Credits

HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS   College Prep Path General Path Bible 3 3       History        World History or Geography 1 1    U.S. History 1 1    Government & Economics 1 1       English 4 4       Science (must include 1 unit of lab)        Physical Science 1 1    Biology 1    Chemistry 1      Earth Science   1    General Science   1       Mathematics        Algebra 1 1 1    Geometry 1      Algebra 2 1      Pre Algebra   1    Foundations Math 1   1    Foundations Math 2   1    Advanced Math 1         Foreign Language 2         Physical Education 1 1       Visual/Performing Arts 1 1       Personal Finance 1 1       Health 1/2 1/2       Keyboarding 1/2 1/2       Electives   2       Total Credits 23 23

Assigning Credits
Credits are assigned for students taking high school courses, not K-8th grade level work.

Credits may be assigned to students who are not in high school but are taking high school level coursework. It is recommended, however, that the student be enrolled in high school if the majority of coursework is high school level.

FCA uses the information provided by the parents to prepare a credible transcript representing the student’s academic work. Therefore, the information provided by the parent must be accurate.

When assigning credits, it is important to list actual subjects. An example would be Algebra 1 rather than Math; Biology rather than Science; World History rather than History or Social Studies. Also, do not give credits for courses such as spelling or grammar as these are included in each year of English.

The courses that you assign credits for on the Attendance & Progress report will become a part of your student’s high school transcript. Some activities during high school do not belong on a transcript but are more appropriately placed in a student’s portfolio or resume. Transcripts are for academic coursework. This includes honors the student has received such as: community, volunteer, missions work, etc.

Assigning Credits For Students Taking College Courses
Students taking a college-level course by Advanced Placement or dual enrollment should assign the student a half (½) high school credit for a 3 credit college course and assign 1 high school credit for a 5 or 6 credit college course. FCA must receive a copy of the student’s final report from the college level class being taken.

Credits Required To Graduate
Twenty-one credits are required to graduate. High school normally lasts 4 years which averages out to approximately 5 courses per year, although high school may be finished in as little as 2 ½ years (2 full school years plus 2 summer schools).

Many resources are available through FCA’s Online Bookstore or On Campus Bookstore to meet your curricula needs. While the traditional subjects such as Algebra 1 and English 1 are mostly learned through textbooks, workbooks, or computer courses, it is important to understand that all learning does not only come from these methods. Many main courses and electives can be learned hands-on. Home education provides the freedom and flexibility for a student to take courses they would otherwise be unable to take in a traditional school setting. Parents may create their own subjects by writing a course description and include what is required to gain mastery and award credit. (ie. a student volunteering at a vet office or on a farm for 150 hours may be awarded a credit in Animal Science). This also allows the opportunity for your student to begin developing skills in the area they may wish to pursue as a career. One hundred fifty (150) academic hours are normally sufficient to earn one high school credit. This is equivalent to 180 days of 45-minute classes.