Homeschool Advantage for College

Enrich your HS homeschool program! Earn college credit in high school!

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Questions and Answers

The following is a list of questions I have been asked while visiting with support groups and/or talking with individual homeschool parents. Some of these questions are already addressed in my book, but others are not. I hope this will be of help.

If you have a question, feel free to email me at kathy@homeschooladvantage.net

• QUESTION: What level or what curriculums specifically were your children working at when they began their first college classes as dual-enrolled students?
• ANSWER: To address this question, I have created a detailed list of the Curley curriculum during the high school years and our transition to dual-enrollment. See the included file.
  
  View the document as:
  pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader)  -or-  xls (Excel)
• QUESTION: Is there an age restriction for a homeschool student entering a college as a concurrent/dual-enrolled student?
• ANSWER: In the state of Michigan where my first three children entered as dual-enrolled students, I was aware of no such restriction. A good friend of theirs entered his first dual-enrolled class at age 12. However, each state determines its own age regulations for public education. Presently living in the state of Oklahoma, I have posted the current Oklahoma law pertaining to concurrent eligibility.
  
  Oklahoma State Law states that any qualifying student of at least the age 13 cannot be denied concurrent enrollment by any institution of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. (This does not prevent such institutions from allowing concurrent enrollment at a younger age.)
  
  School Laws of Oklahoma, 2009 (Chpt. 7, Article 1, Section 820. C.)
  http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/documents/files/LawBook2011.pdf
  
  Section 820. High School Seniors - Enrollment in College Courses. C. No institution of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education shall deny enrollment in any course to any otherwise qualified high school student, or student of at least thirteen (13) years of age who is receiving high-school-level instruction at home, who meets the requirements of concurrent enrollment, nor shall any independent school district prohibit any student who meets the requirements of concurrent enrollment from participating.
  
  However -
  Oklahoma State Board of Regents for Higher Education promotes much stricter enrollment requirements.
  See the following link for more details: http://www.okcollegestart.org/For_Educators/Concurrent_Enrollment.aspx
  
  Therefore, although the state law dictates otherwise, the State Board of Regents demands that students under the age of 16 comply with the following policy:
  
  Right-To-Try Opportunities/Special Opportunity Admission
  Any student who has not graduated from high school but has earned a composite ACT score of 32 or combined verbal and mathematics SAT score of 1410 may apply for admission at any public institution in the State System. The college or university will determine admissibility based on test scores, evaluation of the student's level of maturity and ability to function in the adult college environment, and whether the experience will be in the best interest of students intellectually and socially.
  
• QUESTION: How did you get your children to follow this academic plan?
• ANSWER: See Have a Plan.
• QUESTION: What scholarships and grants are available in the state of Oklahoma?
• ANSWER: Go to http://www.OKcollegestart.org/ and click on "Scholarships" for a listing for all scholarships and grants offered in the state of Oklahoma. (supplied by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education)
  
• QUESTION: What is the Oklahoma Promise scholarship or OHLAP?
• ANSWER: The Oklahoma Promise scholarship or Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP) is available for students of families earning $50,000 a year or less. It pays full in-state tuition for public colleges and select CareerTech courses, and part tuition for private colleges.
  
  Interested students must apply while in grades 8, 9, or 10. Homeschool students must apply at ages 13, 14, or 15. You can apply online at http://www.okhighered.org/okpromise/ or call 1-800-858-1840.
  
  In addition, students must meet specific coursework requirements throughout their 4 years of high school. For specific requirements, see
  http://www.okhighered.org/okpromise/required-courses.shtml/
• QUESTION: Approximately how much does it cost to attend college in Oklahoma?
• ANSWER: To view the 2010-2011 Estimated Costs for Full-Time Resident Undergraduate Students at Oklahoma Public Colleges and Universities go to
  http://www.okcollegestart.org/Financial_Aid/College_Cost/Estimated_Costs.aspx
• QUESTION: Can I get an estimate of how much, if any, financial aid my child might qualify for?
• ANSWER: First of all, there are 3 types of financial aid:
  
  Financial aid you DO NOT repay (grants & scholarships)
  Financial aid you MUST repay (student loans)
  Financial aid you EARN (college work study programs)
  
  When you apply for financial aid, the government will determine how much money you are expected to pay annually toward your child's tuition based on the financial information you supply. In addition, the government will indicate how much money your child should be able to earn himself through college work study programs. The remaining portion will be the approximate amount of money you would expect to receive in a government grant.
  
  To get a rough estimate of the money the government estimates as YOUR responsibility, you can quickly fill out one of many financial aid need estimators online.
  
  I suggest you go to https://customers.act.org/fane/docs/ to fill out the ACT financial Aid Need Estimator.
• QUESTION: Can the ACT be taken more than once?
• ANSWER: Yes. This topic is thoroughly discussed in my book.
• QUESTION: What are the ACT National Scores (results) and State Averages?
• ANSWER: To view national and state 2010 ACT scores go to
  http://www.act.org/news/data/10/states.html
• QUESTION: What are the ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores?
• Benchmark scores are used to predict a student's future performance in a given college subject area. It is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses.
  
  Benchmark scores are as follows: for English Composition classes, a benchmark score of 18 is needed on the ACT English test; for algebra classes, ACT of 22 (math); for social sciences, ACT of 21 (reading); and for biology classes, ACT of 24 (science).
  
  For more information go to
  http://www.act.org/news/data/10/benchmarks.html?utm_campaign=cccr10&utm_source=data10_leftnav&utm_medium=web#benchmark
• QUESTION: Is it possible to have a free one-hour workshop about the contents of your book, The Homeschool Advantage for College?
• ANSWER: Sure, for some. I currently live in the Tulsa, OK area. I would be willing to travel within a 200 mile radius to meet with your homeschool support group. However, unless you are in Tulsa and its surrounding communities, I ask that you provide a minimum of 30 attendees (not including children).
  
  I might add that I am originally from the Detroit, MI area, and I would be willing to coordinate a workshop with one of my visits back to the Detroit/Ann Arbor area. Please email me if you have interest.
• QUESTION: What is FERPA? While my homeschool student is dual-enrolled, will a community college and/or university provide me with information regarding my child's academic or financial record? What about when my child becomes a full-time college student? If denied, what can I do to gain access to this information?
• ANSWER: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student educational records. As a result, parents of dual-enrolled children might not be granted access to their child's financial and academic college records, and parents of full-time college students will definitely be denied. However, under the law, parents can gain access to this information by having their child complete a FERPA Release Form through the college they are attending.
  
  An example FERPA release form can be viewed at http://reg181.aisites.com/docs/FERPA_Waiver_Form.pdf
  Contact your college for the appropriate form.
  
  More information on FERPA is located on the US Department of Education web site. This site speaks in complex terms and may be difficult to understand. See http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
  
  Alternatively, the University of Houston web site gives a good explanation of FERPA and what it actually means to parents and their children. See http://www.uh.edu/parents/resources/ferpa-explanation/index.php
  
• QUESTION: Do I have to have some type of official diploma made for my graduating homeschool student?
• ANSWER: No, the fact is that NO ONE from a higher educational institution will ask to see your diploma. What a college will require is the following:
  
  
  (1) An official transcript issued by your family's homeschool or any other institution from which your child has earned high school and/or dual-enrolled college credit.
  (2) A standardized test score (ACT, SAT, PSAT).
  (3) A letter from your family's homeschool stating that your child has officially met all the conditions for graduation required by your homeschool program and has graduated on _____ (give date).
  
  
  (These items are discussed in detail in The Homeschool Advantage for College.)
  
  
  I would like to add that I did create personalized diplomas from our homeschool which we named Good Counsel Homeschool. These diplomas were very creative indeed and were designed to honor each child's accomplishment on the day of their homeschool graduations. You can see an example diploma below.
  
  
  (Click to enlarge.)
  
• QUESTION: My child is very advanced in one particular subject and I was hoping to dual-enroll him in that same area. However, his other subject skills are not up to that same level. What do you think?
• ANSWER: (PART 1) Remember, in order to be enrolled at a college, your child will either have to have a qualifying comprehensive ACT score or pass a entrance test at that college. College acceptance policies vary. Note that your child may meet acceptance requirements while still failing certain component scores on his ACT or entrance test.
  
  Once your child has been accepted into the college, he may enroll in courses appropriate for his current level as determined by his individual component (subject) scores. Your college advisor will assist you in selecting appropriate classes.
  
  If your child excels in an academic discipline not directly tested by the ACT or entrance exam (such as computer science or foreign language), contact your academic advisor for information on placement. A meeting with a department head or a placement exam will allow your child to enroll in the appropriate class.
  
  
  ANSWER: (PART 2) It is important to realize that your child is attending college to build strength in ALL AREAS, not just his area of interest. College degrees and many scholarship awards are the result of a strong comprehensive high school program. After high school graduation, colleges will look to see that your child has had a strong college prep education.
• QUESTION: What are Tulsa Community College's requirements for concurrent enrollment?
• ANSWER: Juniors and seniors of public and private schools may not attend TCC more than 2 years. However, TCC policy states that concurrent students may take classes until high school graduation. Homeschooled students may take more than 2 years if they begin at an earlier age. Homeschool students under the age of 16 may apply to TCC under the Opportunity Admissions Category. The Opportunity Admissions Category approves enrollment of students who have never graduated from high school but qualify to take college classes because of acceptable test scores and maturity level. Homeschool students seeking enrollment should contact TCC's Student Recruitment Office and request special admission under this policy.
  
  To enroll, students:
        A) MUST have an ACT score
              Juniors/Homeschoolers (under the age of 17) must have a minimum 21 Comprehensive ACT score,
              and must have a minimum 19 ACT score in subject area of study.
  
              Seniors/Homeschoolers must have a minimum 19 Comprehensive ACT score,
              and must have a minimum 19 ACT score in subject area of study.
  
        B) MAY NEED a placement exam for classes outside the scope of the ACT.
  
  * TCC provides its own personalized ACT test for acceptance. The test is offered daily and the results are immediate.
  
  ** College Algebra is the lowest class any dual-enrolled student can take in math. (This is NOT the same level as a high school Algebra course.)
• QUESTION: Other than the ACE Tuition waiver for concurrent enrolled students, what other scholarships or tuition waivers are available for Tulsa Community College students?
• ANSWER: You can find a complete listing of scholarships and tuition waivers in the TCC 2010-2011 Catalog, pg. 31.
  
  You can see it online by going to http://www.tulsacc.edu/ then select "Programs and Courses" then "Catalog" then "2010-2011."
• QUESTION: Is there a difference between the terms concurrent enrollment and dual-enrollment?
• ANSWER: Yes and No!
  
  First, while reading my book The Homeschool Advantage for College, NO, there is no difference. In Michigan (where my oldest kids attended community college classes) dual-enrollment is the term used to define any student public, private, or homeschooled who is taking college classes while still in high school. These are students that maintain a part-time college enrollment as described in my book.
  
  Here in Tulsa, students taking college classes under those same conditions are categorized under the term concurrent enrollment.
  
  Second, Tulsa Community College has a further student designation called dual-enrollment. Students in this program can be either concurrently enrolled or graduated from high school. They are students who have signed a transfer or dual-enrollment agreement with a large university such as Oklahoma State University. This agreement outlines a degree plan that includes classes that can be taken at either the community college or the large university. In other words, it guarantees that the classes a student takes at the community college level will transfer to the larger university. This allows students the chance to take classes at the community college for the reasons that might include lower tuition costs or easier driving accessibility.
  
  Therefore, in Oklahoma, a student who is concurrently enrolled may or may not be also dual-enrolled under one of these agreements. However, not all dual-enrolled students are concurrently enrolled.