Satellite Middle & High School
Director: Shelly Zackus
8 Westowne Street, Suite 800 Liberty, Missouri 64068
(816) 415-4822 fax (816) 792-1574
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When was Satellite Middle and High
School founded?
A: Satellite Middle & High School was founded in Kansas City,
Missouri in 1994. We provide 6th-8th middle school courses for students
ages
11-14 and high school courses for teenagers and adults over the age of
14.
Q: Is Satellite
accredited?
A: Satellite
Middle & High School is accredited by AdvancED (nationwide) and the North
Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement
(NCA CASI), which is an accreditation agency for public schools in the Midwest
region including Missouri and Kansas. Satellite is also
accredited by the National Private Schools Association Group and the
Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA).
CITA alliance members include the North Central Association, as well as
the following: Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools,
Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the National Council
for Private School Accreditation.
A: Satellite High School welcomes all students, age 14-100, regardless of past educational history. Students may graduate through Satellite or take our courses for credit-recovery, credit-acceleration, early graduation, etc. for their current school. Our program is beneficial for all students, including credit-recovery, remedial, average, and gifted students, home-schooled students, students who have health or family problems, teens who are pregnant or have young children, teens who have dropped out of school, adults of all ages, and students who have been suspended or expelled from their own high schools.
Q: When can I start?
A:
Students may enroll and start courses at any time, year round.
Q:
Does Satellite offer credit recovery courses?
A:
Absolutely. Students may enroll and order one or more courses at
any
time, and may complete them as quickly or slowly as they desire.
Q. How do local students complete the courses?
A: Whether graduating through Satellite or just taking
credit-recovery courses, local students come to our center in Liberty
to order courses, take exams, turn in homework, and get help with
assignments. Our local center is open five days a week.
Q. How do distance students complete the courses?
A: Most of our students live in states all over the
country and complete selected credit-recovery courses or the entire
diploma program by mail. Courses are mailed directly to the
student. The student chooses a local teacher, counselor, or
administrator to administer his/her exams. Exams are mailed
directly to this test monitor (proctor). The proctor mails the
exams back to Satellite. The student mails his/her homework
assignments back to Satellite.
Q:
Are
Satellite credits accepted at all other high schools and institutions?
A: While
our credits
have been accepted
by
all branches of the military as well as hundreds of high schools,
colleges, and universities, we advise that you check with your local
high school, college, or institution to confirm acceptance of our
credits before enrolling in
our program. Our school is accredited by AdvancED (nationwide) and the North Central
Association, which is the accrediting agency used by public schools in
the entire Midwest region. We are also accredited by additional
nation-wide agencies.
Q:
What are the graduation requirements?
A:
Students who choose to graduate through Satellite will need a total of
20 credits, 4 credits each in English, history, math, science, and electives.
Specific courses needed to graduate include Personal Finance, U.S.
Government, Health, 1 credit of Fine Arts, and 1 credit of Practical
Arts.
Q:
Will
my high school credits be accepted at Satellite?
A: Satellite accepts credits earned in 9th - 12th grade. A maximum of
15 credits (including 4.0 elective credits) from other high
schools may be accepted toward the diploma requirements. We would
need a copy of a student's transcript to determine how his/her prior
credits would apply toward Satellite's graduation requirements.
A: Definitely. This is your education and we want you to make the best of it. We do not require you to take any specific courses as long as you meet the graduation requirements. Which other courses you select within each area is totally up to you. You may choose from any of the courses that we offer. Only two additional rules apply to course selection. First, you may not repeat, for credit, a course you have already passed at another high school. Second, you may not take a remedial course for credit unless you have a current IEP (individualized educational plan), prior approval from your high school counselor, or the Satellite Director's permission.
Q: If I'm going to
college, are there certain courses I should take?
A. Yes! If you plan to go to college, we strongly recommend that you
take the
following courses if you haven't already had them: Grammar, Improve
Your Writing, U.S. History, World History, U.S.
Geography, World Cultures, Algebra, Geometry,
Consumer Math, Earth Science, Biology, and
Chemistry.
Q:
What
if I don't like a class once I've started it?
A: We want you to learn from and enjoy your Satellite courses. We
understand that any given course may not be what you expected it to be.
Therefore, you may drop any course with no grade penalty at any time
before you have completed more than half of the course. Refer to the
home page for our refund policy.
Q:
May I take any course that Satellite offers and count it as an elective?
A. Yes. Satellite does offer specific
"elective" courses, but a student may take any Satellite course and
count it as an elective. This allows students to take courses in core
areas that they particularly enjoy and to complete college-bound
courses.
Q:
How
long do I have to complete a course?
A: There are as many different answers to that as there are students.
Because each student's schedule is unique based on job, family, and
other commitments, Satellite does not set a time limit for the
completion of any given class or the diploma program. Students can go
as fast or slow as they want to. Some students take one or two classes
at a time. Other students follow a more traditional course and take
five or six classes at a time. The pace varies widely, so choose what
works best for you. However, an average student completes 1/2
to 1 credit per month.
Q: Are there certain requirements for minors and students who need to qualify as a full-time student?
A: Yes. The minimum age a student is required to attend school varies from state to state. Until your child reaches this age for the state he/she lives in, he/she will need to complete a minimum of 2.5 credits per semester for high school students and 2.0 credits per semester for middle school students. This pace meets our program's requirement for minors to not be considered truant and for other students to be considered full-time as needed for social security, probation, insurance, child support, and other reasons.
Q:
What
if I need help in a course?
A: The easiest way to ask a question about a course is to contact us by
e-mail. You will receive a
response within 24 to 48 hours. You may contact us by e-mail at
satelliteschool@att.net. You may also call our office at (816)
415-4822 from 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday with any
question. We are available to help you in any way we can.
Q:
What
if I want or need a course that Satellite doesn't offer?
A: We are always in the process of adding more courses to our program.
However, if you need or want to take a course that we do not offer, we
strongly encourage you to take the course through other on-line high
school or college programs or through other local programs that may be
available to you. With proper documentation, we may count these
courses towards your Satellite diploma, assuming you do not transfer in
a total of more than 15 credits.
A: If you take a credit-recovery course through Satellite, we automatically send an unofficial copy of your trancript to you and an official copy of your transcript to your school as soon as a course is completed. If you graduate through Satellite, there is a $5 fee per transcript request. You may request an unofficial copy of your transcript for yourself and/or an official copy of your transcript to be sent to a college, university, votech program, etc. You will need to send us the folllowing: your full name at the time you graduated, your birth date, the year you graduated, your current phone number and address, $5 per transcript requested, and a complete mailing address of where you want us to send your transcript. It normally takes two business days to process your request and send your transcripts.
Q: Is there more information available for middle and high school counselors?
A: Yes. We'd be delighted to send any middle, junior, or high school counselor or administrator a copy of our school's handbook by e-mail or post mail. The handbook includes program information, registration and order forms, and course descriptions. Interested counselors should contact Shelly Zackus, Director, at (816) 415-4822.
Q: What is Satellite Middle
&
High
School's privacy policy?
A:
STUDENT INFORMATION IS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL AND WILL BE SHARED ONLY
WITH CUSTODIAL PARENTS, GUARDIANS, OTHER SCHOOLS, OR DULY APPOINTED
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AS REQUIRED BY THE LAW.
