At Kolbe Academy, we uphold the principle of subsidiarity, empowering families to take the lead as the primary educators of their children within a framework that ensures alignment with established academic standards and guidelines. Parents have the freedom to adapt materials, set the pace of learning, craft unique courses tailored to their child’s needs, and use outside curriculum.  

 

Kolbe's custom course review is not a judgment on the parent's homeschooling choices; rather, it is to ensure all courses that appear on the student’s academic record meet academic standards and benchmarks in line with Kolbe’s academic standards. This ensures students are prepared for subsequent levels of study and that the courses will be recognized on the student's record for the appropriate grade level and subject area. This partnership allows families to provide a trusted, high-quality education that balances flexibility with reliable support and recognized, respected academic records from our school, which is both nationally and regionally accredited. 

 

What are custom courses?

Custom courses are courses not provided directly by Kolbe Academy. These courses may come from a curriculum or course provider or may be designed by the homeschooling parent. Custom courses do not use texts from an existing Kolbe Academy course. Once approved and verified through grade reporting, custom courses are recorded on the student’s academic record. 

 

Fully enrolled students who are completing coursework at another high school or college that will issue credit for the course(s) on an official transcript do not need to fill out the custom course request form. Read External Transcript Submission and Transfer Credit Policy for more information on this process. Speak with your advisor if you have any further questions. 

 

What criteria must a custom course meet?

K-8 Custom Courses

• All courses must be done consistently in the term(s) for which grades will be reported.  

• Religion: Must meet the Catholic Theology requirement as outlined in the Parent and Student Handbook. 

• Academic Courses: 

  • Must fall within two grade-levels of the student’s grade. 

  • Must use course materials (textbook, workbook, online component, etc.) that correspond to the selected subject area. 

  • Must include assignments and assessments to be used as written sample work when reporting the course’s letter grade. 

• Non-Academic Courses: 

  • May include formal course materials and coursework but does not need a formal curriculum.  

  • Must be reported with a P/F grade. 

9-12 Custom Courses: 

• Theology: Must meet the Catholic Theology requirement as outlined in the Parent and Student Handbook.  

• Academic Courses:  

  • Corresponds to a core, academic subject area: Theology, English, Literature, History, Math, Science, or Foreign Language.  

  • Meet the criteria for high school level courses as outlined in the Parent and Student Handbook. 

• Non-Academic Courses:  

  • Course that falls outside of a core, academic subject area.  

  • Includes learning objectives and content but may not include formal coursework and assessments.  

  • Must meet the hours criteria for high school level courses as outlined in the Parent and Student Handbook.

  • Must be reported with a P/F grade.

Please be aware that some course providers offer a suggested amount of high school credit. These are often subjective suggestions and may not be rooted in widely accepted academic standards. While we take these suggestions into account, if a course does not meet the criteria, including the required minimum number of content hours, it will not be approved until the necessary course adjustments are made.  

 

When should I submit my custom course for review? 

The custom course approval process is a “pre-approval” process. All custom courses need to be reported at the time of course registration and before beginning coursework. 

 

How do I submit a custom course for review? 

Adding custom courses to your student's course registration is a benefit of any full-time enrollment status. When submitting your student's course registration, please indicate which custom courses you will be submitting for review. From there, you will be provided with an option to submit the custom course information in the Custom Course Approval Request Form. 

 

If you did not originally indicate which custom course(s) the student is taking on their course registration form, the custom course information can be added later directly onto the Custom Course Approval Request Form. Please contact your advisor for a link to this form. 

 

Once the advisor reviews the custom course information provided, the course will either be: 

• approved and added to the student's course registration form, 
• marked as pending and you’ll be contacted to provide additional information to help in reviewing the course, 
• or not approved and your advisor will contact you.

Do I need to submit a form for each custom course? 

Yes, one form should be submitted per custom course. This allows each course to move through the approval process independently, expediting the review process. 

What information is needed about my custom course?   

• Course Title – do not include the name of texts or publishers, e.g. Saxon Math 5. 
• Complete List of Course Text(s) & Materials (including author and publisher) - high school courses should include textbooks and/or primary source materials.  
• Link(s) - to the text(s) and course materials. 
• Course Description – provide a general description of the course including topics, chapters covered, or major themes, as applicable. For PE and Fine Arts, provide a description of the activity completed.
• Course Assignment and Assessment Outline
  • High School Courses: The course needs to include at minimum four graded, summative assignments each semester, such as tests or papers. Please provide a list and brief description of the main assignments your student will complete during the year. These may include papers, labs, tests, exams, or other major projects. Information about smaller or practice assignments is also helpful when we review the course. 
  • K-8 Courses: Describe the types of written work that will be assigned. 
• Course Hours and Duration Outline - required for high school courses. For PE and Fine Arts, provide a description of the frequency and duration of the activity completed.
• Course Term(s) - select with academic term(s) the course will be completed in, e.g. Quarters or Semesters. 

If you have other course materials to submit, such as a scope and sequence or full syllabus, you may upload the file directly into the Custom Course Approval Request Form. Please find a copy of a Scope and Sequence template at the bottom of this article for your convenience. 

Can I select my custom course title?

While we take the parent's requested course title into consideration, not all custom course titles will be approved. Some examples include: 

• Custom courses using Kolbe's course titles 
• Unauthorized use of the AP designation or other trademarked words and phrases 
• Titles that do not accurately reflect the content of a course. 

What support does Kolbe offer for custom courses?

Since Kolbe does not provide custom courses, staff cannot offer the same level of support as with Kolbe-designed courses. However, Kolbe will: 

• Review custom course information for approval. 
• Review and process grades submitted for custom courses. 
• Record approved courses on your student’s course registration and academic record if grades are reported.

What sample coursework do I need to submit when reporting grades for approved custom courses? 

Sample coursework must be submitted when reporting grades for custom courses as follows: 

• For K-8 custom courses, please submit any sample coursework. Each sample must show the student’s work (written or typed) and parent’s grading. One sample coursework is required per quarter or two samples per semester.
• For 9-12 custom courses, please submit any two summative assignments from the course. Each sample must show the student’s work (written or typed) and parent’s grading in the form of a score (35/42), a letter grade, or a percentage grade. Two samples are required per semester.

For full grade reporting guidance, including details on what is acceptable for sample coursework, please review FAQ: Grade Reporting in the Kolbe Portal

Why was my custom course not approved?

Kolbe Academy does not approve custom courses that: 

• are for part-time students 
• use the same texts as an existing Kolbe Academy course 
• earned credit from another national or regionally accredited institution 
• do not meet grade-level expectations 
• are high school level and do not meet the criteria for a high school course 
• are not "for credit" courses, such as homeroom, labs, etc. 
• are study, test prep, or exam-based courses 
• are conversation-based language courses 
• only offer supplemental learning 
• exceed the maximum number of reportable classes: 

  • K–8: No more than 12 academic courses per school year. 

  • 9–12: No more than 8 academic courses per school year. 

When a custom course is not approved, your advisor may offer suggestions on things that can be added to round out a course so that it can be awarded credit for the level being sought. 

 

Questions? 

If you have questions about the process or whether a course will be approved, please contact your Family Advisor for guidance.