Graduation Requirements

 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Faithful Scholars links you to the state graduation standards with the encouragement to fulfill or create your courses as are best suited for your family, teacher, and student.  This means that if the state requires 4 units of math: Alg 1, 2, Geometry, Pre-Cal; your student is legally able to follow the same course OR take 4 units of math that best suits their current ability and future interests such as Alg 1, Consumer Math, Accounting, Business Math.
English/Language Arts 4 units
Mathematics  -can be traditional college bound or non-traditional
 4 units
Lab Sciences   -can be traditional college bound or non-traditional
 3 units
U.S. History and Constitution 1 unit
U.S. Government ½ unit
Economics ½ unit
Other Social Studies 1 unit
P.E. or ROTC 1 unit
Computer Science  -can be whatever you sense will best suit your child’s future
 1 unit
Foreign Language (if college prep*)        OR
Career and Technology Education		 1 unit
Health/Sex Ed/Human Wellness   -can be covered in bio.or other elective for a total of 60 hours of study but need not be a separate credit
Electives 7 units

Total Number of Units Required for a Faithful Scholars high school Diploma 24
Total number of Units Required for a Faithful Scholars high school Diploma of Distinction 28**  **Diploma of Distinction is not a big deal, so don’t create stress aiming for this.             

FOUR YEAR PLAN SAMPLES:  adjust per graduation requirements of your state.       Classical Conversations, Non Traditional, Trade Bound, Traditional College Prep, Special Needs

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NOTE:  Most four-year colleges and universities like to see (or require), 1-3 years of the same foreign language.

TRANSCRIPT NOTE:  Faithful Scholars spends a marked number of hours building each transcript unique to your student in order that it ‘read strong’ clearly representing your child’s current achievements that will lead into their future passions.  During this process we communicate with you, the parent, until we are all satisfied that the transcript reflects a ‘real life’ student in his/her best light.

COURSE PROGRESSION NOTE:  homeschooling high schoolers need NOT follow the same course outline as public schooled high schoolers.

  • physical science need not precede biology
    • for college bound students, please check with your college as to what sciences they wish to see on your transcript
    • for non-college bound students, feel free to take non-traditional courses such as horticulture, kinesiology, zoology, etc
  • math can be non traditional applied math courses (business math, accounting, consumer math, etc) rather than the usual Algebra 1, 2, geometry, per-calculus
    • for college bound students, please check with your college as to what sciences they wish to see on your transcript
    • for non-college bound students, feel free to take non-traditional courses such as consumer math, business math, accounting, etc
  • health is not a must have outside or along with science or PE
  • humanities such as psychology usually fall between English and science making it an elective
  • computer can be completed in various manners note with focus on many programs, coding types, and skill sets according to your students current interests and possible future needs.  Please note that keyboarding no longer meets any of the computer science standards.

SENIOR REQUIREMENTS

All high school students must have their courses, credits, and numerical grades submitted by June 10th of each academic year in order that we might complete our ranking reports by June 15th of each year.  **SENIORS must submit their grades by May 31st.

The easiest way to make your initial submission is by using our On Line Electronic High School Transcript Worksheet.  Be sure to enter numerical grades, full or half credits, and clear course titles.  Don’t forget that any dual credit courses will require a transcript mailed directly to us along with written correspondence with the professor or a download/print off of course grades in order to submit a numerical grade.  This is best done at the end of the course as after that fact it will depend upon the good will of the professor, his/her still teaching, and etc. College grades are in letter form only.

It takes a minimum of 3 weeks to complete a transcript unless an expedition request/fee is submitted. Please be timely in order that we might return that favor. Please note that there will be more than expected additional time taken up as we go back and forth in checking our rough draft against your home draft, making corrections, and re-checking.

Faithful Scholars ranks student’s (GPA) based upon South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy (SC UGP).

Any credits or course completions earned during the summer will be credited to the following academic year and NOT to the previous year after we close out our student records and ranking report by June 10th of each academic year.  This means that should your senior not have his/her work completed and submitted by June 10th of said year, their graduation date will coincide with the following academic year if final grades are submitted prior to September 1st.  Any grades submitted after September 1st will require that you join Faithful Scholars for a 5th high school year and cause your students to not be eligible for the Life, or Hope scholarships (they are based upon a typical 4 year high school).

 

PORTFOLIO

A portfolio is required by SC homeschool law for all grades and is the platform upon which high schoolers can highlight their array of remarkable non-core and/or non-academic achievements. The transcript is an academic snapshot while the portfolio expand upon the academic arena into areas of specialty, proficiency, and passion.

For college admissions, it should focus on specific areas that set your child apart from other applicants. Most student’s participate in some form of community service, so consider a more exclusive path of service distinction upon which to set your high schooler’s forth.  This can be an invaluable tool during any interview, application process be it college, job, or other.

  • create, organize or manage your own service group
  • become the lead coordinator of an existing group
  • patent a new creation
  • publish
  • DVD’s of music, 1-3 D art slide shows, performance,
  • CD’s of music, lyrics

For non-college focused, basic portfolio record maintenance should include a smattering of daily lessons in all subject areas.  It need not be kept after completion of each year.

SUMMER SCHOOL

Any course taken or completed during the summer will be credited to the upcoming academic year and NOT to the previous year.

Often a public or home school high school will take this time to fit in classes with which they struggle.