*Do you have to do online/teacher-directed courses to get credits?
No. You can, if you wish, but you can definitely get credits for courses through actual home education. (Home education in the province is officially defined as not involving online or teacher-directed courses.)
*Can you get credits for all courses through parent-directed?
Not necessarily. The regulations (from 2006; they will be changing shortly) say:
High school credit eligibilityWhat this means is, first of all, a school can say you can't get credit for such and such a course because it's not part of the Alberta Program of Studies (like some locally developed courses, Special Projects, etc.). Second, for the principal to be able to say that a student has achieved the course standards and outcomes means there ought to be somebody on staff who can verify that the student has actually achieved the outcomes. The main boards used by Edmontonians, at least, have staff who can verify the core subjects, phys. ed., and typical basics like that. They may or may not have somebody on staff who can verify things like second languages, some (or many) of the CTS courses, etc.
On the recommendation of a school principal, a student receiving a home education program that follows the Alberta Programs of Study is eligible to receive high school credits if the student achieves the course standards and outcomes prescribed by the Minister.
*Do I have to follow the Alberta Program of Studies to get the credits?
Yes. The credits are a confirmation that you have followed the Alberta Program of Studies for the subjects in question.
*Do I have to use the same texts if I'm parent-directed?
No. You can meet the outcomes in any way you wish, as long as you meet the outcomes. It can be useful, however, to have them, especially for situations where a board gives a final exam as part of the assessment or for diploma exam courses at the 30-level--these exams do tend to be heavily based on the text, even though the text goes beyond the specific outcomes.
*Am I still eligible for funding if my student is teacher-directed?
Boards are only required to provide funding for home education students, ie parent-directed/traditional students. Although a couple of boards--School of Hope and Centre for Learning@Home--at this time for sure give funding (based on credits earned) for teacher-directed courses, they are in no way required to. (If you know of any other boards that provide funding for teacher-directed credit courses, please let me know!)
*Doesn't my child have to get the Alberta high school diploma to go into post-secondary?
Maybe or maybe not. I know I grew up being pretty much told that if you wanted to get to university, you needed a diploma. Turns out that university degree programs in the province do not require diplomas, although many college or other institutes do require a diploma for their programs. Even certain employers will ask to see a diploma. Check with your post-secondary institutions of choice to see what is actually needed. Many programs only require certain courses--or an equivalent.
*What's the difference between a Alberta High School Diploma or one provided by my board or by me?
The Alberta High School Diploma is, in most cases, the only diploma recognized as actually being a high school diploma. The reason being that the criteria for the diploma are well laid out and fairly standard, with lots of wiggle room still. Parent-provided or board-provided diplomas will not necessarily count toward admissions or employment acceptance. If a place insists on an Alberta diploma, I really don't know what sort of legal things can be done to push the issue if a parent has done the way so many in the United States do.
*How are you going to teach your child the higher-level subjects? Don't you need a degree?
If a parent has been homeschooling already for a while, there is no huge jump going from grade 9 to high school.
Think of it this way: Let's say a teacher in the school system starts teaching a grade 1 class one year. The next year, she's allowed to move up with them and teaches in grade 2. Each year, she is allowed to keep going to the next grade with them. By the time she has finished grade 9 with them, grade 10 might seem a little more daunting, but not an impossible feat or for some more advanced stuff, perhaps she'll buddy up with somebody.
Let's look at a different teacher, also teaching grade 1 the same year as the first teacher. But this teacher teaches grade 1 for 9 years in a row. Is she going to be prepared to teach high school the next year? Or even junior high? It would be a huge leap.
So, a homeschooling parent who has already been on the journey for a while probably won't find it some impossible leap. Someone who is new to the journey may find it rather daunting, but they should rest assure that, while it'll take more time for them to really get familiar with things and even seek out support and assistance, it is definitely possible.
As for the degree question, no, you don't need a degree. There are many high school students who tutor other students and university students who tutor high school students. They don't have degrees. You just have to be willing to learn and get on top of things.
Do you have a question to add?
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