A Message from Dr. Robert Woods, Kepler's Dean of Academics
Schedule a meeting with the Dean of Academics for help with Kepler's diploma track.
Introduction to Kepler’s Diploma Track
Kepler's mission is to offer a challenging classical Christian education that is easily available, affordable, and accessible to all. Kepler courses are all offered à la carte or by way of our Diploma Track.
Courses may be selected à la carte by individual students, families, co-ops, or schools who need to meet specific requirements for their students' transcripts, or who wish to tailor their educational experience to best accommodate their own program or interests.
Students enrolling in Kepler's Diploma Track will be guided through a comprehensive online course of study throughout their years in secondary school. For these students, the Diploma Track serves as a private secondary school operating under the supervision of Kepler's Dean of Academics and providing students with a scope and sequence of rigorous core courses designed to lead them toward earning a high school diploma issued by Kepler Education.
The Diploma Track offers a range of qualifying courses, providing students with the flexibility to meet graduation requirements while exploring electives and areas of interest. Students can often continue multiple years with a favorite teacher or curriculum, all while fulfilling the requirements for obtaining the Kepler Diploma. By completing the core subjects and elective courses in the Diploma Track, students will have developed a strong academic foundation and acquired essential skills that will serve them well toward obtaining a college degree or in other future endeavors.
College-bound students enrolled in the Kepler Diploma Track also have the highly economical option of selecting their Diploma Track courses from Kepler’s dual credit courses by way of regionally-accredited Colorado Christian University.
Qualifying for the Kepler Diploma
To qualify for the Kepler Diploma, students must be enrolled in the Diploma Track full-time and complete the program successfully for at least two consecutive years, including their graduation year.
Students transferring into Kepler’s Diploma Track must provide an academic transcript of all prior academic work from 7th grade and up. Kepler will review requests for transfer credits and any other modifications to the Diploma Track pathway on an individual basis. All such requests must be approved on a case-by-case basis after consulting with our Dean of Academics to ensure that they align with Kepler's academic vision. Yearly standardized testing via the Classic Learning Test (CLT) is required for Diploma Track students.
Earning Credit at Kepler
Our instructional approach at Kepler follows a “flipped classroom” or “university model,” in which students typically engage in Socratic dialogues with their instructors for 90 minutes once per week in a live, online recitation. Throughout the rest of the week, students complete asynchronous activities, such as reading assigned material, viewing pre-recorded lectures, and completing written assignments to prepare for the next recitation.
Following the Carnegie hours model, 120 to 180 hours of directed study constitutes one high school credit. This includes both the live recitations and all asynchronous assignments. This student workload is distributed over 32 weeks for an academic year, or over 16 weeks for an academic semester. Summer courses are typically 8-week intensive semesters. Students are awarded a weighted percentage grade at the end of the term based on their written work, class work, quizzes, and exams.
A Well-Rounded Academic Program
The Diploma Track's core subjects provide a well-rounded curriculum. It includes traditional liberal arts studies such as logic, rhetoric, fine arts, civics/economics, and a variety of humanities electives. Mathematics and a wide range of sciences establish a strong foundation in STEM fields. Mandatory foreign language study enhances cultural understanding, communication skills, and critical thinking; and as students move towards language proficiency, they become equipped to read classic texts in their original languages.
An important Kepler distinctive is the inclusion of an Integrated Humanities course in every Diploma Track year. Integrated Humanities courses cover history, literature, and philosophy/theology, offering a holistic and comprehensive approach to the Great Books. These year-long courses are typically awarded three credits, reflecting the substantial workload expected of students. The curriculum emphasizes extensive writing and reading of primary source material. In high school Integrated Humanities courses, the writing component comprises approximately 10,000 words in the form of research papers, written responses, online discussion questions, workbook assignments, and exams. Junior high Integrated Humanities courses have a comparable writing load but break it down into smaller, more frequent writings, such as progymnasmata, reading guides, and personal responses.
Attendance
Attendance is a requirement for receiving credit at Kepler. To receive credit, all enrolled students, whether in the Diploma Track or not, must complete assigned work on time and must attend recitations. Students who have scheduling conflicts or who lack the necessary technology or Internet access to attend are not permitted to enroll for credit in a course. Students who cannot meet the attendance requirement and/or complete assignments may arrange to audit a course but will not receive credit for the course.
Excessive absences may jeopardize a student’s eligibility to receive credit for the course. If a student misses a recitation, it may be made up by watching the recording and writing a 200-250-word summary analysis of the discussion up to twice during a semester-long course and for no more than five absences for any reason in a year-long course.
Standardized Testing
The Classic Learning Test (CLT) is required for Diploma Track students and recommended for all other students in Kepler courses. It's praised for its engaging content, shorter length, faster scoring, and lower cost compared to the SAT® or ACT®.
This standardized test provides valuable insights into students' academic progress and is taken online, with scores available within 24 hours. The exam also offers scholarship opportunities; any Kepler student scoring 75 or above receives a $100 scholarship toward any Kepler course. In addition, there are more than 100 colleges that have tied scholarship dollars directly to CLT scores. The CLT's innovative approach uses contemporary technology and passages from notable authors to make the testing experience positive and meaningful for classically educated students. More information, including the list of authors featured on the CLT exams, is available here.
Diploma and Graduation
Once students have completed the 25 high school credits (including transfer credits) required by the Diploma Track, they will receive their diploma and graduate from the program. A graduation ceremony is held in May in Moscow, Idaho, during which we recognize the achievements of all graduating seniors and award the Kepler Diploma to successful Diploma Track students.
While students are welcome to continue taking courses (especially dual credit courses) at Kepler, they will no longer be considered Diploma Track students once they have fulfilled our requirements satisfactorily.
Students in the Diploma Track will be in regular contact with Kepler's Dean of Academics throughout the program, but a final consultation regarding graduation will be necessary to initiate the graduation process. Diploma Track students should reach out to the Dean during the first semester of their graduating year to discuss Kepler's graduation requirements, academics, post-graduation plans and advice, spiritual and personal growth, and any additional support the student may need.
Upon completion of their meeting with the Dean, seniors should email the Registrar before March 1st of their graduating year with a "notice of intent to graduate." The Registrar will review the Dean's recommendation and prepare the student's Diploma and, if the student will be attending graduation, order the cap and gown. Fees for graduation will vary (currently approximately $150).
Teacher Qualifications and Support
Kepler places a strong emphasis on ensuring that every course, Diploma Track or otherwise, is rigorous and exceeds Department of Education standards. We strive to maintain a high standard of teaching quality so that every teacher we platform is qualified and committed to the educational principles and values that the program espouses. By conducting thorough interviews, third-party background checks, and reviews of teaching experience and transcripts, we can assure families that every teacher on the Kepler platform is not only qualified to teach but also shares our commitment to the Christian faith, classical pedagogy, and a historically conservative worldview.
In addition, Kepler provides ample opportunities and incentives for ongoing training and professional development to help teachers continually grow and excel in our academic community, as well as avenues for them to contribute to the academic dialogue through Kepler's academic journal, The Consortium.
Diploma Track Requirements
Jr. High (7th-8th) | Logic Stage
| Grade | Subject | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Grade | Credits | |
| Humanities | Integrated Humanities (Antiquity) (3) | 3 |
| Math | Pre-Algebra (1) | 1 |
| Science | Physical or Natural Science (1) | 1 |
| Language | Latin (1) | 1 |
| 8th Grade | Credits | |
| Humanities | Integrated Humanities (Medieval) (3) | 3 |
| Math | Algebra I (1) | 1 |
| Science | Physical or Natural Science (1) | 1 |
| Language | Latin (1) | 1 |
High School (9th-12th) | Rhetoric Stage
| Grade | Subject | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 9th Grade | Credits | |
| Humanities | Integrated Humanities (Antiquity) (3) | 3 |
| Math | Geometry (1) | 1 |
| Science | Logic (1) | 1 |
| Language | Latin, Greek, or Modern Language (1) | 1 |
| Music | Music | 0.5 |
| 10th Grade | Credits | |
| Humanities | Integrated Humanities (Classical) (3) | 3 |
| Math | Algebra II or alt Math (1) | 1 |
| Science | Biology (1) | 1 |
| Language | Latin, Greek, or Modern Language (1) | 1 |
| Astronomy | Astronomy | 0.5 |
| 11th Grade | Credits | |
| Humanities | Integrated Humanities (Medieval) (3) | 3 |
| Math | Calculus or alt Math (1) | 1 |
| Science | Chemistry (1) | 1 |
| Rhetoric | Rhetoric (1) | 1 |
| US History | American History | 0.5 |
| 12th Grade | Credits | |
| Humanities | Integrated Humanities (Modern) (3) | 3 |
| Govt | Civics or Economics | 0.5 |
| Senior Thesis | Senior Thesis | 1 |
| Elective | Elective | 1 |
Diploma Track Overview
| Classes | Required Credits |
|---|---|
| Trivium | |
| Integrated Humanities* | 12 |
| Logic | 1 |
| Rhetoric | 1 |
| Languages | 2 |
| U.S. History | 0.5 |
| Civics and/or Economics | 0.5 |
| Quadrivium | |
| Mathematics (*1 credit must be Geometry) | 3 |
| Science (1 credit each of natural and physical) | 2 |
| Music | 0.5 |
| Astronomy | 0.5 |
| Electives | |
| Senior Thesis | 1 |
| Elective | 1 |
| Total Requirements | 25 |
- Humanities requires 4 credits of History/Geography, 4 credits of Literature, and 4 credits of Theology/Philosophy from each of the four historical periods: Antiquity (creation - about 431 B.C.), Classical (431 B.C. - 476 A.D.), Medieval (476 A.D. - 1500 A.D.), Moderns (1500 A.D. - Present).||