But, I thought I’d share the news that both major universities in Saskatchewan have homeschool admission policies! (The other degree-granting institutions in SK offer degrees through one of these two universities, so I’m only including the two here for admission purposes.)

University of Regina’s Homeschool Admission Page

Home Based Learner
Applicants in this category must supply the following to the Admissions Office:

1. A completed Application for Undergraduate Program Admission
2. The application fee.
3. A statement of identification as a home-based learner and a letter of intent (sample) outlining their educational goals and objectives, and including relevant extracurricular activities (arts activities, athletics, community service, employment) as they pertain to university preparation; a Home-Based Learner Profile can be found under Printable Forms.
4. A Home-Based Learner transcript detailing grade 11 and 12 courses (sample 1 and sample 2).
5. Evidence (as noted below) of having achieved the following:
   1. a minimum combined score of 1100 in the SAT I (Critical Reading and Math portions only) or a minimum average of 24 in the ACT ; and
   2. One of:
   • A minimum grade of 60% in one university course in a relevant admission subject; the course may be taken from the University of Regina as an accelerated student or another accredited university
   • A minimum grade of 65% in one 30-level high school course taken through a provincial correspondence school or by challenging a provincial departmental examination; the course must appear on the official provincial transcript of high school grades
   • A minimum grade of 4 in an approved Advanced Placement course
   • A minimum score of 650 on one SAT II subject examination

   Evidence of achievement is provided by the following documents, to be sent directly from the responsible institution or agency to the Admissions Office (documents are not accepted from applicants unless otherwise indicated):

   test scores: official statement of results
   from the testing agency
   30-level high school course: one official provincial high school transcript (accepted from applicant)
   University of Regina course: no evidence required; applicants should note attendance on the application form
   Other university course: two official university transcripts
   AP course: official statement of results from the College Board

An interview with a Faculty advisor may be required by the University or requested by the applicant.

Successful applicants will be admitted to the Faculty of Arts (with a condition of “mandatory advising”), the Faculty of Fine Arts or the Faculty of Social Work. Home Based Learners applying to other faculties may ask to be admitted to the Faculty of Arts to qualify for transfer to their faculty of choice (see post-secondary transfer requirements).

Further details can be found in the Admission Profile for Home-Based Learners.

University of Saskatchewan’s Admissions Page (click the tab for Home Schooled Applicants)

The University of Saskatchewan offers applicants who have elected to complete a home schooling program the following options:

1. Admission to all direct-entry colleges by successfully writing the Saskatchewan Learning provincial examinations (or equivalent) and obtaining Adult 12 standing in the required subjects and meeting the required admission average
2. Applying for Special (Mature) admission at the age of 21
3. Applicants will be considered for admissions into the Colleges of Arts & Science and Agriculture & Bioresources based on the provision of one or more of the following assessment tools:
• A Home Based School Transcript with details of all Grade 11 and Grade 12 courses taken
• Independent third party examinations including nationally normed standardized achievement tests such as a minimum score of 1100 in the SAT I or a minimum average of 24 in the ACT
• An educational portfolio

Please note:

An interview may be requested
The University of Saskatchewan reserves the right to request additional information at the institution’s discretion.

Two of the four universities do have stated homeschool admission policies (quoted and linked). The other two do not mention homeschoolers so I have emailed the admissions departments and I will update when I receive a response. They both have mature student admission at age 21, and the University of Brandon appears to accept a GED in place of a high school diploma, should you choose to go that route.

University of Winnipeg 2010-2011 Admissions guide (pdf download)

Home School
Home-schooled students will be considered for admission to The University of Winnipeg on an individual basis. Each applicant must provide proof of completion of Grade 12 or its equivalent including Mathematics and English.

Canadian Mennonite University Home School Admission Page

Home-Schooled Students
Home-schooled students who are 21 years of age or older may be considered for admission as Mature Students. Students who are under 21 years of age and have not, or will not, receive a certificate of graduation through a public or an accredited private secondary school system, may apply for admission under one of the following two options:
Students who have successfully completed a provincial secondary school study program must submit a final mark statement and a graduation certificate from the Department of Education of their home province to demonstrate that they meet CMU’s regular admission requirements.

Students who have been home-schooled on a private basis must submit a written declaration or transcript prepared by the primary educator outlining the secondary level courses completed, the type of program, material used, and the length of the program. To be eligible for consideration, such students must have achieved a minimum of 60% or “C” grade average. After the student has completed a minimum of eighteen credit hours of coursework, or at the end of the first academic year, whichever occurs first, the student will be evaluated in accordance with CMU’s academic performance policy and the student’s status will be changed to regular status if the student has achieved a minimum GPA of 2.0, or to probationary status if the GPA is less that 2.0. The student must fulfill the Academic Writing Requirement within the first term of study.
Students admitted as Home-Schooled students are ineligible for Academic Entrance Scholarships, but they may be eligible for a Leadership Scholarship or one of the Specialized Entrance Scholarships in the areas of music, athletics, or church service.

Brandon University Admissions Page

According to Brandon University’s admission website, students may apply with a GED or a mature student in lieu of a high school diploma. No specific homeschool policy is indicated. I have written to them to ask for further information.

University of Manitoba Admission Requirements Page

According to the University of Manitoba’s admission website, students may apply as a mature student at age 21 in lieu of a high school diploma. No specific homeschool policy is indicated. I have written to them to ask for further information.

My online storage system has recently allowed for the sharing of files publicly, so I’m testing it out with an electronic copy of the CD that was handed out at the KWCHEA conference earlier this year. You can now download one big zip file at the following link:
Download of KWCHEA CD package

The file will have to be unzipped or decompressed using any standard program. Then you should see 6 folders which all contain a bunch of pdf files:

- Articles Written by Sarah
- Ontario Ministry of Education High School Resources
- Ontario University Admission Policies 2010 (all were updated as of spring 2010 for admission in fall 2010)
- Open Universities (information about Canada’s open universities available to Ontario Students)
- OUAC e-info information on all universities and programs (Ontario institutions)
- Standardized Tests for University Admission (including SAT, AP, CLEP and ACT)

Let me reiterate: this is not leisure reading. It’s boring. It’s not particularly pretty. But, if you are applying to university in Ontario as a homeschooler without a traditional high school diploma, I can’t think of any information you need (before you get to the point of speaking with individual universities) that’s not included here.

I also want to be perfectly clear: everything except the articles written by me is freely available online. I’m not claiming to have authored this material; I only compiled it because frankly, some of it is pretty darn difficult to find on your own. You’d be amazed at some of the navigation paths, file names and various educational jargon that industry professionals think makes sense. There’s some information here that even I had to pull my hair out to find online, so my goal was simply to put it all in one place for those who have neither the time nor the inclination to track down the information for themselves.

As this information is available freely online, there is no copyright infringement by providing it to you. Some of what’s included are simply screen shots from websites, and in that case, it’s enough to provide you the basics of what you need to know, but also provides you with the website address and how to get there yourself to get more information if you need more than the basics. And, since this information is freely available online, I have not sold nor are you allowed to sell the contents of this file. I was not financially compensated from KWCHEA in any way for this project. (They offered to reimburse me for my time, but I insisted that any money they had should go towards creating as many CDs as possible for free distribution.)

By downloading this file, you acknowledge that this file may not be sold and agree not to sell this file. It simply hasn’t been created in such a way to make that legal, as it was never my intent to receive compensation for this work. But, I hope you’ll share it freely.

I believe the contents are extremely accurate, but of course, mistakes happen. Please do let me know either by email or in a comment below if you find an error. Also feel free to let me know how you’re using the information, or if there’s anything I haven’t included that you think would be helpful, and I can consider that for version 2.0.

Depending on your browser, the link above may initiate a download automatically, so be prepared for that. The file is safe to download, but if you experience any problems please do let me know and I’ll take immediate action.

I have overheard sales people at these booths using potentially misleading phrases such as “equivalent to a high school diploma” (hint: if it’s equivalent to something, it’s not actually that thing). But perhaps the most confusing word for parents out in the alternative high school diploma industry is accredited.

YOU MAY NOT NEED ACCREDITATION, BUT WHEN YOU NEED IT, YOU REALLY NEED IT
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe everyone needs an accredited program to get them through their high school years. I don’t believe that an accredited program is, based on that fact alone, automatically superior to one that is not accredited. If I were homeschooling high school aged children right now, I personally wouldn’t choose to use an accredited program unless I was educating under constraints that made its use necessary. (Stay tuned for a later post on that!)  Remember that you might not even need a high school diploma at all, even if you want to go to university.

But, if you’re asking whether or not a program is accredited, that probably means you have come to the conclusion that your child needs or wants the benefits of accreditation. And if so, then you need to ask, “Accredited by whom?” or you may as well not ask at all.

HANG OUT A SHINGLE, AND YOU’RE A CERTIFICATION BOARD
I’m bringing up this topic again because of an article I read this morning in the Boston Herald regarding U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul’s claim to be a board certified doctor. It turns out that Paul is indeed certified . . . by a medical organization that he himself founded and currently heads. The Boston Herald article explains:

Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green and an opthamologist, says he’s certified by the National Board of Opthamology. But, Lori Boukas, a spokeswoman for the American Board of Medical Specialties, said the organization considers certifications valid only if they are done by the two dozen groups that have its approval and that of the AMA. The American Board of Opthamology said Paul hasn’t been certified since Dec. 31, 2005.

From what I gather from this article, the American Medical Association considers certifications issued by the American Board of Opthamology to be valid, but not those issued by the National Board of Opthamology, the latter being an organization that Paul created himself because he took issue with the certification practices of the former.

I’m not implying that there’s necessarily anything shady about forming your own accrediting body, but you can see how it creates confusion. If you were a budding opthamologist, then you would really need to know that the American and National Boards are two different entities, viewed differently by the American Medical Association and probably, therefore, by future employers. While both boards can offer you certification, those certifications are not equally accepted in the medical profession. Presumably there’s a professional organization to advise doctors and medical students. But surely the average patient would be clueless about these certification issues. (“Oh, you are certified by the National Board of Opthamology?  Sorry, my insurance only covers visits to an American Board of Opthamology certified doctor.”)

QUESTIONING (PRESUMED) AUTHORITIES
We see shades of this outside the world of certification. “Super Objective Scientific Plastics Research Organization” (whose website you may visit while researching toxins in plastics) is nothing more than “Petroleum Giant Inc.”‘s PR department with carefully selected pro-plastic information. The “Stop Bill C-crackdown-on-natural-medicine” website is funded by “The Acai Berry Scammers of Canada” … who may in turn be simply a crafty department of “Big Pharma Monopoly Inc.” who have the resources to pull off the best double scam in history: reap the profits from selling supplements advertised as natural (but that don’t actually work) and then expose said natural medicine scams to create laws that make it impossible to sell herbal remedies, leaving pharmaceuticals as the only option.

(As you can see, my years of asking, “Who is really behind this?” have sharpened my creative skills!)

DO YOU KNOW WHO’S ACCREDITING YOUR CHILDREN?
Most of us are aware of the need to question who is behind the sites we visit online and how objective or reliable its contents are. But, when it comes to certification and accreditation, we can really be fooled by authoritative sounding organizations and institutions. We still tend to think that it means something if a person or program is certified or accredited. It may, or it may not.

ACCREDITED HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS IN CANADA
Fortunately (for simplicity’s sake), in Canada there really is only one accrediting body for high school credits: the provincial Ministry of Education. If you are inquiring about earning Canadian high school credits and want to ensure they are the official credits that count towards an official high school diploma, the answer you want to hear is that the program is accredited by the Ministry of Education. You want to hear that the program offers a ministry- or government-accredited high school diploma, not an equivalent diploma. There is only one “high school diploma” in each province, whether earned through correspondance, through a private school, at an alternative education centre, through a combination of night and/or summer school classes or at a regular public school – it’s the government-sanctioned, provincial diploma issued by the Ministry of Education.

ACCREDITED HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS IN THE UNITED STATES
In the US, however, there are a handful of organizations with super-serious, boring names that do accredit US high schools on behalf of the US government. Not surprisingly, there are also a few organizations with super-serious, boring names that offer accreditation to schools and programs who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for accreditation through the government-recognized organizations. So, if you’re considering a US-based program that claims to be certified, you have a little more work to do to figure out which body certifies the program and then whether that body is one of the government-recognized ones.

RECOGNITION OF HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS BY CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES
Canadian universities only recognize high school diplomas from the US that the US government would have recognized themselves. Students with a differently-accredited US diploma can not apply as regular high school students. They can, of course, apply for alternative admission (for example, as homeschoolers) and their diplomas can be considered in the admission process. But, Canadian universities can only accept a US government-recognized high school diploma to satisfy the “has a high school diploma” requirement. If you have one of the “other” diplomas, you do not, in the Canadian university’s eyes, have a “high school diploma” and you can’t apply as if you do.  So, that accredited diploma you earn may not come with the door-opening credentials you expect because of the organization offering the accreditation.

CONCLUSION
Not everyone needs accreditation for their high school level studies.  But if you do in fact need a government high school diploma, then you need to find out who is accrediting the program and confirm that the diploma is government-recognized.

Related Posts:
High School Credit Courses
Do I Need a High School Diploma?
7 Ways To Get Into University Without A High School Diploma
Homeschool Diplomas – Fact vs. Fiction

The conference details including the speaker list, vendor exhibitors and more can be found at http://www.parentsguideconf.org/

Saturday May 29, 2010
Barrie Free Methodist Church
284 Cundles Rd. E., Barrie, ON
(Adults and teens only)

At the door registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and continues until 11:00 a.m.
Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and the used book room is open from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

Best wishes to the organizers for a successful conference on Saturday!

I’m not able to speak this year (being out of the country and all) but I did put together a little something special to be handed out to interested conference attendees. I’m not sure how they are going to do the handing-out, so if you want it, be sure to ask for it! I’m not going to make it available here until well after the conference (in no small part because my poor, adopted internet connection here won’t be able to take it) so it’s a KWCHEA exclusive for now.

Hope you all have a great conference. Let me know how it goes!

KW Christian Home Educators’ Conference
Saturday March 27, 2010
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Rockway Mennonite Collegiate
110 Doon Rd., Kitchener, Ontario
http://kwchea.ca/html/conference.html

While collecting information on Open Universities (Athabasca University and Thomspon Rivers University) for the upcoming KW Christian Home Educators’ conference, I discovered that the University of Guelph now has an Open Learning Program with “no formal admission requirements.” Their website goes on to say:

Guaranteed Admission to a B.A. Program

English proficiency requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Calendar apply. Contact Admissions at 519 821-2130 for details.

Open Learning program students with no previous post secondary experience who complete four courses (2.0 credits) with a 70% minimum cumulative average, may qualify to transfer into the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Commerce Programs at the University of Guelph. Please contact the Office of Open Learning for information regarding these opportunities, since there are different course requirements for each program. Please note: University of Guelph admissions requirements are subject to change at anytime

Way to go, Guelph!

Guelph’s Open Learning Program Website – http://www.open.uoguelph.ca/prospective/open-learning

But, homeschoolers pose an interesting problem to post-secondary program admissions because they often want to attend these formal, accredited programs after an informal or unrecognized course of study in the high school years. Certainly, most people use a high school diploma to gain entrance to these programs. But just because most people do it, does that mean it’s required?

So, before I answer the common question, “How do I get a high school diploma as a homeschooler?” I thought it would be a good idea to make it clear that, depending on your situation, you might not need a diploma at all.

ARE YOU ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION?
People often write me asking how best to go about earning a high school diploma in their particular situation. But, for most people, the high school diploma isn’t really what they want.

What they really want is to open the doors that a high school diploma typically opens. Do you want a high school diploma for its own sake, or do you want to get into university? Do you want to qualify for a particular college program or internship?

Furthermore, if you could achieve that larger goal without a high school diploma, would you still want to focus on the high school diploma?

ONLY YOUR MOST ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS MATTER
If you plan to earn a university degree, no one will care about your high school credentials. If you plan to earn a professional degree (law, medicine, teaching) or a graduate (Master’s, PhD) degree, few will even care about your undergraduate (first) university degree.

If you are not planning on attending college or university, then you will likely want a high school diploma (or GED, an equivalent exam-based credential). Most jobs require at least a high school diploma or GED, and without credentials of higher education, the high school diploma becomes more important.

But, if your goal is a university degree, then the question you should be asking yourself is, “What do I need in order to be accepted into university?” Fortunately, we already know that most Ontario universities will admit you without a high school diploma as long as you have fulfilled their other admission requirements. (And, an “open university” such as Athabasca University will admit you without any prerequisites.)

But what about advanced degrees and professional programs? The same reasoning applies: if your goal is law school, start your educational planning by asking yourself, “What do I need in order to be accepted into law school?”

WORK BACKWARDS TO FIND THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
The typical educational path to law school looks something like this:

high school diploma -> university degree -> law school

But, did you know that a university degree is not a pre-requisite for law school? And, since a high school diploma is not required for university entrance, neither credential is actually required for admission to law school. (There are educational requirements that you must satisfy, but neither a diploma nor a degree is one of them.)

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider a high school diploma or a university degree if you want to go to law school (or medical school, which has a similar entrance process). But it means that you have options, and you may wish to explore them to find the path of minimum formal schooling that will allow you to focus on your education instead.

JUST TO GO TO UNIVERSITY? THE SHORT ANSWER IS, “NO!”
We do know that there are several ways to get into university without a high school diploma, but some college or technical programs may not support these methods. In short, though, if your educational path relies on a university education, then you can feel confident that you can avoid a high school diploma if you so desire.

RULE OF THUMB BASED ON THE LEVEL OF STUDY YOU EVENTUALLY WISH TO ACHIEVE
High School Education, but nothing further:
While you may never need formal proof of your high school level studies, there is a good chance that at some point you will want to present formal educational credentials to an employer, an investor (if you start your own business) or to an organization (if you must meet certain criteria* to join or volunteer). Of course, you can still be admitted to university if you find you do need credentials down the road, but it will typically take years to earn a university degree. If you need a piece of paper, and need it quickly, you’ll probably choose to write the GED exams instead. Even then, there is studying involved and waiting until a test is offered, so be aware that while your opportunities may not be limited, the speed with which you can act on them might be.

Undergraduate Degree (your first university degree):
No you do not need a high school diploma because alternative admissions are possible.

Professional degree (law, medicine, teaching, veterinary):
You need some level of university study, but since you don’t need a high school diploma to get into university, therefore no you don’t need a high school diploma for professional programs, generally speaking.

Graduate Degree (an advanced academic degree such as an MA, MSc, PhD):
You need an undergraduate university degree, but since you don’t need a high school diploma to get into university, therefore no you don’t need a high school diploma for graduate degrees, generally speaking.

College/Technical/Apprentice Programs:
In Ontario, these programs often do require a high school diploma unless you wait until age 19 or 21 (depending on the school) to apply as a mature student. Read admissions information carefully and look for “high school diploma or equivalent” to see whether there may be a loophole or some flexibility.

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN BUCK THE SYSTEM DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD
As you can see, it is possible to follow an advanced academic career without a high school diploma through alternative entrance to an undergraduate program.  But, it is important to make sure that the alternative path you choose is actually preferable to simply earning the high school diploma.

Some people will prefer being assigned a curriculum, having lessons planned and work graded externally to the more independent options such as studying for standardized tests. Some students will benefit from the social experience of attending a high school (even if only in an “it’s like watching a sociological experiment” kind of way!) and others may find that the high school really is the resource hub of the community with the best music, athletic or science equipment, and therefore opportunities, in town.

Responsible academic planning is as much knowing when to take advantage of a well-worn path as it is knowing when you can safely cut corners.  As always, think about which path offers the best combination of challenge and support for your child; a solid high school education requires both.

====================
* a local husband-and-wife bowling tournament in our old neighbourhood required you to submit a marriage license with your application to prevent contestants from pairing up with ringers. So, you just never know when you might need an official piece of paper!

Although it’s not in Ontario, neither am I now, so how about the university you probably never thought you’d consider: UPEI? Added bonus, now I can say I’ve collated the university admissions for a whole other province! Whew, I think I deserve a break now!

In their own words:

“UPEI offers undergraduate degrees in Arts, Science, Education, Business, and Nursing; and graduate degrees in Veterinary Medicine, Education, Arts, Science, Business and Applied Health Sciences Research. We also offer a Pre-veterinary Medicine stream and a brand new Computer Science gaming program.

We are a university on the move. We are consistently in the TOP 10 in the Maclean’s rankings of 21 primarily undergraduate universities, we were Canada’s TOP university for student-faculty interaction in the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement, and we ranked #1 for research publication effectiveness by RE$EARCH Infosource.”

PEI may only have one university, but it has a dedicated homeschool application page that is easily reachable from their admissions page. I’m looking at you, straggling Ontario universities! And it’s a sensible URL at that. So, consider the Gentle Island. They won’t hold it against you that you’re “from away” (for too long).

From http://www.upei.ca/registrar/admission_home_schooled

The basic entrance requirements for home schooled students are the same as for all other students. Home schooled students can meet the requirements by:

* attending a local high school for Grade 12 or the final year of schooling;
* taking the Grade 12 academic entrance subjects through a correspondence program acceptable to the University; or
* presenting Advanced Placement test scores on an official transcript for the entrance subjects.

Added bonus: I hear there’s a pretty good math tutor in the area . . .