A t what age can my homeschooler start?
Homeschoolers grow at and learn at different rates. The suggested age to enroll your young homeschool student is age 5 at the kindergarten level. We leave this determination up to homeschool parents, as they are the only people who can know if their homeschooler is capable of taking on Kindergarten-level coursework. Homeschoolers over the age of 18 may not enroll in courses.
 
When is course selection for 6th-12th grade?
Courses may be selected during the enrollment or re-enrollment process. Courses are easily selected online through our simple online enrollment process or you may choose courses over the phone if you’d prefer to talk to one of our Customer Service Experts.
 
What about attendance… is there a specific time my homeschooler must be online each day?
The Grace Academy homeschool does not put any restrictions on “attendance”. As long as homeschool students complete all of their coursework by the end of the year, we leave all remaining schedule issues up to homeschool parents.
 
What is the Grace Academy?  How does it work?
The Grace Academy homeschool is a K-12 online home education program that provides homeschooling families with an online alternative to the public school. Our engaging multimedia homeschool curriculum is thoroughly Christian and allows homeschoolers to work at their own pace. Each day, homeschool students log into their homeroom page. From here, they can access their assignments, take tests and quizzes, and communicate with our Academic counselors.
 
When does registration for the academic year begin?
Registration can be completed at anytime throughout the year. The 2007-2008 academic year has already begun and homeschool students are free to register at any time.
 
Can my homeschooler select courses from different grade levels?
Let’s say your homeschool student struggles in Math and excels at reading. You can feel free to enroll your homeschooler in Math at a grade level below or in English at a grade above. We encourage homeschool parents to mix and match our Christian homeschool curriculum according to the needs of their homeschooler. If you find that your homeschooler is capable of more or is struggling, you may substitute courses within a 30 day trial period. There is a $25 course change fee.
 
How many instruction days and hours does Grace offer?
Grace offers 300 days to complete 180 days of instruction from September through June. Your homeschoolers are subject to your state’s individual homeschooling law. Different states have different guidelines. We will work with you to ensure that your homeschool students meet your state’s requirements. We will provide you with progress reports and grades when needed.
 
We’re in a different time zone from the Academic Counselors. How will this work?
Homeschool students can access their courses 24/7. Although our Academic Counselors are only available from 9:00AM-5:00PM EST, you can contact them through e-mail to have your question answered at the immediate start of the next business day.
 
What is a Bible-based curriculum like?
The Grace Academy Christian homeschool curriculum is founded on the idea that we live in a universe created by an omnipotent, omnipresent God. We believe that the will of God can be obtained by man in the form of the Holy Scriptures which are divinely inspired. Our Christian homeschool curriculum reflects the truth that we find in the Scriptures and its material is based on the aforementioned worldview. We teach the Bible as a factual chronology of God’s relationship with Man. Our courses stem from these truths in every subject. Our Math courses reflect the orderliness of our Lord, our Art courses reflect the beauty found in his Creation, etc.
 
I know about a "co-op" activity in my neighborhood. Can I attend and get credit?
Of course! We believe that learning can exist in a variety of places other than the classroom. If you are fortunate enough to live near the meeting place of a homeschool co-op, we encourage you to attend. Just record your time spent in Joy Directed Activities folder. We will include any extra-curricular activities (as determined by the parent) in your homeschool student’s progress reports. 
 
Can teachers assign field trips?  Do homeschool students get credit for participating?
Some of the assignments your homeschool student will complete are field trips. Whether it’s going outside for a walk in the woods or visiting a local museum, we are strong proponents of active learning outside the home. If you would like to add an additional field trip to your homeschooler’s curriculum, you may do so in the Joy Directed Activities folder. You must have your homeschooler write a report about the trip in order for it to be verified for inclusion in your homeschooler’s progress reports.
 
How do tests and quizzes work?
There are several kinds of tests and quizzes that we use to gauge a homeschooler’s understanding of the course material. Our online home education program uses these activities to ensure that homeschool students are staying on task with their studies. Some of our tests and quizzes are graded automatically (multiple choice, true-false). Others require active grading from our Academic counselors (free response, essay).
 
What is the study hall section?
Our online home education program allows homeschool students to get credit for work that they do while they aren’t in front of their computer. They can be reading a book, watching an educational film, or any other task that requires learning. You can keep the study hall window open to keep track of your homeschool student’s time spent in these supplemental activities.
 
Which subjects (courses, classes) are available?
Over 140 courses are available in our online home education program. The core courses are Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math. We also offer a number of Art and Music courses, several Foreign Languages, and a variety of fun electives to choose from.
 
How much time should my homeschool student spend online every day?
We recommend that elementary homeschool students spend at least 1/2 hour to 2 hours online. Middle and high school homeschoolers are encouraged to spend between 2 and 4 hours online during each school day. You can feel free to adjust when these hours are spent according to your needs. For instance, you can spend six hours on Saturday and Sunday involved in coursework and then take the following week off. The remainder of the work is completed offline.
 
Is there a time limit on completing a course or assignment?
There are no time limits in terms of completing your assignments. We allow our homeschool families to be as flexible as possible. If you would like to develop timelines to keep your homeschool student on track, you may do so. As long as your homeschool student’s courses are completed by June, homeschool students may take as long as you want to complete assignments. You may apply for an extension if you find you are unable to complete courses within the 10 month period provided.
 
What is a typical daily schedule at The Grace Academy like?
The Grace Academy homeschool allows Christian homeschool parents to provide their homeschoolers with a customized daily schedule. Some homeschool students like to focus on one subject each day or complete parts of each subject throughout the day. The Grace Academy Christian homeschool curriculum requires approximately 2-4 hours of online coursework each day while elementary homeschoolers only need about half that time.
 
Who writes the lesson plans?
Our staff of Christian homeschool Curriculum Developers is hard at work each day building on our existing lesson plans and Christian homeschool curriculum content. Our Christian homeschool curriculum is a dynamic, ever-changing database of quality educational material. Our lesson plans are suggestions. This means that you may choose to follow them, fall behind, or work ahead as per the needs of your family and homeschooler.
 
How long will it take to enroll my homeschooler?
Once The Grace Academy homeschool receives your initial application and registration fee, we process your application immediately. We will ship your Christian homeschool curriculum materials in 2-4 business days (in the case of high school and middle school homeschoolers, you must choose your courses first). Homeschool students are welcome to begin their courses as soon as they enroll.
 
Are there assignments that are not completed on the computer?
We include several offline materials that act to provide homeschoolers with variety in the way that they learn. This includes but is not limited to textbooks, workbooks, activities pages, and more.