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Is there an objective way to know which online/distance high schools...


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.... will do a good job of preparing the student for college, AND have a good enough reputation to get them into college?

 

For example, is there a way to find out average SAT scores or college admission rates for their graduates, things like that?

 

(I'm talking about university-based online high schools such as TTUISD, MU High, U Nebraska, etc.  And also schools like Seton and Oak Meadow.)

 

 

I thought I had made a decision, but I'm concerned about the quality of textbooks that these uni-associated ones use for math.  I'm just not sure what to do.  :001_unsure:

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@Greta  That's an interesting question. Please post back here, if you find a place with that data! DD is in the TTUISD Middle School

and her textbooks seem fine to her and to us. We believe TTUISD courses are rigorous and well written. I communicate with 2 families with DC in TTUISD High School and they seem happy. My belief is that Public School Districts in Texas usually have a choice of several textbooks they can choose from, to use for a subject.   BTW, the State Legislature recently reduced the number of EOC (End of Course) examinations required for High School graduation from 15 to 5.  My understanding is that TTUISD students have a much higher passing rate on the EOC examinations, than students in "brick and mortar" public schools in Texas and that their SAT/ACT scores are above average. Much good luck with your decision!

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@Greta   "Follow On", to my first reply to your thread. I mentioned your thread to my wife and daughter, when we were eating Lunch. My wife said that we are extremely enthusiastic about TTUISD and that we hope you and your student will be equally happy with your choice of school.

 

On this URL, you can get an idea about the TTUISD High School courses, by clicking on them, and you can check out the textbooks, etc.

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/uc/ec2k/Heading.asp?heading_id=270

Possibly you can also download an introduction for some of the courses you are interested in. That is possible for some of the Middle School courses. 

 

All TTUISD "Online" courses require that traditional textbooks be purchased. We buy from Sellers on Amazon. DD strongly prefers the "Online" courses, over the "Print" courses. A TTUISD High School student we know of strongly prefers the "Online" courses for Foreign Language courses. They have a number of advantages over the "Print" courses for Foreign Languages. The Math courses require the use of a DigiMemo. Those are not sold here in Colombia, so we bought a Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet for DD instead and that proved to be an outstanding decison.

 

DD is an excellent student and she needs to spend a minimum of one hour per day, on each subject. I imagine it would be the same for High School courses.

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My understanding is that TTUISD students have a much higher passing rate on the EOC examinations, than students in "brick and mortar" public schools in Texas and that their SAT/ACT scores are above average.

Wow, that's good to know! Do you have any particulars on the SAT/ACT scores?

 

I had forgotten how expensive Oak Meadow is, so I'm marking that one off the list. Also, eliminating Missouri.

 

But I'm adding Kolbe back as a consideration, because I've heard such good things about one of the math programs that they use (Jacob's/Foerster). My concern there is that I would like more grading, support, and structure than what I think they offer. But I'm going to search through old threads and see what I can find out about it.

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Wow, that's good to know! Do you have any particulars on the SAT/ACT scores?

<snip>

 

 

No idea about SAT/ACT scores. But, if you call in, on the TTUISD toll free phone number, hopefully the person you speak with on the phone can give you that information, or, connect you with their Testing Director (I'm not sure what her title is...)

 

IMHO, TTUISD courses are not easy. The Final Examination is 25% of the grade for the semester and MUST receive a passing grade. And, you need an "Approved Proctor" for the Final Examinations and the EOC examinations.

 

I spoke on the phone with the Middle School Principal, very recently, and I told her, "I don't see how a student in a brick and mortar school, using the same textbooks DD is using, could possibly do all of that work". Her response was, "they can't".

 

I know for sure that the High School student who mentioned about the "Online" Foreign Language courses having a bunch of advantages over the "Print" courses (she is in 10th grade or will be very soon), will continue in TTUISD and graduate from there, after her family returns to Texas, from overseas.  She is thriving in TTUISD High School.

 

Something that may help you and your student make the decision would be to look at the Elective courses that are available to High School students. There might be something your student is very interested in, that is available in one school, but not in all of them. Something to consider...   GL!

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No idea about SAT/ACT scores. But, if you call in, on the TTUISD toll free phone number, hopefully the person you speak with on the phone can give you that information, or, connect you with their Testing Director (I'm not sure what her title is...)

Great idea. Thanks!

 

IMHO, TTUISD courses are not easy.

That's good to hear! I don't want to waste our time and money on fluff courses. Thank you!

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Great idea. Thanks!

 

 

That's good to hear! I don't want to waste our time and money on fluff courses. Thank you!

 

You are welcome. In our experience, TTUISD courses are NOT "fluff" courses. I believe they are rigorous  and that they are not giving grades away. DD is learning a lot. She is taking the Middle School Art course  (highly unusual, because the first semester uses one textbook, and the 2nd semester uses a different textbook. Usually, the same textbook is used for both semesters of a course). The Instructor (he wrote the course) must be a genius at teaching Art. DD said she began, "knowing the Primary colors, the Secondary colors and how to use a Ruler". Now, she is our "Art expert".  I believe he also teaches the High School Art course.

 

If your student really wants to learn, I believe that will happen with TTUISD. Plan on at least one hour, every day, for every course. There is a lot of work to do.

 

We believe the courses are well written.  Thorough. Rigorous. 

 

TTUISD has an Online portal for the "Online" courses. It uses the "Moodle" CMS (Course Management System).  That will be a little weird to your student, the first few days, but after that, it will seem "natural". Moodle was begun in Australia and is used by schools worldwide.

 

DD spent a few days, or a week, getting really familiar with the Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet we bought, instead of the DigiMemo, for the Math course. She also ended up using it for the Science and Art courses, which was very unexpected... 

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Lanny, are the online courses scheduled or self-paced?

 

Very important question!    All TTUISD courses are self paced. This requires a huge amount of Time Management and Self Discipline, from the students. DD got off to a very slow start. I believe she severely underestimated the amount of time that is required and the amount of work that is required.  She has outstanding grades and now she understands what is required and the pace that is required. She is putting in the hours that are required...

 

I told DD and my wife, a few days ago, and this is true, that I doubt that most adults would be successful with Distance Learning.  

 

Distance Learning prepares a student for what is required in a university, IMHO...

 

DD had been in a "brick and mortar" school, where she was very bored, and the teaching language was Spanish, so switching to Distance Learning, and everything in U.S. English, was a huge change for her.

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Thank you, Lanny, this is tremendously helpful. I have read and appreciated your comments in several different threads about this topic now, and I must say that your enthusiasm for TTUISD is contagious! I think you've sold me on this school. :-)

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Thank you, Lanny, this is tremendously helpful. I have read and appreciated your comments in several different threads about this topic now, and I must say that your enthusiasm for TTUISD is contagious! I think you've sold me on this school. :-)

Hi Greta: If you select TTUISD, I hope you (and your student) will be as happy with it as we are. It is not perfect, but I doubt that any school is...  If you and your student are comfortable, with the testing requirements and the Approved Proctor and the 5 EOC examinations required by the State of Texas, I think you will be happy.  Most of the textbooks are special editions, for Texas, with extra material about studying for the examinations, and have a web site available, for additional help.

 

The textbooks DD is using all seem to list for $90, but are available for less, New or Used, from Amazon Sellers.  And, usually, New, from Amazon, for a little less. So far, we haven't  purchased any textbooks from the book seller on the TTUISD web site. I would love to buy from them, because the school receives a percentage, but $$$. My guess is that we have paid an average of approximately $40 for the textbooks we have purchased,so far, plus Shipping.  The 2 Art textbooks had been purchased by school districts, but were never issued to a student. One was sold as "Used", the other as "New" and the Seller stated that it had not been issued to a student. And, the Science textbook we purchased was "Used". 

 

We knew DD needed a novel, for the first semester of the English course, last September, and ordered that paperback, with 4 textbooks. What I hadn't realized was that we also needed a novel for the 2nd semester of English. I saw on the bookstore TTUISD uses that was available as an eBook and we bought that from Amazon, for Kindle and downloaded the KindleForPC application.   I beieve many of the older novels that are required are in Public Domain, and available for download, free, for Kindles, etc.

 

The Science and Art courses are probably the strangest, because you need to buy extra things. At the moment, DD needs another Beaker, which I hope we can get for her today.  And, we enrolled her for the 2nd Semester of the Middle School Art course earlier this week and she needs things for that.

 

Make a list of all your questions and then call them and ask for the answers.  GL  Lanny

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Candid, you mean even over things like SAT scores and such? What people here say carries a lot of weight for me. And I'm not finding much information anywhere else anyway!

 

No, but if you find some course that just looks great, ask here. If no one has heard of it be cautious especially if you have a tight budget. 

 

I am always suspicious of groups/classes that claim to raise scores. I just am. 

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One question that you can ask -- where do the graduates of the program go?

 

Do they typically go to the local community college, the local state U, small religious colleges, Ivies, etc.? Have any graduates gotten into any Academies? Which colleges accepted members of the most recent graduating class? If a person working for the program/school cannot or will not answer these questions, I'd be reluctant to use the school.

 

One place that offers online classes has a cute picture of mugs from the various colleges that students have attended after taking classes from their program. It's full of mugs from "prestige" colleges. That picture caught my attention! :-)

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No, but if you find some course that just looks great, ask here. If no one has heard of it be cautious especially if you have a tight budget. 

 

I am always suspicious of groups/classes that claim to raise scores. I just am. 

 

Ah, gotcha.  Thanks!  :001_smile:

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if you and your student are comfortable, with the testing requirements and the Approved Proctor and the 5 EOC examinations required by the State of Texas,

 

 

Yes, I think this is a question I need to put on my list.  Most of the other schools I've looked at have said that a local librarian could serve as proctor, but something in the catalog that TTUISD sent me made it sound like their requirements are more stringent.  I have no idea how difficult/expensive this will be, so I need to look into that.  Have you had any trouble finding proctors?

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One question that you can ask -- where do the graduates of the program go?

 

Do they typically go to the local community college, the local state U, small religious colleges, Ivies, etc.? Have any graduates gotten into any Academies? Which colleges accepted members of the most recent graduating class? If a person working for the program/school cannot or will not answer these questions, I'd be reluctant to use the school.

 

One place that offers online classes has a cute picture of mugs from the various colleges that students have attended after taking classes from their program. It's full of mugs from "prestige" colleges. That picture caught my attention! :-)

 

This is a great suggestion.  Thank you so much!

 

Could you tell me which school that is with the mugs?  (That's a cute idea.)  I don't remember seeing that for any of the schools that I've looked at!  If it was Stanford's online high school, that's waaaaaaay out of our price range.  But if it's something comparable to the ones I've looked at then I would be curious to know.  It seems like most of the schools I'm aware of are in Midwestern and Great Plains states.  Hubby is from New England, and he would be thrilled if there was an affordable program from a uni there, but I haven't found any in my searches.

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The place with the mugs is Scholars Online, which has had its students accepted at all kinds of great schools. (My kids don't get intimidated academically very easily. My son was seriously intimidated by a student in his Greek III class -- who was accepted to Princton ED as a classics major!)

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The place with the mugs is Scholars Online, which has had its students accepted at all kinds of great schools. (My kids don't get intimidated academically very easily. My son was seriously intimidated by a student in his Greek III class -- who was accepted to Princton ED as a classics major!)

 

Thank you!  I don't know how I had missed this, but I'm so glad you pointed it out to me!  One of the possibilities that dd is considering for undergrad is a small "great books" college - I think this would be very good preparation for that.

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Lanny, can you tell me how the art class works? I'm keeping that as a backup in case my daughter's art teacher stops teaching (as she has said she might do) and I'm trying to get a handle on how it works in practice. Thanks!

 

@Karen   The Middle School Art course is a "PRINT" format course (like a Correspondence course). Since we are overseas, instead of TTUISD sending the course to DD, in "Snail Mail", I call the Middle School Principal on the phone, give her the Credit Card data, and then she has someone email it to DD (and a copy to me, for Backup), as .PDF files.   I believe there are approximately 15 or 16 MB of files, for each semester. The "ONLINE" courses, we enroll in on the TTUISD web site. Normally, the Middle School Art course is taken in 7th grade, but DD was waiting (a very long time) for a new "ONLINE" Social Studies course to be ready, so she is taking it now. This course is very strange, because it requires two (2) textbooks. One textbook for the first semester and another textbook, which we received last Thursday, for the 2nd semester.

 

There is a LOT of work to this course!    DD spent 50 minutes, taking the Final Examination for the Science course and 2 hours 10 minutes, taking the Final Examination for the Art course.

 

She loves the Art course and IMHO, the Instructor must be a genius at teaching Art, to students who are not in his classroom.  The Art course may be her "favorite" course now, ahead of Science.

 

Since we are overseas, for the 2 "PRINT" courses (Art and Science), DD scans in her work and then sends it to TTUISD as .PDF attachments to emails.  

 

My original thought was, how can they possibly teach Art, via Distance Learning, but I can assure you that DD has learned a lot!

 

I believe in the first semester, there was a lot of work about learning how to use, blend different colors, but probably there was a lot more. DD has just begun the 2nd semester and my guess is that will be much more complex. 

 

The Instructor explained to me in an email that the 6th grade textbook is too basic, so he uses the 7th grade textbook for the first semester Art course, and the 8th grade textbook, for the 2nd semester. I believe he has also written and is the instructor for the High School Art course. I was surprised, a few weeks ago, when I learned a 2nd textbook was required, so we enrolled DD in 4 other courses a few weeks ago (English, Math, Science and Social Studies), and in the Art course, 3 days ago, because we didn't have the textbook...

 

If your student is interested in learning about Art, the course requires a lot of work but does the job.

GL

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Yes, I think this is a question I need to put on my list.  Most of the other schools I've looked at have said that a local librarian could serve as proctor, but something in the catalog that TTUISD sent me made it sound like their requirements are more stringent.  I have no idea how difficult/expensive this will be, so I need to look into that.  Have you had any trouble finding proctors?

 

@GretaLynne: Off the top of my head, I believe a Librarian would be OK to be a TTUISD Approved Proctor, however, I am not positive about that.

 

I suggest you look on the TTUISD web site (FAQ or somewhere) for requirements, and also, that you ask them, when you call on the phone.

 

Also, I believe someone in a local school could be your Approved Proctor (assuming they are willing and available...).   Again, ask TTUISD about this, to be sure you are OK with it.

 

Educator, for sure. Librarian, I'm not positive...

 

The mother of one of the students who was in DD's group, in the brick and mortar school she attended for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, is an Educator.  She is our Approved Proctor.  BTW, our Approved Proctor is very impressed with what she sees of Melissa's work/exams and she asked my wife about TTUISD, for her 8 year old Nephew, a couple of weeks ago. His family was in Canada and now they are in Chile, and he keeps changing schools. But, he would need to be very proficient in reading/writing U.S. English, to be successful in TTUISD.

 

OK. I'm curious, so I went to the TTUISD Home Page. This is the URL for FAQs:

http://www.help.k12.ttu.edu/

 

And here is the URL about Approved Proctors, which does not help much...

http://www.help.k12.ttu.edu/app/answers/list/c/14,251/session/L3RpbWUvMTM3NTM4MDYzNi9zaWQvdEsxRUJId2w%3D

 

I believe somewhere, that is explained much better, or that I got that information via phone or email.

 

Really, I don't know what someone would charge you, to be your Approved Proctor, but I believe TTUISD has flexibility about who can be an  Approved Proctor. Discuss that with them.

 

It is a little  bit of a "PITA", as are the EOC examinations required by the State of Texas.   

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When I mentioned this thread to my wife this morning, and told her you had picked up on our enthusiasm, she said that TTUISD deserves that enthusiasm.  DD is working *very* hard, many hours a day. Much harder than she ever had to work when attending a brick and mortar school. She is probably learning far more, than she would be learning if she had continued in a brick and mortar school. If we were to win the lottery, possibly DD would return to the Private brick and mortar, bilingual school she attended during K4, K5 and First grade. A wonderful school, but  $$$$$.   Other than that, we plan for DD to stay with TTUISD.  I have tried to be very honest with you, with all of the information in my replies. We do not have any experience, with any of the other schools you are considering, and I must assume that they are very good schools and I have nothing negative to say about any of them, since we have no experience with them. 

 

The 2 TTUISD families I communicate with  have DC in the TTUISD High School and seem to be very happy with it.

 

I believe your student (apparently your DD) should be involved in the decision about which school she attends. She needs her own PC, because she will be using it many hours, every day.

 

I do not believe the TTUISD program will end, as did the University of Oklahoma program. The majority of

the TTUISD students are in the High School and the majority of those are in Brazil. They attend schools in Brazil and are dual enrolled in TTUISD and will receive diplomas from both schools, as in the school in Cali where DD attended K4, K5 and First Grade. 

 

TTUISD is legally a "Public School District" in the State of Texas. Like the Dallas ISD, Houston ISD, San Antonio ISD, etc. But, unlike those school districts, TTUISD doesn't receive any funds from the State or Federal governments. So, in that respect, TTUISD is a private school and the students pay.

 

TTU (the university) has a lot of funding, but I assume they want TTUISD to at least break even, financially.  I don't believe TTU or any other university would permit their name on a High School Diploma, if they were not very confident of the education one had received.  

 

TTUISD is accredited by the State of Texas. (the Texas Education Agency). 

 

If your DD is a very hard worker, I believe she will do well in TTUISD.

 

Whatever your decision is, we hope you and your DD will be very happy with it! GL

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And here is the URL about Approved Proctors, which does not help much...

http://www.help.k12.ttu.edu/app/answers/list/c/14,251/session/L3RpbWUvMTM3NTM4MDYzNi9zaWQvdEsxRUJId2w%3D

Actually that does help because it lists librarians as a possibility. Thanks! The brochure they sent me just said "college or private testing center" so that sounded complicated. I will ask them when I call to be sure, but if librarians are an option then this shouldn't be a problem.

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When I mentioned this thread to my wife this morning, and told her you had picked up on our enthusiasm, she said that TTUISD deserves that enthusiasm. DD is working *very* hard, many hours a day. Much harder than she ever had to work when attending a brick and mortar school. She is probably learning far more, than she would be learning if she had continued in a brick and mortar school. If we were to win the lottery, possibly DD would return to the Private brick and mortar, bilingual school she attended during K4, K5 and First grade. A wonderful school, but $$$$$. Other than that, we plan for DD to stay with TTUISD. I have tried to be very honest with you, with all of the information in my replies.

That's a very impressive endorsement!

 

I believe your student (apparently your DD) should be involved in the decision about which school she attends. She needs her own PC, because she will be using it many hours, every day.

Much to my surprise, she doesn't really have any interest in helping select which school. She's excited about doing it, mostly because she knew the choice was this or going to a local school, and she did NOT want the latter. She's already signed up for German classes through OSU and she's very excited about that. But for the rest of her coursework, she's less particular.

 

She has her own Mac desktop, and we have high-speed Internet. But I am going to ask them what software or other supplies we need. You mentioned a digipad (I think that's what it was called?) in another thread - I've got it bookmarked so I'll look it up again.

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Actually that does help because it lists librarians as a possibility. Thanks! The brochure they sent me just said "college or private testing center" so that sounded complicated. I will ask them when I call to be sure, but if librarians are an option then this shouldn't be a problem.

 

Super!   The Approved Proctor needs to be able to receive the examination information from TTUISD, print out the necessary papers (assuming it came as an email attachment), supervise the student taking the examination, and then scan in the papers and email (in our case, this is all done by email, since we are in South America) back to TTUISD, as a .PDF attachment. 

 

Strangely, for the 6A Math "ONLINE" course, the Final Examination was done like I just described above, as if it were an old style "PRINT" course. 

 

As I recall, for the 6A English course, which is also an "ONLINE" course, the Final Examination was done on the "Moodle" CMS (Course Management System).  They sent the Approved Proctor a Link and a Password to get into the examination. That exam had 2 parts as I recall. I think it was partly a Multiple Choice test, and then Writing an Essay, and that the Essay was  50% of the grade. Not sure of the percentage.

 

If you know someone who is a licensed Educator in your state and is available, I believe they will  qualify. Also, I believe if someone in your local public schools can do it, that would be OK, but I suspect you might have a hard time finding a local public school emloyee willing to do that. 

 

You need to get more information from TTUISD, about who can be an Approved Proctor and see if that is OK with you.

 

My belief is that TTUISD will work with you on this.

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Thank you again Lanny! I will definitely talk to them, and talk to some people around here to find out some options. I have a friend who is a ps teacher who would probably be happy to do it for us, but unfortunately she is moving to another state this month. I'll try to think about other options.

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One other thought about how you can tell if an online provider is rigorous -- ask the teachers of the potential classes if any of their students take SAT-2 exams (obviously in relevant subjects), and if so, how do they typically do?

 

I have asked that of some providers and gotten the response, "Well, almost everybody takes the SAT...." which tells me that the teachers don't have a clue that the SAT-2's exist. That, in turn, tells me that their students typically don't aim for top-tier colleges.

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That's a very impressive endorsement!

 

Much to my surprise, she doesn't really have any interest in helping select which school. She's excited about doing it, mostly because she knew the choice was this or going to a local school, and she did NOT want the latter. She's already signed up for German classes through OSU and she's very excited about that. But for the rest of her coursework, she's less particular.

 

She has her own Mac desktop, and we have high-speed Internet. But I am going to ask them what software or other supplies we need. You mentioned a digipad (I think that's what it was called?) in another thread - I've got it bookmarked so I'll look it up again.

 

My wife, DD and I are all very happy with TTUISD, so they deserve the endorsement. 

 

I believe the MAC will be fine, but you need to verify that with TTUISD. (Added later: yes, on a link I gave below, it indicates the DigiMemos will work with Mac OSx).  DD has a PC with Windows on it and it has a "Starter" version of MS Office (WORD and EXCEL).   Since we are in South America, for the "PRINT" courses she is taking now (Science and Art), she submits her lessons as .PDF attachments to an email and sends those to TTUISD.

 

Regarding the "ONLINE" Math courses. What they show is a DigiMemo.  After we enrolled DD in the 6A Math "ONLINE" course (I believe she was the first student to enroll, after that course became available), she started reading and she told me we needed to buy her a "DigiMemo".  I had no clue...  The research I did on that showed that: (1) They are not sold here in Colombia, and we couldn't afford to take the financial risk of buying one from the USA and having it arrive here DOA, or, have a problem and not be able to get it fixed here and (2) That one of the DigiMemo models had been discontinued.

 

I did some quick learning and we bought her a Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet. I don't have the model number available, as I write this, but I believe it is their least expensive model. The Hardware and the Software that comes with it are *wonderful*.  DD has also used that, to my surprise, for her Art and Science courses...

 

I believe she now uses the Wacom directly into MS WORD and doesn't use the Software that came with the Wacom Bamboo Tablet.

 

NOTE: I just looked at the course descriptions for the Middle School Math courses, after clicking from the TTUISD Online catalog and they don't show the data for the DigiMemo there. This URL is for the Algebra 1 course (High School) and has some data about the DigiMemos:

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/uc/ec2k/CourseListing.asp?master_id=1266&master_version=1&course_area=HIGH&course_number=ALG%201A&course_subtitle=2

 

When I looked into this, last October, either the DigiMemo 692 or the DigiMemo L2 had been discontinued. I forget which one had been discontinued.

 

We had NO problem with the files from the Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet.  When DD began using it, she used the Software that comes with it. That Software cannot save files in .PDF format. DD imported the Wacom files into her MS WORD document, and when she was finished and ready to submit the lesson to TTUISD, for her teacher to grade, she saved the final version of the MS WORD file in .PDF format. Never a problem.  

 

As long as you can save files in .PDF format, you will be fine if you buy a Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet, instead of a DigiMemo.

 

Probably I wrote this before, but just in case I forgot, all TTUISD Instructors are employed in the Lubbock ISD. Although I believe the teacher for the new ONLINE 6A Social Studies course is retired from Lubbock ISD.

 

TTUISD has a Facebook page, but it is not very active, with regard to posts. You can post a question there and someone from TTUISD will answer your question, or put you in touch with someone who can. They use it when there is going to be a planned maintenance outage for the "Moodle" system, to notify everyone, for example.  If you are on Facebook, put Texas Tech University ISD into the box at the top to get there...  Or, if you have a problem, that is one way to make them aware of it.  On very rare occasions, for example, the Moodle system will do very strange things they need to fix. That is extremely rare. I think that happened when they Upgraded the Moodle server, months ago...

 

You will need a Printer/Scanner, if you don't already have one. We have an inexpensive Epson.

 

For Science courses there are things you need to buy, that can be hard to find, but that would be the case with Science courses for Home Schooling also, and is not limited to TTUISD. And, for the Art course, there are things to buy. 

 

HTH

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By the way, I really appreciate that you give such detailed and thorough replies. It is very helpful! I know that you put some time and effort into them, so I wanted you to know that it doesn't go unnoticed.

 

You are very welcome. For High School, you have a much wider choice than we had, looking for Middle School options. That makes it harder for you to choose.  We are very happy with TTUISD and will stay with them. 

 

We were incredibly lucky last year. After I attended 3 hours of a meeting that went longer, during  April 2012, where they told the audience they had decided to close the brick and mortar school (they didn't, but IMHO, they should have), after I came home and told my wife about that, she tasked me with finding a Home School or Distance Learning solution for DD, since U.S. English is my native language. My wife had been a Distance Learner (actually hybrid), in the Public University in Cali.. DD had been very bored in the brick and mortar school, during 5th grade, so that was just the end of the line for us, with regard to that brick and mortar school. DD  was very bored in 5th grade, because the teachers were explaining, 2 or 3 times, to the other students, things DD understood the first time around. And, other students were expecting DD to share her work with them (sometimes their parents seemed to want that too), and we feared she was getting set up for "bullying".  So, I began looking. Thank God, within 2 or 3 days I found a link to TTUISD and I called them.  I lived in Texas for 28 years and I vote absentee there and I am comfortable with their rigorous testing requirements, to validate Public High School courses.  Although I would be the first to tell you that I was very happy, when the state legislature reduced the EOC examinations from 15 to 5, a couple of months ago!

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I'll ask them for more info about the DigiMemo and what she'll be doing with it when I call.  My husband asked me this morning if it would be possible for her to use an iPad (since we already own one) instead of buying this new device.  I have no idea!  We don't currently have a stylus or any software that converts handwriting to text or anything like that, but I suppose those would be cheaper to obtain than a whole new device.  But that device may do things that the iPad just isn't set up to do, for all I know.  So I'll have to ask them.  I don't want to be hindered by having the wrong hardware and software, I want her to be able to concentrate on the actual schoolwork.

 

I looked on Costco's website, because we buy everything that we can from Costco, and this seems to be the simplest/cheapest one that they have: http://www.costco.com/Wacom%C2%AE-Bamboo%E2%84%A2-Capture-Pen-Tablet.product.11703366.html

 

Yes, it's good having lots of choices of online schools, but also a bit overwhelming!  Not all of them offer middle school courses, though, so that narrows down the choices for next year (8th) considerably.  TTUISD sounds great, so we're going to use it for 8th grade.  And if for some reason we're not happy with it, or if we find something that we feel is better, we can always switch for 9th and beyond. 

 

I lived in TX for a short time, grew up in OK.  I live in NM now so getting her into TX to take the EOC exams would actually not be all that difficult.  But like you, I am glad that it's just 5 now and not 15!

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I'll ask them for more info about the DigiMemo and what she'll be doing with it when I call.  My husband asked me this morning if it would be possible for her to use an iPad (since we already own one) instead of buying this new device.  I have no idea!  We don't currently have a stylus or any software that converts handwriting to text or anything like that, but I suppose those would be cheaper to obtain than a whole new device.  But that device may do things that the iPad just isn't set up to do, for all I know.  So I'll have to ask them.  I don't want to be hindered by having the wrong hardware and software, I want her to be able to concentrate on the actual schoolwork.

 

I looked on Costco's website, because we buy everything that we can from Costco, and this seems to be the simplest/cheapest one that they have: http://www.costco.com/Wacom%C2%AE-Bamboo%E2%84%A2-Capture-Pen-Tablet.product.11703366.html

 

Yes, it's good having lots of choices of online schools, but also a bit overwhelming!  Not all of them offer middle school courses, though, so that narrows down the choices for next year (8th) considerably.  TTUISD sounds great, so we're going to use it for 8th grade.  And if for some reason we're not happy with it, or if we find something that we feel is better, we can always switch for 9th and beyond. 

 

I lived in TX for a short time, grew up in OK.  I live in NM now so getting her into TX to take the EOC exams would actually not be all that difficult.  But like you, I am glad that it's just 5 now and not 15!

 

@GretaLynne  Not sure if I can answer all of this now, because my wife has our Lunch almost ready. If not, I will continue, ASAP...

 

Not at all sure about the iPad, because we do not have one. However, I doubt it. I doubt it a lot... The Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablets operate like an extremely precise mouse. 

 

You linked to the CTH470.   I think we have the CTL470, but I am not positive about that and will need to get the box out of the locked closet to check. I will get back to you on that, ASAP.

 

Costco $89.99   Amazon $69.99 for that model.

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Bamboo-Capture-Tablet-CTH470/dp/B005HGBEZ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375472407&sr=8-1&keywords=Wacom+Bamboo+CTH470

 

Again, I will get back to you, ASAP, to confirm the model of the Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet that DD has.

 

You do not need to be in Texas to take the EOC examinations in High School, but if you are near to Lubbock, that might be a plus for you. I wonder what they would charge you, to supervise those tests...    I know a student who has taken EOC exams in the UK.

 

Cool...     I thought your DD was going into High School. I didn't realize she is going into 8th grade. Middle School choices are extremely limited.

 

This morning, I told my wife that I had written to you that DD will stay in TTUISD, unless we win the lottery and in that case, she might decide to go back to the $$$$ private school in Cali.  My wife told me this morning that DD has told her that if we win the lottery, she wants to stay in TTUISD. The next "brick and mortar" school she attends, she wants to be a University (quite possibly TTU).

 

I suspect that the reason the 6A Math Online Final examination was done like a "Print" course is so the teacher can see the work the student does, to solve the problem.

 

HTH and I will get the Wacom box, ASAP, and verify for you which model DD has.

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Lanny, don't go to any trouble regarding the model number. I talked to someone at TTUISD today, and I think there are a number of brands and models that will do what is required. She said basically it just needs to be able to convert numerous pages of written work into a single PDF file, and that if I could figure out a way to do that on the iPad then that was fine. I'm not sure that I can, but at least now I know what the objective is.

 

Thanks for pointing out that the same model is cheaper from amazon!

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We were planning to go with American School for our ds13, but now that we may end up moving to Indiana due to my dh's health issues, I'm going to check out Indiana University High School when we go out there to visit.

 

My biggest problem with several of the online/correspondence options was the requirement for proctored tests -- a few tests for each course, each semester, can add up to both a real nuisance and quite a bit of added expense in terms of finding testing centers, paying the test center fees, scheduling all of those trips back and forth for our ds to take the tests, etc. American School is fully accredited but doesn't require that tests be independently proctored, so that's one of the big reasons why it was at the top of our list. If we end up in Indiana, the proctored testing issue won't be a big issue, because my ds could test at an Indiana University testing center for free, and the locations looked pretty convenient to the places where we might be living, so now I want to be sure to find out more about it before we make a final decision.

 

I have also heard good things about TTUISD, and Lanny was so helpful to me when I started a thread similar to this one a few months ago, so I'm glad he was able to be of so much help to you, too. (Thanks again, Lanny! :))

 

I was really hoping to have all of our ducks in a row for fall by now, but if we end up starting the school year a bit later than expected, it's not the end of the world!

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We use University of Missouri (for middle school thus far) and take 4 proctored exams per year/per course.  I schedule two exams on the same day and pay (I think) something around $40/exam. 

 

We use the local community college and its super easy to set up. 

 

 

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Thanks, Cat. I am a little bit concerned about the proctored exams because when I called TTUISD today they said public librarians can NOT serve as proctors, and I was thinking that would be our simplest, cheapest option.

 

But Gingersmom, you have given me hope. There is a small community college a mile from my house. And it's a nice, safe campus (something that cannot be said for the other ccs and the main uni campus in this city!). So if it works out that we can do it there (fingers crossed) then that won't be a hassle at all (though I have no idea how much they'll charge). This is a satellite campus, though, so I'm really hoping they won't send us to the main campus. I mean, it wouldn't be the end of the world since it's only twice a year. But from what I understand, the main campus is pretty unpleasant.

 

I don't even know how to go about finding out. Who at the cc should I call?

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I would google the name of the college and "testing center". Or call and ask for the testing center.

 

I was really worried but it turned out to be very simple. My son was the schools first homeschooler using the testing center and they were super helpful and had a ton of questions/interest in homeschooling.

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I would google the name of the college and "testing center".

Yep, that worked! It says on their website that the testing center at the main campus is available to distance learners, so I'm guessing that includes us. The one at the closer campus does not say that, but even so, I'm just glad to know that they are set up for this kind of thing and it won't be a big ordeal. Yay!

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@GretaLynne  We have the Wacom Bamboo Connect Pen tablet. The model we have, on the Retail box (which is in Spanish), is the CTL470L.  My belief is that the "L" in the model number on the Retail box is for Latin America.

If you decide on a Wacom Bamboo Connect Pen tablet, I suggest that you purchase the CTL470.

It is extremely rare that we would give any product or service a 9 or a 10, where 10 is perfect, but this product, and the Software that is bundled with it, we would give a 9 or a 10.

If the USB cable was a little longer, that would be very nice, but I cannot think of any other changes we would wish for...

On the side of the Retail box, it says it will work on MAC OS X 10.5+ (with an Intel processor), and that to read the documentation, you need Microsoft WORD 2004+ on your MAC.

If you do not have Microsoft WORD 2004+  on your MAC, hopefully you have something else (OpenOfficeOrg, etc.) that can read those files.

After we received this Pen tablet, and DD had begun using it, I searched for Reviews and I found a YouTube video done by a teenager or young man. He obviously had a LOT of experience using various tablets. He explained what can be done with the CTL470. He said you can do just about anything with this model, and that you do not need to purchase a more expensive model. I wish I had that URL to share with you!  You can use it directly with Adobe Photoshop and many other programs.

If you decide not to purchase a DigiMemo, for the Online Math courses, we highly recommend the CTL470 to you.

Here is the link on Amazon.com It appears that the Amazon Seller is Beach Camera in NJ. I believe they are a very reputable company, but we have never purchased anything from them.

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Bamboo-Connect-Tablet-CTL470/dp/B005HGBEYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375523707&sr=8-1&keywords=Wacom+Bamboo+CTL470

Price:     $69.95 Free Shipping

DD also used the Wacom, in some of the work she did for the first semester of the TTUISD Middle School Art course. And, I believe, she used it for the Science course too.  


I did not realize, until yesterday, in the afternoon, that your student is going into 8th grade, and not into High School. That would have changed some of the things I wrote, because the choices for Middle School Distance Learning are far fewer.

Hopefuly, if you use TTUISD in 8th grade, your DD will like it and want to continue and graduate from their High School!

One thing about the remaining 5 EOC examinations. The High School student in the UK took Algebra 1 (normally a 9th grade course and one of the remaining 5 EOC examinations is for Algebra 1) when she was in 8th grade.  Then,  she had to wait, until she was in High School, to take the EOC examination. That is very tough, because the student has not studied the material recently, before taking the EOC examination.   She passed the EOC, but the delay in taking the examination made studying for it much harder for her.

DD was contemplating taking "Pre Algebra" (normally 8th grade math), when she is in 7th grade, assuming she does very well with the 2nd semester of 6th grade Math), but after  learning the above, about the EOC examination, etc., I believe DD has lost most or all of her enthusiasm for doing this...

So, taking any High School course, before one is in TTUISD High School, would probably make taking the EOC examination, if one is required for that subject, much more difficult.

HTH

 

ETA: I sent you a Private Message

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Lanny, don't go to any trouble regarding the model number. I talked to someone at TTUISD today, and I think there are a number of brands and models that will do what is required. She said basically it just needs to be able to convert numerous pages of written work into a single PDF file, and that if I could figure out a way to do that on the iPad then that was fine. I'm not sure that I can, but at least now I know what the objective is.

 

Thanks for pointing out that the same model is cheaper from amazon!

 

Greta: When DD began using the Wacom tablet, for her "Online"  Math course, she used it with the Software that is bundled with the Wacom tablet. That Software cannot save files in .PDF format. She saved her files, and then Imported them, into a MS WORD document. When she was ready to submit the lesson to her Instructor, for grading, she then saved the MS WORD document as one .PDF file and that worked perfectly.    :-)

 

Later, she learned how to use the Wacom tablet directly with MS WORD 2010 (I think it is 2010) and she didn't need to use the Software bundled with the Wacom tablet.

 

You are welcome. $20 you can spend on something else!     :-)

 

As I mentioned previously, there is a "Learning Curve" to the Wacom tablet, as with most things. I think DD spent several days, possibly a week, playing games with it and taking an introductory course provided by Wacom. I remember she drew a tree with it, when she was learning how to use it. 

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We were planning to go with American School for our ds13, but now that we may end up moving to Indiana due to my dh's health issues, I'm going to check out Indiana University High School when we go out there to visit.

 

My biggest problem with several of the online/correspondence options was the requirement for proctored tests -- a few tests for each course, each semester, can add up to both a real nuisance and quite a bit of added expense in

<snip>

I have also heard good things about TTUISD, and Lanny was so helpful to me when I started a thread similar to this one a few months ago, so I'm glad he was able to be of so much help to you, too. (Thanks again, Lanny! :))

<snip>

 

@Catwoman   I am sorry your DH is having health problems.

 

WIth TTUISD there is one thing (the Final Examination) at the end of each course,  at the end of the semester, that needs to be Proctored. And, if it is a High School course that has one of the (now) 5 EOC examinations required by the State of Texas, that needs to be proctored.  So, for example, I believe one of the 5 EOC examinations is for Algebra 1. I believe there would be three (3) tests required, for the 2 semesters of Algebra 1: (1) First semester Final Exam (2)Second semester Final Exam (3) EOC exam.

 

NOTE: If a student is "enrolled" in TTUISD, there might be additional examinations required, for some of the courses. We will "enroll" DD when she is in TTUISD High School. The Principal of the TTUISD Elementary and Middle Schools suggested to me, early in July when we signed DD up for 4 of the 5 courses she is now taking, when I asked her about when we should pay the $80 fee to Enroll DD,  that unless we are planning to move to Texas and enroll DD in a Public School there, that we do not "enroll" her until she is in TTUISD High School. DD is taking courses as a "Supplemental" student. The Principal told me that it would just require extra money to TTUISD, extra money for a Proctor,  extra tests and stress for DD, and is not needed for us at this time.  If we were to move to Texas, DD would remain in TTUISD.

 

You are welcome

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One thing about the remaining 5 EOC examinations. The High School student in the UK took Algebra 1 (normally a 9th grade course and one of the remaining 5 EOC examinations is for Algebra 1) when she was in 8th grade.  Then,  she had to wait, until she was in High School, to take the EOC examination. That is very tough, because the student has not studied the material recently, before taking the EOC examination.   She passed the EOC, but the delay in taking the examination made studying for it much harder for her.

 

DD was contemplating taking "Pre Algebra" (normally 8th grade math), when she is in 7th grade, assuming she does very well with the 2nd semester of 6th grade Math), but after  learning the above, about the EOC examination, etc., I believe DD has lost most or all of her enthusiasm for doing this...

 

 

Thank you very much for giving me a heads-up about this.  I saw from the brochure that they sent me that she would have to take the EOC exam for Algebra in order to get credit for it.  I did not realize, however, that we'd be dealing with this delay.  Can she take this exam at the beginning of her 9th grade year?  If so, she could review and practice over the summer, which I think would be really good for her (give her a solid foundation before going on to the next math class) but I'm sure would not exactly be a thrilling prospect for her!  But if the exams are only offered at the end of the school year, then that would be more challenging, because she'd be taking Geometry and need to review and practice Algebra at the same time -- yeah that could be tough on top of all her other coursework.

 

I'll talk to my husband and see what he thinks.  But I'm 99% sure he's determined that she take Algebra I in 8th so that she can take Calculus by her senior year.  My husband has a BS in math and a PhD in Physics, so really strong math is super important to him.  He wants her to be fully prepared for a STEM major in college, even if she should end up choosing something else. 

 

I need to find out if she will have to take an EOC exam to get credit for the German I course that she's signed up for this year as well. 

 

Thanks for all the info on the Wacom tablet.  That is such a huge help!

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I haven't read all the posts about Texas Tech but a friend's daughter had a very bad experience with the high school a few years ago.

 

She'd almost finished all the requirements - had one more semester I believe - and then TT changed the requirements. She ended up having to change programs (ie leave that school) at that late date - after all the efforts they had gone through with proctors, etc, etc.

 

He said he would not recommend it to anyone - that they were extremely inflexible and that rules changed on their whim.....

 

Joan

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