What is  the Desert Christian Directed Study Program, and how does it work?

The Desert Christian Directed Study Program (DCDSP) is administered by the Desert Christian Home Education office and provides a flexible schedule and academic supervision for students in high school.  It is a three-way partnership between DCDSP staff, the student, and the parent.

Qualified teachers meet with the students one class period per week in order to instruct, test, and give assignments.  Most classes are 50 minutes; however, some classes require a longer class time, such as foreign language and lab science.  The student then works independently at home to complete the assigned tasks.  The instructors are available for questions and additional help by phone and e-mail.  The on-campus instructor evaluates the work and assigns the grade. The parent’s responsibility is to hold the student on-task in their studies at home and to regularly check our online tool, RenWeb, for their student’s progress with the assignments.

Some students take all their classes in DCDSP.  (Parents of students enrolled full-time in DSP are not required to meet the monthly focus group requirement for those enrolled in DCHEP.)  Other students are home education students who have one or more classes in DSP as a supplement to their parent-directed studies.  Because of the schedule flexibility and independent nature of this educational option, we do look for students who are self-disciplined and self-motivated, although we evaluate the prospective success of each student on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any questions on the above or would like to arrange a meeting, please contact Kelly Green at (661) 948-5071 x-302 or at kgreen@desertchristian.com. We’re here to help!