Acellus? Anyone using it?

[mamakelly]

I saw someone mention Acellus on one of my FB groups. I checked it out, and I think it might be a good thing to add to my 4th graders schoolwork. We haven't been doing as much science as he'd like. There was a huge price drop and it's now 9.99 a month. Is anyone using it and can give me real life feedback?

[mamakelly]

Nobody?

[OneStepAtATime]

Well, we tried it a while back but our experience was apparently different from others.  I've read several good reviews but it didn't work for us at that time.  For one thing, my son found the lessons too basic, almost insultingly so, for what he thought they should be.  At the same time, there was not enough review of the material.  He wanted a more spiral approach.  Otherwise, even though he grasped the concept immediately, he would forget it quickly because there was no review at all the next day or the next week of anything previously covered.   I think the student was expected to just replay old lessons for review as needed but DS and I needed more structure than that, and we needed different ways of approaching the review besides just rewatching the lecture, and we needed more output practice.  But the classes vary from teacher to teacher so maybe another teacher/class would have worked much better and he also may have been placed too low.

 

I know there was a thread a few months ago where someone gave a really good review of Acellus and they loved it but I can't find the thread and I don't remember specifically what they posted.  I just remember their experience was very different from ours.

 

Hopefully after the Holidays someone will post with a good review.  Maybe right now everyone is just too busy...

[scoutingmom]

I have been having my 14yo son use it for not quite a month. The classes vary because of different teachers.

 

It is not rigorous particularly. The format is the student watches a video, then answers questions. Then another video then questions.

 

Homeschool mode, the student must get 70% to proceed... There are extra help videos etc. I can log into the app as a parent and see exactly what he is working on, what he has accomplished for the day, which questions he struggled with, etc.

 

It is working fine so far for my dyslexic son. He has been resisting work previously this year and this has reduced the strain on our relationship.

 

There are some pretty interesting courses. At $9.99/month for up to 6 courses at a time it is a pretty good deal.

 

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

[sdobis]

I just signed up my daughter and another girl that I help homeschool.

 

For my daughter,she'll be working through math 7 and language arts 7. I'll sit with her for math as I always have done. I have a kumon pre-algebra book that she'll be working through as well. We'll see how it goes. She desperately needs to work through many concepts before taking an actual pre-algebra class. She needs to be taught every lesson, and I'm not always the best one to do that. Math comes naturally to me, and she struggles with almost every concept. We butt heads over it too often.

 

I'm less concerned with the language arts class. She's pretty confident with reading and writing. Her grammar needs some help, which is covered. Both math and language arts teachers look great.

 

The 2nd grader that I take care of will be using science 4 and social studies 4. I chose these because of the topics covered, they are less cheesy than the younger grades, and the teachers are still very excited about what they teach. I have looked ahead at the topics covered and have activities planned to go with the videos. An example is that the first science lesson is on cells, so we'll make a cell out of playdoh. Her first social study lessons cover landforms, so we'll make a landform booklet for her to draw and color. Im not going to just stick her in front of a computer at 7 years old.

 

I will give an in-depth review once we've given it at least a month try. Not bad for only $9.99.

[Clear Creek]

My 8th grader has been using it for a semester so far. It is going well; she is holding A's and B's and seems to be learning a ton. Far more than had been learning the last few years. We have found that the key to retention is notetaking - she has to take notes during the lectures and then review her notes often, because the material will come up on future tests. It is great prep for college since the classes are in a similar format to a college course where the instructor primarily relies on lectures to convey the material that will be tested on.

 

My daughter is an auditory learner, so the video lecture format works really well for her. We plan to stick with it for her through high school.

[mamakelly]

Thanks, this is great feedback. I'm definitely going to keep it in mind for next year. 

[mytwomonkeys]

I’m interested too! I was just looking at this today. I had read it was $30 month but it looks like the homeschool version is only $10 month now. With that price I’m really considering letting my son try it out & give me his thoughts and feedback. I’m looking for more self directed learning as he approaches ninth grade & this looks like a nice choice.

[sdobis]

I’m interested too! I was just looking at this today. I had read it was $30 month but it looks like the homeschool version is only $10 month now. With that price I’m really considering letting my son try it out & give me his thoughts and feedback. I’m looking for more self directed learning as he approaches ninth grade & this looks like a nice choice.

If you are interested in Acellus, join the unofficial Acellus Facebook page. They can answer a bunch of questions. I signed up for Acellus homeschool and then learned that Acellus tutoring was the same price with the same materials but offered more control for the parent. I cancelled my homeschool account and signed up for tutoring. I like it a lot more!

[mytwomonkeys]

If you are interested in Acellus, join the unofficial Acellus Facebook page. They can answer a bunch of questions. I signed up for Acellus homeschool and then learned that Acellus tutoring was the same price with the same materials but offered more control for the parent. I cancelled my homeschool account and signed up for tutoring. I like it a lot more!

Thank you!

[LAR]

We've been using history and science grade 7 for about 3 months and DD12 really likes it.  She prefers the cut and dry approach (video lesson followed by quiz), and she's learning and has made great strides with her note taking skills.  Her notes are neat and organized and she definitely references these notes for the quizzes and tests. 

 

Acellus would not work for our other daughter who needs live classes and open discussions with teachers and other students. 

[Wheres Toto]

I just signed up my daughter and another girl that I help homeschool.

 

For my daughter,she'll be working through math 7 and language arts 7. I'll sit with her for math as I always have done. I have a kumon pre-algebra book that she'll be working through as well. We'll see how it goes. She desperately needs to work through many concepts before taking an actual pre-algebra class. She needs to be taught every lesson, and I'm not always the best one to do that. Math comes naturally to me, and she struggles with almost every concept. We butt heads over it too often.

 

I'm less concerned with the language arts class. She's pretty confident with reading and writing. Her grammar needs some help, which is covered. Both math and language arts teachers look great.

 

The 2nd grader that I take care of will be using science 4 and social studies 4. I chose these because of the topics covered, they are less cheesy than the younger grades, and the teachers are still very excited about what they teach. I have looked ahead at the topics covered and have activities planned to go with the videos. An example is that the first science lesson is on cells, so we'll make a cell out of playdoh. Her first social study lessons cover landforms, so we'll make a landform booklet for her to draw and color. Im not going to just stick her in front of a computer at 7 years old.

 

I will give an in-depth review once we've given it at least a month try. Not bad for only $9.99.

 

Do you use the same account for both students?

 

I'm considering dropping my Great Courses Plus for Acellus.  It's a bit cheaper and my kids are finding the Great Courses lectures very dry, even the ones I thought they would really enjoy, especially my daughter.  It might be better for us to wait a few years for those.

 

If I do join Acellus, I'm going to continue with their off-line math, literature and writing and do it mainly as a supplement.  I'm looking at Ancient Civilizations, Geography, Music that the kids will do together then have ds watch the Algebra videos for reinforcement but continue with Foerster's as well.  I'll have to see if they match up well.  Then I might have dd watch the Grade 5 math videos to go along with her Scott Foresman curriculum, maybe only for topics that she seems to need more explanation than her book or I give her.

 

I plan to go with tutoring mode since especially with the math, we may go out of order depending on how the programs match-up.

 

I like that they can do it from their tablets if they need to come with me to my classes but have downtime.

[sdobis]

Do you use the same account for both students?

 

I'm considering dropping my Great Courses Plus for Acellus. It's a bit cheaper and my kids are finding the Great Courses lectures very dry, even the ones I thought they would really enjoy, especially my daughter. It might be better for us to wait a few years for those.

 

If I do join Acellus, I'm going to continue with their off-line math, literature and writing and do it mainly as a supplement. I'm looking at Ancient Civilizations, Geography, Music that the kids will do together then have ds watch the Algebra videos for reinforcement but continue with Foerster's as well. I'll have to see if they match up well. Then I might have dd watch the Grade 5 math videos to go along with her Scott Foresman curriculum, maybe only for topics that she seems to need more explanation than her book or I give her.

 

I plan to go with tutoring mode since especially with the math, we may go out of order depending on how the programs match-up.

 

I like that they can do it from their tablets if they need to come with me to my classes but have downtime.

 

I have both kids under one account because you can have up to 6 subjects per account. I only use 4 subjects total.

 

It sounds like you have a good plan! I agree that tutor mode is ideal for your situation. In my daughter's 7th grade math, they still have math drills. I just have her skip those since they're too easy.

[laundrycrisis]

Thank you for all the fantastic information here ! I just signed up for a month of tutor mode to try it out.

[OneStepAtATime]

Thank you for all the fantastic information here ! I just signed up for a month of tutor mode to try it out.

Would you mind updating once you have used it for a while?  I am considering this for my son for next year.  

[laundrycrisis]

Would you mind updating once you have used it for a while?  I am considering this for my son for next year.  

 

 

Will do !  We will start it on Monday.  

[Carrie12345]

I've signed my 10th, 9th, and 5th graders up 2 weeks ago, but I have to be upfront and say that it's only because I need a break right now. It doesn't match my homeschool purpose or philosophy.  It's just an affordable way for my kids to do some independent work while I regroup and put some effort into other things that need my attention right now.

 

Pros:

My kids like it, for the most part.

It's easy to monitor their time spent on work.

I don't feel like it's just busy work.

I kind of like that they're getting a taste of "traditional" subject content.

My 10yo is absolutely in love with the music course.

 

Cons:

My kids are already figuring out how to "work the system".

I think it's entirely too easy to float through with good grades and not retain much. 

It's difficult (for me) to determine how many "sections" a week are appropriate for my kids.  Most sections are short videos with very few questions to answer.
My daughter has completed almost 20% of Honors Biology in 3.5 hours, with a score of 91%.  She's a bright kid, but this does not line up with her academic history.  My other daughter is pulling an 80-something at the same pace.  She is typically a struggling student, and I would not expect her to do that well in a course labeled as honors.

Trying to figure out how/when to schedule in advance some hands-on activities or supplemental reading and writing is a giant pain in the rear with only topic headings to go by.

 

A pro to a con:  Even though I think it's entirely too easy, that ease is really boosting my 10yo's self-esteem. I've never really graded at that age, and he's finding automated 100s to be a lot more exciting than my "You got them all right!"s.

 

For us, it's serving a temporary purpose.  There is no way I will award my kids Honors Bio credit for something they'll complete in about 10 weeks. (At about 3 days a week.)  But I plan to be off auto-pilot before then.

[Wheres Toto]

We've barely started but when looking through lessons to match them up with the math, I found something interesting.

 

Foerster's Algebra seems to have a completely different scope and sequence from Acellus.  I think it might be more trouble than it's worth to match it up.  Some of the videos don't have good descriptions and I'd have to watch them to see how well it really matches up.

 

On the other hand, dd is doing Scott Foresman enVision math.  The 5th grade Scope and Sequence at Acellus matches up EXACTLY to her enVision book.  Every unit has the same title as her units in enVision.  Even the between unit extras are in exactly the same places.

Edited January 22, 2018 by Where's Toto?

[fourisenough]

If you are interested in Acellus, join the unofficial Acellus Facebook page. They can answer a bunch of questions. I signed up for Acellus homeschool and then learned that Acellus tutoring was the same price with the same materials but offered more control for the parent. I cancelled my homeschool account and signed up for tutoring. I like it a lot more!

 

I have more questions about Acellus, but I'm not a FB user. I will throw my questions out there and see if anyone else can answer them.

 

First, I am considering using Acellus for World History and Music Appreciation for my 13 year old for next year. For her, these are get-er-done subjects and Acellus seems like a good fit for that purpose. She has a really good background in history and I've had a hard time finding a one-year, secular, complete history course that isn't ridiculously expensive. (I don't want her to just read a text book without a complete course.) She will have four very rigorous online classes already, so I need two courses that are cheap and will be relatively 'light' in terms of workload.

 

So, on to my questions: how on earth can they offer AP classes if everything is auto-graded? Aren't the FRQs (free response questions) that, by definition, require a human being to read, comment upon, and grade them pretty much the whole point of AP classes? And beyond AP classes, what about regular English classes. Hopefully students are expected to write essays, right? Otherwise, how could one really give a high school English credit? If they're writing essays, who grades them and provides feedback to the student?

 

Is there any way to tell which classes have an "eText" in addition to the videos? (I read that some classes have them.) I'd like there to be a textbook so that the entire course isn't video-dependent. I think that's pretty important in a history class, at least.

 

Thanks in advance if anyone has any info to share.

[fourisenough]

Will do ! We will start it on Monday.

Any thoughts after your first week of Acellus?

[Clear Creek]

I have more questions about Acellus, but I'm not a FB user. I will throw my questions out there and see if anyone else can answer them.

 

First, I am considering using Acellus for World History and Music Appreciation for my 13 year old for next year. For her, these are get-er-done subjects and Acellus seems like a good fit for that purpose. She has a really good background in history and I've had a hard time finding a one-year, secular, complete history course that isn't ridiculously expensive. (I don't want her to just read a text book without a complete course.) She will have four very rigorous online classes already, so I need two courses that are cheap and will be relatively 'light' in terms of workload.

 

So, on to my questions: how on earth can they offer AP classes if everything is auto-graded? Aren't the FRQs (free response questions) that, by definition, require a human being to read, comment upon, and grade them pretty much the whole point of AP classes? And beyond AP classes, what about regular English classes. Hopefully students are expected to write essays, right? Otherwise, how could one really give a high school English credit? If they're writing essays, who grades them and provides feedback to the student?

 

Is there any way to tell which classes have an "eText" in addition to the videos? (I read that some classes have them.) I'd like there to be a textbook so that the entire course isn't video-dependent. I think that's pretty important in a history class, at least.

 

Thanks in advance if anyone has any info to share.

 

I really have no idea how they can offer AP classes in that format. If FRQ's are assigned (which I would imagine they would have to be) then they would be graded by the parent. Honestly, I would treat the AP classes as honors courses and not as prep for the AP exam. No one in either FB group has had a student take the AP exam after an Acellus AP course, to my knowledge.

 

As far as English courses, the videos include writing instruction but it is up to the parent to have the student actually do the writing, and the parent would have to grade it.

 

I don't know which courses have an e-text. The Epic Moments in World History (high school social studies course) does not. The lectures in all the classes are pretty thorough, so I don't know how much a textbook would add to them.

 

[Carrie12345]

There are (what I've found, so far) DBQs under "special lessons" for APUSH, as well as other special assignments.  They link right to The College Board's practice prompts. Many of the special lessons for various subjects come with a rubric for parents. BUT, as best as I can tell, special lessons aren't required to be completed to move on, or for the program to generate a grade. 

 

I don't consider this a BAD thing in the big picture. A homeschooling family using an independent, self-paced, no-teacher-contact program SHOULD want and expect parental involvement. Who else is going to hand grade assignment after assignment for up to 6 classes at $10/mo? 

 

That said, the program does not make it simple for parents to follow the content and schedule their time effectively.   Because some videos can be 2 minutes and others can be 12, and some assignments are 5 questions while a special assignment might take several days if doing multiple subjects per day (for example, creating a 15 minute presentation with visuals on an open ended general topic), I have no real way of knowing whether they're going to finish a unit at 10am on Monday or 4pm on Friday unless I put in even more prep time than I tend to do for some self-created programs.

 

So, yeah, while I see benefits to this program, I don't consider it, as a stand alone, a complete education, basic, honors, or AP.  I'm sure as heck not putting APUSH on my kids' transcripts, unless maybe they miraculously agree to a much thicker stack of supplements than they're barely fiddling with now.

[fourisenough]

There are (what I've found, so far) DBQs under "special lessons" for APUSH, as well as other special assignments. They link right to The College Board's practice prompts. Many of the special lessons for various subjects come with a rubric for parents. BUT, as best as I can tell, special lessons aren't required to be completed to move on, or for the program to generate a grade.

 

I don't consider this a BAD thing in the big picture. A homeschooling family using an independent, self-paced, no-teacher-contact program SHOULD want and expect parental involvement. Who else is going to hand grade assignment after assignment for up to 6 classes at $10/mo?

 

That said, the program does not make it simple for parents to follow the content and schedule their time effectively. Because some videos can be 2 minutes and others can be 12, and some assignments are 5 questions while a special assignment might take several days if doing multiple subjects per day (for example, creating a 15 minute presentation with visuals on an open ended general topic), I have no real way of knowing whether they're going to finish a unit at 10am on Monday or 4pm on Friday unless I put in even more prep time than I tend to do for some self-created programs.

 

So, yeah, while I see benefits to this program, I don't consider it, as a stand alone, a complete education, basic, honors, or AP. I'm sure as heck not putting APUSH on my kids' transcripts, unless maybe they miraculously agree to a much thicker stack of supplements than they're barely fiddling with now.

What about using it as a solution for 1-2 individual courses in subjects that are not very important to the child (like I mentioned up thread, I would be using it for a world history and an elective like music appreciation)?

[Carrie12345]

What about using it as a solution for 1-2 individual courses in subjects that are not very important to the child (like I mentioned up thread, I would be using it for a world history and an elective like music appreciation)?

 

I'm kind of on the fence about a core subject like history, but I could make peace with it for a kid who is going to be miserable with a heftier history program.  Especially knowing that MY kids can carry that misery over into the rest of their school day!

 

I think it all comes down to individual needs and expectations.  While I feel like I've been bashing the program, it's obviously filling a need for us right now, and I may very well continue to use bits and pieces going forward. There are several electives that my kids are interested in that I don't really have the time, knowledge, budget, and/or resources to do well, so it's almost a no-brainer. 

 

As long as a parent is aware of what they're getting, I think they can make any part of the program work for their particular needs.

[Clear Creek]

What about using it as a solution for 1-2 individual courses in subjects that are not very important to the child (like I mentioned up thread, I would be using it for a world history and an elective like music appreciation)?

 

I think it works really well for that type of course.

 

FWIW, most people in the FB groups who use it as their primary curriculum supplement it. A lot of people (especially at the elementary level) find additional worksheets online to go along with the topics their children are studying, and at the middle and high school level people add books, documentaries, lab kits, and writing programs. Very, very few people have their high schooler do their six courses each day and call it good.

 

[laundrycrisis]

Any thoughts after your first week of Acellus?

 

 

He likes it.  He says it´s easy and he gets through a lot of the lessons in a row.  He enjoys starting the day with it.  He did some kind of quiz or test this morning.  I have not sat down and watched any of it myself yet, but I´m happy that he´s happy and working independently.  If they cover something that he's interested in, he will go off on his own to find videos and articles about it.  And if it doesn't interest him right now, he'll just do the lesson and move on.  He learns a lot of science through his own personal interest in it.  So I'm fine with this being a subject we cover in a low-demand way.  He's in a live co-op class for IEW writing, ALEKS for math, a live class at the middle school for social studies, and has a violin teacher who pushes him.  So while I don't think Acellus is a very challenging way to cover a subject, I'm fine with using it for this subject for this student.  

[Carrie12345]

Updated review:

 

My 10yo, who has always hated school books, has demanded to go back to "paper school".

The most specific reasoning we could get out of him was that it was destroying his enjoyment of electronic devices.

 

(He does want to finish the music class.)

[Peaceful Isle]

My oldest uses it for all her main courses. She is thriving and also doing all the special lessons.

She is more of an artsy girl so she likes to get her “school workâ€out of the way to make room for all her extra curricular activities. (Art lessons, band, choir, fencing, tumbling, and teen group.) It works for her. It’s not “rigorous “ but it truly fits her personality.

 

My second oldest using a combo of BJU dlo, Acellus and t4l. She loves variety so there we have it. ;) She is also in a ton of extra curriculum activities like her sister.

Both my girls love online learning and chose that route.

 

My two little boys use a variety of other curriculum and keep me very busy throughout the day, so I am thankful for the online curriculum my girls have.