Homeschooling High School in Texas Specifically

[Valley Girl]

If you're homeschooling high school in Texas, I have a question with regard to endorsements. I'm trying to follow the state graduation requirements as closely as possible as a starting point. But I'm really unsure as to how to handle the career-area "endorsement" requirement for electives. If you're doing that, can you share how you're approaching it? I'm really doubting my ability to match what's offered in the public school for these types of special-interest classes (e.g. principles of engineering). I don't know if I can ignore the endorsement idea as long we meet the same number of credits overall. Or if I should be contacting colleges directly. I haven't found any specific answer to this question online. FYI--Public school isn't an option for this particular child. Thanks in advance for any insights.

[Guest]

I'm currently homeschooling my fourth high schooler here in Texas, and I have no idea what you are talking about. (LOL)

[Free Indeed]

I have graduated 2, and like Kinsa have never heard of that. Depending on the child, I just look at what colleges are wanting, and base our graduation requirements on that. We have never had an issue.

[Mike in SA]

I don't think the endorsements are at all necessary, but if you would like to meet one, go for the general endorsement at a minimum.

You can see the state rules for the endorsements online at http://tea.texas.gov/communications/grad_toolkit/booklet.pdf . In any case, you won't need anything beyond the usual course offerings to achieve any of the endorsements. They're all relatively easy to achieve, and many students are able to achieve 3 or even 4 of them.

 

 

ETA link

Edited August 6, 2016 by Mike in SA

[Valley Girl]

I have graduated 2, and like Kinsa have never heard of that. Depending on the child, I just look at what colleges are wanting, and base our graduation requirements on that. We have never had an issue.

 

Unfortunately, DS doesn't really know what he wants much less where he wants to go. And, honestly, I have concerns about his ability to handle college-level work. (He's going into 9th, but we're dealing with some special needs.) So I'm trying to be broad-based enough to keep his options open. The endorsement is listed on the state website of requirements. In addition to the core credit requirements (4 English-4 math--4 science--3 social studies--2 language--1 P.E.--1 fine arts--they need 7 electives. The endorsement falls under the electives and is in an area of concentration (5 courses): stem... business/industry... public services... arts/humanities... multidisciplinary. I know from perusing our district's course catalog that at least some of the endorsement courses are quite specific and not easily duplicated at home.

 

Not all districts have to offer all the endorsements and parents have an option to waive the requirement for their kids after the sophomore year. I've just been worrying about how to handle this issue. I don't want to handicap DS in the eyes of a college admissions dept. by NOT trying to do it. On the other hand, it doesn't really fit where we are or what I think DS needs.

 

So if I'm hearing correctly, you and Kinsa haven't had a problem with not having an official endorsement as far as colleges are concerned? That would be a HUGE relief to me.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Reluctant Homeschooler

[Mike in SA]

I added the link to my prior post.

 

What endorsement are you looking for?  There are lots of options to meet any of them.  They're all just flavors of the traditional course sequence, imho.

[Valley Girl]

I added the link to my prior post.

 

What endorsement are you looking for?  There are lots of options to meet any of them.  They're all just flavors of the traditional course sequence, imho.

 

Thank you for the link. I've actually been looking through that. I have one in public high school, so our experience (at least with that child's endorsement) is that the courses are quite specialized and there are some required electives such as the principles of engineering course that I mentioned. That might be a district-by-district thing or dependent on the particular endorsement though. I'm starting to get the sense that there is a lot of flexibility in how districts fulfill the requirement or even whether or not it even needs to be a consideration at all especially for homeschoolers. That's good news!

[Mike in SA]

Very much so. The courses can vary significantly, and you won't have trouble finding a set of courses meeting your needs. Specialized courses are not at all necessary.

[Guest]

So if I'm hearing correctly, you and Kinsa haven't had a problem with not having an official endorsement as far as colleges are concerned? That would be a HUGE relief to me.

I have three entirely homeschooled children who were admitted into colleges without any problems. One is at a private university out of state, one is at a private university in Texas, and one is entering a public university in Texas in two weeks. We did not follow the Texas public schools course of study, but rather did our own thing (4 English, 3-4 math, 4 social studies, 3-4 science, 1-2 foreign language, 2 PE, 1 fine arts, and electives to fulfill the kids' interests). Hopefully this eases your concerns a bit!

[Valley Girl]

I have three entirely homeschooled children who were admitted into colleges without any problems. One is at a private university out of state, one is at a private university in Texas, and one is entering a public university in Texas in two weeks. We did not follow the Texas public schools course of study, but rather did our own thing (4 English, 3-4 math, 4 social studies, 3-4 science, 1-2 foreign language, 2 PE, 1 fine arts, and electives to fulfill the kids' interests). Hopefully this eases your concerns a bit!

 

It does...TREMENDOUSLY. I've been really struggling with this question ever since I knew I'd have to do high school as well. I managed to put it off, but it's now it's crunch time. Electives are far more doable if I'm not locked into a career-path type of things. Many thanks to all who responded.

[GoVanGogh]

I have read over the new(ish) endorsement requirements several times and decided they don't impact us. There are so many "and/or" statements throughout the document, plus schools do not need to offer all endorsement options and many rural schools won't be able to offer more than a few. Add in the fact that parents/students can opt out of them. And the general endorsement has a wide focus anyway.

 

Two things I have heard and I did take into consideration. 1.) The new endorsement method allows public school students to focus their electives, such as they would be able to in a magnet school. 2.) Under the endorsement program, students can advance in one course of study much like in college. Think Computers 101, Computers 102, etc. It ensures that students are progressing in one subject instead of taking a mish-mash of electives. (Except there are so many "outs" written into the document!)

 

I have a rising ninth grader with special needs (physical that affects academic) and don't plan on following the endorsements. He will have electives in computers and additional credits in English, as that is where his disability needs extra support.

[....]

We decided not to follow the Texas graduation requirements, either.  Those endorsements are confusing and probably difficult to replicate in our homeschool.  Also, it seems like Texas is constantly changing their graduation requirements.  A couple of years ago, they had a COMPLETELY different graduation system - where they had levels of graduates (I can't remember what they were called - like distinguished...etc).  In a couple of years, they'll completely change this system, too.

 

It's not worth following, IMO.

 

And we're following the Charlotte Mason method for high school - which is probably going to look really bizarre to college admissions people.  I just don't care.

[Valley Girl]

Thank you all! It's decided. I'm ditching the endorsements. It will be tough enough figuring out what will interest this kid enough to make it an elective!

[Janeway]

The endorsements are dumb and you don't need them. Just go with what the state universities require for admission.

[Janeway]

We decided not to follow the Texas graduation requirements, either. Those endorsements are confusing and probably difficult to replicate in our homeschool. Also, it seems like Texas is constantly changing their graduation requirements. A couple of years ago, they had a COMPLETELY different graduation system - where they had levels of graduates (I can't remember what they were called - like distinguished...etc). In a couple of years, they'll completely change this system, too.

 

It's not worth following, IMO.

 

And we're following the Charlotte Mason method for high school - which is probably going to look really bizarre to college admissions people. I just don't care.

I was looking online the other day and noticed how they have changed the requirements several times since we moved here nine years ago.

[Janeway]

I require a four by four program with two for foreign language. I expect fine arts to be done through out.

[Bambam]

I've wondering about this too. The change to endorsements didn't impact my oldest (just graduated this year) because she was under a different set of graduation requirements (not that I followed them, but I did keep track along with what the state college require of incoming freshman).

 

However, my youngest would be under those endorsement graduation requirements. I've looked, and one local school district has an *amazing* amount of endorsements and course options. Since it is a small district, I'm not really sure how all that is going to work.

 

I'll be interested to see if the colleges change their high school required coursework requirements. It doesn't make sense for general admission, but it might make sense for specific colleges (i.e. engineering, nursing, etc).

[Mike in SA]

The change was not really made for the universities (which don't really care, anyway). Unis have their own requirements.

 

The endorsements are a means of providing focus for students. The basic 4x4 is still available as an option, in case the student doesn't already have some sense of direction.

 

If your 4 year plan reveals any semblance of actual planning, you'll meet at least one endorsement. To be more competitive for college admission, you will need to exceed the level of an endorsement, anyway - just as was the case before they were announced.

 

In other words, they provided new labels, but haven't really changed anything for all but the most unguided students.

[AngieW in Texas]

I just graduated my youngest. I did not follow Texas ps requirements for any of them. They all got into every school they applied to (none of them were crazy reach schools). My youngest didn't even have trouble with the three universities she applied to in New York. The one that she is actually going to did have some questions about getting a form from the state, but after I explained that the forms and documents they were asking for didn't exist in Texas, they told me to just notarize her transcript (so they know it's from me and not from her) and they accepted that without any problems and gave her a nice hefty scholarship as well that made it cost the same as staying in-state.

 

I am also a ps high school science teacher. The whole endorsement thing is new. I had a lot more to do with it at the school I was teaching at in 2014-2015 because I was at a tiny in-district charter. We only had ten people on staff, so everybody had to do some of everything. I had to audit the academic progression charts for a lot of students and that was interesting since the dropout prevention school I was teaching in had students ranging from 15yo-21yo, so they were under all sorts of different graduation plans with very different requirements.

 

Just make sure to do 4 years each of science (at least 2 years of lab science), math, English, and social studies and also do at least 2 years of the same foreign language and then round things out with other stuff your student is interested in. I did make sure to check off one particular box for Texas state schools. They want to see one year of a fine arts credit. My oldest did that with two drawing classes at the cc which she wanted to take anyway. Her major at college was Arts and Technology. My middle dd chose to take one year of private piano lessons. My youngest is very much into music and did guitar and banjo from 11yo-16yo and did vocal lessons from 15yo-18yo.

 

To give you an idea, this is what my kids had on their transcripts:

 

Oldest dd, now 23yo:

English (3 years at home and 1 year at cc)

Geometry, Algebra II, and Precalculus at home; Statistics and Trigonometry at cc

US History, World History to 1900, 20th Century History, Government (1 semester), Economics (1 semester) all at home

Biology, Chemistry, Conceptual Physics at home; one semester each of General College Physics and Introductory Chemistry at cc

PE at home (two years) - she worked out at gym 4x/week

Personal Finance (Ramsey)

Japanese I, II, and III at cc (counted as 3 years of credits)

Psychology (1 semester) at cc

Drawing I and II at cc 

Digital Imaging at cc

 

middle dd, now 20yo:

English I, II, and fantasy/scifi literature at home; English Comp I and II at cc

Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, and Calculus at home

Biology, Physics (with AP physics B test), Honors Chemistry at home; Chemistry I and II for science majors at cc

US History, world history, world geography at home; US Govt and Texas Govt at cc

PE (one year) at home

health (one semester) at home

philosophy of mine (one semester) at home with Great courses

piano (one year of private lessons) at home

personal finance (Dave Ramsey course) at home

Spanish I at home, Spanish 1501 and 1502 at cc

psychology (one semester) at cc

computer science (one semester) at cc

 

youngest dd, just graduated in May

English I, II, and literature of graphic novels at home; English Comp I and II at cc

Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II at home; Math for Business and Statistics at cc

Conceptual Physics, Conceptual Chemistry at home; Life on Earth and Geology at cc

US History, Ancient history, medieval history at home; US Government (one semester) at cc

PE (one year) - this was mostly physical therapy and the additional exercises they had her do, she went through two six-month rounds of physical therapy in high school

guitar/banjo/voice - two years of music credit at home

Creative Writing (two semesters) - this was credit I gave her for NaNoWriMo. She completed a full novel each time.

ASL (one semester) at home - this was group lessons with a deaf instructor, but she stopped before completing a full year

French I and II - Fluenz French, at home

Personal Finance (Dave Ramsey course)

 

My youngest had fewer credits than my other girls. She also had to deal with physical therapy, vision therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and living with constant pain all through high school. She only had 23.5 credits, but I didn't have any issues with her getting accepted at in-state or out-of-state schools. The out-of-state schools all gave her hefty scholarships. The one in-state school did not give a scholarship at all, but their SAT scores were out of her league while she was right in the sweet spot for the New York schools she applied to. She took the SAT and the ACT once each and after each of those tests was completely incapacitated for several days. She didn't have her diagnosis yet at the time she took the tests (took 5 years to get her diagnosis), so she didn't get needed physical accommodations. She does have those accommodations in place now that she has her official diagnosis from the geneticist.

[Bristayl]

I am planning to have a note on the transcript that says something like "Meets or exceeds STEM science endorsement and STEM math endorsement".

[Valley Girl]

It's so helpful to hear what others are doing. Thanks.

[Lanny]

I'm currently homeschooling my fourth high schooler here in Texas, and I have no idea what you are talking about. (LOL)

 

Karen there are a number of special endorsements possible for a student to get on their Diploma from a Texas Public High School.  I think DD is going for STEM and Business or something like that. As I write this, I'm not positive more than one of those can appear on a diploma.  It changes the required courses a little bit.  Basically, DD is a STEM student, so 4 years of English, 4 years of Math, 4 years of Science,  3 years of Spanish language, etc.  The Electives are probably a little different for each of the different options.  I don't have a link to give you, but you can probably find that on the TEA web site and I am not referring to what is referred to on WTM as tea...

[Guest]

Karen there are a number of special endorsements possible for a student to get on their Diploma from a Texas Public High School. I think DD is going for STEM and Business or something like that. As I write this, I'm not positive more than one of those can appear on a diploma. It changes the required courses a little bit. Basically, DD is a STEM student, so 4 years of English, 4 years of Math, 4 years of Science, 3 years of Spanish language, etc. The Electives are probably a little different for each of the different options. I don't have a link to give you, but you can probably find that on the TEA web site and I am not referring to what is referred to on WTM as tea...

LOL... I do know what Texas TEA is... and WTM "tea"... I do have six kids, after all... LOL

[Dianne-TX]

I have three entirely homeschooled children who were admitted into colleges without any problems. One is at a private university out of state, one is at a private university in Texas, and one is entering a public university in Texas in two weeks. We did not follow the Texas public schools course of study, but rather did our own thing (4 English, 3-4 math, 4 social studies, 3-4 science, 1-2 foreign language, 2 PE, 1 fine arts, and electives to fulfill the kids' interests). Hopefully this eases your concerns a bit!

 

I apologize for hi-jacking, but I had a few questions since you've graduated 3 in TX...

 

Did they take AP courses?

Did they take SAT, ACT, both, other?  PSAT or just SAT/ACT?

What did your transcript look like?

 

Any advice, wisdom would be very appreciated! 

 

Thank you!

 

ETA:  Are we ok with just doing the course progression like you mentioned (which is what we are doing) and then taking SAT and ACT and get good scores on those and then he'll be good to go?  I've checked various universities (we aren't reaching for Ivy, more like small, Christian universities) and that's what I'm understanding we need to do.  Steer me in a better direction, if not.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Dianne-TX

[Guest]

I apologize for hi-jacking, but I had a few questions since you've graduated 3 in TX...

 

Did they take AP courses?

Did they take SAT, ACT, both, other?  PSAT or just SAT/ACT?

What did your transcript look like?

 

Any advice, wisdom would be very appreciated! 

 

Thank you!

 

ETA:  Are we ok with just doing the course progression like you mentioned (which is what we are doing) and then taking SAT and ACT and get good scores on those and then he'll be good to go?  I've checked various universities (we aren't reaching for Ivy, more like small, Christian universities) and that's what I'm understanding we need to do.  Steer me in a better direction, if not.

 

No AP's for us.  At all.  But we have done a few dual credit courses at the community colleges nearby.

 

First two kids took the PSAT, SAT, and ACT.  I eased off with the next one(s) and we're not bothering with the PSAT.  (We already have college funded for the kids, so stellar National Merit doesn't really make a difference to us.  I know it's important to many people though.)  The others did or will do the SAT and ACT both.

 

Our transcripts are one page, front and back, arranged by subject.  Personal information at the top, subject groupings in the middle, and GPA  and total credits at the bottom.  Just one final grade for each course, and the amount of credit earned.  Back of the transcript had a small box with significant extra-curriculars listed, a section for standardized test scores (SAT/ACT, even though the schools receive official reports separately), and signatures at the bottom.  Pretty simple, actually.

 

I think the courses I listed upthread are relatively standard across the board.  If you stick to that (or something very similar) and have good SAT/ACT scores, plus some extra-curriculars to show that your child hasn't sat on his butt for the last four years, then you should be good to go!

[AngieW in Texas]

I apologize for hi-jacking, but I had a few questions since you've graduated 3 in TX...

 

Did they take AP courses?

Did they take SAT, ACT, both, other?  PSAT or just SAT/ACT?

What did your transcript look like?

 

 

Only my middle dd took AP. She did AP Physics B. I taught it as a class for her and one other student. One of the schools she was interested in required SAT-II tests, so she also took the SAT-II for US History and for Chemistry. I should have had her take the SAT-II for Physics also since it was very similar to the AP Physics B test, but I didn't know that back then.

 

My two older girls took the PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades and then took the SAT in 11th grade also. I always recommend taking it in January/February of the 11th grade year and then repeating it in June if needed.

 

My youngest took the PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades and then took the SAT in January of 11th grade and the ACT in April/May of 11th grade.

 

My kids all did dual credit. My oldest had around 40-ish credits when she graduated high school. My middle had around 30-ish credits. My youngest had 22 credits.

My oldest had a cc GPA of about 3.0. My middle dd and my youngest both had 4.0 from the cc.

[momof2cowboys]

I realize this is an old topic - but wanted to weigh in on this topic of endorsements in Texas.  Colleges have recently changed this and are now making it a part of the required undergraduate requirements. 

 

 

 

[Guest]

I realize this is an old topic - but wanted to weigh in on this topic of endorsements in Texas. Colleges have recently changed this and are now making it a part of the required undergraduate requirements.

Not really. I did a cursory search, and the Texas public universities have exemptions for out-of-state applicants and private school applicants. If you homeschool, you are considered a private school in Texas. As long as you have a program "equal in content and rigor" (4x4 +2, etc.) then you're fine.

[Bootsie]

DS is homeschooled in Texas and a senior who has been accepted to TCU; he did not have any endorsements. 

 

DD graduated from a Catholic high school in Texas and did not have any endorsements.  She was accepted at a number of schools in Texas and elsewhere (and is attending University of Dallas).

[momof2cowboys]

Thanks!

I must be reading it all wrong then:

http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/coursework

 

Read "New Graduation Requirements"

 

*Note: Also, if you want to qualify for the automatic 10% admissions, I am reading that you do have to make an effort to meet the DAP and endorsement requirements? At least with one of the big 6 schools?

 

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/homeschool/index.php

 

Am I reading this correctly?

 

I am happy to hear y'all say I am reading it incorrectly because I am trying to figure out how to have my son take the courses he'd be interested in - when they aren't available to homeschoolers.

Edited April 24, 2017 by momof2cowboys

[chiguirre]

Thanks!

I must be reading it all wrong then:

http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/coursework

 

Read "New Graduation Requirements"

 

*Note: Also, if you want to qualify for the automatic 10% admissions, I am reading that you do have to make an effort to meet the DAP and endorsement requirements? At least with one of the big 6 schools?

 

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/homeschool/index.php

 

Am I reading this correctly?

 

I am happy to hear y'all say I am reading it incorrectly because I am trying to figure out how to have my son take the courses he'd be interested in - when they aren't available to homeschoolers.

 

The top 10% only applies to public school students. Private and homeschoolers can either use test score guaranteed admission (at TAMU and some others) or have to compete for the slots that are allocated to automatic admits.

[momof2cowboys]

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/DownloadableForms/DiplomaVerification.pdf

 

"A student scheduled to graduate from a Texas private high school may be considered for the automatic admission under the Top 10 percent Automatic Admission program if the student has earned a distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school program or its equivalent."

 

Similar wording for the Eligibility for the Top 10 percent scholarship program.

 

* This is the document I was reading that led me to believe it was in our best interest to complete to endorsements as well.

[Guest2]

I agree with Chiguirre. On the TAMU site it lists required coursework for admission in a different section than the endorsements. You just need to make sure you have the required coursework.

http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/coursework

[Guest2]

nm

Edited April 24, 2017 by Silver Brook

[Mike in SA]

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/DownloadableForms/DiplomaVerification.pdf

 

"A student scheduled to graduate from a Texas private high school may be considered for the automatic admission under the Top 10 percent Automatic Admission program if the student has earned a distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school program or its equivalent."

 

Similar wording for the Eligibility for the Top 10 percent scholarship program.

 

* This is the document I was reading that led me to believe it was in our best interest to complete to endorsements as well.

 

Yes, but this applies only to public schools.  As mentioned above, home school students are not considered for the 10%.

 

TAMU, for example, places the majority of home school students in the 15-25%ile - with 15% being a ceiling, but 25% not a floor - meaning that they cannot qualify for automatic admission under the 10% rule.  They can, however, still qualify for automatic admission under the testing rule with a high enough ACT or SAT score.

 

At UT, home school students compete for a spot among the 25% reserve admissions capacity.  That is used for out-of-state students and holistic review students.

[momof2cowboys]

Okay thanks! Good to know!

[....]

momof2cowboys - we're also in TX and starting to look at colleges.  The colleges around here that we've looked at - if you go onto their admissions page, they usually have a section for homeschoolers.  On UNT's website (for example), it says that homeschooled applicants are reviewed on a case by case basis.  They fall under the "non-traditional applicants" section.  I don't think they are expecting us to be able to duplicate public school at home.  And I don't see how it would even be possible with the new guidelines (all those endorsements).

 

And several years ago, I was really caught up in the "I need to duplicate TX ps high school at home" and they kept changing the requirements...and so I gave up.  They are constantly changing things.  I can only imagine how frustrating students and parents must be with constant changes.  Their requirements now look completely different from a couple of years ago.

[momof2cowboys]

Evanthe - yes they definitely change quite often.  If your child isn't sure where they want to attend, it's even more frustrating! Seems each college looks at homeschoolers through different lenses.  I think, from looking both at the TEA endorsement page, and college uniform admission requirements, if your child is taking higher level classes, chances are they are meeting the endorsement requirements anyway.  So, maybe that's one box that's checked regardless. 

 

I think I'll just put a call into a few of the admission counselors at a couple of the campuses he's interested in and see where that takes me.  He is just going to be a Freshman, so I have some time but I'd like to lay out any elective plans ahead of time.

 

Thanks again for your replies.

[....]

I think I'll just put a call into a few of the admission counselors at a couple of the campuses he's interested in and see where that takes me.  He is just going to be a Freshman, so I have some time but I'd like to lay out any elective plans ahead of time.

 

 

 

If you find out anything interesting, post back and keep us updated!  (or PM me if you don't want to post)

[Guest]

If you find out anything interesting, post back and keep us updated!  (or PM me if you don't want to post)

 

Post back for sure please! :) Updates on this stuff are nice. I tend to get my plan and then not look again. Now I'm going to have to go look if anything changed since I looked last! :) 

[Bambam]

Okay, I've wondered this too. I don't think people realize that the graduation requirements have changed (they are based on when student entered high school). I've graduated one and she had no problems being accepted to several colleges, but this looks different for my current sophomore The college admission folks currently are acting like everything will be the same, but in my experience, they aren't the most trustworthy or knowledge folks around.

 

I've googled our local ISDs to see what they have laid out course wise for their endorsements. That made me feel better. 

[Janeway]

the endorsements are very stupid, gimmicky, and not actually required for graduation.

 

Simply put, if your child were in public school, they would ask your child what he/she wants to do for the rest of her/his life. And then put your child on a track for that. There are some more academic choices, which would fit WTM better. ANd then some more, like hospitality..things like that. And then the schools tend to be kind of silly in how they fulfill it.

 

I ignore it. If you go with the old graduation plan of 4X4 and then add in foreign language and fine arts, all will be fine. I would go with whatever the universities require.

[Janeway]

Okay, I've wondered this too. I don't think people realize that the graduation requirements have changed (they are based on when student entered high school). I've graduated one and she had no problems being accepted to several colleges, but this looks different for my current sophomore The college admission folks currently are acting like everything will be the same, but in my experience, they aren't the most trustworthy or knowledge folks around.

 

I've googled our local ISDs to see what they have laid out course wise for their endorsements. That made me feel better. 

For the state universities, it is the same.  http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/coursework

[Janeway]

Did you notice the Minimum diploma program? It is for people over 16 yrs old who have flunked 9th grade 1 time. They will be graduated anyway. It actually bothers me when someone says anything negative about home schooling when public school allows that. I knew OF someone who did this. Their kids partied through high school and skipped school all the time and didn't even face truancy charges and were still graduated out.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Janeway

[momof2cowboys]

They actually don't have the Minimum graduation plan (eliminated this with kids who entered post 2014) and now only have the Foundation plan plus endorsements.

[momof2cowboys]

Janeway -- yes, I am familiar with the Minimum graduation plan ( despite the elimination of it).  I believe the Minimum was designed to be exactly that -- a minimum for those not aiming for much more than surviving high school.  :laugh:  Recommended for the regular/average student and Distinguished for the college bound.  Then they moved the bar quite a bit and moved most kids to the Recommended and Distinguished.  Those entering high school Fall 2014 no longer had those options and went in under the Foundation plan which when you aim for the Distinguished level of achievement still looks much like the distinguished plan but also has all those endorsement areas that we were discussing. 

[Clear Creek]

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/DownloadableForms/DiplomaVerification.pdf

 

"A student scheduled to graduate from a Texas private high school may be considered for the automatic admission under the Top 10 percent Automatic Admission program if the student has earned a distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school program or its equivalent."

 

Similar wording for the Eligibility for the Top 10 percent scholarship program.

 

* This is the document I was reading that led me to believe it was in our best interest to complete to endorsements as well.

 

From http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/TexasUAP

 

If you attend a public high school in Texas you must submit a transcript that indicates that you will graduate under the state’s Recommended or Distinguished/Advanced high school programs as defined in the state’s Uniform Admissions Policy or a transcript that shows you will graduate under the state’s Foundation high school program. Students graduating under the Foundation program must show proof of the distinguished level of achievement to be eligible for top 10% automatic admission. 

 

If you attend an out-of-state high school or are a home schooled student, you are exempt from the Uniform Admission Policy.

 

 

A&M (as an example) does not require homeschooled students to have endorsements. Their admission relies on ACT/SAT score. Don't sweat it...just be sure to meet the minimum coursework requirements, and let them take classes that show their interests and uniqueness.

[momof2cowboys]

Clear Creek- Thanks! I know we can all get moments of panic. I think the more we read the more that tends to happen! Of course, we all want our kids to have access to whichever college they want to attend. Definitely don't want the doors to close just because we failed to offer something they were needing to take.

Thanks so much for everyone's insight!

[Guest]

I'm pleasantly amused that this thread went on as long as it did, about something that doesn't even pertain to homeschoolers. (LOL)

 

I say "pleasantly" because it warms my heart to know there are such vigilant, caring parents out there who are so invested in their children's educations and futures. Way to go, mamas (and papas)!

Edited April 27, 2017 by Kinsa

[Janeway]

Thanks!

I must be reading it all wrong then:

http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/coursework

 

Read "New Graduation Requirements"

 

*Note: Also, if you want to qualify for the automatic 10% admissions, I am reading that you do have to make an effort to meet the DAP and endorsement requirements? At least with one of the big 6 schools?

 

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/homeschool/index.php

 

Am I reading this correctly?

 

I am happy to hear y'all say I am reading it incorrectly because I am trying to figure out how to have my son take the courses he'd be interested in - when they aren't available to homeschoolers.

You are not reading it correctly. The endorsements basically have options that amount to not having endorsements. Even when there are "endorsements" there just is nothing to it. And none of the universities are asking that anyone meet the endorsements, just that they meet requirements to graduate. That is it.