Is there a way that a child with special needs (mental) get a certificate of completion if they are homeschooling. She will not be able to pass the GED at the end of 12th grade. Most jobs require at least High School education.
It depends on many factors, including your state requirements and your child’s future plans. In my state, my daughter can receive a diploma. We are doing a 5 year high school to make sure she completes the work. We are using specific curricula which is high school material at lower reading level. So she gets the content. We don’t do annual testing but our state doesn’t require that. I’m not sure she can do college material.
Thank you so much for your response. We live in Texas and I am not sure how to go about this. We just came from her Dr.'s appointment and where told that she wouldn’t finish school. That my expectations were to high. But I think his expectation are to low, she is able to learn. By no means do I think she would be at the top of her class, but she can learn. She will be going into 5th grade.
According to the HSLDA site (hslda.org) for Texas:
Required Subjects: Good citizenship, math, reading, spelling, and grammar (interestingly, science and history aren’t required.)
According to a court lawsuit, the ruling is (taken directly from their site):
a. Homeschools can legally operate as private schools in Texas;
b. Article 7, section 2 of the Texas Constitution only authorizes the legislature to establish and maintain public education, not private or parochial education (Leeper, Slip Op. at 10); and
c. Homeschools must be conducted in a bona fide manner, using a written curriculum consisting of reading, spelling, grammar, math and a course in good citizenship; no other requirements apply;
As a result of the Leeper decision, homeschools do not have to initiate contact with a school district,
submit to home visits, have curriculum approved, or have any specific teacher certification.
Homeschools need only have a written curriculum (ONLINE CURRICULUM IS CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE), conduct the school in a bona fide manner, and teach math, reading, spelling, grammar, and good citizenship.
THE PART THAT MATTERS FOR HIGH SCHOOL:
Homeschool graduates are specifically protected by law from discrimination by Texas colleges:
“Because the State of Texas considers successful completion of a nontraditional secondary education
to be equivalent to graduation from a public high school, an institution of higher education must treat
an applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate student who presents evidence that the
person has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary education according to the same general
standards as other applicants for undergraduate admission who have graduated from a public high
school.” Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 51.9241.
STANDARDIZED TESTS aren’t mandatory, according to Texas Law.
(All taken from https://www.hslda.org/hs101/TX.aspx?State=TX&)
So…you, as the parent administrator of your homeschool (legally considered a private school in Texas), can provide your student(s) with a diploma. You decide when she has earned it and what the requirements are for her.
For my daughter, college isn’t an option. But she loves to work with kids and in our state, she can enroll in a tech school - as a high school student - to earn credentials as a teaching assistant working with young children. So we are gearing our classes towards that.
We use various curricula: Pacemaker is a great publisher that does high school content for lower readability. It helps us meet requirements but in a way that my daughter can understand.
I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you with info. Feel free to email me (kljohnson7868 @ gmail . com) without spaces if there is anything else I can do or explain for you. We are just starting the high school climb so I’ve done a lot of research and ask a billion questions. 
1 Like
Thank you so much!
If I have any other questions I will certainly come to you and ask. You were an answered prayer!
2 Likes