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To obtain a high school diploma from The MorningStar Academy, students must successfully complete at least 19 credits of high school coursework. If a home school student is college bound, it is strongly recommended that they complete 23 credits or more.
Home school students up to 19 years of age can earn a high school diploma from The MorningStar Academy by demonstrating they have fulfilled our high school graduation requirements. This can be accomplished in several ways:
- If your home school student has previously attended a public or private institution you must have an official transcript sent to us, which should include a signature and school seal.
- If your home school student has previously attended a home school program such as The Jubilee Academy Home School Program, The Grace Academy Home School Program or others you must send us a home school portfolio, documenting the home school student's grades, subjects, and attendance as well as provide examples of lessons, assignments, tests, quizzes, etc.
The MorningStar Academy offers 3 types of diplomas:
- Standard (19 required credits)
- College-bound (23 required credits)
- Honors (23 required credits and a 3.70+ cumulative GPA)
19 Standard Home School Graduation Requirements
It is your responsibility to choose appropriate courses! Please check the following chart.
| English | 4 Credits |
English 9 English 10 English 11 English 12 College Writing and Vocabulary Public Speaking Journalism Creative Writing Christian Fantasy and Fiction AP English Literature AP English Language |
| Mathematics | 3 Credits (MUST include Algebra. PreAlgebra alone does not suffice) |
Algebra 1 (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) Geometry Integrated Math Algebra 2 Consumer Math Trigonometry Calculus |
| Science | 3 Credits (MUST include Biology) |
Biology (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) Integrated Science Medicine Forensics 1 Forensics 2 Human Anatomy and Physiology Chemistry Physics AP Biology |
| Social Studies | 4 Credits (MUST include 1 credit from each group) |
1. American Government (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) 2. Economics (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) 3. World History, Global Studies, World Religions, or AP European History 4. US History or AP US History |
| Global Language | Not Required |
Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3 French 1 French 2 AP French Language Latin 1 Latin 2 German 1 German 2 |
| Fine Art, Music and Technology | 1 Credit |
Art and Music 9-12 Piano Lessons Guitar Lessons Digital Photography Music Studio Video Studio Web Design Media Arts 20th Century Music History of Christian Music Christian Symbolism in Fine Art Music Business |
| Health and Physical Education | 1 Credit (MUST take Health and PE 9-12 and prove 40 hours of PE - see below) | Health and PE 9-12 (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) |
| General Electives | 3 Credits | Psychology
Sociology Business Cinema History Driver's Education SAT Preparation College Preparation Career Preparation Crime and Justice Culinary Arts Power of Prayer Christian Character Christian Womanhood Christian Manhood Christian Evangelism Christian Life Skills Social Action Bible 9 Bible 10 Bible 11 Bible 12 And any course taken in a core subject OVER the required credit amount (ex: If you take 5 English courses: 4 will count towards your English requirement, 1 will count as an Elective) |
- One credit will be awarded if 75% or more of the class is completed (all incomplete work will earn a zero) and the home school student receives a passing grade after the course grades are averaged.
- Home school students have the ability to work at their own pace throughout the school year.
- A global language is not required, although many higher-level educational institutions require it for admission.
- The Health and Physical Education credit requires the completion of forty (40) hours of an organized sport in addition to the completion of all online lessons in the Health home school course. To be awarded a complete credit for the year in the Health & Physical Education home s chool course, you must provide proof of the home school student's enrollment and participation in an organized sport of your choice by submitting a receipt of payment for the organized sport, class, etc. or a letter from the instructor or coach noting their participation and completion of 40 hours. If this portion is not completed, the student will earn a half (.5) credit for Health and no credit for PE.
23 College Preparatory Home School Graduation Requirements
It is your responsibility to choose appropriate courses! Please check the following chart.
| English | 4 Credits |
English 9 English 10 English 11 English 12 College Writing and Vocabulary Public Speaking Journalism Creative Writing Christian Fantasy and Fiction AP English Literature AP English Language |
| Mathematics | 3 Credits (MUST include Algebra. PreAlgebra alone does not suffice) |
Algebra 1 (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) Geometry Integrated Math Algebra 2 Consumer Math Trigonometry Calculus |
| Science | 3 Credits (MUST include Biology) |
Biology (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) Integrated Science Medicine Forensics 1 Forensics 2 Human Anatomy and Physiology Chemistry Physics AP Biology |
| Social Studies | 4 Credits (MUST include 1 credit from each group) |
1. American Government (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) 2. Economics (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) 3. World History, Global Studies, World Religions, or AP European History 4. US History or AP US History |
| Global Language | 2 Credits |
Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3 French 1 French 2 AP French Language Latin 1 Latin 2 German 1 German 2 |
| Fine Art, Music and Technology | 1 Credit |
Art and Music 9-12 Piano Lessons Guitar Lessons Digital Photography Music Studio Video Studio Web Design Media Arts 20th Century Music History of Christian Music Christian Symbolism in Fine Art Music Business |
| Health and Physical Education | 1 Credit (MUST take Health and PE 9-12 and prove 40 hours of PE - see below) | Health and PE 9-12 (MUST TAKE THIS COURSE) |
| General Electives | 5 Credits | Psychology
Sociology Business Cinema History Driver's Education SAT Preparation College Preparation Career Preparation Crime and Justice Culinary Arts Power of Prayer Christian Character Christian Womanhood Christian Manhood Christian Evangelism Christian Life Skills Social Action Bible 9 Bible 10 Bible 11 Bible 12 And any course taken in a core subject OVER the required credit amount (ex: If you take 5 English courses: 4 will count towards your English requirement, 1 will count as an Elective) |
- One credit will be awarded if 75% or more of the class is completed (all incomplete work will earn a zero) and the home school student receives a passing grade after the course grades are averaged.
- Home school students have the ability to work at their own pace throughout the school year.
- Home school students must complete two (2) Global Language credits, which can include multiple languages (ie. Spanish 1 and French 1)
- Two (2) additional credits are needed for the elective requirement.
- The Health and Physical Education credit requires the completion of forty (40) hours of an organized sport in addition to the completion of all online lessons in the Health home school course. To be awarded a complete credit for the year in the Health & Physical Education home school course, you must provide proof of the home school student's enrollment and participation in an organized sport of your choice by submitting a receipt of payment for the organized sport, class, etc. or a letter from the instructor or coach noting their participation and completion of 40 hours. If this portion is not completed, the student will earn a half (.5) credit for Health and no credit for PE.
Graduating with Honors: 23 Credits & a Cumulative GPA of at least 3.70 Required
To graduate with Honors from The MorningStar Academy, students must fulfill all of the College Preparatory Diploma requirements PLUS have a Cumulative GPA of 3.70 or higher. GPAs are not rounded, so a 3.69 is not an Honors GPA. Honor students will have a special Honor seal on their Diploma and their Honor status will be noted on their Transcript.
Home School Transcripts
At any time parents may request their home school student's grades. Documents that are requested and provided at any point throughout the home school student's current enrollment year will be labeled as an Official Transcript. A transcript can be provided to a requesting home school parent after the school year has been completed or the home school student has withdrawn from the academy. There is a $32.00 fee for a transcript.
Credits issued on a transcript can come from a variety of places.
- Home school portfolios encompassing the home school student's work for the previous year, including grades, subjects, and attendance, as well as examples of lessons, assignments, tests, quizzes, etc.
- Credits transferred from another school or home school program to The Academy
- The MorningStar Home School Academy
Home School Transcript Evaluations
After we receive your home school student's official transcript from your previous school(s) or program(s), an evaluation is prepared. This document encompasses both the credits transferred in as well as the courses that are still necessary according to our home school high school graduation requirements. The evaluation will be emailed to the address we have on file for you for your personal records, while a copy will be stored in your home school student's file.
Each completed and passed, full-year course is given one (1) full credit. Semester courses are given a half (.5) credit.
The fees are as such:
| Public/Private School | $15.00 each |
| Home school | $27.00 each |
Please note: It is very important to provide all previous school records to the Office of the Registrar, so that the home school student stays on track during their high school years. If the student has participated in a prior home school program, please be sure to check your specific state laws regarding home school curriculum standards and requirements.
If you should have any questions or concerns, please contact the Home School Program Registrar by e-mail at Registar@TheMorningStarAcademy.org.
Attendance Requirements
MorningStar Academy students are expected to work diligently and consistently on their school work.
The MorningStarAcademy is registered in the State of Florida. As such we require all students (even if residing in another state) to fulfill Florida's educational statute 6A-1.09512 which requires that students complete the following amount of hours in a given school year:
- Kindergarten: Five hundred forty (540) net instructional hours.
- Grades 1-3: Seven hundred twenty (720) net instructional hours.
- Grades 4-12: Nine hundred (900) net instructional hours.
The MorningStar Academy considers 'net instrucitonal hours' to be the sum of your logged Intructional Time as recorded in your timelog/gradebook plus your logged Joy Directed Activity time.
If a student does not meet these attendance requirements, they will not pass the grade and will be forced to repeat the grade level.
If medical or family issues arise that may cause the student to miss an extended amount of school, a letter must be emailed to the Director of Operations (ddahl@learningbygrace.org) with verification of the issue. All medical and family issues are handled on a case by case basis.