Choosing the Right Diploma Program: Freedom and Flexibility

For almost 30 years Basic Skills offered a diploma program designed to help parents home school their children through high school. However, we are no longer accepting new students. As expected, we’re getting questions about replacement programs.

To help you find an option that’s a good fit for your family, I’ve decided to write a series of brief articles, arranged topically, to help you with this important decision. The topics will serve as criteria to aid you as you think through new options.

Many of the services Basic Skills has offered through the years have been crafted to meet the needs of my own children.  While on the surface this sounds a little selfish, this point of view benefited many, many families.

When I learned that public schools prepared students to do well on achievement testing, I decided that my children, as well as the home school community we were part of, should have the same opportunity to practice for success.  This was especially important since home schoolers were required by law to test as a means of demonstrating competency. That was the idea behind the creation of our line of practice tests: first Achieving Peak Performance followed by The One Hour Practice Test.

When I wanted my children to experience course work that was most effectively delivered in a group setting, we launched home school classes and partnered with the best teachers we could find. Theater arts, literature circles, science labs, and even some sports.

When I wanted to graduate my children from high school with a diploma and transcript, I established New Covenant Christian Academy’s Diploma Program. Guiding the design, structure, and look of the program were two key concepts I kept coming back to: freedom and flexibility.

Freedom and home schooling go together. By freedom, I don’t mean absolute freedom. That doesn’t exist anywhere really. Along with freedom comes flexibility. Flexibility supports customization.

• Freedom means having the option to choose and customize the curriculum to meet the needs of my student.

• Freedom means having the option to adjust my student’s schedule- length of time spent and order of instruction.
  
  
• Freedom means having the option to choose what courses to take and when to take them in a student’s academic career.
  
  
• Freedom means having the option to implement various grading and evaluation methods.   

Again, freedom isn’t absolute, all or nothing. But it is something. I didn’t want a program that was rigid, lock-step, that felt like a straight jacket, that represented a “my way or the highway” kind of thinking.

As you consider various diploma program options, ask yourself, “Does the program I’m considering promote freedom and flexibility?” Am I able to customize to some degree?

Freedom, flexibility, and customization. Deal makers and possibly deal breakers. Keep these concepts in mind as you look around.

Thanks for reading!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

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