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cave canem

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Posts posted by cave canem

  1. WPI's statement is a little different:

     

    "Students may also submit certification that they have met their school district requirements for graduation or a GED. In lieu of these options, students may also submit a detailed roster of all academic coursework at the secondary level with supporting documentation attached."

     

    WPI seems to offer a choice. To me, a detailed roster of all academic coursework is what homeschoolers typically provide.

  2. I know many homeschoolers in Mass who have not used a cover school and have been accepted at state schools (UMass Lowell, Amherst, Fitchburg) without any problems and no GEDs. At least 3 of them received full rides with their "mommy diplomas". Not sure if what you're seeing is new for this year. My older son has been accepted into both UML and UMass Amherst but he was transferring from a cc. In fact, I don't know a anyone who lives in Mass who has had to take the GED for acceptance into college, in Mass or anywhere else.

     

    I've looked pretty carefully at both UML and UMass Amherst's app and I don't see anything about GEDs for homeschoolers being required.

     

    Yolanda

     

    A GED isn't required for admission; it is required for matriculation, if you don't have a transcript from an official entity.

     

    http://www.umass.edu/admissions/apply/admissions-requirements/freshman-admissions-requirements

    "Home-schooled students who are admitted are required to provide the university with proof of graduation in one of the three following ways:

     

    • An official final transcript from the local school district.
    • An official final transcript from a home school association or agency.
    • An official GED score report."

    I have run into homeschooled students who were offered a free ride, contingent upon the GED. I've heard that UML is not as strict about this requirement. Do you know any homeschooler who *attended* UMAmherst without one of these proofs of graduation?

     

    Yesterday at the MassHOPE convention I saw a booth for one of the state's community colleges bearing a sign: "GED: a step up or a step down?" I asked the booth minder what her answer to the question is. She said that the GED is a step up for homeschoolers because it "closes out" high school and carries no stigma if the student has at least one semester of CC credit. Her (five?) children all did the GED/CC and went on to do wonderful things, one of which was transfer to Smith.

     

    I remain very resistant to GED route for my children. I've been hoping UMass would loosen up the GED requirement before my children are ready for college. However, the woman at the CC booth said that MA state schools are going to become more uniformly strict about this, not through any motivation of their own, but because of state requirements.

  3. Our experience is with AP US Govt. (from PA homeschoolers) and a full schedule of NCAA speech and debate.

     

    The class is conducted asynchronously, so missing class meetings isn't a problem. There is a chapter test due every week, but it can be turned in any time, so it is possible to work ahead and submit the test on, say, Monday before leaving for a tournament. This isn't always easy, for example when tournaments are scheduled for consecutive weeks.

     

    US Govt. ends *this* week, with a cumulative semester exam and a final, in the middle of back-to-back tournaments in our region. This is difficult! However, I think most AP classes end in late April/May after the local NCFCA season is over. This schedule would have been a lot easier for my child to manage.

     

    You could check with the instructor before registering to find out whether due dates are flexible around competition dates or other conflicts you foresee. I think PA homeschoolers staff are familiar with NCFCA.

     

    We find that participation in NCFCA requires creative juggling of most other agenda items whether or not they are outsourced classes.

  4. Axioms, proofs, rigor. The old editions were published as part of a post-Sputnik reaction to step up the level of science and math education in this country. Dolciani was a mathematician; many newer math texts authors are penned by math educators. There is a difference in presentation of material.

     

    Is there a publication year after which the Dolciani books are markedly "worse" than earlier editions?

    Does the content decline gradually over the years?

  5. Carole,

    Do you think that TPS French 2 is worthy of a whole credit by itself without one of the conversation classes? Are supplementary texts used in French 2?

    I am not planning to use TPS for French 2. My questions relate to my efforts to gauge the heftiness of the text. I don't want to plan to cover it in a single year if that is unreasonable but I wonder whether using a single text for two consecutive years might look light on the transcript.

    Thank you.

     

    Lee

  6. About five years ago my cousin was infected with a life-threatening bacterium. She was self-employed, uninsured and indigent. She spent several *weeks* in an ICU with daily kidney dialysis. She was unconscious for most of this time. She received excellent care in a Catholic hospital. I don't think she has ever paid for any of it.

     

    My understanding is that providing free care for indigents is part of such a hospital's mission and that it's federal tax status reflects this.

     

    She needed a lot of rehab afterward and was able to enroll in Medicaid, a federal program, that covered it.

     

    I think there is a good deal of state-to-state variation. Massachusetts, for example, has a form of socialized medicine. I don't know how that would affect the person described by the OP, though. My cousin was in a midwestern state.

     

    Lee in New England

  7. Is anyone familiar with the summer harp faculty? My daughter was hoping to work with Joan Raeburn Holland this summer. However, it turns out that she will not be there during the session my daughter can attend. The website lists Sylvia Norris as the other harp instructor. Does anyone know her?

     

    This is our first interaction with Interlochen, so if anyone can speak to the experience more generally, that would be appreciated too.

     

    Thanks,

    Lee in New England

  8. Hello, all! I have been lurking here for--say--a year and have posted a few times.

    My daughter is a life-long homeschooler. We thought this would be ninth grade for her, but now she thinks that she would like to take an extra year of coursework before college. I'd hate to see all the neat stuff she is doing this year age off her college apps, but I know we should not let the tail wag the dog.

    I can't yet offer much high school advice rooted in experience, but I am grateful to be able to benefit from you'all who are going before and, I hope, pay it forward.

     

    Lee in New England

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