Yes, you can negotiate in-state tuition, especially with strong students. Definitely call - admissions or registrar or scholarship office. Sometimes schools will offer this to top students as part of a scholarship package - no negotiation needed. Children of alumni often get special consideration if they have the required qualifications. At one of our state unis (top 100), about the only students who get in are the children of alumni or tippy top students.

We brought a student home for 11th grade. Since dc was withdrawn from p.s. and registered as a homeschooled student, we assumed responsibility for the courses, transcript, college applications, etc. We put together a transcript that included all courses and grades, p.s. and homeschool. We calculated the GPA based on all courses. We did not designate where the course was taken -- p.s. or homeschool or online. We grouped the courses by subject on the transcript: Math Algebra I Algebra II Advanced Math Calculus English English I English II English III English IV The transcript was a single sheet that included courses, ACT/SAT scores, GPA, volunteer work, and extracurricular. We also included a 1-page reading list. From the perspective of the college, a homeschooled student was applying. Dc did not apply to any top tier colleges, so I don't know if there would be a difference with that process, but we didn't have any problems.

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum Easy use, interesting narrative style, thorough.

nm

Yes, about 1.5 to 2 hours per day which includes NLE 2. She also puts in time on the weekends when needed. Other subjects can take that amt. of time as well. Now that she is in the second year with Lukeion, she has a routine and understands what is required for good grades. This is true for most subjects. Use the materials for a while, get a routine, etc.

Shanvan, No matter how we've tried to juggle it, dd needs 1.5 to 2 hours to do well with Lukeion, especially with the amount of homework for 2b and NLE prep. Like your son, she does her translations on paper for the most part, types/edits them, and then cuts and pastes onto the homework page. She does split her time to keep her focus. Quiz Monday morning, start new chapter Monday afternoon, homework Tuesday morning and afternoon, class Wednesday morning and homework in the afternoon, finish/type homework on Thursday and study, etc. It's a routine like anything else. Her music is like that as well -- two sessions, one in the morning and afternoon. If she doesn't dawdle and/or daydream, she can finish all subjects by the late afternoon. It's taken a while for that concept to sink in!!

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum

Yes, students have the same decisions to make in b&m schools. Dd has friends who have dropped extras and even some classes, especially when they get to the junior and senior years. Both of us have had to let go of ideas for this year and next. There are only so many hours in the day. Now if we did a gap year... Nah, we are both ready to move on.

Thanks, Twigs. I have bouncing back and forth between A&P and physics, but A&P looks like a better choice. Checking out your suggestions.

Yes, she is moving forward. We've had the same issues with extracurricular opportunities (missing out that is), but she is still moving forward. With the three courses you have described, your son is looking at possibly six hours per day for three courses. Although dd will not be taking AP English, she will be taking the Barr's Advanced Research Writing during the spring semester. She, too, will be taking a tough Chemistry class and trying to squeeze in Advanced Biology. Choosing to go forward with Latin 3 has been a tough decision, but in the end, dd doesn't want to let go of the standard set by Lukeion. In some ways, success with that standard has given her the confidence to go forward with other challenges.

Bump.

We're in the same boat. It will be dd's senior year, so going forward with Latin 3 means a year of Latin, working on music auditions/orchestras, a few core courses, and light on everything else. However, dd, who is in the Wednesday class and just walked in, says your son should "keep going" because Latin 1 and 2 have put the foundation in place for translating. As she puts it, "What's the point of just getting through Wheelock?"

Although you are already working with WWS, you might want to take a look at The Write Foundation. I would suggest Level 2 for the rest of 7th and then 8th, and then Level 3 for 9th grade. Level 2 and 3 would definitely prepare your son for the rest of high school. TWF gathers up the best of many of the suggestions mentioned on this thread. It includes poetry and stylistic techniques. It uses concrete tools like graphic organizers, highlighting, and editing check lists, which work well with students who have learning challenges. The writing assignments include a practice lesson to show the student exactly what to do for their original writing. For example, snow boarding and snow skiing are compared in a paragraph lesson, and the teacher helps the student fill in the brainstorm and outline graphic organizer (information in the TM). Then, the student writes the paragraph. The next comparison paragraph is original from topic suggestions (many options for this). The student can either write the paragraph on his own or get input from the teacher. Level 2 and Level 3 take the student through paragraph writing, basic 5-paragraph essay, timed essays and research essays. As others have mentioned, I agree that formal lit analysis can wait. Also, if you want to add grammar, take a look at Analytical Grammar. I would work through this slowly. It is scheduled for two years, but for a 7th grader, it might take 3 years, especially since the lessons may need to be split into two sessions; i.e. 30 minutes each. AG covers all grammar concepts with diagramming.

Dd needs 4 science credits to graduate from our cover school. She has completed Apologia Physical Science and will finish Apologia Biology with Redwagon Tutorials in the early summer. She will follow biology with Redwagon Tutorials Chemistry and will finish that course next fall. So, she will need to work on two sciences at the beginning of next year to graduate. She is on board with this, and we are talking about options. What would you do for the 4th science? Apologia Physics - Is it possible to do physics and chemistry at the same time? Apologia Advanced Biology Conceptual Physics - Where do you get the TM, tests, etc. for this, btw? Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum - Integrated Physics and Chemistry (Yes, some overlap with this one.) Other suggestions? Fwiw, she is interested in speech pathology as college major.

Last Year, Last Child :thumbup1: :thumbdown: :ohmy: I definitely needed this thread to make decisions. Math - Finish Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus English - Finish TWJ, Lukeion Advanced Research Writing Science - Finish Chemistry, Physics Latin 3 - Lukeion Music - Youth orchestra, church orchestra, college orchestra as invited, college audition prep, theory if we can fit it in Computer Software - Monarch Gov't/Economics - Noble Experiment, Economics for Everybody Health - Total Health I am done; I think.

Our high school junior works 8 to 10 hours per day, which includes music practice, and we have been building to this since 8th grade. Subjects like math, Latin, and science can take 1.5 to 2 hours. Oldest ds needed this amount of time (often more) to earn the grades he needed to keep his scholarships, so I see these last two years of high school as prep for a college workload. However, it can be challenging to stay with it at the end of the day. We've found that the order of subjects makes a huge difference. Dd gets most of the heavy work done in the morning and then practices music. Then, she moves on to another heavy subject, a lighter subject, and more music. Latin, which always takes two hours, has to be split into two work sessions. I've homeschooled special needs, and this type of schedule wasn't possible. We had to do fewer classes with more time for each class, and we kept the focus on core courses and skills. We also made sure there was enough time for a part-time job. Fwiw, a student with challenges may need to begin college with the minimum number of classes required for full-time status. Also, with all of our children, I've had to make choices about curriculum. Some courses are rigorous; others are not. We've used check-the-box materials or worked through materials together if I thought it was best.

Already mentioned: Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings Windows to the World Bravewriter classes We also used Smarr reading guides. The Lost Tools of Writing - Although this is a writing curriculum, the student really thinks about the novels used for the essays. This really was our best lit work, even though it wasn't traditional.

OE, If your student can write solid paragraphs, 5-paragraph essays, lit response and analysis, then consider longer papers; i.e. 2 paragraph intros and conclusions with more paragraphs for supporting points, reviews - movies, plays or music, as well as the types of assignments found in a good college textbook (I suggested "The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing" in another post. It also has a chapter on formal arguments. With oldest dc, we only got through the "if" part of my suggestions. He did very well in his English classes, but getting to the "then" would have made his life easier for his freshman and sophomore years. Also, check out Julie Bogart's class on Textual Analysis. Rhetoric has already been suggested.

We are doing the same research and have come up with similar results. For last dc, it seems to be a sweet deal from local state university versus hefty money at in-state private universities even with a strong ACT and an excellent audition for musical instrument and voice. One mom at our cover suggested checking with private universities to see if they allow scholarship stacking (Whatever it's called.); i.e. money through several avenues. If so, you can put together money from ACT, music, private scholarships, etc. Lee Binz has an ebook on this.

We did a gap year for one of our children who had significant LD problems and needed that year to be ready for college level work. Our last dc has been VERY involved in music, and we began this year with some talk about a gap year because it is going to be a push to complete all the credits she needs for graduation. However, she doesn't like the idea of a gap year now and is ready to move on with her life, so we've let go of some extras to give enough time for doing well with academics. I would stay on track because an idea that is appealing in 10th grade may not as appealing in 11th grade as friends graduate and move on with their lives.

As regards essays and other professional writing, I include that as part of reading. Also, we read something aloud every day and discuss if there is something worth talking about. Our main focus for composition is some part of the writing process every day. We use good materials that work for us, keep writing, and I provide feedback. I've written in the past that I learned so much from Julie Bogart about being a writing mentor. Through her, I learned to make the process collaborative and smooth. Fwiw, we've never had advanced writers, so it's been enough for our children to work through high school level materials and do a good job with that work.

The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing - Accessible college text with excellent examples of assignments as well as insight into the writing and editing process. BJU Companion to College English - Good discussion of lit analysis for college students. Bravewriter's H4HS does a bit of this as well.

We've taken many of the classes, except for the new classes developed during the last few years, and they were all excellent. Kidswrite Basic Kidswrite Intermediate ACT/SAT Prep Expository Essay Write for Fun American Literature (Not offered currently, but I know the other lit classes are equally good.) Talk with Julie about placement. She really understands how to develop teen writers.

Oh Elizabeth, For what you described, we have used Lost Tools of Writing, the progym (Classical Composition), and Bravewriter "Help for High School." I realize it's not one source, but each of them offer something different and valuable, at least that has been true for us. Lost Tools could easily be done in a semester or less going through all the lessons with one novel. H4HS can also be done in less than a semester. The author of CC has taken older students through most of CC in one summer as prep for entrance to his classical school. All of these boost the ability to think and develop arguments. They are age-appropriate except for the first two levels of CC, which older students don't need to do if they can rewrite fables and narratives.

With IEW, we work through Units 1-7 of the core curriculum during elementary and middle school because I think it does a good job teaching introductory style and organization. Many mothers become dissatisfied with IEW because they see it as restrictive and get stuck on those first units, but that material is supposed to be used to teach foundational skills. Then, the student should move on using the skills/techniques as they need. As regards the 5-paragrah essay, which has been discussed in other threads, I see that as a starting point. After a student can write an good 5-paragraph paper, they can expand on what they have learned. Julie Bogart, the owner of Bravewriter, does use the 5-paragraph paper in her high school courses, but she helps the student develop insight so he can move past the dull writing produced by many high school students and even college students. Our son used what he learned from Bravewriter in all of his college courses, and even used a college text Julie suggested for some of his papers instead of the class text. I, also, don't want to turn this into another writing curriculum thread since we've had plenty of those. However, for the high school level, Bravewriter does an excellent of job of bridging the gap between typical high school writing and the expectations of college.