Online High

Primavera Online High School celebrates its largest graduating class in a ceremony to take place on December 19, 2007.

Primavera is accredited by both the North Central Association (NCA) and by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA). This rarity in the world of online high schools attests to the quality of its programs.

Upstream I wrote about unacceptable accreditors. If you are having trouble getting a handle on what that might look like, check out National Accreditation Agency.

Why do I have a problem with them. First, the name is misleading. They are most decidedly not a national accreditor (but they might play one on TV!). National and regional accreditors are recognized by someone else.

Second, they have designed their logo to look similar to some of the recognized accreditors. This is worrisome.

Third, notice that there are no names and no contact information beyond a phone number and email address.

Fourth, compare their website with a real accreditor.

Finally, their site offers so little information that it makes me wonder about credibility.

Having said all that, does it mean that they are unethical? I don’t know. And, importantly, it does not matter. Since this is not recognized accreditation by anyone that matters, ethics plays no role. It’s not acceptable.

I came across another online high school today with worthless accreditation. Please, please make sure that the school you choose has accreditation from one of the regional accreditors, Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, or the Distance Education and Training Council.

Everything else is bogus. Unaccredited programs, and that’s what these schools are, waste your time and money. One way to tell if it is legitimate is the amount of time necessary to complete the program. At the very least, it should be talking about the number of months (as in 18 or more, but I would be willing to give a little leeway to that timeframe for gifted and/or hardworking students) and not days.

If you are an accreditor and believe you offer legitimate accreditation, feel free to send me an email (info @ bestonlinehighschools.com) and I am happy to take a look at what you offer.

In Complete Guide to Online High Schools, American Academy for Liberal Education is listed as a valid accreditor. In action by the Department of Education, AALE is no longer allowed to accredit new schools. What this means for the book is that the second edition, due in 2008, will delete reference to them.

And, of course, given the weirdness of politics, should this change, I will let you all know. I can say that I am surprised. While a very small accreditor, I have always had the impression that they were doing a good job.