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What is a high school diploma?

An online high school diploma is what a student gains at the end of high school. In the United States and in Canada, it is the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. The equivalent is GED (General Educational Development).

In Great Britain, the education system is based on independently marked national examinations in each subject rather than an high school diploma. However these course can still be successfully studied online, while the examination itself is done in wide spread regional test centers. These are called the General certificate of secondary education in England (GCSEs), School Leaving Certificates in Ireland, Higher Grade Examinations in Scotland, and International GCSEs (IGCSEs) internationally.

In the Caribbean, the students need to study for 5 years at high school before they can pass the Caribbean Examination Council Certificates and these are recognised regionally and internationally.

When you want to complete these courses online, the levels of accreditation vary. All GCSEs are automatically accredited, as there are only licensed assessment companies which produce these papers.

However the American online high school diplomas are different. There are many different people issuing them. Indeed, I have read of some home schools issuing their own, with no official accreditation. It is essential that you take the time to research the value of your diploma and get it confirmed that it is recognised at both the state and national level, as then you can be confident that it will be accepted by colleges and important national and international employers.

What types of diplomas are there?

In the UK there are different levels of GCSES – advanced and foundation GCSEs, where the level the student can achieve is limited, but the course work is differentiated – such that for the foundation courses, the work is simpler, but you cannot gain such high marks.

In America, high schools can offer 2 different levels of diploma. Academically gifted children can study towards an honors diploma (usually the highest award) – this often requires a minimum GPA in addition to a minimum number of Advanced placement or other honors courses.

Schools also offer less impressive diplomas, which are still more important than standard diplomas. You can ask online schools about “college prep” diplomas which contain courses with a minimum number of AP courses. Confusingly, some websites I have reviewed have said this diploma can even be considered more impressive than an honors diploma. I guess it depends on what you are planning to use the diploma for in the longer term.

Some schools offer a vocational education branch – this includes some online schools – the high school is combined with a certificate of completion (Voc-Tech program) that are presented together. This combines both a practical and academic course.

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