Accredited homeschool programs may translate into an easier transition for your child into college or into public school. An accredited homeschool program is accredited or certified by an outside accrediting agency. Homeschool programs do not have to be accredited but accreditation makes it official that the school's program has been evaluated by a third party that gave it the thumbs up. Schools that are accredited have a curriculum that is in line with what the accrediting body believes should be taught.
Should You Use Accredited Homeschool Programs?
When deciding on whether or not you are going to use an accredited homeschool program, you need to look at the pros and cons.
Cons
- An accredited school teaches lessons that are deemed appropriate by the accrediting firm; the lessons may not be in line with your beliefs or what you think is important.
- Character lessons may not be foremost in the curriculum.
- You are committed to a more rigid schedule; if you decide to add different lessons, it could extend the learning sessions.
- It may be more challenging to individualize lessons for your child.
Pros
- You can feel confident that your child is learning material appropriate for his or her grade level.
- Your child can easily transition into a public school or a private school.
- You are more likely to receive a transcript and grades, which will record your child's achievements and serve as a record for future scholarships.
- Your child will probably receive a homeschool diploma, stating that she met standardized requirements for graduation.
- Your child will have a full curriculum and must develop time management skills to complete assignments and stay on track.
- There are some Bible-based accredited homeschool programs available.
- The homeschool program will keep up with records for you.
- It may be easier to network with homeschoolers who are using the same curriculum.
Note
You can use an accredited homeschool program and still include lessons that fall in line with your beliefs. Sure, the school day may be longer, but scheduling is up to you. Due to the flexibility of a homeschool education, you can opt to have half-day sessions on Saturdays, incorporating special life lessons or spiritual lessons with fun field trips or group outings.
How Do Students Learn
An accredited homeschool program can be similar to attending a public or a private school at home. Your child may learn through online programs and complete class work on the computer, or your child may receive an offline education, primarily relying on textbooks. A blend of both online homeschool and offline education is also possible. Some programs use videos. An accredited homeschool program is likely to be similar to a distance education program, so the manner in which the students are actually taught are as diverse as the programs themselves.
List of Accredited Homeschool Programs
Here are just a few homeschool programs that were accredited on June 29, 2009. When researching a homeschool curriculum for your child, make sure that the school is still accredited. The school may opt at any time to skip the accreditation process. So, some schools on this list may for some reason no longer be accredited.
Although choosing accredited homeschool programs does not guarantee that your child will be accepted into college or the program may not be fully individualized for your child, an accredited program may help you to feel confident that your child is taking the right courses and learning material that has been approved by a third party.
