaches at a college said this book was written on a level higher than most high schoolers can even comprehend' - does not make it honors. Check with the publishing company if you are unsure of how it is weighted and/or how they suggest making it an honors course if you are unsure on how to do so. These courses are weighted 0.5 points higher than the CP courses.
Honors Form
D courses are considered Dual Enrollment college classes taken at a local college, at a college level and college credit is issued. This is NOT for remedial level courses. If your child takes Spanish 101 at a college in high school for one semester, they will receive college credit for that course and one full year of Spanish credit on their high school transcript. You are required to furnish a college transcript verifying these courses and grades by the end of their senior year. You will need a current high school transcript and proof of valid homeschool membership when enrolling for these courses. As well, the COMPAS or ASSET exam may be required at the college. Any reported courses on their transcript not appearing on their college transcript will jeopardize their legal homeschool standing with this association. These courses are weighted 1.0 points higher than the CP courses.
AP courses are taught on a specific AP level and an exam is taken at a local college. Teaching from an old AP college text book, does not make the course AP. Remember, you must take the AP Exam and furnish the test results in order to receive this course weight. Any reported courses on their transcript not appearing on their college transcript will jeopardize their legal homeschool standing with this association.These courses are weighted 1.0 points higher than the CP courses.
SUMMER COURSE WORK
If your student is continuing their school over the summer, you should still turn in their year-end grade report on time. All summer work will be reported as first semester (of the new school year) course work. There is not a special summer session for homeschooling; therefore students may not enroll for homeschooling to play catch-up on courses during the summer and then transfer back to another school in hopes of being caught up at public/private school. No summer work is permitted for high school graduates - all must be done and turned in by June 1st!
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKE CREDIT COURSES
Students in Grades 7 and 8 may earn high school credit for courses in core areas (not PE or Electives). Typically one may be earned in 7th grade and two in 8th grade and should be transferable to another school, but this is up to their discretion. We will honor more than this allotment; however, please plan accordingly. Are you setting them up to be available in their senior year to take Dual Enrollment or just want an easy senior year? Is too much too soon going to keep them motivated to continue on a strong note for the next four years? Just some things to consider when planning out a successful high school schedule.
CREDITS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION
Your child may earn more than the total number of 24 credits at the completion of 12th grade. Students that complete all required courses but fall short by a few electives may still be eligible for graduation. We strongly suggest that you check with the college they may be attending to ensure those missing electives do not prevent them from meeting their entrance requirements before you settle with graduating with this lesser amount of credits. Here is a guide so you understand what should be covered during the high school years: WHAT TO TEACH
DEADLINES FOR TURNING IN GRADES
Grades are to be turned in at the completion of each school year or no later than the deadline.
(Deadline: June 1st for 11-12th graders June 15th for 9-10th graders June 30th for K-8th graders)
If grades are not turned by their defined deadline, you will be putting your child's legal standing in jeopardy with this association. Contact us immediately if you have any concerns regarding meeting their deadline, prior to the deadline passing.
HIGH SCHOOL TESTING / EXAMS
High School Students are highly encouraged to take the SAT or ACT. End of year state exams are not offered to home school students. Check with your curriculum publisher for exams offered for the courses they are currently enrolled in. If your child transfers to a public/private high school, most likely they will be asked to participate in their state exit exam and/or other state course exams required of their students for graduation.
TRANSFERRING IN/OUT OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM
Students enrolling during their high school years will need to have their transcript submitted to our office within 90 days of enrollment with Enlightened. For more information and clarification, please read: NEW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.
TRANSCRIPTS FOR COLLEGE OR SCHOLARSHIPS
Please review the notice that accompanied your official electronic Transcript for instructions on submitting your transcript for these purposes. Those that utilize our Transcript Request Form must note the college/school their transcript needs to be sent to. Please allow 2-3 weeks for your request to be processed. If you need a transcript faster - please follow the instructions in your electronic notice.
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