What does earning a 21CCCS diploma really mean? We get this question often. Parents will ask, “Will my child’s diploma from 21st Century Cyber Charter School be viewed differently on the outside.” Parents have heard about complications regarding students who have tried to get into different colleges or military services. So, what is the truth about this?

Some schools across the nation have an accreditation granted to them by outside accrediting organizations, such as The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. These organizations perform a rigorous analysis to provide a sense of quality control within education. Curriculum, school operations, and school services are all assessed. While these organizations are helpful, they are not used by all states for middle and secondary schools.  Many states do not seek accreditation because they instead follow the standards designated by the state education departments within their respective states. For example, 21CCCS strictly follows the PA State Standards, and the Common Core, using them as guidelines for curricular development.

All of the curriculum at 21CCCS is written by our staff and faculty. Extensive curriculum maps are built so lessons will be interactive, engaging, and aligned to standards. Further, 21CCCS is a cyber charter school. As a charter school, our students take the same state assessments as students in traditional brick-and-mortar schools (PSSAs, Keystones, etc).  That being said, when a student graduates from our school, he/she has earned a diploma recognized as a public school credential by the state of Pennsylvania.

In spite of this, some students have met contention pursuing to enlist for military services. Examples can be see in various newspaper articles, some of which have been more recently released.

However, denying a student to enroll in military services is illegal. The U.S. Department of Defense released information in 2012 which states, “The Department of Defense announced that eligible students with diplomas from home schools, virtual/distance learning and adult/alternative schools, who score 50 or above on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), will now receive Tier 1 enlistment priority.” The Department of Defense went on to say that, “Tier 1 graduates are more likely to complete their first term of enlistment, department benchmarks require that at least 90 percent of recruits enlisting possess a Tier 1 credential.” This means that a student from a cyber charter school will ultimately receive the same considerations as a student from a traditional brick-and-mortar school.

Other parents have asked how a cyber school diploma may affect a student’s ability to earn admission to a prestigious college or university. Most higher education institutions now offer online coursework. Further, they recognize diplomas from cyber charter schools across the U.S., as they are fully cognizant of the fact that online learning is by no means inferior to traditional on-ground instruction.  Our graduates will not and have not faced challenges when seeking to enter higher education. For examples of some of the schools to which our students have been accepted, CLICK HERE.

If you have more questions about this topic, feel free to give us a call! Or comment on our Facebook page.