NatureMomma Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 My husband has got a job offer in San Jose, and I'm looking into options for charter schools. I REALLY need help with direction. What's the best charter schools out there? I'm looking for one that will let me do my own thing with minimal oversight (we do a relaxed Charlotte Mason method) and also provide 2-3 days of onsight classes to choose from. Can you point me to the ones you feel are the best in Thea area? I'm open to driving about 45 minutes outside of San Jose. Also, I'm looking for any private co-ops, homeschool classes, resource centers, etc. My daughter is 12. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 What is your level of comfort with regard to religion? Academic Antics and A-team are secular as far as I remember. Live Oak and King's Academy are religious again as best I can remember. None of those are charter schools. Local charter schools that allow you to use your stipend money for secular outside classes include Connecting Waters and Ocean Grove, but they may not be taking new students right now. If you are in Santa Cruz there is a homeschooling 'school' that does something like what I think you are looking for, but I think you need to be in Santa Cruz to be in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel-in-CA Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Public school charters typically offer 1 day/week enrichment classes up thru jr. high; high school on-campus classes are typically 2 days/week on-campus. I would suggest finding the state email list for California Homeschool Network (CHN) and asking this question there. It includes homeschoolers/charter schoolers statewide and some of them will be happy to tell you about co-ops and park day groups and clubs as well as charter schools. BTW, good luck with "do your own thing" once you are doing classes for high school credit. The oversight for A-G class compliance is pretty overbearing, IMHO. More freedom if you're not doing classes for high school credit, but who knows what common core will be doing to the charter schools. From what I can tell, they have no idea yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Our experience is soley with Ocean Grove and this year they have tightened up considerably on oversight. For example, in the past they have required two samples from each subject each semester. Now they require a sample from each subject, each Learning Record Period (20 school days) and each sample has to be an original, so get ready to cut pages out of your math books. Samples may only be from sources that are Ocean Grove approved. They do require quite a bit of standardized testing as well. This year we took the iready at the beginning of the year and will take it again at the end. Ocean Grove requires whatever is the Common Core replacement for the STAR test. Certain grades are required to take the presidential fitness test, certain grades are required to take a writing test, and high schoolers are required to take the CAHSEE (exit exam.) Looking forward to High School you will find even more requirements. Each core class (Math, English, Science, History & Foreign Languages) now requires a SME (Subject Matter Expert) in addition to the ES (Educational Specialist) you will be assigned. Your student is required to "make contact" with each of these experts once every learning record period. This contact can be a phone call or e-mail or visit. This expert evaluates the samples the student submits for the class and assigns a grade. IMHO high school has become a huge PITA for us with Ocean Grove. If my dd were not finishing her senior year and we hadn't made our college plans with her graduating from a WASC accredited school we would jump ship. If your courses have been designated A-G (college prep) you may only use the designated text book & materials, for science you must attend an approved "wet lab" and tests must be proctored by the SME, which makes finals a bear. I circumvent this by not calling any of our classes A-G. So far this has not been a problem, but it depends on which colleges or universities to which you would be applying. The big pro is the $$. $2K to spend on each elementary school student and $2,500 for high schoolers. This money can be used for approved curriculum, materials and classes. All non-consumable items must be returned to Ocean Grove when you are done with them. For example; the teacher's manual belongs to them, but the student workbook does not. We prefer to use our instructional funds for classes. This year we are using most of our funds for Tae Kwon Do, Ballet, piano lessons, an Algebra 2 class and various field trips. We will be visiting the NASA-Ames research center, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or local professional Nutcracker production, and touring the new Levi Stadium. Last year we used part of our funds for a 12 week intensive ACT class for my dd that brought her score up significantly. I also do a big Office Depot order for ink, paper & other consumable supplies. The other pro is graduating from a WASC accredited school. All universities and colleges take the transcripts as if she went to any public high school. With my other dd we discovered some colleges & universities who wanted extra tests or a crazy detailed portfolio ("So you took Algebra 6 years ago in the 7th grade? We are going to need to see the tests you took.") With a transcript from Ocean Grove none of the colleges we have applied to have blinked. Like I said, I am just trying to get my senior dd through this year and my next one has two years before high school so I will have to think long and hard about what we will be doing. HTH, Amber in SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 We know some friends who are very happy with the CAVA option, otherwise known as K-12. What worked out for my oldest dd was to homeschool on our own, filing the private school affidavit every year. These is no oversight or support from the state. I could have taught four years of nose-picking. At 16 (the Summer before her Junior year) she took the CHESPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) which allowed her to go to one of the local community colleges and take some of the classes that would be general ed at a college or university. For the last two years of high school we did a homeschool/ community college hybrid, with her taking 1-2 classes at the CC each semester and me facilitating the rest for her junior year and her taking a full load of classes her senior year. Once you have 24-30 units of college level classes under your belt, four year colleges and universities consider you a transfer and don't care about a high school transcript. Welcome to California :) Amber in SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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