Reasons Academy - Credit and Academic Standards

Credit

The Student Hour provides the common standard used by U.S. universities to measure high school academic achievement. One Student Hour consists of approximately 12 hours of class time with an instructor over the course of one semester. Traditionally, this breaks down into a 50-minute meeting one day per week for 14–16 weeks.

Upon completion of the Good Science, Good Faith course (lessons 1–20), we recommend the following credits should be assigned:

• Bible or Religion               1 credit
• Philosophy of Science     1 credit

With that in mind, parents will still want to verify high school graduation standards in their area, as well as the university entrance requirements.

Accreditation & Academic Standards

Most states classify homeschools as private schools. In these cases, parents are the ones who provide the "accreditation" for their child's education. In other words, the parents, not a third party, provide the quality guarantee for their children's education. While homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, parents should check their local laws so as to conform to their requirements and provide proper documentation. The Home School Legal Defense Association has a helpful summary of those laws on its Web site.

While courses offered through Reasons Academy are not accredited by any third party, our graduate and undergraduate courses (on which our high school course is based) are all accredited by the highest level of university accreditation. Qualified instructors conduct our distance education program, but parents are ultimately responsible for gauging the progress of their child’s education and assigning the appropriate letter grade. The Reasons Academy Online Instructor will recommend a grade based on the student's performance, but parents have the final say in the matter.

One issue of which Christian parents should be aware is that some universities now question the use of young-earth-creationist science textbooks. In 2005, the University of California system proposed requiring students who used creation-science textbooks in high school to take a proficiency exam in order to demonstrate an adequate knowledge of science before entering college. It remains to be seen what if anything will result from such efforts. Because Reasons Academy does not use creation-science textbooks, this issue need not be a concern for parents who choose our program.

The Good Science, Good Faith course provides a serious, academically challenging, and highly rewarding program. Our textbooks and videos are from mainstream publishers, including PBS and the Discovery Channel. Even so, Reasons Academy makes no guarantee regarding the acceptance of our courses by any public or private school or any other educating body. Questions regarding acceptance requirements should be directed to the admissions official at the institution of application.