There isn’t a college degree that doesn’t require English credit! Whether your student is looking at an Associate (2-year) degree or a Bachelor’s (4-year) degree, chances are incredibly high that they will need 6 college credits of English Composition. The benefits of taking these courses now is that (a) it’s a fraction of the cost, (b) you can help them learn how to do college while still at home (c) this very time-consuming class will be finished by the time they start their degree! Here are 3 ways to do this in 12th grade.
What Classes Are We Talking About?
- English Composition 1
- English Composition 2
These can go by a number of other names, but whether your college calls them Freshman Composition, Rhetoric, or some other name, taking these two courses should be high on your priority list if your student is college-bound.
Option 1: Credit by Exam
This is by far the lowest risk and highest reward, but it won’t work for everyone, and not the best choice for everyone. Credit by exam allows your student to study using a homeschool curriculum, take a standardized exam at home, and then earn potential college credit for later. This potential college credit can be used later in college instead of taking the classes.
CLEP: CLEP offers 2 exams, College Composition Modular (English 1) and College Composition (English 1 and 2 together). They both start out exactly the same (multiple choice) but the Modular version stops at the end of the multiple choice section. The College Composition exam goes on to include 2 essays. As a result, the Modular version (no essays) is less accepted, but it is an excellent “practice” test to see if your student is ready for everything except the essay portion. When your student takes College Composition, the essay and multiple-choice sections are combined, so if your student fails, you will never know where they struggled. By taking the Modular first, you’ll have a good idea of where you stand.
At colleges that award college credit for one or both of these exams, you can expect to receive credit for English Composition 1 or English Composition 1 & 2.
DSST: DSST offers 1 exam, Principles of Advanced English Composition. This exam is generally considered equal to English 2. It is only a multiple-choice exam; no essays are given. For colleges that award college credit for this exam, you can expect to receive credit for English Composition 1 or 2.
Can you get credit without an essay? Actually, that’s possible. If your college accepts CLEP College Composition Modular as English Composition 1 and DSST Advanced English Composition as English Composition 2, taking both of these exams will give you the full 6 college credits without ever having taken a written essay.
3 practice tests and prep material for all these exams are available through Peterson’s Test Prep. Peterson’s has a monthly subscription option (approximately $59), or you can buy a discounted membership through HS4CC Academy for $99 that gives you access for 6 months. Learn More
Option 2: Live College Courses Online
While we have loved the flexibility of online learning, parents and students are begging for more interactive and engaging content. The online college “Campus” now teaches English Composition 1 and English Composition 2 online live over Zoom. These are actual college classes that each generate college credit. Your student can send the college credits later to the college of their choice, or finish an associate degree directly through Campus. Campus offers associate degrees more focused on career skills, so their degrees are in business, AI, and healthcare.
Campus has two enrollment options: the first is for high school GRADUATES who want to enroll full-time as a college student. They have tremendous financial aid options and have a lot of partnership programs that allow you to use your associate degree towards a bachelor’s degree. Courses this way cost approximately $800 each, and the entire degree can be covered by a Pell Grant for students who qualify.
The second enrollment option is for Homeschooling for College Credit families to take dual enrollment. This is an exclusive program only for homeschool families and is not available to anyone else. As a dual enrollment program, families pay $259 per class. These courses count towards a degree at Campus or elsewhere. Learn More
Option 3: On-Demand College Courses Online
A special category of courses is available to homeschool families from Arizona State University, called “on-demand,” and is available to anyone. No placement tests are required, and the student has 365 days to complete the course. This is the regular English Composition 1 and regular English Composition 2 class, just without due dates! The course is available year-round, and you can finish as fast as 6 weeks or as slow as 1 year. These courses can be taken directly through Arizona State University for $425 each, or through HS4CC Academy at our discounted rate of $299 each. Note that some of the sections have dates, and those are not on-demand; they have due dates, so be sure to look for the button that says “on-demand” when you enroll. Learn More
