Creating Your High School Plan
Creating a High School Plan for your homeschooled teen is always a good place to start when thinking about preparing them for college.
A High School Plan is simply an outline that lists the coursework that needs to be completed during the high school years in order to graduate from your homeschool and be ready to apply to colleges, trade schools, or whatever other paths your child may be interested in pursuing.
How Do I Know What Needs to Be Completed for Homeschool Graduation?
In the State of New Jersey, there are no laws that govern the homeschool curriculum or graduation process for your child. This means that there are no rules to dictate specific courses that must be included in your child's high school years, as long as the education is generally equivalent.
For college and university applications, your child's homeschool transcript and educational portfolio will serve as proof of completion of their high school coursework. NJ does not require a High School diploma nor a GED to apply for colleges or universities.
Every homeschooled parent can print create and print their own unique transcript upon their child's completion of their high school years.
If, for peace of mind, you would like your child to have a state issued diploma, you may apply for an NJ diploma by completing the 30 General Education College Credits program.
Drafting Your High School Plan
The High School plan begins with a conversation with your child. Call a family meeting, pour some tea, and get talking. Ask the following questions:
What do they want their high school years to look like?
What areas of study would they like to pursue?
What paths do they see themselves going down after high school is over?
If they're college bound, what particular majors or schools are they considering?
How many years would they like to spend on high school coursework?
Are they aiming to enter a university as a freshman or as a transfer student from a community college?
Remember, as a homeschooler, the contents of your child's high school plan are up to YOU. It can either mimic the standards offered by your local public or private school or it can go far beyond the basics and look completely unique! High school coursework can still follow and reflect the interests and passions of your child.
With that said, if your child is aiming to attend a particular trade school, college or university, they will also want to make sure that their high school plan includes whatever coursework the institution they're aiming for states is necessary for consideration. To find out what specific schools require of their homeschooled applicants, visit the institution's admissions website or call to speak with an admissions officer.
Executing the Plan
Once your family has the aims and coursework of your high school plan laid out, it's time to start thinking about how you will go about executing your child's vision for high school.
Consider how much coursework you want to cover at home vs via an outside group or organization. Is there anyone in your network who can help your child achieve their goals? Think about what local resources, programing, or opportunities you can take advantage of.
As a homeschooler, you have the freedom to use a variety of approaches to help your child achieve their goals, including learning cooperatives, learning centers, private tutoring, online coursework, extracurriculars, personal projects, or even dual enrollment at a local community college.
NOTE: If part of your child's plan is to take community college coursework, know that not all course credits will be accepted by all universities. To help you determine what's needed, use https://www.njtransfer.org/ to discover which college level courses are accepted by the universities you are interested in.
What If The Plan Changes?
Drafting your high school plan is not a one and done process. It may change over time and that's okay! The point of the plan is not to limit your child to only one option, but to help your family approach the high school years with purpose, develop a general vision and direction, and have a solid framework to work within that can be adapted as needed to meet your child's needs and helps them reach their goals.