Government Accredited Transcript Services in Georgia

[High School Homeschool Dad]

I think I'm going to work with a program that takes your homeschool work and gives you a government-accredited transcript with which you can apply for the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships (the major government scholarships in Georgia). I’m pretty sure I’m going with Compass Prep Academy in Holly Spring/Canton Georgia. I’ve received great reports about them. But, I’m doing my due diligence and seeing if there’s a cheaper service that works just as well. They charge $400 per year plus a $150 registration fee. Considering the thousands you get in tuition if you get the Zell Miller (I believe the maximum is $10,000 for two semesters), it sounds like a good investment. My understanding is that some colleges also have stricter admissions policies for homeschool students than for someone with a government-accredited transcript.)

Can anyone suggest another program that I should check out that is approved by the Georgia Accrediting Commission to provide an accredited high school transcript and diploma that will enable you to be eligible for the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships? (If you are listed as a homeschool student, you have to get about 150 points higher on your SAT to earn the Zell Miller.)

Thanks,

Kevin

[kokotg]

I haven't used a service like that, but you don't have to have an accredited transcript to get the HOPE or Zell....you either have to be in the 75th percentile (93rd for Zell)  on the SAT or ACT or get a 3.0 in your first 30 hours of college (to get it retroactively). I think the law was different until a few years ago. I totally understand wanting the peace of mind of having a transcript service, but it's definitely possible to do it without one....my oldest is a senior this year and was accepted at UGA and into their honors program with a homeschool transcript. 

[High School Homeschool Dad]

1 hour ago, kokotg said:

I haven't used a service like that, but you don't have to have an accredited transcript to get the HOPE or Zell....you either have to be in the 75th percentile (93rd for Zell)  on the SAT or ACT or get a 3.0 in your first 30 hours of college (to get it retroactively). I think the law was different until a few years ago. I totally understand wanting the peace of mind of having a transcript service, but it's definitely possible to do it without one....my oldest is a senior this year and was accepted at UGA and into their honors program with a homeschool transcript. 

Thanks. I'm just not sure that 93rd percentile is in the cards for us. I've also heard that some schools (Ga. Tech. maybe?) require higher standards for homeschoolers. 

[8filltheheart]

35 minutes ago, High School Homeschool Dad said:

Thanks. I'm just not sure that 93rd percentile is in the cards for us. I've also heard that some schools (Ga. Tech. maybe?) require higher standards for homeschoolers. 

We didn't live in GA, but my ds was accepted to GT with my printed off our home computer transcript. Though, if a 93rd% score isnt in the cards, I am not sure I understand the concern about GT admissions. 85% of accepted students had a 30 or higher. A 30 is around the 94th%ile.

https://www.google.com/search?q=georgia+tech+cds&oq=georgia+tech+cds&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.10402j1j7&client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_(test)#Score_cumulative_percentages_and_comparison_with_SAT

Understanding the CDS for each school is the first step in understanding admissions.

Edited March 1, 2019 by 8FillTheHeart

[Lori D.]

One option that several GA homeschoolers made use of years back was to go through the accreditation process so that their homeschool was accredited, and the home-awarded diploma was accredited (see below). Unfortunately, 2 years ago, the Georgia Accrediting Commission put a freeze on accepting new applications from non-traditional educational centers, so that is no longer an option for you.

__________________________

"...when dd was getting ready to enter high school, I began looking into accredited schools. They are all over the map in prices and conformity. I was lamenting how I felt about the degree of conformity to one rep for an accredited school when she suggested I get accredited. I looked into it and found that is was pretty easy to get accredited as a "non-traditional school." That's what I did. To get accredited there's a list of 26 items that you have to prove you do (e.g. keep attendance, do fire drills, keep records, etc.) Most of the items I was already doing and documenting, so it wasn't a big deal. An inspector came to my home the first time for a "run-through" of the inspection process, made a few suggestions and left (and no, he did not inspect my whole house, just my school room). He came back a second time, and voila, now I'm accredited. 

For the past two years my dd has been dual-enrolled at a cc and it's been paid for by ACCEL (related to HOPE). If she goes to a public school next year (she's been accepted to Tech, but she's still waiting to hear from other schools), she will be immediately eligible for HOPE, no waiting period.

Here's the website where you can get started with the accreditation process: http://www.coe.uga.edu/gac/ BTW, the whole process cost me about $200; that's TOTAL cost, not yearly.

The best part for me? When applying to schools this year (she applied to 8 schools) I only had to submit a one page transcript (no portfolios or other proof required). Yippee!"

and

"I printed out the application and filled it out. Then I copied/pasted the twenty-six requirements into a word processing program. I answered each one of the requirements with what I was doing to comply (I bolded their requirements, and my answers were not bolded, to make it easier for the consultant to read). Don't assume that something doesn't apply to you. I did. I assumed the whole "emergency planning" requirement didn't apply to me (e.g. what I would do in case of terrorist attack or suicide on school grounds, etc.). I ended up surfing the web until I found one from a school (Montana maybe?), downloaded it, and changed it for my school.

Then I contacted a consultant. Local is good, because if they're not you pay their travel expenses. I had all twenty-six items out and available for inspection when he arrived. The first visit was a run-through and he made suggestions. The second visit was quick with him quickly checking the prior items and spending time on the suggestions he'd made. On the document I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I noted the suggestions he wanted in red (under the item it pertained to) and then what I did to comply under that. He said he liked that I did that as it kept it from having to spend a lot of time digging through things.

Like I said, it was all very easy to do. They DO NOT interfere in my school in any way (they don't tell me what materials to use and such), but your dc will have to at least meet the minimum requirements for graduation in Georgia. Otherwise, they leave me completely alone, no surprise inspections or other stuff. I've been accredited for four years now and it's been great. No problems."

and

"Actually, those accreditation requirements are the same for any school, even the public high school down the street from me. I didn't mind having a plan and my consultant didn't make an issue out of it either. He just saw that I had one and checked the box.

I, for one, am glad they don't evaluate my curriculum choices. My consultant did look at them (he has a ph.d. in education and was superintendent of our school system for a long time), but he didn't claim anything wasn't good enough. Of course, I hold my school up to tougher standards than Georgia would require anyway (even my graduation standards are much tougher - more in line with a national standard). Really, I left him no room for criticism of my curriculum. 

He did ask to see my dc's test scores (standardized test). I showed him our ITBS results (which I did yearly vs. every three years as required by GA), ACT scores, PSAT scores, SAT-II scores, and AP test scores. I had examples of my dc's work in every subject set out for him to review if he chose to and he took a cursory look at it. You could say I went a little overboard, but like I said, it was more an issue for me of not giving him anything to complain about."

— Jan. 7 2011 posts by Bev in B'ville, in the thread: "Homeschooling in GA"

Edited August 19, 2021 by Lori D.

[High School Homeschool Dad]

On 3/1/2019 at 3:57 PM, kokotg said:

I haven't used a service like that, but you don't have to have an accredited transcript to get the HOPE or Zell....you either have to be in the 75th percentile (93rd for Zell)  on the SAT or ACT or get a 3.0 in your first 30 hours of college (to get it retroactively). I think the law was different until a few years ago. I totally understand wanting the peace of mind of having a transcript service, but it's definitely possible to do it without one....my oldest is a senior this year and was accepted at UGA and into their honors program with a homeschool transcript. 

I've been communicating with the mom who told me about Compass Prep. I asked if colleges were harder on homeschoolers. She sent me this link from UGA's website: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/prospective-students/first-year/home-educated. Here's the part that concerns me most:

"If a student is home-educated or attends a non-accredited high school, he or she must demonstrate very high academic ability by having earned an SAT or ACT score equal to or above the average scores of the first-year students admitted to UGA for the prior Fall term. The student must also be able to validate completion of all CPC subject areas through submission of the following:

• Official scores from the SAT or ACT (for math and English only—see below), SAT II, International Baccalaureate (IB) and/or Advanced Placement (AP) exams;
• Coursework for credit that appears on an official college or an accredited high school transcript; and/or, 
• An SAT or ACT score in the top five percent of college-bound seniors nationally in order to satisfy the English and mathematics portions of the CPC.

Upon completion of an application file with the required documentation, the University of Georgia will review the entire application file of a student who has been home-educated or who has attended a non-accredited high school. From the pool of academically qualified students, UGA will select the students who are most competitive for first-year admission."

This makes it sound like she'll have to take an SAT Subject Test (isn't that what SAT II means?) for everything on my daughter's transcript before she goes to Dual Enrollment at Kennesaw State. Am I reading that correctly? Do you know if they had this rule when your daughter applied?

My daughter isn't focused on UGA, but my concern is that other schools might treat her similarly. 

Thanks,

Kevin

[kokotg]

35 minutes ago, High School Homeschool Dad said:

I've been communicating with the mom who told me about Compass Prep. I asked if colleges were harder on homeschoolers. She sent me this link from UGA's website: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/prospective-students/first-year/home-educated. Here's the part that concerns me most:

"If a student is home-educated or attends a non-accredited high school, he or she must demonstrate very high academic ability by having earned an SAT or ACT score equal to or above the average scores of the first-year students admitted to UGA for the prior Fall term. The student must also be able to validate completion of all CPC subject areas through submission of the following:

• Official scores from the SAT or ACT (for math and English only—see below), SAT II, International Baccalaureate (IB) and/or Advanced Placement (AP) exams;
• Coursework for credit that appears on an official college or an accredited high school transcript; and/or, 
• An SAT or ACT score in the top five percent of college-bound seniors nationally in order to satisfy the English and mathematics portions of the CPC.

Upon completion of an application file with the required documentation, the University of Georgia will review the entire application file of a student who has been home-educated or who has attended a non-accredited high school. From the pool of academically qualified students, UGA will select the students who are most competitive for first-year admission."

This makes it sound like she'll have to take an SAT Subject Test (isn't that what SAT II means?) for everything on my daughter's transcript before she goes to Dual Enrollment at Kennesaw State. Am I reading that correctly? Do you know if they had this rule when your daughter applied?

My daughter isn't focused on UGA, but my concern is that other schools might treat her similarly. 

Thanks,

Kevin

Yes, those requirements haven't changed since I've been following it. Meeting them requires some planning and hoop jumping, but not as much as it might sound like at first. UGA is difficult to get into in general these days; 95th percentile on the ACT is a 31, which is pretty much exactly the average for UGA admission the past couple of years; i.e. it sounds very tough to get in the 95th percentile to satisfy the math and English requirements, but a kid who doesn't meet that will have a hard time getting into UGA anyway. I don't think (although I haven't checked carefully) that less selective public colleges have the same kind of requirements. 

Aside from math and English, which can be covered by SAT or ACT scores, the CPC requirements are something like 3 years of science, 2 years of foreign language, and maybe US History and World History (government?) DS had AP US history and took World History and political science DE at KSU. His first two years of Spanish were with a private tutor, but he took 3 semesters at KSU, so had enough credits there to fulfill the requirement. He took chemistry at an accredited hybrid school and physics DE. He's doing biology at home this year, so he doesn't have any "proof" since he hasn't finished it yet, but no one said anything about that. So he was able to fulfill all the requirements with one AP exam and one non-DE outside course (both of which he would have taken anyway, UGA requirements or not). For my younger son, I am planning to have him take more subject tests as we go along just so he has them if he needs them. 

I won't pretend it's not a bit of a pain in the butt to deal with UGA's requirements, or that it may not be worth it to you to spend the money on a transcript service to make sure you have all your bases covered. I just wanted to make it clear that you don't HAVE to use one to get into UGA, because I do see a lot of people out there who are really intimidated by the requirements and feel like it can't be done. Particularly for a kid who's going to take a lot of DE classes, it's really not as much extra as it sounds like. 

[A MOM IN GEORGIA]

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I am wondering what you wound up doing regarding the transcript / accredited diploma?  I am also in Georgia, and we're headed into the 9th grade, so I'm now trying to understand this stuff myself.  Thanks!