Alternatives to high school?

[Cheryl S.]

I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
year of high school, that would lead to entering college. She is very
bright, does not get into any sort of trouble, but the school system is
just not a good fit for her. She alternates between giving it 110%, and
burning out and doing nothing, and has wound up with grades that will
not be sufficient for her to graduate, even if she does attend and pass
everything this coming year. She is very talented, and interested
mainly, in drama - acting and singing.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Daye]

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 17:39:32 -0400, "Cheryl S."
> wrote:

>I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
>homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
>year of high school, that would lead to entering college.

Correspondence? GED?

--
Daye
Momma to Jayan
EDD 11 Jan 2004

[Daye]

On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 22:07:33 GMT, dragonlady
> wrote:

>(You can"t take the GED if your class has not yet graduated from high
>school -- so even if you are 18, the GED is not an option until after
>you would have been out of high school.)

Is that for California only? I know a couple of people in Texas who
took the GED test before their classes graduated. This was in the
early 90s.

--
Daye
Momma to Jayan
EDD 11 Jan 2004

[dragonlady]

In article >,
"Cheryl S." > wrote:

> I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
> homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
> year of high school, that would lead to entering college. She is very
> bright, does not get into any sort of trouble, but the school system is
> just not a good fit for her. She alternates between giving it 110%, and
> burning out and doing nothing, and has wound up with grades that will
> not be sufficient for her to graduate, even if she does attend and pass
> everything this coming year. She is very talented, and interested
> mainly, in drama - acting and singing.
> --
> Cheryl S.
> Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
> And a boy, EDD 4.Sept
>
> Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
> shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.
>
>
My 17 yo son sounds a lot like your daughter -- right up to and
including an interest in theater and music.

It may depend upon the state you are in. However, I just researched
this on behalf of my son. And my thanks to all of you on this list who
helped me sort it out!

To go on directly to a 4 year college, you have to have a high school
diploma -- but you can get them through independent study programs in
some areas. However, to get in to a community college, that isn't
necesssary, and, at least here, the community colleges do a great job of
feeding into the 4 year colleges.

Here in California, you can only go to the Community Colleges if you are:

18 years old or older
OR
have graduated from high school
OR
are a cuncurrently enrolled high school student
OR
have passed the California High School Proficiency Exam (not the high
school exit exam, and not the GED: this is a little known option that
is not advertized heavily, and will not be given again until October)

(You can"t take the GED if your class has not yet graduated from high
school -- so even if you are 18, the GED is not an option until after
you would have been out of high school.)

The Community Colleges are an excellent choice for students like my son,
whose high school grades alternated between A's and F's; they seem to
do a good job of feeding into the 4 year colleeges; as an added bonus,
they are MUCH cheaper.

The high schools insist on full time enrollement in THIER program,
whether you need that many credits or not, making part time high school
and part time college difficult.

However, we do have something called "Middle College" available at the
local community colleges where the students take 2 high school classes
(English and Social Studies), 2 classes worth of high school level
independent study, and at least 6 college classes.

Alternatively, you CAN home school, then send your child to college for
the actual classes.

Due to several factors, our options boiled down to:

-Homeschool, which my son did not want to do
-Middle college, which he did last year, and, for some very good
reasons, did not want to do -- their schedule made it necessary for hiim
to take night classes to get the science lab classes he needs
-Go back to high school temporarily, and take hte CHSP when it is
available.

My son's choice is to go back to high school, but only temporarily. He
will take the minimum number of classes he has to take; since he now
has a job, and that can count for one class, he will take 4 classes:
English, Social Studies, theater and choir, probably. He'll take the
CHSP test in October. I don't expect he'll have any problems passing
it, but whether he does or not, when the next semester of college
starts, he'll sign up as a full time student. (In case anyone is
wondering, there are no math classes he can take, as he's already
completed his first year of college calculus; he's already taken
Biology and one semester of college Chemistry, and he hates the physics
teacher so would rather wait and take that in college.)

He will not get a high school diploma; however, he already has around
22 college credits, with more than a B average, so I don't anticipate
that this will be a problem. He expects to then spend 3 semesters at
the Communtiy College; a year from this fall, he'll get a written
agreement that if he finishes the classes he's started, he can transfer
to UC-Davic to finish their pre-med program.

You are starting a little late to sort all of this out -- good luck!

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[Mary W.]

Cheryl S. wrote:
> I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
> homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
> year of high school, that would lead to entering college. She is very
> bright, does not get into any sort of trouble, but the school system is
> just not a good fit for her. She alternates between giving it 110%, and
> burning out and doing nothing, and has wound up with grades that will
> not be sufficient for her to graduate, even if she does attend and pass
> everything this coming year. She is very talented, and interested
> mainly, in drama - acting and singing.

Cheryl,

My boss's daughter sounds similar. She ended up skipping her last
year of regular high school and attending the local alternative
school - which was a public school that had an open campus. It's
typical students are older kids who didn't finish high school
(dropped out for whatever reason). So it was set up more as a
college - open campus, take what classes you want. She only
needed a few courses to meet the requirements, so she took
like 2-3 classes and worked.

Then went on to a regular college the next year.

She may look to see if something like that is available.

Mary

[Donna Metler]

There are some correspondence-based high school programs, which might be a
better fit. One of them that I know pretty well is University High School at
Texas Tech University-the students choose modules, and do them at their own
pace. If there is such a program at a nearby school, she could also access
college resources and some classes via this sort of program.

I believe there are some distance-learning high schools available via the
internet as well.

There also may be an alternative or optional program in the district which
is a better fit for her. My district has something like 12 different high
school programs, including one on a community college campus with a flexible
schedule.


>

[dragonlady]

In article >,
Daye > wrote:

> On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 22:07:33 GMT, dragonlady
> > wrote:
>
> >(You can"t take the GED if your class has not yet graduated from high
> >school -- so even if you are 18, the GED is not an option until after
> >you would have been out of high school.)
>
> Is that for California only? I know a couple of people in Texas who
> took the GED test before their classes graduated. This was in the
> early 90s.
>
> --
> Daye
> Momma to Jayan
> EDD 11 Jan 2004

Sorry, I only know the rules for California; they probably vary from
state to state.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[Sue]

Hi Cheryl,

How about a private school? I don't know if you are familar with the Shrine
of the Little Flower (Royal Oak) it is a huge private school that many
people give accolades to. The school goes up to graduation. Also, can she do
college prep classes at a college, but stay in the high school, to stimulate
her more? That's all I can think of right now. Oh wait, are there any
homeschooling famlies that the parents know? Could a homeschooling parent
take her in? Or perhaps find a charter school. I guess I had a few more
ideas, lol. Good luck. :o)

How are you lately? I haven't heard from you in a long time. Want to meet at
a park one day?

--
Sue
mom to three girls

Cheryl S. > wrote in message
...
> I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
> homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
> year of high school, that would lead to entering college. She is very
> bright, does not get into any sort of trouble, but the school system is
> just not a good fit for her. She alternates between giving it 110%, and
> burning out and doing nothing, and has wound up with grades that will
> not be sufficient for her to graduate, even if she does attend and pass
> everything this coming year. She is very talented, and interested
> mainly, in drama - acting and singing.
> --
> Cheryl S.
> Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
> And a boy, EDD 4.Sept
>
> Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
> shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.
>
>

[toto]

On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 22:07:33 GMT, dragonlady
> wrote:

>(You can"t take the GED if your class has not yet graduated from high
>school -- so even if you are 18, the GED is not an option until after
>you would have been out of high school.)

I wonder if that is different in different states?

It is something I don't really understand since many states allow
kids to drop out of high school at 16, so why not allow them to
take the GED if they are ready?


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..
Outer Limits

[Denise]

"dragonlady" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Cheryl S." > wrote:

>
> (You can"t take the GED if your class has not yet graduated from high
> school -- so even if you are 18, the GED is not an option until after
> you would have been out of high school.)
>

Has this changed recently? I took my GED when I was 16 and not enrolled in
high school. I eventually went back to high school (long story) but I
didn't have a hard time taking my GED and it was only about 5 years ago.

[Bruce and Jeanne]

Rosalie B. wrote:

> x-no-archive:yes Daye > wrote:
>
> >On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 17:39:32 -0400, "Cheryl S."
> > wrote:
> >
> >>I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
> >>homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
> >>year of high school, that would lead to entering college.
> >
> >Correspondence? GED?
>
> My last 3 children attended HS part time and took a college course at
> the local 4 year state college. One of them took Senior English,
> Senior SS, Band and had one period as a lab aid to the chem teacher,
> and took Calculus in college. One took Senior English, Senior SS,
> Calculus and was a lab aide and took intro to programming (which
> included writing machine language routines).
>
> My son took Senior English, Senior SS, mechanical drawing, Accounting
> and at the college Art IIRC. He passed by the skin of his teeth after
> having to take summer school for junior English and SS.
>
> I'm only mentioning this because our HS only insisted on 4 credits to
> be a full time student, so part time HS was possible.
>
>

My brother and I also did this, albeit this was the late 70's so things
will have changed (maybe they've changed back !). Our only senior year
requirements were gym and English - so I took calculus and orchestra as
well at HS in the morning and then went to a university for a class in
the afternoon. The only requirement for the college-level course was
that the course could not be available at the HS - IOW, I couldn't take
calculus at the uinversity, but I could take art history.

Jeanne

[toto]

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 06:09:37 GMT, "Denise"
> wrote:

>> (You can"t take the GED if your class has not yet graduated
>> from high school -- so even if you are 18, the GED is not an
>> option until after you would have been out of high school.)
>>
>
>Has this changed recently? I took my GED when I was 16 and
>not enrolled in high school. I eventually went back to high school
>(long story) but I didn't have a hard time taking my GED and it
>was only about 5 years ago.

It seems to depend on the state.

In order to take the test if you are under 19, in Ohio, for example,
you must have an application completed by the superintendent
of schools where you attended last (or I guess by a parent if you
are homeschooled). You must have been officially withdrawn
from school and the superintendent must say whether or not they
believe the test is in your best interest at this time or not in your
best interest.

Colorado law states that persons between the ages of 16 and
17 may take the GED Tests only when they provide a completed
age waiver application and a letter from a university, college, or
post-secondary vocational program. The letter must identify the
applicant and state that the candidate is required to have a GED
or high school diploma in order to be admitted to a specific
program or to receive financial aid. The letter must be written
on letterhead stationery and be submitted with the age waiver
application to the State GED Office.

Wyoming's General Educational Development (GED) testing
centers are responsible for administering the high school
equivalency tests to: adults age 18 and over, 17 year-olds
can take the GED after approval of an official GED age waiver,
16 year-olds can take the GED if they are court-ordered to
do so.

Florida says:

The GED Tests may be given to:

Residents of Florida, proof of residency must include either
a State of Florida Driver License or State of Florida
Identification Card
* Adults, 18 years of age or older
* GED candidates 16 or 17 years of age who have been
granted an age waiver from their local educational agency
* Individuals not enrolled in an accredited high school
* Individuals who have not graduated from an accredited high
school or have not already received a high school equivalency
diploma




--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..
Outer Limits

[Denise]

"toto" > wrote in
> >Has this changed recently? I took my GED when I was 16 and
> >not enrolled in high school. I eventually went back to high school
> >(long story) but I didn't have a hard time taking my GED and it
> >was only about 5 years ago.
>
> It seems to depend on the state.

I'm sure it depends on the state. I was referring to the post about
California, I should have clarified. I took my GED in San Diego before I
was old enough to have graduated high school.

[K, T, E & N]

Maybe do a little "time management" and "goal setting" work.

I've seen this lots.

Kim

[Cheryl S.]

Daye > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 17:39:32 -0400, "Cheryl S."
> > wrote:
>
> >I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the
obvious -
> >homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the
senior
> >year of high school, that would lead to entering college.
>
> Correspondence? GED?

I believe that our state may be one in which the GED is not allowed
until after her class graduates, but that is a guess based on when my
nephew stopped attending school (his 18th birthday in December) vs when
he took the exam (the next summer). Correspondence is a good
suggestion. I didn't know that was available for the high school level.
It could work very well for her, if it would mean she can work at her
own pace and feel she's really learning things instead of just
regurgitating them for the sake of the "grade game". Thanks, Daye.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Cheryl S.]

dragonlady > wrote in message
...
> My 17 yo son sounds a lot like your daughter -- right up to and
> including an interest in theater and music.

(She's actually my niece...FWIW)

> It may depend upon the state you are in. However, I just researched
> this on behalf of my son.
> <snip>
> He will not get a high school diploma; however, he already has around
> 22 college credits, with more than a B average, so I don't anticipate
> that this will be a problem.

Thank you for passing on all that you learned; I will share it with my
sister. Sounds like your son is doing great! I hope that my niece,
too, will fare better in college.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Cheryl S.]

P. Tierney > wrote in message
news:3IBWa.43759$uu5.4621@sccrnsc04...
> Though it is getting late and they are surely starting to get
busy, I'd
> meet with someone at a college in which she is likely to want to
attend
> and find out what they recommend.

That is a really good idea; thanks, P. Hopefully this would actually be
a comparatively slow time for the staff in the admissions office and
they would be willing to meet with her.

> My guess is that they will recommend that she finish high school,
> especially if the college is a larger one that doesn't have the time
> to process students on a more individual basis. But, who knows.
> You might get lucky.

Finishing high school is very unlikely to be a viable option at this
point - hopefully they will have some other ideas as well.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Cheryl S.]

Ericka Kammerer > wrote in message
...
> In some situations one can work out an arrangement where
> she goes to a college (perhaps the local community college or
> whatever else might be available) and gets both her high school
> diploma and a leg up on college credits. Have you talked to
> a guidance counselor?

She and her parents (my sister is her mother) met with her guidance
counselor a few times during the past school year. AFAIK, the options
they were given were basically (1) graduate with her class or (2) take
the GED later. To accomplish (1), she would have had to take a full
course load at summer school this summer (which hasn't happened), take a
full course load all through next school year, as well as several
credits of evening classes all school year. So, if a regular course
load by itself wasn't getting done, they really couldn't see how this
was going to happen! I'll encourage my sister to talk to someone at the
community college my older niece is currently attending. Thanks,
Ericka.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[P. Tierney]

"Cheryl S." > wrote in message
...
> Daye > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 17:39:32 -0400, "Cheryl S."
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the
> obvious -
> > >homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the
> senior
> > >year of high school, that would lead to entering college.
> >
> > Correspondence? GED?
>
> I believe that our state may be one in which the GED is not allowed
> until after her class graduates, but that is a guess based on when my
> nephew stopped attending school (his 18th birthday in December) vs when
> he took the exam (the next summer). Correspondence is a good
> suggestion. I didn't know that was available for the high school level.
> It could work very well for her, if it would mean she can work at her
> own pace and feel she's really learning things instead of just
> regurgitating them for the sake of the "grade game". Thanks, Daye.

We have a pair of high schools like this that are for those who
did not have success in the current ones. One is "alternative" with
regards to it's approach to learning, small class sizes, and one-on-one
instruction. The other is, essentially, a correspondence school.
Kids who have to work a lot, have kids of their own, or for whatever
other reason, take "classes" that are essentially computer courses
and/or booklet-driven classes with a teacher there to guide, but not
really instruct.

Not that it should matter to you since you live elsewhere.
I'm just passing it along.


P.
Tierney

[Daye]

On Sat, 2 Aug 2003 14:23:39 -0400, "Cheryl S."
> wrote:

> Correspondence is a good
>suggestion. I didn't know that was available for the high school level.

When I was your neice's age, I looked into correspondence classes. It
seemed the easiest way to go. I didn't actually do it because I
realized that I didn't have the motivation to complete the work.

--
Daye
Momma to Jayan
EDD 11 Jan 2004

[Courtney]

In article >,
says...

> I believe that our state may be one in which the GED is not allowed
> until after her class graduates, but that is a guess based on when my
> nephew stopped attending school (his 18th birthday in December) vs when
> he took the exam (the next summer). Correspondence is a good
> suggestion. I didn't know that was available for the high school level.
> It could work very well for her, if it would mean she can work at her
> own pace and feel she's really learning things instead of just
> regurgitating them for the sake of the "grade game". Thanks, Daye.

Not sure where you are, but I noticed another poster mentioned you're
close to Royal Oak (hi fellow Detroit metro person!) and if so, Michigan
is one of those "after the class graduates" states - which seems to me
to be counterproductive since more people wouldn't go back and take it
after dropping out early. The doc file from the michigan.gov website is
at http://tinyurl.com/iuqc showing all the requirements.

What I did was double up on english classes so I was taking junior and
senior honors english in the same year and graduated at the end of what
should have been my junior year. I had to get special permission which
took a few visits to the principal from my parents and an independant
letter/phone call from my psychologist but it was granted a few weeks
before classes started, only about 2 or 3 weeks after we first asked.

When I graduated, South Carolina required 20 credits (1 class= 1 credit)
and I had 23 as we had 8 classes instead of the traditional 6. I got
into my first choice college (the only place I applied for) and
graduated in the top 2% of my class, even though they had an extra year
and I went to an International Baccalaureate magnet high school. Had I
stayed I could have gotten ~9 college hours complete from AP courses,
but it was worth it to me to get far away from there.

Has the person checked to see if there is a fine arts program offered by
the school district? Ours had one where juniors and seniors would go for
either the morning or afternoon (depending on their program - art,
dance, music, or drama) every day and then for the half of the day they
weren't there, they were at the hs. Might not be an option if it is
available in the district at this late of a date though.

Good luck to her. I could not have lived through senior year knowing it
was getting me absolutely nowhere.



Courtney

[James and Karen Stewart]

Are you in Canada. I am in Ontario and we have T.R. Leger...which is an
alternative school, kind of more for troubled kinds who don't like the
shcool system but are to young to quit, but it might work for her. She would
have support there for whatever courses she takes and she would do the tests
there but she would not have to attend ( unless she is 16 or under) She
could do the work at home drop off the chapters that she does and it may be
a good way if she is intelligent to to it ahead and get done school quickly.

Good luck
"Cheryl S." > wrote in message
...
> I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
> homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
> year of high school, that would lead to entering college. She is very
> bright, does not get into any sort of trouble, but the school system is
> just not a good fit for her. She alternates between giving it 110%, and
> burning out and doing nothing, and has wound up with grades that will
> not be sufficient for her to graduate, even if she does attend and pass
> everything this coming year. She is very talented, and interested
> mainly, in drama - acting and singing.
> --
> Cheryl S.
> Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
> And a boy, EDD 4.Sept
>
> Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
> shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.
>
>

[blacksalt]

"Cheryl S." wrote:
> She is very talented, and interested
> mainly, in drama - acting and singing.


Advanced placement (college classes), Individual Study (some schools
offer this), a GED and some life experiance in employment or vo-tec or
volunteer work. I dropped out of high school, did some
non-traditional-for-women votec classes, read alot and wrote book
reviews, which I kept in case I ever needed to show someone what I'd
done for a year other than wash dishes (I read, on average, 200 pages a
day). I envied my friends who'd done AP and gotten over the mickeymouse
basics at college, but I did okay as it was.
I needed to be away from 17 year olds. They were bad influences and
boringly childish. My friends were in their twenties, and already in
college. I did better around them.
blacksalt

[blacksalt]

"Cheryl S." wrote:
>

>
> I believe that our state may be one in which the GED is not allowed
> until after her class graduates,

Our state waived this with a letter from the principal. Coach the kid
alittle to sound like they have great plans ahead of them, and I'll bet
you could get such a letter easily.

[dragonlady]

In article >,
"R. Steve Walz" > wrote:

> toto wrote:
> >
> > On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 17:20:11 GMT, "Denise"
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >"toto" > wrote in
> > >> >Has this changed recently? I took my GED when I was 16 and
> > >> >not enrolled in high school. I eventually went back to high school
> > >> >(long story) but I didn't have a hard time taking my GED and it
> > >> >was only about 5 years ago.
> > >>
> > >> It seems to depend on the state.
> > >
> > >I'm sure it depends on the state. I was referring to the post about
> > >California, I should have clarified. I took my GED in San Diego before I
> > >was old enough to have graduated high school.
> > >
> > California law may have changed then
> >
> > http://www.cde.ca.gov/ged/faq/eligible.html
> >
> > You are eligible to take the GED test if you are a resident of
> > California and meet any one of the following criteria:
> >
> > * The individual is 18 years of age or older, or within 60 days of
> > his or her 18th birthday (regardless of school enrollment status).
> > * The individual must be within 60 days of when he or she would
> > have graduated from high school had he or she remained in school and
> > followed the usual course of study (please note that examinees testing
> > under this criteria may not be enrolled in school).
> > * The individual is 17 years of age, has been out of school for at
> > least 60 consecutive school days, and provides a letter of request for
> > the test from the military, a post-secondary educational institution
> > or a prospective employer.
> > * The individual is 17 years of age and is incarcerated in a
> > California state or county correctional facility; persons testing
> > under these conditions must meet all of the following criteria:
> > o The examinee does not have a realistic chance of
> > completing the requirements for a high school diploma.
> > o The examinee has adequate academic skills to successfully
> > complete the GED test battery.
> > o The examinee understands the options available regarding
> > acquisition of a high school diploma, the high school equivalency
> > certificate or the high school proficiency certificate, and the
> > requirements, expectations, benefits and limitations of each option.
> > o The examinee has sufficient commitment time left to
> > complete the entire GED test battery; however, if released before the
> > test is completed, the examinee may complete testing at an authorized
> > testing center.
> >
> > Persons who pass the GED test at age 17 will not receive the
> > equivalency certificate until their 18th birthday; a letter of intent
> > is issued which states that the certificate is being held pending the
> > examinee's 18th birthday.
> > Dorothy
> -------------------------
> What they don't mention is that the CHSPE test they take at age 15
> qualifies as the GED test, so that if you pass it, and then leave
> school and don't come back till you're 18, they have to give you your
> GED diploma on or after your birthday. The letter of intent is so you
> can gain employment before age 18.
> Steve

Also so you can start at the community college as a full time student
before you are 18, and without being concurrently enrolled as a high
school student.

I wish we'd known about this test a year ago: my son would undoubtedly
be going to college full time next semester instead of high school.

Oh well. There's probably some reason (the cynical side of myself
assumes it has to do with $$) they don't make this test well known!

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[toto]

On Sun, 03 Aug 2003 05:03:51 GMT, "R. Steve Walz" >
wrote:

>What they don't mention is that the CHSPE test they take at age 15
>qualifies as the GED test, so that if you pass it, and then leave
>school and don't come back till you're 18, they have to give you your
>GED diploma on or after your birthday. The letter of intent is so you
>can gain employment before age 18.
>Steve

Do you know if other states operate that way? And do you have a
URL that confirms this?

I really believe that a teen should be able to take the GED test at
any time and to get his high school diploma if he passes it. It
seems to me that the intent of not doing so before 18 is simply to
keep him in a situation of dependence and to enforce that he must
go to school if he wants to better himself. Of course, keeping teens
out of the work force is intended to allow more low skill adults to
have jobs too. The compulsory educations laws really need to be
changed.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..
Outer Limits

[Cheryl S.]

K, T, E & N > wrote in message
...
> Maybe do a little "time management" and "goal setting" work.
>
> I've seen this lots.

I agree attending high school could be valuable in giving her experience
with these skills, even if she doesn't actually learn from the
curriculum directly. I've mentioned that to my sister, but she doesn't
seem to think these things are a problem.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Cheryl S.]

Courtney > wrote in message
...
> Not sure where you are, but I noticed another poster mentioned you're
> close to Royal Oak (hi fellow Detroit metro person!) and if so,
Michigan
> is one of those "after the class graduates" states - which seems to me
> to be counterproductive since more people wouldn't go back and take it
> after dropping out early. The doc file from the michigan.gov website
is
> at http://tinyurl.com/iuqc showing all the requirements.

Thanks for that link. I've bookmarked it so I can forward it to my
sister.

> Has the person checked to see if there is a fine arts program offered
by
> the school district? Ours had one where juniors and seniors would go
for
> either the morning or afternoon (depending on their program - art,
> dance, music, or drama) every day and then for the half of the day
they
> weren't there, they were at the hs. Might not be an option if it is
> available in the district at this late of a date though.

There is a program exactly like this, that she was in last year. If
they can't find anything else, this is probably what she'll do again. I
think it is just because everyone knows that no matter what she does,
it's not going to result in a diploma, that they are looking for other
ways for her to spend her time that might be as good or better. If they
don't find anything else this is probably what she will do.

> Good luck to her. I could not have lived through senior year knowing
it
> was getting me absolutely nowhere.

Thanks for the good wishes. I spent my entire senior year of high
school wishing I could be anyplace else but there so I am sympathetic.
It sounds like you have really done well for yourself, so
congratulations, and keep it up! :-)
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Cheryl S.]

dragonlady > wrote in message
...
> I hadn't realized that your neice was going to have problems earning
> enough credits to graduate. My OTHER 17 year old is in THAT
> position, and is now attending what, around here, is called a
> "continuation high school".
> <snip>
> I have mixed feelings about it, since they cannot offer any sort of
> advanced classes, or even any science lab classes.

That might work, in terms of numbers of credits, but it doesn't sound
like they'd have any classes appropriate for my niece either, if such a
thing does exist here. But maybe she could get some sort of
theater-related job or apprenticeship that they would count as earning
credits. I'll suggest this to my sister too. Thanks.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[toto]

On Sun, 3 Aug 2003 17:31:53 -0400, "Cheryl S."
> wrote:

>That might work, in terms of numbers of credits, but it doesn't sound
>like they'd have any classes appropriate for my niece either, if such a
>thing does exist here. But maybe she could get some sort of
>theater-related job or apprenticeship that they would count as earning
>credits. I'll suggest this to my sister too. Thanks.

You can email me at sigtoto (at) {yahoo --dot--- com). My dd is in
theater and has some contacts. If you tell me where you are, she
might have some ideas about apprenticeships or internships.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..
Outer Limits

[Sue]

Courtney > wrote in message
> Not sure where you are, but I noticed another poster mentioned you're
> close to Royal Oak (hi fellow Detroit metro person!)


Hi Courtney (waves) :o)

--
Sue
mom to three girls

[Sue]

Hi Cheryl,
> Parks are not good for me right now - I get too exhausted running after
> Julie. We've been going to our library a lot; it has a fantastic new
> children's section with lots of activities, and the play area at the
> mall. I don't know if there is anything similar to those that would be
> convenient for you to meet me at, and fun for your girls too. When do
> they start school?
> --
> Cheryl S.

Sorry, I hadn't thought about the park not being good. It can be soo hot in
the afternoon and yes I didn't want to chase after anyone when I was so
close to delivering either.

School starts Aug 25. If you can think of anything you would like to do, I
am game. It is easier for me to come to you and do whatever you would like.
Have you been out to Great Lakes Crossing yet? I have heard they have a
wonderful playscape thing in the middle of the mall for the kids. It is a
drive though, even for me, but it might be someplace cool to be. Let me
know. :o)
--
Sue
mom to three girls

[Donna Metler]

"Cheryl S." > wrote in message
...
> Donna Metler > wrote in message
> . ..
> > There are some correspondence-based high school programs, which
> > might be a better fit. One of them that I know pretty well is
> University
> > High School at Texas Tech University-the students choose modules,
> > and do them at their own pace. If there is such a program at a nearby
> > school, she could also access college resources and some classes via
> > this sort of program.
>
> That sounds like a very good option to look into. Does it have to be a
> nearby school, or would she be able to do the TTU program from Michigan?

I believe you can do it remotely, but there may be an out of state charge. I
think it's primarily designed for kids in really rural, small schools where
many classes aren't offered, or who are homeschooling,


>
> > There also may be an alternative or optional program in the district
> which
> > is a better fit for her. My district has something like 12 different
> high
> > school programs, including one on a community college campus with a
> > flexible schedule.
>
> She did attend an alternative program last year that she likes a lot,
> and did well at. Students from many different area high schools go to
> this school in the afternoon, specifically for classes in the arts. But
> she has to be enrolled in her home high school in the morning to be
> allowed to go there, and apparently even just the morning didn't go well
> enough last year that it's an automatic decision to continue with that
> arrangement.
> --
> Cheryl S.
> Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
> And a boy, EDD 4.Sept
>
> Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
> shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.
>
>

[R. Steve Walz]

toto wrote:
>
> On Sun, 03 Aug 2003 05:03:51 GMT, "R. Steve Walz" >
> wrote:
>
> >What they don't mention is that the CHSPE test they take at age 15
> >qualifies as the GED test, so that if you pass it, and then leave
> >school and don't come back till you're 18, they have to give you your
> >GED diploma on or after your birthday. The letter of intent is so you
> >can gain employment before age 18.
> >Steve
>
> Do you know if other states operate that way? And do you have a
> URL that confirms this?
-----------------
I don't NEED a damned URL, the ETS in Oakland sent both my kids their
GEDs based on their CHSPE! Do they do the same now? Don't know! They
probably do.

Just Googled "CHSPE GED":
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000064.htm
Yup, they still do!


> I really believe that a teen should be able to take the GED test at
> any time and to get his high school diploma if he passes it. It
> seems to me that the intent of not doing so before 18 is simply to
> keep him in a situation of dependence and to enforce that he must
> go to school if he wants to better himself. Of course, keeping teens
> out of the work force is intended to allow more low skill adults to
> have jobs too. The compulsory educations laws really need to be
> changed.
> Dorothy
------------------
Indeed.
Steve

[Cheryl S.]

Sue > wrote in message
...
> School starts Aug 25. If you can think of anything you would
> like to do, I am game. It is easier for me to come to you and
> do whatever you would like.

I've emailed you. :-)
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Cheryl S.]

toto > wrote in message
...
> You can email me at sigtoto (at) {yahoo --dot--- com).

Done. :-)
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 3 mo.
And a boy, EDD 4.Sept

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.

[Chookie]

In article >,
"Cheryl S." > wrote:

> I am curious what alternatives anyone may know of (besides the obvious -
> homeschooling), for a 17 year old to do in lieu of attending the senior
> year of high school, that would lead to entering college. She is very
> bright, does not get into any sort of trouble, but the school system is
> just not a good fit for her. She alternates between giving it 110%, and
> burning out and doing nothing, and has wound up with grades that will
> not be sufficient for her to graduate, even if she does attend and pass
> everything this coming year. She is very talented, and interested
> mainly, in drama - acting and singing.

Our education system is very different to yours and I am passing some info
along in the hope that there might be similar alternatives where you are.

Firstly, we have TAFE, which is similar to your community colleges IIRC.
Anyway, in Sydney there is a specialist TAFE college which takes students who
for one reason or another don't do well in typical schools. They run programs
to get our end-of-school qualification, but the atmosphere and structure is
different. The results have been excellent.

You can also do a straight-out repeat of your final year of schooling either
at a (public or private) school or at a TAFE, or via open (distance) learning.

While the HSC (our end-of-high-school qualification) marks are important for
getting into uni or TAFE courses, they are not the only things taken into
consideration -- if you talk to the counsellors at the college you are
interested in, they may be able to make special arrangements. This, of
course, presupposes that your niece wants to do further study.

My own tendency would be to find out what exactly isn't working for her in the
current arrangements. The repeated overachieve-burnout pattern is (I think)
unusual. Have health problems (and in particular, psychiatric problems) been
ruled out? What does the girl herself say is wrong about her education? What
would she like to do next year, and how would she like to go about it? Would
she be better off working for a year while she thinks over what she's really
interested in (and joining the local dramatic society for some light relief)?
Has she had any career guidance counselling to suggest a future path?

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"...children should continue to be breastfed... for up to two years of age
or beyond." -- Innocenti Declaration, Florence, 1 August 1990

[[email protected]]

My daughter is an accomplished figure skater, and previously had a
difficult time balancing her training schedule with school. She now
attends University of Miami Online High School. The staff is excellent,
and we get all the support we need. She has two years left before she
graduates and expects to be accepted to a school back here in the
Northeast. We have been very pleased with this program.
http://www.u-of-miami-online-highschool.com/cap.asp?c=UM6500954