Downloaded to SW trial. Took me an hour on a laptop to paste in 8 quotes from Spelling Wisdom (PDF simply Charlotte mason copywork), each with a different font and style to test out what I like. It was such a pain. Oh and I put in one clip art. Then I saved it, as well as save it as a PDF to a jump drive to print off at a different computer. I just can't believe how long it took. I know it would be better if I just had "my" settings all figured out, but still.... <sigh> Please tell me you find it easy to use!

Probably should've mentioned that it's an art-based school -- performing arts, studio art, writing, computer graphic/design, animation... that kind of thing. I think that's why they have a why there is the provision for lower ACT scores; great academics will get you in, but if your academics are weaker your portfolio will factor in more for admissions.

Oooh...precedents! Well, maybe not exactly, but that will be great to reference. I'll be checking these articles out for sure. Thank you! And thanks to everyone for your encouragement and suggestions! Stacey

lol -- ya, that's my problem. Immediately I'm feeling all indignant and just thinking, "Bring it on!" :boxing_smiley:

Well now, that is a nice, reasoned reply. Seems kind of obvious when you say it. lol I think I am just so stressed about getting all this stuff done (x2) I'm just not thinking clearly. I will look into that. Thank you for giving me a shot of logic. ;) s.

These are private schools. :(

So my two oldest DDs are getting geared up for college applications, and I'm finding at least one, possibly 2-3, that state for homeschoolers they want an accredited diploma (like an umbrella school) or a GED. They do say that if your ACT is something like 21 or lower you may want to include writing samples, statement of why you are interested in the school, etc. These two teens have ACTs in the 30-32 range and have taken a few rigorous courses at the local high school (chemistry, physics, IB English, and this coming year two AP courses) with A's and B's. It just seems so ridiculous to have to take the GED to "prove" this to them. Thoughts?

I'm in the middle of working on transcripts and course descriptions (again!), and need to apparently provide weighted grades as well. I always just figured to keep it simple and unweighted, but I see that some of the schools they are applying to reference the weighted grades. I don't want my kids to be at a disadvantage, so.... Is a weighted GPA potentially higher than a 4.0? What constitutes an "honors" course (obviously, AP level would be weighted, but not sure about the general "honors" designation)? How much "extra" is a grade given for weighted? For example, if it's an extra .5, then is an A worth 4.5 and a B worth 3.5? My head is swirling....

Thanks for the replies on how/what you use. I will look to see if they have an IP there. Does anyone know about the different cover / older version I described for CWP? If the pages are the same I don't mind, but if there is an updated/revised edition with typos fixed or whatever then I don't want an old one for the same price, KWIM? This 3rd party vendor has a lot of misc and clearance stuff (although this wasn't in that section), so I don't know what to make of it. Anyone know?? Leaving soon and probably won't be able to access Wifi so would love a response! ;) Thanks!

I'm going back to the HS conference in the morning (Saturday) and thought to pick up CWP to supplement MM. But the CWP covers don't look like the current cover yet it's still $10. (This is from a 3rd party vendor booth and there's no Singapore booth.) is it just the cover that's different or what? Also, thoughts on CWP versus IP? just planned to do a CWP book for 1&2, but would consider IP instead - haven't seen it yet. We use Math Mammoth and I'm happy with it, but really like some extra thinking problems, particularly because they are moving through the units pretty quickly. Thanks!

Just to be clear: we cannot use the term "AP" on a transcript unless that course syllabus was submitted to and approved by College Board. You can call something "honors" of course... just not "AP" because that is a registered trademark and the use of that term is governed by College Board and their requirements. Although anyone is welcome to study independently and take an AP exam *without* taking an AP "approved" course... just wanted to clarify. For our family, we NEVER really worried about grades or labeling or anything when our kids were younger or earlier in the teens. I do feel that we had a very strong academic focus even without that, and an education rooted in the classics. Life was good. So I wasn't terribly happy about feeling like I had to jump through someone else's hoops come high school. BUT, we decided to play the game, at least to a certain extent. At least one university my teens were considering specifically said that additional preference was given to applicants who took AP courses **AND/OR** AP exams. So to me, I felt like if I wanted to give them a better shot at a reasonably competitive school it was worth it to "play the game" and go through the AP approval process for at least a few courses. This way they would have AP courses **AND** AP exams to list out. The term "honors" carries no specific requirements with it, so I thought perhaps that would not be as meaningful to colleges (for what my goals were). I am by no means saying that my children had a better education by virtue of taking "approved" AP courses (and in fact I miss the days before high school because of some of that), but I knew my teens were looking at some schools that weren't necessarily super accustomed to homeschoolers. The use of some AP courses (instead of honors only) gives the prospective schools something they can recognize when they see these transcripts/applications amidst thousands of others. I really don't want to play the game. But ultimately I wasn't willing to gamble with my teens' options. I don't want them to just blend in and look like everyone else, but there are plenty of ways to demonstrate strengths and uniqueness while still showing colleges the things they like to see. At least, that was my thinking when they were halfway through high school. Maybe I'll do things differently when my younger set gets to that age. I'm sure their goals will factor in to how I'm inclined to proceed. Sorry this got so long. But good question, OP! :)

I went through the College Board approval process for both AP Psych and AP English Lit. Psych was much easier than lit because we had a great textbook and it was easy to lay it all out and show how it fulfilled each necessary point. Lit was definitely more time consuming, but still very worth it. And it forced me to be more organized earlier on that otherwise would be. ;) But maybe not listing an "AP" course on a transcript could also show more self-motivation?? Just a thought....

Can anyone verify if Visual Link Spanish Level 1 is really equal to 1 year of high school Spanish?? The website claims it is so, but I would like to hear more thoughts on this. Do you think you'd need to supplement with more to get it to that point, or can it stand alone? Thank you!

Satori -- any new thoughts to share on R.E.A.L. Spanish? The co-op sale ends June 26th, not the end of the month as I originally thought. Thanks! :) (Other comments welcome, too!)

Keep us posted, Satori! Can't wait to hear more... anything!! :)

Thanks for the update on that, Satori. It's always good to hear feedback after extended use. :) Anyone have opinions on R.E.A.L. Spanish?

Going to look into that option right now! Thx!

Hmm... interesting point. There are just SO MANY resources for Spanish so it seems more attainable. But, hmm....

Wow! This looks amazing!! I don't think there's any possible way we could swing the cost at almost $4000 (each) for the 4-week option, but wow! This looks VERY interesting!

Good thoughts, Lori, thank you. I'm pretty sure our older version of Rosetta Stone Level 1 is more like the version 3 levels 1+2. At least I remember thinking that when I first saw the "upgrade" and what each level covered. But I should look into that more. We do have a cc nearby so maybe that would be an option too. Although their schedules are so full I'm not sure that a regularly scheduled class could fit into the mix. But good thoughts-- thanks! :)

Thanks, Stephanie. They have studied culture and literature and such, so we do feel it is complete in that sense. But I suppose I should make extra efforts to highlight that on the course descriptions or transcript. Thanks!

OK, Satori, I love that you commented on my post because I always perk up when you comment. :) At one point I bookmarked your Spanish page on your blog because it sounded so good. But ya, guess I haven't kept up very well with some things in the range of toddler to high school senior <sigh>. So where are you at with Spanish and what are you looking for in a program?

She was having computer problems the other day, I know, because I emailed her too. Here is what I wrote to her, which may or may not be helpful to others. Would love to hear your thoughts on what she says! --How much material/coverage is there for high school teens, in terms of putting on a transcript? The samples seemed geared to a younger set, so I am curious how this would work for high schoolers and if you would recommend supplementing with particular grammar or other materials. Would this program, perhaps with some supplementing, cover similar material (and time) for a full year of high school Spanish? --With a younger group, say early elementary, what kind of schedule would you follow? I'm trying to gauge both duration and coverage, as you can probably guess, for two very different age groups. I realize this would largely depend on how much time is invested in it, but I would appreciate some examples so I can understand better what I am getting into. --What would be the next step following your program? Is there another level in the works, or would this lead into... something else? ======================== And here is her reply: I believe that the curriculum covers almost everything in a first year high school curriculum. If it is done well, your child will have a better grasp of Spanish than the average student after Spanish I in High School, Being able to epxand the time spent with the language and not being boxed in to an hour or so a few times a week can improve the language learning experience. However, there are a few things that will need to be 'covered' in order to go on to a 'Spanish II' program. Some of these specific things are: present progressive, dirct object pronouns, affirmative and negative commands, commands with object pronouns, por and para and a few other items. You could get a used textbook and introduce those things along the way, but you would have to be careful not to get too caught up with comparisons between them both. The Homeschool Spanish curriculum tries to introduce items as you go in the context of what is being learned and tries not to put language learning into boxes of grammar to 'learn'. It is not a traditional language learning program. Unit ten introduces many verbs (some of which you will have already seen throughout the book), which may be an exception to the rest of the book. So whereas in a textbook, you may be introduced to several verbs and their conjugations before the Homeschool Spanish does, your child will be building fluency through speaking and working with the vocabulary and phrases before getting into complicated and sometimes hindering grammar. I believe many methodologies work well, it's a matter of finding one that fits you and your family. I am working on a daily curriculum guide for the product and I am on week 17 of the guide and have just finished through Unit 3. At that pace, assuming the family keeps up a steady pace with time off for summer, you could finish in about a year and a half. This is with an elementary child. A younger elementary child might take two years. Or more. It is my experience with people that I know that have used this curriculum that it is difficult to keep up a steady pace, especially with a foreign language. But some families are better at staying on track. A high schooler would be able to work on this at a quicker pace. I've seen often that high schoolers in general often have a tighter schedule and are able to learn the material faster. When I designed the Homeschool Spanish curriculum, I planned for siblings to be able to work together and speak Spanish together as they were learning. It would be great reinforcement if your older child could spend some time playing games or doing some of the activities with your younger one. For example, the older one could spend a half hour for a couple days preparing a board game that he would then play with the younger one. If he was 'teaching' his younger sibling, he would prepare extra hard. It might even bring the children closer together if they participate in some of the activities together. In theory of course. Each family is different. This might work with some, but not all. The home educator, you, would also have to know if this is something you could work on with your family. Although I have built in many 'hands off' activities so that the home educator doesn't get burned out, it is also hands on as well in order for the communication in the target language to take place. A typical week might look something like this, for your younger, a very basic example: Day One: Introduce half of Unit 3A using your chosen method, let's say you choose to bring in the food item and introduce the words, asking if he likes or doesn't like. Day two: Spend some time with a different activity using the same phrases and vocabulary. Let's say you decide to place some of the food items you introduced yesterday on a table. Take one away while he closes his eyes. When he opens them, he says in Spanish which one is missing. You could introduce another of the phrases such as if he wants to eat the item or not. Day three: Have your child work on his vocabulary cards for Unit Three, work on your journaling if he is doing this, using vocabulary from past chapters. Very limited at this point, but if you keep up with it, he will see more and more of what he can write down. Day four: Look at the culture web sites (you would have to pick one out before hand), and spend time with him on one you've picked out if he is too little to do this by himself, or have him work on his own)....etc. You would finish 3A in a couple weeks. The highschooler could work much faster using the same type of schedule. There's no reason you couldn't pull out the food items and work on phrases and vocabulary with the older one too. The 'which one is missing' is a typical high school activity in many classes. You could work on the vocabulary in, say one week instead of two. There would be time for writing, journaling, culture and preparing something to do with the younger one. I am working on a Homeschool Spanish II especially with high schoolers in mind, but nothing is completed at this time. I hope this goes through this time and that my answers have helped you in some way with your decision. Please feel free to write again if you need any clarification.

I have 2 rising seniors who (will) have taken 4 years of ASL. But now I'm in a panic because while some colleges accept ASL, others seem less certain ("well, since you homeschool we can evaluate it on a case-by-case basis"). I just don't want the lack of more "traditional" foreign language to put them in a "maybe" category. I think the ASL is nice because it is different, and they are just beginning to do some ASL tutoring as well. But.... They did work on Spanish (largely Rosetta Stone) before high school, so I think they could refresh their memories pretty quickly, work on grammar and such, and get up to speed on a Spanish I this summer. They still remember stuff from then, I know, so it's doable. Then next year they could do Spanish II. They also have a strong interest separately in Japanese and Korean and have worked on learning both in their spare time, largely from Internet sources and pop music. But obviously Spanish is a little more intuitive coming from English as their first language. What do you think? What would you do? And then any program recommendations? We still have that old version 2 Rosetta Stone which they could use... or maybe Visual Link... or maybe just some books and readers and such. Panicked and confused.... :confused:

This R.E.A.L. Spanish looks intriguing. I know it's newer, but has anyone used it? There is a sale on it through Homeschool Buyers Co-op through June. https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1567&c=1 The printed book is quite high, but the downloadable version is very reasonable. I'm looking to use something with my 1st and 2nd graders this coming year. Thanks! Stacey