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The Academy of Home Education
Homeschool students throwing caps at graduation

Elective Specifics

Remember to submit an ERF for each elective, even if it is pre-approved.

Bible

Requirements

  • Bible instruction each semester for full 18 weeks. You must report weekly grade averages for all 36 weeks of the school year.
  • Minimum of 2.5 hours per week (.5 credit per year)
  • Preapproval via Elective Reporting Form (ERF)

Preapproved courses

  • Bible Truths A-F
  • Bible Modules
    • 3 modules required per year
    • Parent/teacher supplement to extend for entire time requirement
    • May supplement with another publisher or selected reading assignments
      • Missionary biography
      • Bible topical study
      • Bible study books
  • Dr. Jim Berg's books and study guides
    • Changed into His Image
    • Created for His Glory

Science Labs

Requirements

  • Labs are required for high school science credits
  • Students must "physically" complete at least 8 labs per year
    • Viewing the DVD lab does not meet the requirements.
  • Three required credits must include the following:
    • Two credits of physical science
    • One credit of biological science

Physical Education

Requirements

  • Minimum of 1 credit in Health, Physical Education, or a combination of both
    • Note: 1 Unit of health credit can be earned using an approved Health textbook over the course of a school year. In order to accomplish the full credit in health, the class would be taught 5 times per week for 50–60 minutes per class
  • Preapproval required via Elective Reporting Form.

Key Thoughts

  • There is a difference between physical activity and physical education.
  • Physical education courses require
    • Teaching
    • Drills for practice and game play
    • Evaluation
    • Meeting the required hours of instruction
  • Grades should be based on student performance compared to predetermined criteria, not on progress, effort, attitude, attendance, or comparisons with other students.

Course Expectations

Grading in Physical Education for a specific sport should be based on the following:

  • Knowledge of the philosophy of physical education
    • History of the sport
    • Terms/rules of the sport
  • Skills/strategies established by the professionals within that sport
    • There should be a skills test over sport-specific skills covered in the unit of instruction.  An internet search using “sports skills tests” and your specific sport may lead you to a published test or you can create your own based on the level and experience of the student. 
  • Fitness
    • Fitness tests should assess such things as the following:
      • Flexibility
      • Cardiovascular health
      • Body composition (percent of body fat)
      • Muscular strength
      • Endurance
    • The following are suggested physical fitness programs;
      • Physical Best (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 1.800.213.7193)
      • FitnessGram
      • Log It
      • President's Challenge
      • 12-minute run

Preapproved Credits

  • Participation in an organized team sport for a regular season —.25 credit
  • Attendance at Bob Jones University summer sports camp —.25 credit
  • Completion of BJU Press Linda Haught's Fitness DVD —.25 credit. (Since this fitness program is a physical activity guide, additional structured instruction may be added to earn the desired credit.)
  • Participation in an instructional program —.50 credit. (tennis lessons, aerobics classes, weight-training sessions, etc. that meets at least 4-5 hours per week and receives a grade from the course instructor.)
  • Participation in an instructional program —.25 credit. (tennis lessons, aerobics classes, weight-training sessions, etc. that meets at least 2.5 hours per week and receives a grade from the course instructor.)

Keyboarding/Computer Science Electives

Requirement

  • Minimum of 1 credit of keyboarding and computer science instruction
  • Preapproval via Elective Reporting Form (ERF)

Recommendations

  • First semester of learning computer input skills through a keyboarding class focusing on keystroke accuracy and speed
  • Second semester apply the acquired skills to the main software applications used in education and business: word processing, database, spreadsheet, and digital presentations

Those applications can be found in the Microsoft Office package, the current industry standard in education and business.

  • Students who have a previous mastery of Keyboarding and Computer Applications may pursue further studies in various Computer Science fields (programming, web design, etc.) after approval through an Elective Reporting Form (ERF).

Preapproved Courses

  • Century 21 Computer Applications and Keyboarding, 9th Edition (Hoggat; Shank, 2010)
  • Typing Instructor Platinum Version 21 PC (a one-semester keyboarding course)
  • Professor Teaches Office® 2010 (for those who have upgraded to Office 2010).
  • Microsoft Office 2010 Introductory (Pasewack & Pasewack) Other versions of Office are available.
  • The above courses should provide enough material to accomplish 4–5 hours of instruction per week, yielding .50 credit per semester.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is highly recommended, but not required. The vocabulary curriculum is designed to supplement the overall English coursework, not to stand alone for credit as a separate class.  Vocabulary grades should be averaged into the Writing & Grammar grade.

It would be your decision as to how much weight vocabulary should have in the final grade.

Private Music Lessons

AHE does not regularly give high school credit for private music lessons. Since credit is based on hours of instruction, most students do not receive the minimum 2.5 hours per week (not including practice time) needed to validate .25 credits.

Students involved in musical groups with a director may earn elective credits if the class meets at least 3 hours a week and includes tests.