HOME SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
Here is where you will (eventually) find information related to home schooling at the high school level, specifically for Ontario families. Since there are 7 ways to get into university without a high school diploma, there is no reason to stop your home schooling journey just because your child has reached the high school years. Certainly, many families will decide to enter or return to the school system at this point, but I hope the information on this website will give you the confidence and peace of mind that you can get into university without traditional high school, if that’s what your family wants.
A few common questions and concerns. . .
Following are just a few of the many questions and concerns that parents have when they consider alternative education, including home schooling, at the high school level. Hopefully, these responses will show you that home schooling (or some other form of alternative learning) is not only possible at the high school level, but can be extremely effective and ultimately rewarding! Since the OFTP website answers many questions about home schooling in general, only those questions most relevant to home-school-through-high-school are found here. Coming soon will be questions and answers regarding the university admissions and application process including standardized test prep and university prep level curriculum planning and resources.
How can I help my child at the high school level when I don’t know/remember the material myself?
This is the most common fear of home schooling parents, and yet, dealing with this fear demonstrates the best that home based education has to offer! There is absolutely no need for the parents to be experts in the subject material taught at the high school level. The best thing that you can do for your children is to show them that adults don’t always have all the answers, and that’s ok! You can help your children in so many more ways than by knowing how to solve a quadratic equation–you can teach them how to be resourceful and how to develop into independent learners. You can go together to libraries or bookstores; you can research together on the internet; you can hunt for a tutor together if you’d really like personal attention and guidance from someone that does know the answers. Whatever you do, you’ll be teaching your child real problem solving skills, not those sterile, “try-to-imitate-real-life” questions in today’s textbooks.
How do I know which material to cover or where to begin?
There are structured programs that can lead you through a natural learning progression and printed/internet resources describing the curriculum in detail. You can also make use of home schooling groups (both in your community and on the internet–start with OFTP or an internet search engine) that are more than happy to share their knowledge and experiences.
How will my child get into university without a high school diploma?
There is an entire page dedicated to this question, along with links to helpful information. The short answer is that most Ontario universities are now developing policies to address home schooled applicants, if they don’t have a policy already. In fact, one of the key issues addressed in June 2002 at the national conference for Canadian University and College Registrars was the very issue of setting policies and procedures in place for home schooled applicants.
Isn’t schooling compulsory? Is this legal?
In April 2002, the Ministry of Education circulated a Policy and Program Memorandum to all education officials regarding home schooling (PPM #131). You can view it, and the OFTP’s official response to the document at the OFTP website www.ontariohomeschool.org.
In summary, the document states that families should declare in writing their intention to home school at the beginning of each school year (but, some families still prefer to remain anonymous!) and school boards are directed to assume that the students are receiving satisfactory instruction at home unless they have reason to suspect otherwise. It’s not a law, it’s a policy, and there has been mixed reaction to the document.
Other Ways to Earn High School Credits
Today there are many options for students wishing to earn high school credits towards the Ontario High School Diploma: correspondence courses through the ILC (Independent Learning Centre), online courses through fully accredited “virtual schools”, even gaining “maturity” or “life experience” credits for non-traditional schooling. It will soon be possible to earn an entire diploma without setting foot in a traditional high school.
Not all students can or want to learn in this way. Some students will still need or want personal interaction with a teacher. Some students will find that this method of course delivery will work well for the subjects they are strong in, but will be challenging for more difficult courses. Even if a student is able to succeed independently, they may enjoy working with teachers and peers.