(1) DEFINITIONS.
(a) Accredited School – an elementary, middle or secondary school accredited
by or holding provisional status from the Georgia Accrediting Commission, the Georgia Association of Christian Schools, the Association of Christian Schools International, the Accrediting Commission for Independent Study, the Southern Association of Independent Schools and/or one of the accrediting agencies that is a member of the Georgia Private School Accreditation Council, and/or one of the following regional accrediting agencies.
1. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)
2. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
3. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)
4. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC)
5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
7. The Alabama Independent School Association
(b) Validation – the process of verifying credits earned.
(2) REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Local boards of education shall accept student course credit earned in an accredited school. The school shall have been accredited or holding provisional status at the time the credit was earned.
1. A local board of education shall not substitute courses and exempt students
from the required secondary minimum core curriculum in the general, college
preparatory and vocational education programs unless the student transferred from an
accredited secondary school or the courses presented for credit must meet criteria
identified in local procedures in paragraph (2)(b)3.
(b) Each local board of education shall adopt a policy for validating credit for
courses taken at a non-accredited elementary or secondary school or home study
program. The policy shall include the following:
1. Definitions consistent with this rule.
2. Procedures for placing transfer students in elementary and middle grades at
the appropriate level and for granting Carnegie unit credit for high school students.
The procedure shall include at least one of the following criteria.
(i) Probationary placement based on records of prior schools(s) and/or home
study programs and satisfactory performance of the student for one or more grading
periods.
(ii) Tests and acceptable scores. These tests may be standardized or locally
developed and should focus on group placement, subject area and/or grade level.
(3) Procedures for determining whether or not transfer courses meet the required
minimum core curriculum.