Acellus? Any reviews?

[lots-o-rice]

I have seen this online program listed in a couple posts.  It looks interesting, and the price is reasonable.  Any reviews from actual users?

 

Thanks,

K

[DragonFaerie]

:bigear:  :bigear:

[Peaceful Isle]

I'll add in what little I know. I know it is used in some public schools and some private schools to help kids who struggle. I actually signed up just for this last month, to get a feel of what it is like. I will cancel in June.

It looks like a good program if you want video teachers, short lessons, and almost all the work on the computer. They have some suggested homework but it doesn't count for or against the online grade.

It is a curriculum , per say, not a school. You go at your own pace and are in charge of how much you do everyday.

 

I think this program would work for some classes in high school. I don't think it would be the best for younger kids, but it wouldn't be horrible either. That's just my opinion. I like my kids reading real textbooks / books, and doing more writing than what is required by Acellus.

 

In language arts they actually have classic digital books the kids real along with their video lessons and online quizzes/ reviews/tests.

 

I don't really know much more. My dd is just trying it out for a few weeks, just so I can wrap my brain around the curriculum.

It would be a good option for, say, a mom, fighting an illness,that needs a year off. That's why I looked into it this last month. As an option in case my health declined to the point I needed something like that for my littles.

[SweetandSimple]

I have not tried this yet, but I've spent quite a bit of time trying to find reviews on it. There isn't a lot out there, but there is an Acellus Users facebook group that provided some insights into the nitty gritty.

 

I am strongly considering it for my son's 8th grade history and science. I need those to be mostly hands-off for me because I want to spend most of our one-on-one time working on math, language arts, physical fitness, and executive functioning skills. He loves to read, but doesn't always retain much from textbooks alone.

 

From what I have read, a lot of people are very happy with it-- especially people who need to let their kids work independently for one reason or another. The format doesn't seem to vary much at all. Each lesson includes a video (averaging 5-10 minutes long) and a short assessment.  Some courses have extra videos/tools that are optional if more help is needed. There is also a midterm and a final exam. The program is supposed to have some kind of feature that finds your child's knowledge gaps and customizes the program for them, but it mostly seems that your child simply has to redo the same video lessons/assessments if the assessment is not passed. There are also optional homework worksheets/labs/essays/etc.  that can be printed and completed... this is where any writing would come in. Some courses seem to have a lot of homework, but others not so much. The homework, because it is done offline, does not count towards the grade that Acellus assigns for the course.

 

Some people believe that it is only good enough to be a supplement. Other people seem to feel that it is a great base, and that it is efficient and fun for their kids. It leaves plenty of time for fun hands-on stuff, field trips, reading, etc.

 

Most users seem to think that the videos are well done. I like that they are short-- my son can only concentrate for a little while, so brief is better. I am also glad that the assessments are part of it--- I need a way to see that he is understanding the concepts and a reason for him to focus. He also needs help with note-taking, and this looks like it will be a good way to work on that.

 

There were several parents of special needs kids who mentioned that the program was a great fit for them... lots of courses/levels to choose from, short lessons, and a platform that allowed the kids to feel proud of their progress through the courses. A lot of parents were quite pleased with the retention that they were seeing.

 

The biggest complaint seems to be that there are some errors in the courses-- Geometry was complained about quite a bit and seems to be the course that the most people were unhappy about. Others mentioned that the Algebra wasn't a good fit for their kids. I get the impression that the math courses are perhaps not as well developed as those offered by other providers... no full solutions manuals or step-by-step explanations of problems...

 

Overall, it sounds like a wonderful option for families who need some independent work. I don't think that I would feel comfortable using the math or language arts as a standalone.

 

I like that you can choose any 6 courses and switch them any time. We will probably use middle school American History, middle school Physical Science, and perhaps middle school personal finance. There is also an "investigating careers course" that we may try. I may also use bits and pieces of the English curriculum to supplement other things that we are doing. Finally, I may use a few of the math videos to help explain some of the concepts from our other Algebra program-- I'll have to see if we like Khan videos better or the ones from Acellus.

 

Anyway, even though I haven't used it, I hope that information might be a little but helpful!

[dprtree]

We just started Acellus a few weeks ago.  Any time you start a new program it takes some getting used to.  In advance I asked a lot of questions and thought I got my answers.  However, either the person I spoke to misunderstood me or I misunderstood them.  I am learning that they weren’t real candid.  We committed to a year since it's cheaper and now the program isn't quite what I thought or I just can't figure out how to do or get to certain things in the parent account and in the student account.  I keep sending emails and messages and get nothing.  Except once and my question wasn't answered, but rather a canned comment of which I knew they didn't read my inquiry.  Up front, the customer service is not great...at least not in our case.  They know they have us for a year and we've paid.  It seems to leave the impression they don’t really care at this point.

 

This said, my son is in 6th grade and does like the program.  However, each time he logs in it’s a bit of a surprise as to what he'll be doing because either there is not a Lesson Plan or we can't find it.  All that is available is the PDF that anyone can see when going to their website to check out the courses.  We never know what is coming up or what's ahead.  It makes planning ahead and/or adding something very difficult.  I have inquired as to where the Lesson Plan are since I was told they were online and I have not heard back. 

-       And with that...once you finish something you can't go back.  So, if you want to watch a video again for gee whiz or something or just because you want to...you can't...it's gone.  I have inquired about this too and haven’t heard anything back yet.

 

In the parent account we do get to see his grades and his answers.  But if he gets something wrong, then you won't know the real answer.  Hopefully you just know the answer.  In one case, he has went over some things I never did nor studied and got a few questions wrong.  Even when I looked at his wrong answers and tried to guess what the real answer was I couldn't...even Googled it.  So, no answer sheets, you must rely on your own knowledge, Googling, other web search, library or other resources and then hope you get it right.  I have inquired and have yet to hear back.

 

 

When it comes to attendance it is very different.  This is a question I have asked them 3 times and can’t seem to get an answer.  But I’m beginning to think they just do things different in MO.  If you are in a state where the amount of days matter, then don’t count on this program.  For instance, my son takes 3 classes.  I thought once he signed into one for the day the day would be counted no matter what else he signed into.  NO!  He gets an attendance day for each course he signs into.  So if he signs into all 3 courses over 3 days…that is 9 days on their tally, not 3.  I was going to purchase another program since according to them this is ok and they absolutely will not answer me as if I can change it to only reflect each day instead of each course.  Instead, I had to create a spreadsheet, which I think a lot of parents do already.  It was just a little upsetting because I thought this would be a great program to do it all.  And I asked specifically about this before signing up.  The lack of their response concerning this issue is frustrating too.

 

There is a “rewinding†issue with the videos.  When you start the program you will have to get out and go back in if you wish to rewind.  Sometimes your child may arbitrarily get logged out and have to start the video over.  My son experienced a lot of this frustration.  But now he logs out and logs back in before starting the long videos.  And I just learned of an extension App that Google Chrome offers for free so you can rewind and fast forward videos…very helpful.  I inquired about this too and have yet to hear back.  Luckily there is a Facebook group and someone responded to this.

 

I went from being excited about this program for my son, to thinking I was going to love it to being frustrated just as quickly.  We are in it for a year.  Don’t make the same mistake we did and commit to a year where they “got you†because their customer service is lacking to put it mildly.  My son likes it, but doesn’t like experiencing the unknown all the time.  At some point I’m sure he’ll get completely frustrated…but we have a year.  Do a 30-day trial and there is a free trial I just learned about…that’s even better!  That way you can see if it works for you.  We didn’t do a trial and shame on us.  Perhaps they would have been more receptive and helpful since we would have been temporary and not in it for a year.  I can’t see us continuing already…and we have a year to go.  Perhaps if they ever answer my questions and help us we’ll change our minds, but as of right now…no.  My son says it’s easy, would like to know what he’s doing before he logs in and would like the ability to go back to see things again.  It is definitely a program where you, the parent, don’t have to hover.  But if you don’t hover, then you don’t know what your child is learning since there isn’t a Lesson Plan.

 

The only Pro I can give at this point is that it does seem to be easy, quick and painless.  It leaves a lot of time for other activities.  It can be done anytime, anywhere.

 

We will make the best of it, but at this point I can’t recommend nor not recommend.  If you’re thinking about it…do a trial before you commit.

[Ninasheridan]

Wow. We have been using acellus and it's great. I can see how it's not for everyone. We have five children in our household ranging first to nineth. Acellus provided us with great customer service and is very encouraging. Explain how to handle dual enrollment n other issues that may arise in the higher grades. I do love that I can do live monitoring from my phone when I'm away n keep up with them. They do chose what subject they may want to start on first but that makes it fun for them too.