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Keystone Christian Institute (BuxMont Parent Educators) is not a diploma program. The information on this page is to help home-schooling parents identify the path they wish to follow in educating their high-school student. Most home-school parents are not aware that they DO NOT need a diploma provided by a diploma program for their high-school students to graduate from home-school and/or to enter college; and, they do not need a program-given diploma to access PHEAA financial aid.

As part of our research, we have contacted many prestigious colleges and universities, some of Pennsylvania's community colleges, and assorted state colleges across the United States. We asked them what they required of home-school students to enter their college or university. We were surprised that not one of them requested a diploma. Assorted things they requested were:

• Some asked for a list of the student's subjects with the grades they received (See our free transcript form to create your own.)
• One requested a certificate of completion (not a diploma)
• Some requested a college boards (SAT or ACT) test
• Some wanted to take one of their own entrance examinations
• One desired a private interview with the home-schooled student allowing for the fact that they might not have any recorded grades

Not all colleges and universities requested the same things, so we highly recommend that you contact the colleges your student is interested in to ensure that you are prepared.

Some parents are also incorrectly informed that they will endanger their student's prospects for financial aid without a program-given diploma. As a home-schooling family you may access PHEAA financial aid with your superintendent's help.(See our section on PHEAA grants if you wish to secure your student's chances for financial aid without a diploma program.)

• Diploma Options Without Extra Restrictions
  • Award Your Student Your Own Diploma (Self-Certify)
  • Attend a College to Acquire Thirty Credits, then Request a Diploma from the State
  • Contact Your Superintendent upon Completion of Twelfth Grade (to sign a statement that your child has completed the PA law's requirements for graduation)
  • Ask Your Superintendent to Sign PHEAA's HSV Form to be eligible for grants / scholarships from PHEAA
  • Take the GED test
  
  
• Enroll Your Student in a Diploma Program
  • Questions and Answers in Regard to High School and Diploma Program Restrictions

Diploma Options Without Extra Restrictions

A lot of home-schooling parents wish to free-lance and home-school their own style without extra, burdensome restrictions (of some home-school diploma programs) through the high school years. In cases such as these, you have four options:
1) Award your student your own diploma.
2) After graduation, a home-schooled student can complete two years (thirty credits) of college and receive an honorary PA state high school diploma.
3) Procure a signed statement from your superintendent so your student can apply for PHEAA financial aid, which also doubles as a certification of completion.
4) Student can take the GED. Passing this test also makes PHEAA financial aid available to the student.

Award Your Student Your Own Diploma (Self-Certify)

Since the very earliest years of home-schooling, parents have always given their graduating students diplomas. This is still a very common practice nation-wide practice among home-schoolers. Pennsylvania is unique in that they have made provision in the law for a student's graduation from home-school. For graduation from home-school, a student needs to do the following subjects during the 9-12 grade years: (See law.)

• Four years of English
• Three years of mathematics
• Three years of science
• Three years of social studies
• Two years of arts and humanities
  • "Arts and humanites. Study of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, language and literature including forms of expression, historical and cultural context, critical and aesthetic judgment and production, performance or exhibition of work." Chapter 4, 4.12 (4)

Self- awarded (or self-certified) diplomas are not recognized, necessarily, by the state. If you award your student a self-certified diploma and need to access PHEAA financial aid, please see our section on PHEAA aid as a self-certified diploma will not qualify for PHEAA aid in and of itself.

HSLDA (Home-School Legal Defense) says they will back a parent-given diploma if the student's family was a member of HSLDA at the time of graduation and if they have completed the requirements listed in the law. However, if the student given a self-certified diploma continues into college, they can simply obtain a state diploma after two years of college (or thirty credits).

An HSLDA representative has stated that basically the only problem that students with self-certified diplomas encounter is difficulty at times (in some states) entering civil service.

We have created a free, self-certified, home-school diploma which you may print the following on parchment paper or special, bordered certificate paper (available from office supply stores like Staples) for your graduating student. Please note that this diploma is certification BY YOURSELF of your student's graduation and is not connected in any way to BuxMont Parent Educators, One Voice Choirs, or Keystone Christian Institute. You may also use the following links to obtain other items for your graduate - including a tassel (that all-important item) and class rings:

• Self-Certified Diploma
  
• Tassel
  
• Class Rings
  
• Graduation Announcements
  
• Graduation robes, caps, or to purchase a home-school diploma

Attend a College to Acquire Thirty Credits, then Request a Diploma from the State

A very large number of parents award their own diplomas to their children. We contacted numerous colleges and universities in Pennsylvania to ask what they required of home-school graduates. No one we contacted requested a high school diploma. Because home-schooling is so popular, some didn’t even request grades or a transcript – only an interview with the student. Mostly, though, they would ask for college board (SAT or ACT) scores, a list of the subjects studied and grade scores (if available) , and/or an entrance examination. A local community college wanted a basic certificate of completion (which a parent can award) stating that the student has finished high school.

If your home-school graduate is heading for college, you may use our free transcript calculator and form, grade calculator, and the certificate of completion. Also, you may wish to read information on our Preparation for College page.

• Certificate of Completion (Please note that this certificate is certification BY YOURSELF of your student's graduation and is not connected in any way to BuxMont Parent Educators, One Voice Choirs, or Keystone Christian Institute.)
  
• Free Transcript Form
  
• Free Transcript Calculator
  
• Grade Calculator
  
• Preparation for College information page
  
• Requesting a Diploma from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The third way is simply to procure a signed statement by the superintendent (upon completion of twelfth grade) on school district letterhead that verifies that the student has completed the requirements of graduation from a home-education program according to the home-school law.

We have developed a system that may make it easier for you to request this service of your superintendent. Please note that this system is not guaranteed to be successful in every situation, and we recommend that any contact made with your superintendent should be backed by your membership with HSLDA (Home-School Legal Defense Association). Your superintendent may not wish to use our system and may wish to only sign PHEAA's HSV (Home School Verification) form (see below).

• Letter for Superintendent requesting this service
  
• Record-Keepers for 9th Grade
  
• Record-Keepers for 10th Grade
  
• Record-Keepers for 11th Grade
  
• Record-Keepers for 12th Grade
  
• Letter for Superintendent as notification of completion of the 12th grade
  
• Certificate of Graduation (Please note that this certificate is certification BY YOURSELF of your student's graduation and is not connected in any way to BuxMont Parent Educators, One Voice Choirs, or Keystone Christian Institute.)
  -Membership to HSLDA

Ask Your Superintendent to Sign PHEAA's HSV Form

If you are applying for PHEAA financial aid for college, the HSV form that they supply (when signed by the superintendent) is also recognition that the home-schooled student has completed the PA law’s requirements for graduation (according to the representative of the PA Department of Education). You can obtain an HSV (Home School Verification) form from PHEAA after applying for aid using the FAFSA form. You may contact PHEAA for more information about it at Eligibility Review, 717-720-2800 or 1-800-692-7392. You may also visit their website.

Take the GED Test

Taking the GED test upon completion of your high school, home-education program may help to secure your "graduation." Our mom doubled the proof of graduation for one of her graduates by giving them a self-certified diploma as well as having them take the GED.

For more infomation on taking the GED test, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education website.

Passing the GED test also makes you eligible for PHEAA financial aid. (Visit PHEAA's website for more information.)

State-Recognized Diploma Programs

Another way of getting a diploma in Pennsylvania is to join a state-recognized diploma program. To form a diploma program, a non-profit organization simply presents by-laws, etc. and forms a “diploma program” with the stamp of approval from the state. (To view this diploma program application, click here!)

People who sign up for these programs are funneled into having to structure their curricula and home-school program after the standards and procedures of that particular diploma program. Parents are told by some that they need to sign up for a diploma program by 9th grade. THIS IS NOT A PA LAW REQUIREMENT!!!! It is a common misunderstanding among PA home-schoolers that they need to conform to one of these programs or be diploma-less, which is not true. Also, some parents think that, unless they join a diploma program, they cannot access PHEAA financial aid. THIS, AGAIN, IS NOT TRUE. (To find out how you can access PHEAA aid, click here.)

Unfortunately, we have seen some undesirable fruit in regard to this pressure to conform to a diploma program’s requirements. We had one mother tell us, sadly, two years after her daughter’s graduation that the stress and pressure of conforming to the prescribed curricula of a diploma program damaged her relationship with her daughter. This mother felt the pressure of conforming caused her to pressure her daughter to conform; and two years after graduation they were still sifting through and trying to repair the damaged relationship.

(Some evaluators, also, impose extra stipulations which is one of the reasons why we created the evaluator questionnaire, so parents can determine ahead of time if the evaluator will put unnecessary burdens on them. See question #13 on our Evaluator Questionnaire.)

Yet, some prefer having a prescribed course imposed by a diploma program though high school. There is a list of state-recognized diploma programs at the PA Department of Education’s website. However, the oldest, largest, and most widely-respected diploma program in Pennsylvania is Pennsylvania Homeschooler’s diploma program which was started by Howard and Susan Richman. Although it is not defined as a Christian program, there is certainly complete acceptance of home-schoolers’ Christian texts and beliefs in their education, and they are very flexible in accommodating home-schoolers within PA’s home-school law.

Pennsylvania Homeschoolers has a necessary filter of not accepting prospective graduates after they turn 17 years old. This filter is important to a quality diploma, as there are some other diploma programs in Pennsylvania who, by accepting prospective graduates up to, even including, their senior year, are gaining reputations for having a “drop-out’s diploma.” Although we realize there are students that legitimately begin to home-school in the later high school years, there have been some instances where dedicated, hard-working home-school students have been shocked and disappointed to hear fellow diploma program graduates (drop-outs) bragging about how they were getting an "easy diploma." Most home-school parents work hard at giving their students a high-quality education. They don’t want their son/daughter’s diploma tainted with such a reputation.

Additional facts about state-recognized diploma programs:

• A non-profit organization can easily apply to become a state-recognized diploma program. (Click here to see the application form!)
  
• These diploma programs are NOT STATE ENTITIES and are not operated by government employees. They are privately and independently operated.
  
• Their requirements and standards may differ from the basic requirements of Pennsylvania's home-education laws by adding their own, EXTRA standards, procedures, and requirements on top of the Pennsylvania law.
  
• These programs are subject to renewal every 4 years, and their re-application can be rejected.
  
• Diploma Programs "approve" their own evaluators, and you must use their evaluators if you wish to earn their diploma. These diploma program evaluators are not state-approved. Indeed, some are not even evaluating according to Pennsylvania law and are evaluating illegally. (Please consider using our Evaluator Questionnaire to determine if your evaluator is fully legal!)

Questions & Answers in Regard to High School and Diploma Program Restrictions

• Organizing your school year
• Keeping a log
• Grading your students' work
• Testing
• Portfolios
• Evaluations