Graduation Requirements

S. C. HOME SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS

English/Language Arts 4 units
Mathematics 4 units
Lab Sciences – Examples:  Biology, Chemistry, and Physics 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 (with keyboarding) 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
Electives 7 units

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

FOUR YEAR PLAN SAMPLES: Classical Conversations, Non Traditional, Trade Bound, Traditional College Prep, Special Needs

HONORS NOTE:  Assigning honors wieght needs to be done with care and diligence.  Honors is NOT simply working hard, participating in a co op offering honors level coursework, or completing a text created for honors level.  It IS going beyond the normal academic rigor with a worthy 30+ additional hours of work.  If in CC, it means your child is in the top 1/3 of the class in that given subject(s), if it is a textbook it means that your child has completed each and every question, assignment, project, test, and page of the book.  Nothing less.  Be certain to include supporting documentation for all Honors classes as colleges are beginning to be leary of all of the honors they see coming out of homeschool.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NOTE:  Most four-year colleges and universities like to see, and some require, 2+ years of the same foreign language with sign language not usually accepted. TRANSCRIPT NOTE:  Faithful Scholars spends a marked number of hours buiding each transcript to read ‘strong’ by colleges.  During this process we help our members understand the purpose and use of a transcript, how/why we build each transcript to highlight individual student’s strengths and passions, and what to do with items that are not best served by being on a student’s transcript.
COURSE PROGRESSION NOTE:  homeschooled high schoolers need NOT follow the same course outline as public schooled high schoolers.  Examples:

  • physical science need not precede biology
  • math can be non traditional (business math, accounting, consumer math, etc)
  • health is not a must have outside of science
  • computer can be completed in various manners but needs to be more in depth than keyboarding

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. 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 credits 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 three weeks to complete a transcript unless an expedition request/fee is submitted. Please be timely in order that we might return that favor. Expect 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 they struggle with in order that they might focus better.