American School enough for Community College?

[MamaSprout]

I am teaching a 14 year old who eventually wants to go to community college for Computer Programing. Currently, he is considered an 8th grader, although is working at a 6th-7th grade level. I do not want to teach him through high school. (He's a good kid, but has the work ethic of, well, a 14-year-old boy. The rest of my students who spend the day with us are much younger.)

 

His family is rural-poor. No real internet connection, so cyber school is really out. His family doesn't want to send him to regular high school. His goal has been to get his GED until now. He has a muscle disorder, so he really needs to have a skill; manual labor isn't really an option for him. He does not have any learning disabilities (but is a very visual learner). He is behind because of a disrupted family life.

 

If I recommend the American School to him, will he be able to go to a Community College? I see phrases like "based on their SAT score" on the FAQ page, which leads me to believe the American School Diploma would not be enough. I'm not sure how well he would test.

 

Thanks!

Bean

[kiana]

In many states, community colleges are open enrollment -- you don't even need a diploma, you just need to be over 18. In some states, a diploma is required, but even most of those a homeschool diploma is perfectly acceptable. A GED is definitely enough to go.

[G5052]

At the community college I work for, they spend all of a minute or two looking at the transcript.  Admissions is based on placement testing or ACT/SAT with the minimums being somewhere around what an average 9th or 10th grader could do in math and English.    

[MamaSprout]

Hmmm. Maybe a combo of Ameican School + classes with me one or two days a week. I have another High Schooler who wants to join us, and also an eight year old who is is working at 5th/6th level across the board. That might make the situation manageable for everyone. I can keep him on track, but not try to juggle quite so many needs.

 

We have a 40 credit graduation requirement in our state. That's quite a bit more than the AS 26 credits for College Prep. I will check to see of the CC is open enrollment. I taught there for years, and I do think a HS equivalence is required unless you choose an alternative enrollment.

 

Thanks!

[ThisIsTheDay]

Hmmm. Maybe a combo of Ameican School + classes with me one or two days a week. I have another High Schooler who wants to join us, and also an eight year old who is is working at 5th/6th level across the board. That might make the situation manageable for everyone. I can keep him on track, but not try to juggle quite so many needs.

 

We have a 40 credit graduation requirement in our state. That's quite a bit more than the AS 26 credits for College Prep. I will check to see of the CC is open enrollment. I taught there for years, and I do think a HS equivalence is required unless you choose an alternative enrollment.

 

Thanks!

 

There's no way on earth any high school student could be expected to take 40 standard credit hours in four years! That would be over 40 hours per week of class time each year.  I googled, and I am guessing you are in Indiana. 

 

Their definition of "one credit" is a one semester class.  Most people would consider a one semester class just half of a credit.  I am basing my statement on their requirements:  2 credits of geometry, 2 credits of algebra I, 2 credits of algebra II, 2 credits of biology, 2 credits of chemistry or physics, 2 credits of another specific science course, etc.  Their "40 credits" would be recognized as 20 credits just about everywhere else.

 

Their 40 credit requirement is actually quite a bit less than American School's 26 credits. 

[MamaSprout]

There's no way on earth any high school student could be expected to take 40 standard credit hours in four years! That would be over 40 hours per week of class time each year.  I googled, and I am guessing you are in Indiana. 

 

Their definition of "one credit" is a one semester class.  Most people would consider a one semester class just half of a credit.  I am basing my statement on their requirements:  2 credits of geometry, 2 credits of algebra I, 2 credits of algebra II, 2 credits of biology, 2 credits of chemistry or physics, 2 credits of another specific science course, etc.  Their "40 credits" would be recognized as 20 credits just about everywhere else.

 

Their 40 credit requirement is actually quite a bit less than American School's 26 credits. 

 

Yes! Okay, that makes a lot more sense. Indiana does count one semester as one credit. I've graduated three already, but only in Indiana.

 

Thanks!

[saja1029]

Isn't American School 18 credits to graduate?

[suzziesnowflake]

Our local community college here in MI said that AS would be fine. We have also checked out a few vocational schools and they say the same thing. The amount of credits depend on what your goal is. If you choose College it requires more but you can do a general degree I am pretty sure it is 18.

[Rebel Yell]

Diamond is in Community College.  All they wanted was a placement test and a check. :glare:

 

Our CC is open enrollment- anyone age 16+ is eligible, they will take younger in certain circumstances. There are developmental classes for students who need help before they take the regular math & English classes.

 

BTW, CC was her first choice school. Never took the SATs.  Working 10 hours/week at minimum wage will pay for everything- books, tuition, fees, occasional cefeteria lunch. :coolgleamA:

[ThisIsTheDay]

 Working 10 hours/week at minimum wage will pay for everything- books, tuition, fees, occasional cefeteria lunch. :coolgleamA:

 

Lucky you!  Working 10 hours/week at minimum wage in my state would pay for 8 credits a semester, but you'd have nothing left over. At all.  No books, gas, food, clothes, nada.

[*Lakshmi]

Mine also went straight to CC from homeschooling. They didn't want to take SAT! The placement test at our CC is wonderful, as there are "foundation" courses (lower than 100 courses) which a student can take as much as he or she needs until he or she can place into the 100 level courses. Those foundation courses don't count as credit toward graduation, but help to bring the student up to the level where he or she can take courses which will go as credit toward graduation. There are also a lot of tutoring and assistance offerings for students who need help.

 

Our kids also work jobs, and so far we (parents and students contributing together) have been able to pay for all of CC, including books & gas. DD had to take some loans when she transferred to the 4 year, which is a local Uni but she is doing all online classes as they are only $3,000 per term, and she could pay for about half the total price of each semester from her job. So far, it's working well. Our goal was not to get them the University Experience. That just wasn't where we were focused, and - frankly - with our family financial issues, health issues, etc. it wasn't really going to happen. (No knocking the families who love and value the University Experience, it just wasn't something we wanted nor could manage.) We were going for a solid education with the least student debt possible while making the highest grades possible.

 

Not all CCs are alike. We live in the city and our CC is quite good. Many of the professors teaching at CC have told my children that they (the professors) also teach the SAME course at several local 4 year universities for 5x the price. (We googled them to find this is often true. In our city a great number of professors teach at the CC as well as at local city Universities.) I can't speak for all CCs, but our experience has been - in general - surprisingly good. 

[PollyOR]

I don't have experience with American School.

 

My oldest at home is attending community college part time after pretty much unschooling during her teen years. She took a placement test and that was it.  Yes, she is starting out with writing and math classes that won't count towards graduation.  She tires easily, so I'm just happy that she is going to college. :)   :)  It has been a positive experience so far.

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

Short answer: In Massachusetts, I think it depends on which community college program.  Some, like nursing, are harder to get into and have extra requirements.

 

Long answer: I have no experience with American School, but don't they offer a regionally accredited high school diploma?  If this is the case, then I think you would have less trouble MATRICULATING INTO A DEGREE PROGRAM our community college than you would if you were a homeschooled high school graduate from a state where homeschooling involves no state paperwork.  Just to take classes at our community college (not receive a diploma or certificate), you need only take the placement tests.  If you score under a certain score, you can sign up for the developmental classes.  In math, these start pretty low, with fractions and long division and other arithmetic topics.  There are ESL classes.  There are classes to improve reading and writing and study skills.  If you score high enough, you can take college credit classes.  It is possible to take things like psychology and composition while you are taking developmental math.

 

In Massachusetts, in order to matriculate into a degree program at a state college or in order to get public financial aid, you need to show your diploma to the college.  UMass Amherst (the flagship) will accept you if you apply without this paperwork, but in order to start taking classes, you have to have a diploma.  If you are a homeschooler without a cover school, they say that you need to have either a letter from your school system saying they graduated you or a GED.  (The exact wording of this is on their website.)  The other state colleges have their own regulations about what sort of paperwork they will accept.  Our particular community college would accept a transcript from me and our approval letters (the yearly letter from the school system that says we have applied to homeschool for that year and been accepted).  The private college and the out-of-state public college my children attend also accepted these things in lieu of paperwork from a brick-and-morter school.

 

I haven't tried it, but I think that matriculating a degree program in Massachusetts (as opposed to just being accepted at a college or taking the occasional class) would be easier if you had an American School diploma than a mummy diploma/transcript and no other paperwork.  Now if you applied to the state flagship university without 4 years of math and English, 3 of science and social studies, and 2 of foreign language, and whatever else they want to see, they might not accept you.  They would rather offer one of their seats to someone whom they considered better prepared.  However, most of the degree and certificate programs at our community college are open enrollment, meaning that you don't have to apply and be accepted - you just need a diploma.  Nursing (along with a few other programs) is different.  You need to apply and there is a lot of competition.  If you want to get into the nursing program, you either need to take a bunch of classes at the community college first or you need to have a strong high school transcript.  I'm not familiar with the requirements for graduation from American School to guess whether these would meet the 2-year nursing school requirements.

 

Nan