History of PA Diploma Programs & Legal Requirements

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PENNSYLVANIA HOMESCHOOL DIPLOMA PROGRAMS

In 1990 the question was posed – who should award PA homeschool students’ diplomas so that they could qualify for financial aid in PA? The homeschool law had passed in 1988, legalizing homeschooling and providing requirements for graduation from a home education program. However, no PA homeschool students could qualify for financial aid. In the early years of the law, the local school superintendent could not sign that a homeschooler had completed the home education requirements and was eligible to receive financial aid (that option was not allowed until many years later). Philip Mulvihill, Chief of the Office of Advisory Services of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) proposed that homeschool organizations develop diploma programs to award diplomas to home educated students. His premise was that the homeschool organizations, not the state, should oversee and develop criteria for diplomas that would be recognized by the PDE and the PA Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) so that those students would be eligible for financial aid.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

The PA Home Education Law, Act 169-1988 requires that the parent/supervisor keep a portfolio that shall consist of, “a log, made contemporaneously with instruction, which designates by title the reading materials used, samples of any writing, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student” documenting 180 days or 990 hours (7-12th grades.)

The law also requires that the student be evaluated at the end of the school year by an Evaluator who meets the requirements of the home education law. The Evaluator meets with the student, reviews the portfolio and log, and writes an evaluation certifying that the student is receiving an appropriate education, defined in PA as “sustained progress in the overall program.” The parent submits a copy of the evaluation to the school district, along with the log and portfolio at the end of each school year.

Additionally, a diploma program in Pennsylvania is required to have the Evaluator determine if the student has met the organization’s criteria for credits and for graduation. Diploma programs in Pennsylvania must keep on file a copy of each 9-12th evaluation and the credit information signed by an Evaluator. Diploma programs are prohibited from issuing a diploma to any candidate whose PA educational program is under review or pending a hearing for non-compliance, until the review of hearing is completed and confirms that an appropriate education has occurred.