Q: Can my child take some classes through OpenEd and some through my local school?
A: Yes! With your local school’s approval, students in grades 6-12 can choose the split enrollment option and participate in up to two classes per semester at their local boundary district (not charter) school. These on-site classes need to be part of, not in addition to, your student’s education plan.
Q: Can my child participate in public school sports teams, clubs, and activities?
A: Students may participate in their local school's extracurricular and school-sponsored activities pending local school approval. If a team or activity requires enrollment in a specific class in order to participate, students would need to qualify for split enrollment.
Q: Can my child take a Release Time class (i.e., LDS Seminary)?
A: Yes! As Released Time is outside the public school system, religious classes will not be reflected on your student's education plan.
Q: Can a high school student change an elective for the 2nd semester?
A: Yes! There will be a window of time at the end of 1st semester when your student will be able to change their required subjects (and any electives) for 2nd semester.
Q: Can a high school student earn credit toward an accredited diploma?
A: Yes! Students in grades 9-12 can choose to be diploma-seeking and graduate with a state-certified high school diploma. Curriculum choices for diploma-seeking students are limited to specific options that satisfy state requirements. See our marketplace for details.
Q: Does OpenEd offer credit recovery options?
A: Unfortunately no. OpenEd is not a credit recovery program.
Q: Will my diploma-seeking student have letter grades and a GPA on their transcript?
A: Yes! Diploma-seeking students will receive letter grades and a GPA on their transcript, which can be requested from their school of enrollment.
Q: When do I need to decide if my student is diploma-seeking?
A: To meet the requirements to graduate with a state-certified diploma, students must declare their diploma-seeking status and start diploma-accredited classes in 9th grade.
Q: What does my student need to do to fulfill the diploma-seeking path?
A: To earn a state-certified diploma from their school of enrollment, your student will need to:
Earn 24 credits during their four years of high school enrollment
That means your student will need to take 6 credits per year for all four years of high school.
Select their classes from a specific list of providers approved by your school of enrollment
Score a 70% or better on a required Civics Test administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Division
Your student can take this test as many times as necessary to pass.
Q: Can I change my student’s diploma-seeking status?
A: All students wanting to earn a state-certified high school diploma through their School of Enrollment must declare diploma-seeking status upon entering 9th grade to be able to earn the 24 credits required to graduate.
A student entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who wishes to transition from non-diploma-seeking to diploma-seeking must receive approval from both the OpenEd Diploma-seeking Specialist and the counselor at their school of enrollment to make that change.
The transition from non-diploma-seeking to diploma-seeking can not occur mid-school-year, only between school years.
Reminder: OpenEd is not a credit recovery program
To be on track for graduation, students need to have completed 6 credits per year of high school. A student entering 10th grade will need to provide evidence of 6 completed credits. A student entering 11th grade will need to provide evidence of 12 completed credits. A student entering 12th grade will need to provide evidence of 18 completed credits.
If interested in pursuing this transition, students should follow these steps:
Step 1: Gather transcripts of completed accredited high school courses that indicate they are on track to graduate
Step 2: Complete the form to request a consultation with a Diploma-seeking Specialist
Note: A diploma-seeking student may request a change to non-diploma-seeking at any time. If your student wants to change, please contact the Diploma-seeking Specialist.
Q: What if my district requires forms to be signed by the school?
A: Send the district form with the top portion filled out to [email protected]. Please fill out the "school" field with the partner school in which your student is enrolled and provide a physical and email address for our registrar to send the signed form to.
We'll also email you a copy once the form is complete.
Q: What if my district requires a participation fee?
A: Email us at [email protected], including the amount that's required. That amount will be deducted from your student's available wallet.
If the school doesn't require OpenEd to send the participation fee directly, you can also pay the fee yourself and then submit for reimbursement with a receipt.
Q: How does attending a trade school affect eligibility/funding with OpenEd?
A: Technical colleges in Utah are free for high school students.
Some classes might have additional courses or supply costs. You can add a class from a technical college to your student's education plan if there's something in the class that you would like to be reimbursed for.
Q: Are Accelerated Spark Online or BYU Independent Study available options for diploma-seeking students?
A: Yes! Diploma-seeking students can now choose from OnFire Learning (which is the updated name for what was previously known as Accelerated Spark Online), BUY IS through OpenEd, BYU Independent Study, Edgenuity, or Edmentum Courseware. Check out our marketplace for more information.
Q: How many credits will my diploma-seeking student need to finish each year?
A: Diploma-seeking students must complete six credits each year to earn the 24 credits required for graduation. Semester-based courses need to be completed by the end of the semester.
Q: Will my child be able to get into a good university?
A: Yes! Since 2009, students from our program have attended universities of their choice, including Stanford, Harvard, BYU, University of Utah, Utah State, and many others.
Q: Do you offer Early College Credit options?
A: Yes! We offer opportunities for students to earn Early College Credit through split enrollment, online and on-site courses, and project- and competency-based options.
Can a high school student earn an accredited Associate degree?
A: Yes! Please visit our marketplace to learn about Southern New Hampshire University’s competency-based education programs (SNHU-CBE), Ignite Learning Early College, OC Online Early College, and ASU.
For information regarding receiving a state-certified diploma and early college credit concurrently, please use this form to make an appointment to speak with our Diploma-seeking Specialist.
A consult form is needed if you would like to schedule an early college consultation.
Q: When do I get a Certificate of Completion?
A: To receive a Certificate of Completion for OpenEd, your student must complete 12th grade through the program.