Proof of HS Diploma/GED or equivalent
The DOE accepts a student signed attestation of completion as acceptable in meeting this requirement. However, certain states and accrediting bodies require additional documentation such as an official transcript or copy of an original diploma.
Does anyone know how the State of Florida fits into this equation. Will an attestation fulfill this requirement or are diploma copies required? Do you know the specific rule I could read to obtain this information?
At our University we take it one step further and verify that the Diploma did not come from a Diploma Mill. However, we are able to accept just the attastation as proof.
Donnie - thanks for this info. What do you use to validate that the diploma is not from a diploma mill?
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Department of Education both publish information regarding Diploma Mills and Accreditation Mills on their websites. This information is helpful in making a determination regarding the validity of a diploma.
Great info, Audrey. These lists are continually updated and important to incorporate into regular processes of validating incoming student's credentials.
The CIE Rule,6E-2.004(4)(m)3 states that any program over 450 clock hours shall administer a basic skills exam unless the student provides evidence of a high school diploma, and the institution must maintain high school diploma, transcript, etc. to qualify for this exception.
We require that the students bring in their diploma/GED/transcript for us to copy, or we have the student request it directly from the school or county, and have it sent directly to us, using an transcript request form.
Thanks, Leanna. One question for you - do you have the person who copies it sign or otherwise acknowledge that is is a copy from an original document? I have seen some schools do that to demonstrate document validity.
In the case of High School Diplomas or Transcripts from foreign countries, does anybody know if translation and evaluation is required in the state of Florida?
At the campus that I work at we have a (home office approved) list of unacceptable diplomas and every admissions representative uses it as a guide whenever verifying proof of graduation with a potential student.
Thanks for your response. I know many schools are concerned about the "bad" diplomas out there. Do you know how your school maintains/updates the list?
Here's a related question based on this forum topic: I've recently heard that a school needs to be either attestion or proof of graduation, but not both. Logically I find this difficult to wrap my head around....wouldn't the student's attestation gain more merit with the actual copy of the HS diploma on file? Does anyone have any thoughts or insight on this?
Theodora,
You should check with your regulatory expert but my understanding is that you must abide by your school's policy which should be aligned with relevant regulations. Some states and accrediting bodies do require proof of graduation and therefore, schools under such jurisdiction should have a policy including such. I think the point is that if your requirement is attestation, you must have such documentation on file. If you require proof of graduation such as a diploma or transcript, you need to have that documentation on file and an attestation would not suffice if your policy requires the other documentation. The regulations also have additional requirements if the high school indicated is suspected by the school or the Dept of Ed as possibly illegitimate.
Traci Lee
Our state requires an official diploma, high school transcript, or GED. It has been accepted that a home school transcript is acceptable. To maintain this documentation it is required by our school along with their application before beginning classes.
Proof must be accurate and verified due to the Department of Education Regulations
Michele,
It's also important that school's recognize the need to align their check of "proof" against any internal admissions policies which are sometimes stricter than Dept of Ed regulations. Collection of such evidence should align to what your catalog policies indicate.
Traci Lee
Yes, you are right Jennifer, on my case our school has a list of schools that may be accepted based on the accreditation.
We also have a home office approved list of approved high schools and I do not know how the list is updated. However, I will check with the manager to ask how this is updated and report back.
Additionally, I recommend that each institution create its own list of "diploma mills." This leads to better training, accountability and compliance. This also supports the fact that institutions are accountable to only accepting valid HS diploma's/GEDs regardless of whether a diploma mill is listed on in an external source of public information. Examples of warning signs are High Diplomas awarded in an extremely short period of time, pay a set sum for a diploma, providing HS credits for life experience and lack of recognition by the High School/GED providers home state. Each diploma/GED provider should be evaluated on its own merits. The key is having an evaluation process.
Hilary,
Thanks for your feedback on key signs to look out for regarding validity of high school completion.
Traci Lee
I would always collect the actual diploma and have the credentials verified by either tracking the unacceptable schools within the organization or having a third party help with this. Additionally, having a student attest to this upon registering for school will set the expectation and ultimately help the school remain compliant.
