We have the authority and privilege to award a high school diploma in the State of Maine to qualified students and with that authority comes the responsibility for evaluating high school credits. Before NARHS validates credits granted in the homeschool, every credit for every course for every year must be justifiable. That justification becomes part of the student’s file. We build the student file to contain student records, evaluations, portfolio reviews, external credits, transferred credits, and more. All are contained in the student’s official educational file. When called upon by any college or university, the military, or an employer, we can justify every credit validated by the records in the student file. And of course, every file is confidential, according to the Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) requirements, and we release student information only after a release form is signed by the parent, legal guardian, or adult student. Once the documentation is there, the credit is validated. Once the credits are validated, the diploma is awarded. Yes, this is a real high school diploma — not a GED, not a certificate of completion.