High school diploma online

For today’s student, distance learning is an ffordable way to work toward a GED, the best way for an adult to demonstrate the skills of a high school education. But there are a growing number of companies and schools who aren’t really in the business of education. Instead, they’re in the education business — their biggest business is selling quick and easy programs or simple online tests that result with worthless transcripts and fake diplomas.

In most cases, the GED — the term for General Education Development credential — is the only official ‘diploma’ that has value and is meaningful for adults who never completed their high school education. There are exceptions. But as a rule most transcripts and diplomas ordered or obtained from online high schools are worthless. Unfortunately, students and adult learners are often misled — and easily misled — by these diploma factories or diploma mills. Here’s a recent letter from a new GED student, who learned about one education business the hard way:

“I paid $250 and got this paper in the mail, but it didn’t help me get a better job. It was a ripoff. It wasn’t till my boss told me that I found out it wasn’t a real high school. It wasn’t even a real high school diploma, just something somebody made on a computer. But it looked like a real school. With a real test.”

This student’s story is typical and more common every day. Many adult learners fall victim to diploma scams, usually paying $200 to $800 in tuition, testing, transcript or diploma fees. But because the school or program isn’t accredited, the diploma has no value — it’s meaningless. When it comes to employers, job training programs, tech school, community colleges and universities, bogus diplomas are useless.

But a GED credential is useful. For today’s 34 to 38 million adults in the US who never graduated from high school, passing the GED test is a pass key to both career and educational opportunities. Approximately 95 percent of employers and 97 percent of US colleges and universities accept the GED because it’s an official, accredited ‘diploma.’

When choosing education, an adult learner’s best option is GED prep, whether enrolling in a local class or online preparation program. If online learning or distance learning is the best solution for you, look for a program that includes all the components needed to prepare for the GED test.

Here are some guidelines for choosing a real online GED program provider and avoiding bogus schools or fake diploma scams:

– The American Council on Education (ACE) has tight guidelines for the GED. The test covers science, social studies, language arts reading and writing, and math – including algebra, geometry and data analysis. Find a program that includes all testing areas; avoid any solution or school that doesn’t include all test areas or information about test areas and ACE requirements.

– GED practice tests are available online and are a good way for a student to determine what to study for the test. But the actual GED test cannot be taken online! The test is only given at official test sites. So avoid any company that claims to offer the official GED test or a quick version online.

– Read the fine print, before you pay — make sure you understand what the company or school is offering and determine if it’s worth the price. Is it a worthwhile learning process or just a fake diploma? Will it help you move ahead in your career or education? Will the online GED program or learning solution you choose really prepare you for the GED test? Ask for guidance if you’re unsure.

– Look beyond the company or school; discover what other teachers, students and adult learners are saying. Explore GED and education message boards, online forums or learning communities.

– Be very cautious in dealing with any company or online high school that offers a diploma or transcript after passing an online test. The GED test is difficult; the test is timed and usually takes more than seven hours. So check out the school with your state Department of Education. Basically, just as the old adage says: If it sounds too good to be true it probably is too good to be true.

Education is about the best investment you can make in yourself. Make sure your investment is a good one, and gives you a return that’s worthwhile. The GED credential might be harder to get than a $250 diploma, but you can sure count on it to take you to where you want to go.

For more information about the GED, and free GED resources online: visit http://www.passGED.com.

By: Leonard Williams

For every person hoping to achieve success and get an online education, there are many more companies and people trying to scam unsuspecting individuals. It goes without saying that these should be avoided at all cost. Of course, the best approach to avoiding online degree scams is to know your product before you buy.

Prospective online students should be on the lookout for things inside the degree offer that tout the benefits of distance learning, but provide little in the way of support for the student. A degree based on life experience alone may often not be worth the paper it is printed on. This can often be very hard for a “graduate” of diploma mills to understand, but most human resource managers would give you a blank stare if you mentioned this as a competitive qualification for employment.

A “money back guarantee” can mean nothing if the small legalese boilerplate says that only in extreme circumstances can you actually get your money back. If the work materials are out of date, poorly written, or the grading standards too harsh or unfair, to whom might you complain? The job market right now is extremely competitive. Gaining any kind of degree or credential that has questionable legitimacy can reduce your chances of being hired, promoted or recognized in your respective field.

Think about what you would do if your money was charged or your check for the “degree” cashed, and you received no diploma, certificate, or any documentation at all showing educational progress. Can you afford to sue a website or a company? Ask yourself before you enroll in any online program if there is not a more legitimate and trustworthy institution available. Why would you want to furnish identity information such as your name, address and telephone number (and IP address), credit, and social security data to strangers over the Internet anyway? Can you hire an attorney to travel to the place where the business is headquartered? Do you have a fine understanding of the legalities of suing a company that accepts money for 7-day high school equivalency courses? It’s likely they are ten steps ahead of you for any legal recourse.

Shop around and see why the “big” online schools near you don’t offer the same program, or call them and ask why. Often a look at the fine print will tell the story. Are there foreign or offshore company names, paragraph after paragraph of disclaimers, unlisted faculty, or minute clauses that state that the work being paid for is only coaching or instruction toward the goal of a degree and cannot be termed education? In order to prove you passed a course with a suspect, or possibly fraudulent, online company, could you produce screenshots of every question you answered correctly? Could you prove that these programs came from the company listed on your credit card? If you don’t receive a quality teaching experience, have you really achieved anything more than a piece of paper?

If you feel there is an online service you want to check, research the “school” or find discussion boards that tell about other student’s experiences. Do not trust testimonials from that site. Contact your state board of education or the county education offices where that school claims to be located. Ask the personnel there if they know of the school or have processed any inquiries or complaints. Keep in mind that a high school diploma obtained in another state may be legal there, but not where you live or work.

The worst thing about education scams is they injure the very people who are most deserving of help; the ones who are trying to better themselves and do what’s needed to get ahead. It is recommended that students act in their own defense first and contact local public school counseling offices or boards of education for advice first.

By: David Dunlap

A GED or General Education Diploma is sometimes also called a General Education Development program. The basis for the GED is a series of tests to determine if a minimum level of proficiency has been reached. These are not difficult tests but do require a wide breadth of understanding on a variety of subjects.

Today, distance learning may be the option most preferred. It is an affordable way to work toward a GED, and determine the level of skills necessary to pass the GED exams. Unfortunately, there are companies that offer shortcuts to almost every kind of education. Promises of college degrees, doctorates, and even high school diplomas are all available for the right price. These companies are in the business of selling shortcuts that are really bogus credentials. Fake diplomas and worthless transcripts are a growth industry with the explosion of information found on the Internet.

In most cases, the GED — the term for General Education Development credential — is the only official ‘diploma’ that has value and is meaningful for adults who never completed their high school education. There are exceptions. Many people have been duped or misled with the promises of phony certifications. These diploma mills are nothing more than a printer, some software and a marketing plan.

The reality is however, that many businesses do not check into the background of a person to that extent. This is especially true of jobs in the lower 50% of the general pay scale. Recently there have been a rash of high level business president, vice-president types who have been found to have used phony credentials to obtain their positions. If large corporations paying huge salaries to these types of people don’t check them out, how deeply do you think they will check your his troy?

Still, the future is anything but set. Although it’s possible to get away without having solid educational proof, the future may be much different. In a few years, it may be possible for companies to check historical records online and then the phone degrees will all become evident.

The very best solution is to obtain a solid education no matter how much effort it may take.

By: Abbie Frank