[Count of Monte Cristo--Abridged or Unabridged?]

It's such a good book. My oldest and I both loved it and have read it a couple of times. My 10th and 8th graders just asked me to load up the audiobook version for them last week (our is 52 hours long) and they're both loving it. They're listening in free time outside of course work. This is one I wouldn't want to read abridged. 

[How many labs? (What is a respectable number?)]

My two oldest sons have done high school science through a couple different online options, and they typically had 6-8 formal labs that required  full lab report write-ups each year and were given a few weeks to work on each. There were also several weeks where they had to participate in an experiment or demonstration and answer questions or do a partial report.

The most disappointing experience my oldest had was taking a Chemistry course via dual enrollment at the community college. He had to attend a lab once a week for the entire semester and never once had to do a formal lab report. 🤯 So all my talks in his early high school years about how it was important to learn how to write a formal lab report so he'd be prepared for college science didn't come off so well...

[Do I want the Math Facts That Stick books?]

My son was crying over math and just could not get the multiplication facts memorized. We tried xtra math to supplement and practice, and I even adjusted the timer to give him twice as much time, but he would freeze up under the pressure and it ended in tears. I stopped his regular curriculum and bought Multiplication and Division Facts that Stick. For a few weeks, we only did Multiplication Facts That Stick for math. He loved the games and we saw great progress. We eventually restarted his normal math, but kept doing Multiplication Facts that Stick, and then Divisions Facts that Stick alongside. It really got us over a hurdle, and without the crying and defeatism.

[My Fun Science or BJU Math]

I can’t speak to the middle school math, as I take my kids up through Algebra, but my sone has taken Geometry and Algebra 2 at My Fun Science with Mrs. Barnosky and has enjoyed it and done well. He’ll take Precalculus with her next year as well.

[Geometry online]

My son took Jacobs Geometry last year with Mrs. Barnosky at myfunscience.com. They meet 1.5 hours per week live online, there are videos posted review, and she holds office hours each week for kids who need a little extra help. She is also responsive via email and text. 

[Math problems - is allowing a re-do on homework grade inflation?]

My son is taking his high school math classes with a tutor online. Homework counts 35%, quizzes are 20% and tests are 45%. Homework problems are to be worked and reworked until they are correct, so students are pretty much guaranteed a 100 in that category. Quizzes are given weekly and a slightly different version can be taken a second time anytime before the end of the semester. So if the student doesn't do well on a quiz, he can wait a couple weeks until he feels he has better mastery of that concept and be re-quizzed on it. Tests are taken once every few weeks and those grades are final. I don't think it's inflation to rework homework to 100%. It encourages mastery of the material. The teacher is clear that she fully expects that they won't always do well the first time through the material, that she wants them to keep working at it and rewards that effort. 

[Grade weight allocation within a class (math)]

My son took geometry through an online academy last year, and will do algebra 2 this year with the same instructor, and she weights the homework 25, quizzes 30, and tests 45. She also drops the lowest grade in each category and offers an occasional extra credit option. I assume she’ll do the same with her precalculus class, which he plans to take with her next year.