South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 43 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Article 19 - INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM › Section 43-259 - Adult Education

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
I. The
			 State High School Equivalency Diploma
The State Board of Education (SBE) will issue a state high
				school equivalency diploma to eligible candidates who successfully complete a
				SBE approved high school equivalency test. The SBE authorizes the
				administration of approved high school equivalency tests by the South Carolina
				Department of Education (SCDE) under policies established by the SBE.
A. Eligibility Requirements for Equivalency
			 Diploma Candidates
1. Service Personnel and
			 Veterans
To be eligible for a state high school equivalency diploma, the
				candidate must be seventeen years of age or older and must be either a resident
				of South Carolina or a former resident whose most recent elementary or
				secondary school attendance was in South Carolina.
2. General Adult Population
a. To be eligible for a state high school
			 equivalency diploma, the candidate must be seventeen years of age or older,
			 must not be currently enrolled in high school, and must either be a current
			 resident of South Carolina or a former resident whose most recent elementary or
			 secondary school attendance was in South Carolina.
b. A candidate for a state high school
			 equivalency diploma who is seventeen or eighteen years of age must submit a
			 "Verification of School Withdrawal" form completed by either the school
			 principal or attendance supervisor of the last South Carolina school he or she
			 attended or from the district superintendent of the school. The "Verification
			 of School Withdrawal" form must verify the candidate's date of birth and the
			 date of his or her last attendance at the school. In the event that the last
			 school he or she attended was outside South Carolina, a person seventeen or
			 eighteen years of age may either submit a letter signed by his or her high
			 school principal or designee verifying his or her date of birth and the date of
			 last attendance in school or submit a letter from the superintendent of schools
			 in the district in which he or she currently resides indicating that the
			 candidate is not enrolled in any schools within the school district. A copy of
			 the candidate's driver's license, state-issued identification card, or birth
			 certificate must accompany the letter. Verification letters are to be submitted
			 with the application for testing.
c. A candidate over the age of eighteen who
			 has been enrolled in high school during the current school year must submit a
			 "Verification of School Withdrawal" form completed by either the school
			 principal or attendance supervisor of the last South Carolina school he or she
			 attended or from the district superintendent. The "Verification of School
			 Withdrawal" form must verify the candidate's date of birth and the date of his
			 or her last attendance at the school.
3. Juvenile Offenders
Certain juvenile offenders who are under the jurisdiction of
				the State Department of Juvenile Justice may be granted an exception to the
				requirement that in order to be eligible for a state high school equivalency
				diploma, a candidate must be seventeen years of age or older and not be
				currently enrolled in high school during the current school year.
For a juvenile offender to qualify for this exception, the
				following criteria must be met:
a. The
			 juvenile is at least sixteen years of age.
b. The juvenile is under the jurisdiction of
			 the family court based on an adjudication of delinquent behavior and must be
			 committed to a juvenile correctional institution or committed to participate in
			 community-based alternative programs under the jurisdiction of the Department
			 of Juvenile Justice.
c. The family
			 court certifies that it is in the best interest of the juvenile for him or her
			 to be exempted from the public school compulsory attendance law.
d. The juvenile's enrollment in public school
			 or completion of a community-based alternative program would not be feasible
			 upon his or her release from a juvenile correctional institution either because
			 it is necessary that he or she find immediate employment or because he or she
			 will immediately enroll in postsecondary education.