Accrediting daughter's portfolio

I am such a hypocrite.


As much as I complain against and say that accreditation is not necessary, I have decided to go ahead and accredit my daughters homeschool portfolio.

Sure, she could get into any private college with her portfolio as-is.  Her tests scores are good, especially, her verbal score. She is loaded down with theater and music extra-curriculars, demonstrating the depth of her talent.

So why have I decided to turn her homeschool portfolio into an accredited diploma?



Competitiveness.

One of the colleges she is applying to will take homeschool portfolios with tons of digging and probing, and may still require a GED.  We are not really worried about that, because it is clear she is well educated, but they won't take my word for her grades....and her GPA is vital to scholarship offers.

Sigh.  Yes, I did it for money.  In my defense, this is a tough economy and this will be my second child in college.  

So have I changed my mind?  Do I think homeschool accreditation is necessary.  NO, I don't. My (and many veteran homeschoolers' fear) is that if more and more homeschoolers cave to accreditation, that more and more colleges will feel justified in asking for it.  That is sad, because it takes away some of the freedoms of being able to teach to the child.  Even with my daughters length and breadth of educational experiences, we have to add another science class and a half credit of economics to meet state accreditation requirements, even though none of her colleges require that she study these subjects.  With accreditation, we as homeschoolers spend so much time and effort on studies that either don't fit the child's needs or that keep the child from doing what is more tailored to them. So you can see why so many of us resist accreditation requirements for homeschoolers. 


 However, I cannot negate the original reason that I chose to homeschool, which is to use the tools in my arsenal to do what is best for each child?  Hence, this child will be getting an accredited diploma. However, I might be annoyed if she ends up going to one of the other colleges on her list that do not require it.


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More on Clayton County Accreditation loss

Writing one blog post about this fiasco did not satisfy me. Here is my video response.



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Ironic and Disturbing accreditation loss in Georgia

If you live in my neck of the woods, you heard this past week that Clayton County Public Schools (ALL OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN CLAYTON COUNTY) is losing its accreditation.

The agency that issues the accreditation said the entire school system is "fatally flawed" In a scathing report. The report delivers a devastating blow to the 53,000 students in Clayton County. Whether the schools actually lose their accreditation or not will depend on two things -- a September 1 deadline, which officials have until to disprove the agency's findings; and the national accreditation board has to approve the recommendations made regarding the Clayton County system...The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) said the problems they found are overwhelming and extreme.

The irony is in the fact one of the major concerns about homeschooling is the lack of accreditation when mom teachers student. However, 53,000 students are about to lose accreditation as well. This puts these students at a lower level than most homeschoolers about to graduate. The reason is that a homeschooler with plans for college would be able to plan, keep their own records, and make sure their education is unique enough to impress a college. These public school students have done what they are told, leaving little time for unique experiences and personal studies to impress colleges. Instead, they have trusted the almighty school districts and now they may be left in a boat without a paddle.

The AJC profiled one such family with twin brothers counting on their public education to mean something.

"It is one of the most depressing days of my entire life," Joshua said Friday night. "Several people in my class even began to cry. It's just really sad that this has had to come to this. It is almost as if they forgot about the students and their futures when they held the investigation."

The disturbing part is what kids will lose:
~Hope Scholarships
~Chance that the Ivy League Schools won't accept them
~Inability to transfer credits to other high schools
~Loss of property value (for parents)
~A lot of kids becoming disenfranchised

As a homeschooler, you would think I am writing this to gloat about the poor shape of the public schools here in GA. That is hardly my desire. I am actually quite disturbed and upset that these kids who have worked so hard for so many years will have nothing to show for it.

Sure, many will find a way to make it in spite of this tragedy, but many others will feel defeated and stop trying.

What can parents do? Look into homeschooling... not necessarily to homeschool, per se, but to learn how to supplement their kids education present their kids to colleges in such a way that it won't matter where they were educated, or by whom.

Then again, homeschooling may end up being a lot easier.





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