Online High School

Distance Education Online Articles : Online High School From Thomas Nixon

How to Find an Online High School
While there are some programs listed at BestOnlineHighSchools.com, there is no centralized source as of yet. Primarily it is a matter of doing a Google search on “online high schools.”

Of course, the alternative is to buy my book, Complete Guide to Online High Schools: Distance learning options for teens & adults, or request it at your local public library. It lists over a hundred accredited programs and is the only book out there on the subject.

Accreditation

Accreditation is the single-most important aspect of your online high school search. Why? Because the same dishonorable people who have been pushing online diploma mills are now also pushing fake online high schools.

If the school does not have accreditation listed on the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA.org), think carefully. Accredited colleges tend to like accredited high schools. Companies tend to like accredited high schools.

I have become increasingly concerned about online high schools that only have state approval. While some states actively monitor the schools they approve, others do not. It is difficult for me, and I study this regularly, to tell which is which.

Free Online High Schools

The most common question I am asked? “Are there free online high schools?” My answer? Yes. Yes, there are. However, there are very few of them and they typically are one of two kinds:

• A charter school. Charter schools are public schools that don’t need to adhere to all of the same rules as other public schools. While free, they almost certainly have geographic limitations. You must live within the school’s state or even part of the state; and

• Online high schools run by state department of education (or overseen by same). The same rules about geographic limitations apply.

Dual Credit Option

Schools like MU High School (at the University of Missouri-Columbia) now offer not only excellent high school diploma programs, but also the ability to take courses that count for both high school and college credit.

These dual credit programs are typically offered at colleges that have gotten into the online high school game. Note that the University of Miami, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Indiana University are offering very solid, well-respected high school programs.

The single-most common referral that I now give to students who are of traditional high school age is to look seriously at the university-based programs. How can earning credit in two schools with one class be a bad thing?

Recommendations

While in print I typically don't make recommendations, I do like being helping people find the right program (so, hey, visit me at BestOnlineHighSchools.com or send me an email and we'll chat!).

However, I can tell you that I often recommend university-based programs for high school age students and I often recommend more commercial programs, like Laurel Springs School, Penn Foster High School, or Keystone National High School, for adult students. I also regularly do just the opposite.

Whether you decide to earn your diploma online or at your local adult school, the important thing is that you earn it.

Source: http://adulted.about.com/cs/finishhighschool/a/onlineHS_2.htm