Home Education Umbrella Program Policies
Welcome to The Academy for G.O.D. Umbrella Program!
We look forward to supporting your family as you educate your children
in the context of your own home.
Grades & Attendance
TN state law mandates that all students complete a minimum of 180 days of school per year, with 6.5 hours of school work each day. Each school year officially begins on July 1st and ends on June 15th of the following year. Failure to enroll in an Umbrella program prior to September 1st could be construed as a violation of state truancy laws, therefore, we highly recommend registering no later than September 1st.
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Begin counting days towards your attendance after your student is enrolled in our program. For example, if you start homeschooling your child August 1st but do not enroll in The Academy Umbrella Program until September 1st, you may not count your school days between August 1st - September 1st. You may begin tracking your school days at any time after being accepted into the Umbrella Program.
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Upon admittance into the program, you should create an education plan for each of your students, which includes specific curriculum, textbooks, homeschool co-ops, online courses, or any other educational resources for the school year.
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At the end of each semester, submit your Grade and Attendance Reports. These are due by January 15th for the Fall semester and June 15th for the Spring semester. Administration will send reminders as those dates approach, but we recommend you find a daily method of tracking attendance that works for your family. You will submit to us the final number of school days you completed.
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Failure to submit Grade and Attendance reports by the due dates may result in your student being withdrawn from the program. Home-school students are not eligible to participate in any sports teams or extra-curricular activities if their grades and attendance have not been submitted. Additionally, The Academy will not issue transcripts if these forms are not on file..
Curriculum & Textbooks
Parents may select their student’s curriculum and textbooks; The Academy does not require a particular curriculum. Curriculum for high school students must be high school level in order for the student to receive credit.
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Student Grade Levels
Parents may determine before the start of the school year if they want their child to repeat or skip a grade level. Once a student is registered for a particular grade level, they must remain in that grade for the entire school year.
Testing & Graduation Requirements
As a Category IV school, The Academy is not required to offer standardized testing nor does such testing align with our philosophy of education. For families who choose to test we ​encourage the at-home ​Stanford Achievement Test,​ and we are happy to add all results to student records.
In order to receive an Academy diploma, we require high school students in grades 10 or 11 to take the ACT test with a score of 16 or higher. It is the parents’ responsibility to register their student for testing.
For graduating seniors we charge a one-time Senior Fee, which includes a diploma (cover not included) and transcripts up until 1 year after graduation. After 1 year, we charge $10 per official transcript request.
Extracurricular Participation
Families who live in Middle Tennessee are welcome to participate in our Phoenix sports program. Sports participation on a Jr. High & High School level team will include a tryout process, and all players must abide by our athletes code of ethics. Please visit our Phoenix sports page to learn more.
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Umbrella program families are invited to sign up for Spring Portraits on our Academy campus , and purchase access to digital portraits online.
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Jr. High and High School students are invited to apply for our local and international mission trips. The application process may include an in-person interview with students and parents. Please inquire with administration if you are interested in learning more about mission trip opportunities.
When participating in any Academy for G.O.D. event, home-schooling students must abide by the school dress code, as stipulated in the Parent Handbook.