help clarify . . . Is this student homeschooled? If he is, there is no need to hold him back; grade levels don’t actually mean anything in homeschooling, so behing held back/skipped ahead/etc has absolutely no meaning in the homeschool context. A student just is where he is. There is merit to not rushing graduation. One of mine took 5 years to do high school, for his own reasons. We just sat down one day and made that decision, and it’s been the best decision all around. His friends didn’t care a bit (they are all different ages/stages through high school anyway themselves). We had one doc persistently ask, “But what GRADE is he in???” until I firmly said, “Stop imposing a public school paradigm on him, when he’s not attending public school. We homeschool, and in homeschooling, if you decide a 5-year plan is best for high school, that’s just how it works! You don’t have to be in a grade.” Note that around 8th grade, it’s not super unusual to see some kids decide school is not the most fun thing in the world. They have a LOT going on at that time in their lives. He could see things very differently 3 or 5 years from now. I’ve been amazed at how much even my 20YO continues to change and grow at this stage. After all, *I* was so perfect and mature by 14, I’m sure my mother would say <grin> (I’m pretty sure my plan was to run off to California to find George Lucas and make the next Star Wars film). You have suggested graduating him early, but I would suggest that you think carefully about that if he’s not the most mature teen. If anything, I’d consider stretching high school out to give him more time to mature— but remember, you can decide what high school looks like. Don’t shortchange the academics, but maybe find some vo-tech type programs at the local community college, and organize his day to do his regular high school work fairly efficiently in the mornings, and then maybe take classes in something that interests him (like computer repair or even programming or tech support or whatever they offer) in the afternoons, to help motivate him.

My AP stats class with PAHS next year will be hosted on Canvas and have one live session per week, plus live office hours, experienced student mentors, and interactive discussion boards, plus access to me any time by email. We will be using The Practice of Statistics (the 4th edition, because it’s very affordable, and additional materials that go beyond the textbook. Real-world exmples are used throughout the course, and there is an emphasis on learning to correctly interpret, apply, and communicate precisely about statistics. I’m really excited to be teaching it next year! —Jen

Just keep an open mind about what your kid wants, though it sounds like you are pretty in tune with that anyway. When I took AP courses, they were fun for me, even four at a time, and never stressful. I still have fond memories of some of them as some of the best classes I took. It’s worth avoiding generalizations 😉 However, I would agree they are not the only route to being college/life/career ready by any means, or even to standing out on a college application. One thing I see admissions officers writing about homeschooling is, “Homeschooling can be a great chance to customize your education. Tell me what you did to make your education uniquely yours.” That can take so many forms— and while it can certainly include AP and DE classes if they suit your kid’s interests, they are not the only way to customize things, either.

Just being clear here, because things can get mixed up online— *I* never said anything that can be construed as the test is categorically easier from home. I was responding to a specific question about why someone might prefer the online format, and I included specific acknowledgements that those factors would not be the case for every student. You might not have meant me, and you might not have been saying that I said this. But in case it reads that way to anyone in the future, I certainly don’t want it construed that way.

I’m not sure I’ve seen anybody make the case that the test is categorically easier from home— I certainly did not. For students who prefer the digital format and have the environment to support it, it is the better option. For students who cannot get an in-person location to give them a seat, and the options are digital at home or no chance at all, it is the better option. For students who prefer paper testing and can get a seat at an in-person testing location, that is the better option. I think the College Board needs to do a better job in supporting homeschooler access to both formats so that all students can have fair and equitable access, at least within the constraints the CB already imposes.

I agree with all of what you said. I don’t think the digital exams are all good or all bad— they are indidvidual student dependent. I was responding to the question, “Why would anyone think they are a good thing?” There are reasons some students would think they are a good thing. There are reasons other students would prefer a paper exam. I think both students should have access to what they need in order to perform well.

We are so happy about being able to take the exam from home online. It shortens the commute, which makes “arriving” on time easier, and he can either get up a little later, or eat a better meal first. We DO have the luxury of being on the east coast— digital exams are given synchronously everywhere worldwide (except China and Japan), so students will have some crazy start times— it’s not out of the question to have to start at midnight. It’s easier to take the test in a familiar, comfortable environment (again, this presupposes that ‘home’ is somewhere that is comfortable and has a reasonable achievable amount of quiet, which is not everyone’s reality). And it’s online, which means you get to type insted of writing everything. All tools for input are on the computer— there will be no scanning and uploading stuff this time around. It’s a lot easier to type for 3 hours than to write by hand at speed. And no having to fill in bubbles and worry about filling them in correcly or erasing enough. The fact that we can test at home means the school was willing to offer DS a seat; without it he probably would have been shut out (again). There will be an on-screen timer. One of my kids took an AP exam (lit) in a room with no clock and the proctor never announced the time remaining. Talk about stressful. There is nothing to lose or mess up. No stickers to put in the right places, no info to bubble. You just finish, and it submits your test. Easy peasy.

I am so glad it all worked out!

Whether PAHS tried to do that I do not know. I know that after fall a year ago, before the pandemic was even a thing, and I was unable to get my younger a spot to even take the Calc AB exam anywhere, I started hoping against hope that one day the College Board would find a way to offer digital home exams— talk about being careful what you wish for :/. At least this year, the home exams made getting a spot super simple. PAHS had great communication with the College Board very early on, so I was able to commuincate to the school that working with us was likely to be a piece of cake, so this year getting him a testing seat for AP Stats was simple. The school trusted the communication from PAHS and signed him right up. Who knows what the future may hold? I personally think the option to test from home is a step in the right direction that I hope they decide to keep now that they’ve invested in it.

Best wishes. This is so unfair. Hopefully the College Board will soon release better guidance for coordinators in dealing with homeschoolers.

I am the new AP Stats teacher on PA Homeschoolers, taking Carole Matheny's spot. If you have questions, let me know. I only have one kiddo left at home, and he will be a homeschooled senior next year, though mostly taking DE classes at the local U, so teaching AP Stats will be my focus for the year and then moving forward. I am really excited about making sure AP Stats is both challenging and relevant well past the exam, as well as ensuring the students are very well-prepared for the exam itself; I've actually been planning for teaching this course for several years now. Jen Driscoll

I am so sorry for the stress you are going through right now! With the option for digital exams at home, there is NO excuse for their actions, since it doesn't require your student to enter their building at all. I think AP courses have positives and negatives just like any other course does-- and taught well, many of them are pretty solid courses overall. They are an affordable option for homeschoolers, who are often shut out of free DE that some states provide to their public school students, and not every student has easy logistical access to an affordable CC for dual enrollment on their own. CLEP Is a good option, but not all colleges accept CLEP credits, and individual subjects can be hit or miss. Even when SAT Subject tests existed, colleges often didn't give credit for them, so AP's were a better deal overall. Have you considered contacting the school board or even your state representative? Sometimes the state rep can make things happen.

We don’t have those explicit requirements to meet, but we have our own personal requirements— I don’t want to launch my kids out into the world without having developed the ability to talk frankly about drugs, sex, peer pressure, partying, etc; and to possess basic life knowledge such as dealing with medical providers, understanding important aspects of their own health, financial knowledge, home repair, auto maintenance, insurance (all types), phys ed, etc. We have used some of the following: CPR/First Aid/AED certification — twice during the high school/rhetoric stage years, with discussion about why one would want to keep those certifications current for life. One round through the OWL (Our Whole Lives) curriculum, which is pretty comprehensive, plus integrated discussion of health when we do biology and while discussing current events and when preparing for medical visits— also, scaffolded independence with filling out forms and taking more of the lead at medical visits ffrom age 15 onward, so they are comfortable doing so by the time they leave for college. There was a free curriculum put out by the ?American Society of Accountants? or somebody like that— it was a 4-part series of books they gave away free, and it covered everything from managing a checking account to how to start investing in the stock market and setting up a retirement account and paying taxes, household budgets, and more. Plus we listen to podcasts from PlanetMoney and others over dinner or in the car, and talk about them. (We listen to and discuss a lot of podcasts, now that I think about it). We have a local athletic club that offers PE, so my kids have always gone there for homeschool gym class. One year it wasn’t offered and I ran one myself at the local park. I brought bases and kickballs, bocce, kubbe, cornhole, went on long hikes, etc. The kids ran around, tried different things, and generally had fun being active. We tackled some home improvement projects and renovations ourselves instead of hiring contractors, sometimes just to give the kids experience in how to do certain tasks like planning a project, measuring, using different power tools safely, how to sand, stain, and paint, clean up correctly and deal with anything hazardous responsibly, etc. We made sure each kid had several exposures; my kids are pretty smart, and I usually think of them as picking things up quickly. But humans are humans, and I don’t expect my humans to take something we did when they were 13 and remember it clearly when they are 25. Maybe they still won’t remember, but I figure I’m giving them a fighting shot by making them do it several times over. A lot of it we do cover by just conversation through the day rather than through formal curriculum. But I don’t leave it entirely up to chance; I actually wrote out a list of what I really needed to cover with each kid, and how much emphasis each kid needed on different things, and checked things off so I could see what I needed to plan on finding time to bring up to discuss. As you said, these things are really important. My favorite tools for any of this kind of stuff are my planner and lists! Best of luck!

Don’t forget about AP Statistics as a great option for math! Statistics taught well does more than teach students how to apply algorithms to solve problems and take a test in May— it teaches students how to really analyze information, learn the importance of supporting claims, and how to understand the nuances of the strength of different types of statistical investigations. The AP Stats curriculum puts a premium on requiring students to pay attention to context and to place answers into appropriate context, which is a valuable skill no matter what they do after high school. With a threshhold of algebra 2 as an entrance requirement, AP Stats is a different way to go for students looking for something different from the march through calculus, and it’s a good way to go for a STEM kid who wants to be prepared well for the sciences. https://www.aphomeschoolers.com/cgi-bin/choose.pl?class=stats

Wow, this will be my last “planning thread” for our homeschoolers, as next fall will kick off my youngest’s senior year (sniff). He has pretty much met almost of my graduation requirements already, thanks to some doubling-up of effort in his first three years, so he will have some room to design his own senior year. So far, we plan on . . . Rhetoric III at TWMA The History of Science (small group class at home with me and his local friends— or by Zoom, as the Pandemic dictates) 2 courses at the local U in fall 2 courses at the local U in spring Some kind of intensive math with DH and I over winter break (the local U has about 6 weeks off between fall and spring breaks) if he doesn’t pick a math course at the U. He has already completed Calc AB, and a course in mathematical computing, and is currently doing AP Stats with Carole Matheny— and he wants to be an English major, so he doesn’t aspire to go much farther— so we may just find him some intriguing special projects to investigate and write up. That’s 7 solid courses for his senior year, which seems like plenty. I’ve already taught History of Science before, so he’s not going to need that much from me next year (sniff again). I’m picking up teaching Carole’s AP Stats at PA. Homeschoolers, so I’ll just busy myself with that for most of the week through the school year. Dear me, ignore that signature. I haven’t even looked at my blog in years, and we certainly finished Red Badge of Courage years ago lol. I’ll have to figure out how to edit that! ;D

It's here. Yippee!

I feel kind of silly-- my oldest is going into 10th grade, we pretty much have a groove going here . . . but I think I'm more excited about this book arriving in my mailbox tomorrow than I was for the latest Harry Potter . . . :D At least I have the Perseid & North Delta Aquariid Metoer Showers to distract me tonight, along with the Olympics, plus my current book . . .

Yay! The paper reports came yesterday-- both of them. Odd; older DS has an online account, and his information looks accurate there, but his name is incorrect on the paper report. *sigh* does this mean yet another call to them so his records aren't goofed up?

Unless the student cannot have an online account because he is under age 13, so CB prevents the account from being created.

I called and got an expedited request, since younger is under 13 and can't have an online account. They said I should see it in about a week. I won't hold my breath, but we'll see . . .

Nothing here for younger DS, who can't have an online account with them yet :/. We got his brother's online with no trouble. So we're still waiting for the paper scores. The school where they took the test received their reports a couple of weeks ago, but only for their own students.

Has anybody received their paper score reports yet? We were unable to make an account for our 12YO (I suspect it's that dipstick no-kids-under-13-can-have-an-online-account-because-we-can't-let-parents-make-judgement-calls-rule) and are still waiting. I just sent them email, but I don't think calling them on a Sunday will do much good. :/ The school where they took the test said they only received scores for their own students. J

Nope, I got my 9th grader's scores this morning. I had to log in and out several times before they popped up, but up they came. The only delay I see is getting the 7th grader's scores, since he's not 13 yet, so they won't open an account for him.

Resurrecting this thread-- I don't post exact scores, but my older kiddo (the one who has used Fred almost exclusively) just got his PSAT scores. As a a 9th grader, he scored very, very high (normed against the 10th grade class, according to the score report). Life of Fred-- validated in our home.

Thanks to the people who persisted and posted earlier. Logging in and out a few times got me my older son's score report. Now . . . I think I have to wait for the younger, since he's not yet 13, so they won't let him into the site-- or has anyone else had a different experience? And . . . hooray Life of Fred for outstanding scores in math for a 9th grader!