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The Academy of Home Education
Homeschool students throwing caps at graduation

Course Requirements

Elementary and Junior High | High School | Bible | Physical Education | State Requirements

Academic Requirements for Elementary and Junior High

The Academy of Home Education requires that BJU Press curriculum be used for all courses in which it is available.

Core Courses

Grades 1–6 Grades 7–8
Bible Bible
Reading Literature
English Writing & Grammar
Math Math
Science Science
Heritage Studies Heritage Studies
Handwriting
Spelling

Physical Education

Parents of students in Grades 1–8 are encouraged to include some type of physical activity into their curriculum. This may include local sports, such as Little League, swimming lessons, family hikes, etc. Because of the wide diversity of options at these lower grades and the challenges of grading such a "class," the report card will not include a physical education grade in grades one through eight.

Academic Requirements for High School

The Academy of Home Education requires that BJU Press curriculum be used for all courses that are available.

About AHE Units

The critical component in validating high school credit is hours of instruction, not necessarily completing a course of study.

  • The standard measurement in a precollege program is the unit of credit. The AHE unit of credit generally represents 50–60 minutes of instruction five times per week over the course of an academic year, which consists of 180 days.
  • Credits are validated by the semester, which is half the year or 90 days.
  • According to how much credit is required for a course, students not needing a full credit (150–190 hours) can also earn .5 credit (75–90 hours) or .25 credit (37–45 hours).

The following courses represent the general requirements for the fulfillment of a secondary education (Grades 9–12). These units of credit are earned based on the fulfillment of the AHE unit of credit requirement.

Subject AHE Unit(s)
Bible 2 units
English (must include 2 units of Writing & Grammar and 2 units of Literature) 4 units
Math 4 units
Science with labs (must include 1 biological science and 2 physical science courses) 3 units
Social Studies (must include one unit of U.S. History, one unit of World History, one unit of World Geography, and one-half unit each of Economics and American Government) 4 units
Speech 0.5 unit
Physical Education and/or Health 1 unit
Computer Science and/or Keyboarding 1 unit
Electives according to track requirements 2.5–4.5 units

Specific Track Requirements

College Preparatory Track
General Studies Track

Bible Modules

We have decided to use the Bible Modular Series. How many modules are needed to complete the yearly requirements?

The Academy of Home Education requires every student to take a Bible course every semester. If your children are using the Bible modules, three modules are required for a year. However, since three modules may not last for the whole year, the parent/teacher should supplement with other books or more assignments to make the Bible course last 2.5 hours a week for the entire school year. Weekly grade averages will be required for all 18 weeks of both semesters.

Physical Education

How do I meet the Health/Physical Education requirements?

Key thought: Recognize that there is a difference between physical activity and physical education.

You may meet the 1-credit requirement in Health and/or Physical Education by choosing one of the following options.

  • A health credit may be earned by using an approved Health textbook.
  • .50 credit per semester may be earned by participating in an instructional/training program (tennis lessons, aerobic classes, weight-training sessions, etc.) that meets at least 4–5 hours a week.
  • .25 credit per semester may be earned by participating in an organized team sport for a regular season.
  • .25 credit per semester may be earned by attending a Bob Jones University sports camp.

Be sure to submit an Elective Reporting Form (ERF) before instruction.

Grading should be based on the following:

  • Knowledge—philosophy, history/terms/rules, and strategies of the sport
  • Fitness—tests assessing such things as flexibility, cardiovascular health, body composition (percent of body fat), muscular strength, and endurance
    • The following are some examples of fitness programs:
      • Physical Best program (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, (800.213.7193)
      • President's Challenge
      • 12-minute run
  • Skills test over sport-specific skills covered in the unit of instruction.

State Requirements

Will I satisfy my state's requirements if I meet the graduation standards of AHE?

The course of study outlined for students in The Academy of Home Education is designed to fulfill the general requirements nationwide for a secondary education and a high-school diploma. However, since specific state requirements may vary from the prescribed course under this program, it is the responsibility of the parent/educator to see that his own state's legal requirements are also satisfied. Any state requirements that differ from the curricular track of The Academy of Home Education must be reported upon acceptance into the program.

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