Schooling dilemma any help would be great

[Scryer]

Hey guys my testing is going along great but my issues is more along the lines of my brother's issue

Back in April 2012 my brother completed online schooling through a school called Continental Academy.at the time it claimed to be nationally accredited and has apparently since then lost its accreditation which to me raises a red flag, another red flag is its not listed in the DOE accreditation database. The reason this is being made an issue now is my brother is looking to go for an engineering degree over in South Korea in February and the school is requesting information on the schools that he went to. I fear he and my mother may have fallen victim to a diploma mill. I have told him to contact the advisers from the school he is interested in on what his next steps should be and to see if they may accept a GED, but if they don't accept a GED we are trying to figure out what to do next and if there is an ACTUAL High School where he can sign up for online classes to recuperate the 24 credits he may have been screwed out of, the biggest thing is, the classes have to be self paced.

Any thoughts or opinions?
Thanks

[dfrecore]

When you look up the school, it shows that it is accredited by some accrediting agency I've never heard of. BUT, that being said, I'm not sure an online high school has to be accredited to get your high school diploma from them.

If I was to homeschool my kids through high school, I could issue a diploma myself, and it would be just as valid as if they went to any public or private high school in the country. I do not have to get the diploma accredited by any specific agency for it to be valid. So, I'm not really sure your brother has to have an "accredited" diploma in order for him to be considered a high school graduate.

Also, I'm not really sure why you're asking about a high school diploma AND a GED. Those are 2 separate things, and if your brother got his diploma, then he wouldn't need a GED. If he got his GED, he wouldn't need a diploma. So you may need to clarify which one he received.

[Scryer]

When you look up the school, it shows that it is accredited by some accrediting agency I've never heard of. BUT, that being said, I'm not sure an online high school has to be accredited to get your high school diploma from them.

If I was to homeschool my kids through high school, I could issue a diploma myself, and it would be just as valid as if they went to any public or private high school in the country. I do not have to get the diploma accredited by any specific agency for it to be valid. So, I'm not really sure your brother has to have an "accredited" diploma in order for him to be considered a high school graduate.

Also, I'm not really sure why you're asking about a high school diploma AND a GED. Those are 2 separate things, and if your brother got his diploma, then he wouldn't need a GED. If he got his GED, he wouldn't need a diploma. So you may need to clarify which one he received.

Apologies, the GED was a what if scenario if the school he was looking at would have allowed it. My brother read your post and said thanks for the information, what he is going to do is get a hold of the school and see if the diploma will be accepted, because there are schools that are not accepting the diploma.

[rebel100]

I'm not sure I would ask them that question. I doubt a school in South Korea will be fully equipped to judge the validity of a US high school diploma (maybe, but I doubt it). I would apply and present the earned credential then see what happens. HS diploma vary by State in the US, the likelihood of a school in South Korea understanding, or even caring, about the nuances is remote. They are trying to fill out his application packet, asking for the diploma is just a check box. Don't raise any red flags...just apply.

If things fall through he can re-assess, maybe take the GED or explore other options. What state is/was he in for HS?

[msd2012]

It seems as if she is saying that, because of the high school he went to, he may need a GED OR a Diploma. If the school he is interested in will not accept a GED, he will need a diploma. I'm certain she is aware of the difference.

Is Penn Foster High School an option?

[dfrecore]

I agree with rebel100, there is no need to call attention to the diploma. Just present it as if it were a done deal. If you act like you think it might not be accepted for some reason, they will start to question it.

[Scryer]

I'm not sure I would ask them that question. I doubt a school in South Korea will be fully equipped to judge the validity of a US high school diploma (maybe, but I doubt it). I would apply and present the earned credential then see what happens. HS diploma vary by State in the US, the likelihood of a school in South Korea understanding, or even caring, about the nuances is remote. They are trying to fill out his application packet, asking for the diploma is just a check box. Don't raise any red flags...just apply.

If things fall through he can re-assess, maybe take the GED or explore other options. What state is/was he in for HS?

He was in south Dakota and the school was in Florida.


The biggest problem he just brought to my attention was the school in south Korea wants a profile of the school which is what caused his whole problem, also continental academy withdrew accreditation with SACS back in 2009.

[rebel100]

He was in south Dakota and the school was in Florida.


The biggest problem he just brought to my attention was the school in south Korea wants a profile of the school, also the school withdrew accreditation with SACS back in 20009,

So send them a profile of the school. Again, they are a bureaucratic organization, sometimes you have to feed them what they need to get what you want.

I would send them the following from the Continental Website: Mission Statement and philosophy from here: More about the academy I would end that with the following statement "Continental Academy is accredited by the National Association for the Legal Support of Alternative Schools (N.A.L.S.A.S.) and has been since 2000".....and that would likely be that. If not, you can then figure out an answer to specific queries rather than guessing and wondering what to do.

[davewill]

He was in south Dakota and the school was in Florida.


The biggest problem he just brought to my attention was the school in south Korea wants a profile of the school which is what caused his whole problem, also continental academy withdrew accreditation with SACS back in 2009.

It's the diploma he has, no? Just send them the info. If they say it's a problem, THEN worry about it. I'm thinking they won't. Bringing it up before they do is just borrowing trouble.

Also, it sounds like they had their accreditation when he graduated? It shouldn't matter what happened later.

[bjcheung77]

*Sigh* My original post didn't save, anyways... here's a shorter version: If I was in your brothers shoes, I would re-evaluate the situation.

1) Apply to the foreign school in South Korea and provide them all the required documentation they need. Wait for evaluation.
2) While waiting, get him to start working on his Associates of Arts/Science at COSC as it's the cheapest/easiest and fastest of them all.
He can start with the Free College Credits in the Beginners Guide, it's also on the Wikia page, he can get extra credits by taking FEMA IS.

3) For FEMA, I recommend doing the PDS Certificate for 7 elective credits, then do 13 more credits for free from FEMA Independent Study.
4) That should get him 30+ credits, he can take extra 9 credits for $25-$80/month by taking 3 Shmoop.com history courses.
5) He can then take 5 easy Math courses at ALEKS.com for 15 credits at $20/month, for elective and the math requirement.

6) If he requires more courses for credit, he can take them at Saylor Academy or at Straighterline.
Finally, finish his degree by taking the required Intro to Communications, English Comp I & II, and anything else he's missing.

Side Note: He'll have enough time to complete these by February/March as many of the courses required are very easy to complete.
He can also ladder this to a COSC Bachelors when he has the time to complete more courses from Saylor/Straighterline/Study.com