[8th or 9th grade best time to start public school?]

Thanks everyone! A lot of good information to think on and share with my family.  It seems like 8th is probably the way to go, but will take the advice of talking to our school first and have her shadow a day before she decides. 

[8th or 9th grade best time to start public school?]

Thanks so much, that’s very helpful. Glad to hear it is going well for her!

[8th or 9th grade best time to start public school?]

My 7th grader would like to go to public high school, which I’m fine with. My husband thinks she should therefore go to public school for 8th grade so that she can get the hang of “school things” (lockers, teachers, tests, social stuff, etc.) before the grades matter in high school. I’m worried that’s a tough time to start, socially. Opinions from people who have been there done that? Thanks so much! 

[Spanish 4 at home?]

I don’t think Homeschool spanish academy “fills up.” My daughter used it for years and we just scheduled the lessons week by week. 

For conversation practice, baselang is another option. 

[Where to take AP exam???]

That is horrible. 

And it’s messing with my entire plan for high school. Argh!

Thanks for sharing, though! Good to know the reality of the situation. 

[Where to take AP exam???]

My daughter is preparing for the AP Human Geography exam, but I can’t find anywhere for her to take it.  No local schools offer it, I’ve called countless schools in a two hour radius and only two offer it- and those two won’t let a homeschooler come in to take it 😠

I’ve emailed the College Board for help, but haven’t heard back yet. 

 

Would greatly appreciate any advice! I will feel terrible if my daughter has spent a whole school year on this course and can’t even take the exam 😢

Thanks so much!

 

[When to Stop Latin]

I took Latin for 4 years of high school and 2 years of college. I can’t say it has been an asset. I have rarely used it to decipher a word meaning- not that I even remember any of it now.  It makes more sense to learn Latin and Greek roots if you want to aid in vocabulary (or French would actually help more). As far as grammar, my 9th grader never had Latin and is far better at learning Spanish grammar than I am. I think the advantages of learning Latin are largely a myth. 

I don’t think your student will miss out at all by dropping Latin for a modern language. 

[Math Mammoth just as good as RightStart?]

My children did RS for K-2, and disliked MM after that. Part of it was because it was worksheet based, and partly because they did math alone instead of with mom. I don’t think MM explains the “why” of math as well as RS. That said, the hands on method becomes cumbersome when they start learning division, and I found switching programs was more of a benefit than not. 

[PSAT as homeschool assessment?]

Thank you, madteaparty, that’s good to know. I also discovered that the PSAT is only offered in October (though the PSAT 10 has some spring dates). I’m planning on calling around asap to different schools until I find one that offers PSAT 10. 

[PSAT as homeschool assessment?]

Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I was looking for. 

[PSAT as homeschool assessment?]

Does anyone know if the PSAT qualifies as a standardized test for assessment purposes in Ohio? Have been googling and searching this site, but can’t find the answer anywhere. If not, is there a test recommendation for high schoolers, or should we just continue on with what we’ve been doing (the TerraNova)? This is my first year with a high schooler, so I’m a little unsure. Thanks so much!

[Spanish 1 - BJU or ?]

I’ve heard BJU Spanish is difficult to teach without a Spanish background. We used Breaking the Spanish Barrier and were happy with it’s clear explanations. Although I do know some basic Spanish, my daughter didn’t know any and went through the book on her own with only a question here or there. 

Mi Vida Loca on BBC is a fun addition to get some listening skills along with the grammar that a test will provide. 

[AP Calculus AB]

I think the deadline is passed to get it approved for this year, but you might want to google that to be sure. 

[Starting AOPS I mid-book?]

Thanks everyone for your input, it was very helpful. She really wants to try it, she does Alcumus and thought the sample of the book looked interesting. I gave her a few options, told her what you all shared with me, but she still wants to give it a go. I think it’s great that she wants to challenge herself, and if worse comes to worse the book is returnable for 30 days ? 

[Starting AOPS I mid-book?]

My 9th grader is ready to start Algebra 2. She did  Lial’s Algebra 1 in 7th grade. I would like her to try AOPS for Algebra 2, and my understanding is that Algebra 2 would be the second half of the Intro to Algebra book. I’m worried that starting AOPS in the middle will be too difficult because it is a different way of thinking. I want her to be challenged, but not do poorly and/or get behind. She enjoys math and is good at it, but doesn’t want to spend hours a day on it. Does anyone have any experience starting AOPS in the middle of the Intro to algebra book? 

I’m also curious about the WTMA AOPS course, I saw on this forum that they only choose the easy problems, is that correct? I’m struggling with the possibility of AOPS being too hard on our own, but too easy with WTMA. My alternative choice is Derek Owens.  Thanks for your advice!