How did he move so quickly from high school to college? The answer is the California High School Proficiency Examination (the CHSPE). You have to be at least 16 years old or in 10th grade to take the test.
He's been enrolled in an Options program since we moved to California. The program has been great because he got a FANTASTIC teacher who was understanding about his odd schedule. I can't name the amount of times I called her two hours before his appointment to say, "Zach just booked a gig and can't come in for three days". She always rolled with the changes and made sure Zach was able to get to the center and hand in his homework.
Options allows students to move forward at their own pace so Zach was able to move from grade to grade much quicker than traditional school.
The CHSPE test consists of various sections including a math portion. We got Zach a tutor for the math section because my math knowledge expired when he was in the 4th or 5th grade. He was only able to get one session in with the tutor because of the filming of "Camp Abercorn". My great plan to have him study on set and take practice tests was derailed by the lack of Internet in the woods of Oregon. (On the plus side, we had a great time exploring the woods!)
The test took place at various locations in the Los Angeles area in October. Zach went to the Woodland Hills location and saw 3 or 4 kids he knew from acting classes around town. After the test, he felt confident about passing but the month long waiting period for the results was ahead of him.
We found out on Monday that he passed. Dana was on an airplane waiting to depart Arizona and texted us the results. I was sitting in a chair in Fallas Paredes in Van Nuys returning a work phone call. Zach was in the middle of a test at Options when he got the news. Even though his first thought was "this doesn't matter anymore", he finished the test before leaving for the day.
What does the test mean for Zach?
*He is now finished with high school and moves on to two years of community college. He is only 16 and we're afraid that UCLA might be too big a change for him/too big a campus for him at this point in his life. He will go to Glendale Community College (the inspiration for the TV show "Community") for two years and then transfer to UCLA.
*He now has "Legal 18" work status. One of the reasons many producers hire people over 18 to play teenagers is their age. Actors under 18 years old can only work a certain amount of hours per day, have to attend three hours of school per day and need mandatory "play time" to relax on set. This costs the production company money since they have to stop filming after a certain amount of hours and it also adds the extra expense of hiring a set teacher. Zach is now considered an adult who can work an unlimited amount of hours and doesn't have to attend school on set anymore.
*It also means he can move forward with his education. Options was a good program for his schedule but it wasn't challenging him academically. He is looking forward to attending college.
It's really odd to think about the fact I have a kid in college. He's gone from playing football in Missouri, as well as playing string bass in a college orchestra, to college in California.
He's gone from this:
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Not an actual Missouri football photo. This is a picture from the set of a Nickelodeon show he worked on last week.
As well as this:
Photo taken on land and not underwater in Bikini Bottom.
To this:
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Stand Up at Sal's Comedy Hole.
And this:
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I'm proud of him but I'm not old enough to have a college age kid!
The move to college will open up many possibilities for his acting career. I can't wait to share the next phase of his life with you!
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