Mt. Pleasant Classical Academy

Normally on my blog I only write about happenings within our family but today I am breaking that policy. Yesterday I received a letter from DE DOE dated November 6, 2006. It announced the formation of the JH Groves Adult High School and Home School Partnership. The letter reads:
************
“JH Groves Adult High School is excited to announce a partnership with home school families. This partnership offers a mechanism for home school students to earn a State of Delaware high school diploma.

To participate, home school students must meet the JH Groves admission requirements and perform a series of verifications leading to high school credit. All instruction will remain the responsibility of the home school.

A pilot program has been established at the JH Groves Adult High School at Middletown and Diploma-At-A-Distance. For more information and to register, please call Ms. Hazel Showell at 302.378.5037 or Mr. Matt Davis at 1.888.321.GRAD (4723).”

Here’s the informational sheet:

********

The JH Groves High School and Home School Partnership is designed to offer home school students a mechanism to obtain an official State of Delaware high school diploma. Instruction remains the responsibility of the home school. Flexibility is designed to allow the home school student an open-ended time frame for completion. With this partnership, the home school student must meet the following to obtain a high school diploma:

1. Be 16 years of age or older and meet the entrance assessment* criteria of secondary skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.

2. Pass the GED Official Practice Test (OPT)

3. Write a research paper according to a content standard in Social Studies or Science. This meets the requirement for the Certificate for Educational Attainment 3.

4. Pass the following Knowledge Assessments * with 80% or better:

—–Computer Literacy

—–Algebra Applications B

—–Statistics and Probability

—–Earth Science

—- Physical Science B

—- U.S. History B

—– Economics

A syllabus and a study guide will be provided for each of the Knowledge Assessments.

5. Career Pathway credits can be earned through evidence of knowledge and/or skill in a wide variety of career areas or in a content area that leads to postsecondary education, or documented work experience or specialized training.

* A fee will be charged.

***********
Now I’m wondering if this is the beginning of DE’s DOE attempt to regulate home schools in DE. Sure this program is optional today, but just how does regulation begin? One family joining in, then another and another…..

My family will not participate in their program but what about the family who is not confident in their ability to either home school through high school, or who are concerned that their child needs that DOE high school diploma to get a job or get into ‘that college’? Those are the families who need our support to help them see that they do not need DOE to go the distance. But is this the beginning of regulation in DE?