Checking its accreditation could be the most important aspect in your decision-making on which online high school to attend. While non-accredited schools should be taken out of your list, not all accreditations are acceptable. The accreditation should include oversight and not just a license to do business.
Accreditation is the process of reviewing a school's program and policies to see if it meets the criteria of the accreditation agency. This is done to protect students, schools and employers from unscrupulous entities who establish fake schools or schools that care only for revenue and not providing quality education. If the school meets the minimum requirements, it will be granted the accreditation.
Why is a proper accreditation important? This assures you of an online academy's quality and ensures that other schools and employers will recognize your diploma or the courses you have taken. Attending a fake school or a school that is not properly accredited may cost you jobs or opportunities to further your education.
How will you know if an online high school is properly accredited? There are some schools out there that go as far as making up their own fake accreditation. In fact, accreditation from the wrong source, such as an accreditation mill, is worse than no accreditation at all.
An accreditation that may be fake is one from a misleading name that only implies it is a national or regional accreditor. Also look closely at the logo to see if it is legitimate. And if the website for the assumed accreditor is missing information and lists vague contact information, that may also be a red flag.
The best way to verify the legitimacy of an accrediting agency is to go to the the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) website. Its database lists all US accrediting organizations that are recognized either by the CHEA or by the US Department of Education or both. This includes the six regional accreditors, Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation and the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).
You should also consider the difference between a national (DETC) and regional accreditation. While employers accept both types, many regionally accredited schools do not accept transfer credits from DETC accredited schools. This is not a problem if you are studying for personal enjoyment, but if you are planning to further your education at a later date, you will be better off attending an online academy with regional accreditation.
Your time and money are important, so make sure you are not going to waste them on unaccredited programs and schools. You could be risking valuable job or educational opportunities with diplomas from or course work in fake schools. You have a right to quality education, and, whether you are attending an online high school or a brick-and-mortar institution, the proper accreditation ensures that you will get this. - 32384
Accreditation is the process of reviewing a school's program and policies to see if it meets the criteria of the accreditation agency. This is done to protect students, schools and employers from unscrupulous entities who establish fake schools or schools that care only for revenue and not providing quality education. If the school meets the minimum requirements, it will be granted the accreditation.
Why is a proper accreditation important? This assures you of an online academy's quality and ensures that other schools and employers will recognize your diploma or the courses you have taken. Attending a fake school or a school that is not properly accredited may cost you jobs or opportunities to further your education.
How will you know if an online high school is properly accredited? There are some schools out there that go as far as making up their own fake accreditation. In fact, accreditation from the wrong source, such as an accreditation mill, is worse than no accreditation at all.
An accreditation that may be fake is one from a misleading name that only implies it is a national or regional accreditor. Also look closely at the logo to see if it is legitimate. And if the website for the assumed accreditor is missing information and lists vague contact information, that may also be a red flag.
The best way to verify the legitimacy of an accrediting agency is to go to the the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) website. Its database lists all US accrediting organizations that are recognized either by the CHEA or by the US Department of Education or both. This includes the six regional accreditors, Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation and the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).
You should also consider the difference between a national (DETC) and regional accreditation. While employers accept both types, many regionally accredited schools do not accept transfer credits from DETC accredited schools. This is not a problem if you are studying for personal enjoyment, but if you are planning to further your education at a later date, you will be better off attending an online academy with regional accreditation.
Your time and money are important, so make sure you are not going to waste them on unaccredited programs and schools. You could be risking valuable job or educational opportunities with diplomas from or course work in fake schools. You have a right to quality education, and, whether you are attending an online high school or a brick-and-mortar institution, the proper accreditation ensures that you will get this. - 32384
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If you are thinking about going to an online academy make sure it has the appropriate accreditation in position. Classes are available for online high school as well as middle school and a number of elementary school courses.
