FAQs

Absolutely! The best way for you to contact us initially is by emailing us at  info@treeoflifeathome.com . In many cases one of our staff can answer your questions using that medium, but in some cases we will want to talk to you on the phone and will set up a specific date and time to do this.

The telephone interview can last from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on the number of children and the complexity of questions asked. Essentially the interview will provide opportunity to talk and for us to recommend a course of study, explanation of the materials, and general suggestions for implementation.

There are three main ways you use our evaluation services to support your home education program. First, if you are using any of our Small Steps to Big Ideas, What’s the Big Idea?, or high school level courses, the outlines that come with the program will guide you through the work day by day. Assignments that are to be submitted are clearly indicated. You will have the assignment returned to you with comments and numerical marks (no numerical marks for the Small Steps program). Once all course requirements are complete, you will receive a final report/transcript.

Second, if you do not need or desire to use any of our scripted courses, but would like to have feedback on your child’s work, we offer individual assignment evaluations for any type of written work. You can either sign up for a 5 assignment package ($120) or a 10 assignment package ($200). Contact us for specific information on how this works.

Third, you may require a more thorough evaluation for your “pre-high schooler”. This would require you to complete an evaluation form supplied by us, and also submit requested samples of student work. We will receive this package by mail, review it, and put together a more traditional looking report card with letter grades and anecdotal comments.

The cost of this service is $75 PER evaluation.

While many of our students enter our high school program directly from our own early grades curriculum, many more come to Tree of Life for the first time in high school. To properly place them and to understand more fully their strengths and weaknesses, we ask that you contact us and set up a time for a free phone consultation. If your plan is to use our service in whole or in part, we will help you sign up for just the right courses.

Yes. Students receive written documentation for every course completed through our school and, upon successful completion of the required credits, are granted a Tree of Life diploma. To qualify for a diploma it is recommended that students complete 28 courses with a minimum from each of the following categories: four courses from the English group; three from each of the Math, History, Science, Bible/ Worldview and Logic/Rhetoric groups; two from the Language and Electives group; plus five of any other courses. This arrangement allows for a broad based educational experience that remains true to the classical approach. NOTE: Great Ideas I and II are 2 credit courses fulfilling English and Bible/Worldview requirements while Great Ideas III and IV are 3 credit courses fulfilling English, History, and Bible/Worldview requirements.

NOTE: There will be a $10 administration fee for each transcript mailed to a post-secondary institution.

No. Tree of Life has never sought accreditation from any authority other than you, the parent. Having said that, Tree of Life has been recognized by many post-secondary institutions across Canada that appreciate the high academic standards we set and the third party evaluation service we offer.

Because our enrollees extend nation wide, we have students who have explored almost every possible avenue after their secondary home education experience. They have entered university, college, apprenticeship programs, the workplace, or continued their education at home using other distance education courses. The vast majority of these students say that their Tree of Life diploma was certainly beneficial in helping them gain entrance to a post-secondary institution, but we still recommend that parents and students keep a well developed portfolio that documents anything that can be considered part of the educational process.

This should include extra-curricular activities, work experience, volunteer service, certificates, letters of recommendation, standardised test scores, etc. It is also a good idea to open lines of communication with potential schools or work places two years prior to graduation in order to ascertain the best way for you to meet their requirements for entry without sacrificing your home school experience.

Yes, many of our students are actually part-time enrollees. They find that some of our courses compliment their present course load very well. Others seek feedback in particular areas from a third party source to make sure students are on the right track.

Yes, credits completed from other institutions may be transferable and, quite often, other activities in which students are involved can be documented and counted for credit. Please complete this Online Form to provide us with details about the course credits you wish to transfer. There will be $10.00 administrative fee attached to each course transferred.

Yes, we offer all four levels of Great Ideas, seven five-week book discussions, and our Advanced English Composition in an online format.