Career Online High School

Career Online High School (COHS) is an accredited online high school diploma and career certification program available through the El Dorado County Library. The library offers scholarships (free enrollment) to a limited number of qualified, motivated students.

Adults (18 and over) who live in El Dorado County, have a current library card in good standing, and want to earn a high school diploma can apply. You must have completed at least the 8th grade. Students 17 and under should continue their high school education through their school district. Because all instruction is in English, you must be comfortable reading, writing, and speaking in English. All instruction is offered online, so you must be comfortable using technology or at least be familiar with how to use it, including sending and receiving emails regularly and troubleshooting technology problems.

To get a library card fill out an application at any El Dorado County Library, or complete and print out an online library card application, and bring it to the library during open hours. A valid photo identification will also be required to get your library card. If you have a card with fines under $20, it's considered a card in good standing.

You can register for a Temporary Library Card here. You will be able to access the library’s online databases and request up to five item holds.  To receive your permanent card, please show a government issued photo ID to library staff at any El Dorado County Library.

Applicants will be required to take an online survey and successfully pass (with a score of 70% or higher) the prerequisite course to qualify for an interview. If prospective students pass the interview, they will be invited to accept a scholarship. Enrollment is limited and demand is high. Time management and self-motivation are essential elements for success. All phases of the program require a passing score of 70% or higher.

If you successfully complete the selection process above, El Dorado County Library may award you a scholarship to continue in the program. At that time, a library representative will speak with you about your commitment and provide you with all of the information you need to get started. If awarded a scholarship, you will be on probation for 30 days while completing at least two more semesters. If you do not pass probation, you will not be offered another opportunity to enroll.

Depending on whether you have qualified academic credits to transfer and how much time you spend in the program each week, you can earn your high school diploma and your career certificate in as few as 5 months. You will be given no more than 18 months to complete the program. On average, people who stay ahead of pace complete the program in about 12 months.

Career Online High School is a program offered through El Dorado County Library as a free service to the community and to fulfill its mission of supporting lifelong learning, community outreach, and local economic development. The El Dorado County Library awards scholarships for enrollment into COHS to adults who want a second chance to earn an accredited high school diploma and a career certificate. Students should demonstrate their commitment to completing the program through their effort and time spent on coursework. Scholarships are limited. Successful completion of the prerequisite course does not guarantee a scholarship will be awarded.

Once you have completed the qualification process and have passed probation, a COHS representative will analyze your transcripts and apply credits for any coursework you completed that fulfills the credit transfer requirements. Only academic semesters will transfer. A maximum of 14 credits (English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, and Personal Fitness) can be transferred. There may be a fee of around $5 to $15 that you must pay to send your transcript directly from your high school in the United States to COHS to be evaluated. The COHS evaluation is free if you went to school in the United States. If you went to school outside the United States, you will need to pay to have your foreign school transcript evaluated and then sent to COHS. If you successfully passed some of the GED subject tests, you can request that your records are sent to COHS to be evaluated after you pass the COHS probation period.

Students will be given up to 18 months to complete the program, which consists of 36 semesters (18 credits). Students accepted into the program can transfer up to 14 credits of Math, Social Studies, Science, English, Health, and Personal Fitness from their former school(s) if they went to school in the United States. Students who went to school in other countries will have to either take all the coursework or have their school transcript evaluated at their own cost. Depending on how many credits the student is able to transfer, the program can be completed in as few as 5 months, but the average is 12 months. You will need to complete at least 2 semesters per month to fulfill minimum program requirements and graduate on time, but it is recommended that students complete 3 or more semesters each month.

The Library recommends that you spend at least 10 hours per week (minimum) on your coursework. You are expected to maintain the recommended pace completing your coursework, and your academic coach will help keep you on track! Since this program is self-paced, it is recommended that you move faster and complete more than one semester every two weeks.

No. All coursework is in English and students should be comfortable listening, reading, and understanding English.

Courses are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with internet access.

Your academic coach will connect you with a certified instructor, who will provide you with additional academic support when needed.

To give you the tools you need to find a job, COHS will teach you to create essential documents, such as your resume and a cover letter.

Through COHS, students may earn a career certificate in one of the following nine areas:

• Child Care
• Commercial Driving
• Hospitality and Leisure
• General Career Preparation
• Home Care Professional
• Food and Hospitality
• Office Management
• Retail/Customer Service
• Security Professional

Students and community members can learn more about the Career Certificates.

COHS provides you with all of the coursework you need in order to qualify for a child care certification. You will need to find a local agency to fulfill the hands-on training hours required.

No. This is not a GED program. Successful graduates will earn an accredited high school diploma and a career certificate. However, if you have already passed part of the GED you can send in your records directly to COHS after you pass probation.

While both the GED and the high school diploma are important, there are several differences between them; among the most significant is the fact that some colleges, institutions and organizations require a high school diploma and may not accept the GED. In addition to providing a high school diploma, COHS gives students the benefit of earning a career certificate and completing additional job preparation documents and training. The GED consists of four tests offered on a computer. Contact the El Dorado County Office of Education to find testing centers in El Dorado County. Visit the GED website to learn more about the tests. The El Dorado County Library has GED prep materials available.

If you completed 12^th grade and all high school credits between the years 2003 and 2015 but didn’t pass the CAHSEE exams, you may be eligible to receive your high school diploma now. Contact your most recent high school or school district regarding your eligibility.

Please contact the El Dorado County Library to discuss your options. Students will need to complete at least 10 hours of coursework per week on a computer with internet access. If computer access is a problem, we will work with you to identify a library or community location where you might be able to complete your work.

No; however, the English coursework may require novels, which you can buy or check out from the El Dorado County Library.

Yes. Career Online High School is accredited (or licensed) by AdvancED/SACS. AdvancEd is the national commission that confers the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) accreditation seal.

AdvancED provides nationally recognized accreditation for school districts and individual schools and represents 27,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries around the world, educating 15 million students. Learn more about the District Accreditation Process at cognia.org