High School Diploma
With a Early College Courses

Program Outline

Your program includes the learning materials and instructional support you need to earn your High School Diploma with college-level electives. All learning materials are provided at no additional cost and are yours to use and keep.

Courses
Your complete program consists of a total of 21.5 credits. The courses take you step-by-step through the lessons you need to earn your diploma.

Here's how it works
Your first course will be sent immediately after your enrollment has been accepted. Other courses will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have learning materials to work with.

Transfer Credits
Penn Foster gives financial and academic credit for High School transfer credits.  To receive transfer credits, an official transcript from an accredited institution recognized by Penn Foster must be submitted for evaluation. Transfer credits will be awarded for comparable High School subjects where a full credit has been earned. Since High School programs vary, only an evaluation by Penn Foster will determine the actual number of transfer credits to be awarded. The maximum number of transfer credits allowed is 16.

Here is an overview of what you'll learn and the order in which you'll receive your lessons:

Instruction Set 1

Orientation (.5 credit)

Instruction Set 2

Human Relations (1 credit)
Proven ways to build, analyze, maintain, and improve relations with other people in both personal and working environments.

Instruction Set 3

Reading Skills (1 credit)
Previewing; scanning; dictionary usage; context clues; words with multiple meanings; paragraph structure; making inferences; separating fact from opinion; detecting bias; drawing conclusions; imagery; similes and metaphors; the elements of fiction.

Instruction Set 4

Basic English (1 credit)
Capitalization, punctuation, spelling, the parts of speech, and sentence structure; the basic steps in the writing process.

Instruction Set 5

General Math 1 (1 credit)
Concepts involving whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, and measurement.

Instruction Set 6

Fitness and Nutrition (1 credit)
Managing personal health; nutrition basics; developing healthy eating habits; cardiorespiratory fitness; preventing injury; stress management techniques.

Instruction Set 7

American History (1 credit)
Chronological flow of the sweep and drama of American history — from the earliest explorers to the 21st Century; people, events, and sociopolitical forces that have shaped America; how American history affects today’s events.

Textbook: U.S. History Review

Instruction Set 8

Practical English (1 credit)
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, the parts of speech, and writing; expands vocabulary; pronunciation; sentence structure, paragraphs, letters, and composition.

Instruction Set 9

Consumer Math (1 credit)
How to use mathematics in everyday situations involving money: salaries, purchases, credit, loans, household and personal expenses, car buying, insurance, savings, investments, retirement, etc.

Instruction Set 10

Earth Science (1 credit)
Geology; oceanography; meteorology; astronomy.

Textbook: Earth Science: Reviewing the Essentials

Instruction Set 11

Civics (1 credit)
The history of government; how American colonists adopted the English form of government; reviews the changes brought about by the Continental Congress, the Articles of Confederation, the American Revolution, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the other Amendments; the federal government's three major branches; state and local governments; citizenship; political parties; elections; basic issues of government and foreign policy.

Instruction Set 12

Written Communication (1 credit)
Step-by-step instructions for handling sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and pronunciation; practical writing techniques and library research; increasing vocabulary; understanding others better; expressing oneself confidently, correctly, and effectively.

Textbook: Word Power Made Easy

Instruction Set 13

Biology (1 credit)
The cell; genetics; evolution and the diversity of life; structure and function in plants and animals; ecology.

Textbook: Essentials of Biology

Instruction Set 14

General Math 2 (1 credit)
Review of the four basic mathematical operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; order of operations; factors; multiples, powers; roots; equations; inequalities; introduction to geometry.

Instruction Set 15

World History (1 credit)
From 1,000,000 B.C. to the dawn of the 21st Century, the important facts and significant concepts of our global history.

Textbook: World History

Instruction Set 16

Physical Science (1 credit)
Mechanics; heat; sound; chemistry; light, electricity, and electronics.

Instruction Set 17

Literature (1 credit)
Students can experience literature actively — to become involved both intellectually and emotionally — and to learn how to enjoy reading literature. The assigned material falls into six main categories: short story, novel, poetry, essay, nonfiction, and drama.

Textbooks:
Great American Short Stories
The Call of the Wild
Great Short Poems
Songs for the Open Road: Poems of Travel & Adventure
Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
Great Speeches by Native Americans
Narrative of Sojourner Truth
A Midsummer Night’s Dream

College-Level Electives you can choose from:

Computer Applications (1 credit)
English Composition (1 credit)
Business and Technical Writing (1 credit)
Art Appreciation (1 credit)
Music Appreciation (1 credit)
Math for Business and Finance (1 credit)
Technical Math 1 (1 credit)
Essentials of Psychology (1 credit)
Economics 1 (Macroeconomics) (1 credit)

You are required to take five credits in electives.

 

Online Library and Librarian
Students in Penn Foster Career School have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with Penn Foster Career School.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.