I think what Portage Learning is telling you, without putting it in so many words, is that it is not what the IRS calls an "eligible educational institution." One of the requirements for an eligible educational institution is that "the institution must be eligible to participate in a student aid program administered by the U.S. Department of Education." The Portage Learning web site is quite clear that it "does not participate in federal financial-aid programs."
If it is not an eligible educational institution, you cannot claim an education credit on your tax return for the tuition that you pay to Portage Learning.
Does your community college provide a way that you could register for the Portage Learning courses through the college, and pay the tuition to the college instead of directly to Portage Learning? If so, the college might then include the tuition in the Form 1098-T that you get from the college, and you would be able to use it for the education credit on your tax return. But even if the college does provide such a mechanism, it's too late to do it for payments that you have already made to Portage Learning.
