Accreditation Options
Rise Out is not a school and our classes are not accredited. For most homeschoolers this is not an issue. However, in some cases parents may want their students to receive official credit. Luckily, there are several schools and homeschool organizations around the country that have been established to meet this need! If you would like to earn formal credit for the classes you take with us, you have several options.
CREDIT OR NON-CREDIT.... WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Rise Out classes are what is referred to in the homeschooling community as "outsourced" classes: classes that students take with someone other than a parent. Outsourced classes may include classes taken at a community college, classes taken at a homeschool co-op or self-directed learning center, classes taken online, or informal classes arranged by another homeschooling parent. What all outsourced classes have in common is that the curriculum is developed by someone outside the family. Assessment may be done by the parent or by the organization offering the course; Rise Out offers both options.
College admissions offices are familiar with outsourced classes and will usually have a form that families can fill out describing this kind of work. Rise Out will provide the information you need to complete this part of the student transcript.
Occasionally, however, students will want their classes to be accredited. Organizations such as NARHS, Clonlara, Oak Meadow, Laurel Springs, and Global Village School have been established for the precise purpose of accrediting homeschoolers' work, including work they’ve done as part of outsourced classes. Some states may also provide this service through local credit recovery programs; your local homeschool co-op will be a good source of information on this topic.
If you know you want credit and find this process a little overwhelming, we recommend working with NARHS. Several Rise Out students have received their high school diploma through NARHS and we are in the process of putting all our course documentation in "NARHS-friendly" language.
QUICK FAQ:
Q: What are the advantages of official credit?
A: There are several reasons you might want to work with an accrediting agency. Here are a few:
If a student returns to high school in the future, any accredited classes they took while homeschooling should be treated as transfer credit. This can be a major concern for families homeschooling temporarily due to Covid. Schools do not make 11th-graders moving from Maine to Missouri re-take algebra or American history if they've already taken it at their previous school. Getting official credit works the same way. If you take classes with Rise Out and have your work verified with an accrediting agency, you should not have to repeat those same classes once you go back to school. (We cannot guarantee this, though, since every school will have different policies.)
Students who left high school just a few credits shy of graduation might want to get official credit for their work so they can finish up their diploma at their original school. Rise Out's very first student, Liz, fled high school for personal reasons just one English class short of graduating. Rise Out worked with Liz and with her guidance counselor to help Liz get that last English credit. "Here's a list of books I read for the last few months...." would not have sufficed to convince her school to let her graduate; Liz’s school needed official documentation that she had completed a "real" English class.
If you are applying to college as a homeschooler, getting some or all of your coursework accredited shows that someone other than a parent has given your work the stamp of approval. While this is not required, it can provide peace of mind.
Homeschooling families are allowed and expected to issue homemade diplomas to their graduating seniors. For a student who is NOT college-bound, however, having an accredited high school diploma can provide an extra level of security.
Q: What are the disadvantages of official credit?
A: Cost and paperwork. The organizations listed above (NARHS, etc.) require that families keep logs of the hours students spend on any class or activity and require additional information such as student work samples, curriculum descriptions, and letters of recommendation from the parent or course instructor. They then charge a fee to evaluate and approve this information. The fee is a fair price for the work it takes their offices to read through all the documentation and ensure course quality. (In the age of shady for-profit schools and colleges, some families have asked if these organizations are "scams." The answer is no, emphatically not! You are paying for the personal attention they are giving your child's transcript. The organizations I've listed have been serving homeschooling families for decades.)
That said, it can be an unnecessary cost for some families. College-bound students will need to compile this information anyway. In the overwhelming majority of cases, you can simply submit this information directly to colleges -- you do not need to use a "middleman" to verify the learning you have already documented.
Q: Are all Rise Out classes eligible for accreditation?
A: All Rise Out classes use high school-level curriculum, and all classes come with a syllabus describing the texts we use, an assignment list, our grading scale, and the average number of hours the course should take to complete. However, we only verify what we assigned, not what students completed, unless they took the course with a graded option. We do not provide letters of recommendation or any any additional personalized documentation for students who elect ungraded or parent-evaluated options. Students in those situations may still seek credit for their work! It is normal and expected for homeschooling parents to evaluate their children's work, even in outsourced classes.
Q: Does Rise Out charge more for students who seek accreditation?
A: We charge extra for the graded option on any course, but we do not charge any extra fees beyond that.
See our Homework and Grading Policy for more information.