Yes, I'd be very interested in your Eng 3 experience, cin! Thanks for your feedback, mamamoose. All my experiences with TPS Eng & French prior to this class have been very positive. In fact, TPS's high school Eng classes were the best I found from the many providers we used. My dd did take an MPOA English class in 7th or 8th. It was ok. The instructor was very good (Roemer). My dd enjoyed the class and I think her writing improved. For high school, I prefer lit-based Eng classes, with a strong writing component based on the works read and with grammar only addressed in the context of the student's writing. MPOA's comp approach is intriguing to me, and I think it would probably work, but it was just too different/too big a leap of faith for me to try it with my kids.

Thanks for your feedback. The two "textbooks" are the ones by R. Frederick, "Grammar the Write Way" and "Making Connections,"for which they charge $40 each, for electronic-only versions. I finally had MC printed out because I cannot stand having my student on a computer screen so much. I didn't print out GtWW because Office Depot quoted me something over $50 if I printed color & with all the color coding stuff in the text, I knew we would need the color. TPS Eng 1 & 2 courses used to be so good. I'm really sad to see TPS Eng 1 & 2 courses shifting to "textbook"-based instruction. If I wanted textbook type/caliber instruction, I would do it myself. When I pay to outsource, I'm looking for quality, live instruction by quality instructors, not for someone to simply regurgitate a textbook at my student. I'm looking for LESS dependence on online texts, not more, and certainly not complete dependence on online sources for the teaching. My dd took the Journey into Narnia class w/ RA Frederick. It was a great class. Smooth, organized, a good balance of lit & writing. This new Eng. 2 course is nowhere near the same caliber. I just hope the Eng 3 classes have been left alone. I'll probably contact Ms. Frederick after the class is over and grades have been submitted because I know she has the best intentions. I think perhaps she's been doing this for so long that she doesn't realize that handing HER program to other teachers doesn't necessarily translate well, and that, in fact, it can hobble teachers who would otherwise be good teachers by imposing an outside curriculum and approach on them.

We used TPS's English 3-6 courses for high school for my children who are now all in college. They were excellent. Solid, quality literature discussions and solid writing expectations and feedback. My youngest also used TPS's Eng 1: Narnia course. That was also excellent, with good, weekly writing requirements. All the instructors my children had were fantastic. My children could write excellent lit papers by the time they graduated. I've recommended TPS's Eng courses all over the place to many folks looking for truly high caliber, online Eng courses for middle & high schoolers. This year I have a 7th grader using TPS's Eng. 2 course and I am utterly disappointed with it. They are trying to move to a "textbook" written by one of their very good teachers, but the quality of her teaching is not translating at all. I really hate when online providers try to force all their teachers into one mold. Just because something works for one teacher does not mean ALL teachers can replicate that same success. Hire great teachers, tell them what texts and skills you want them to cover, and then leave.them.alone! I am also dismayed at how much time online the kids have to spend reading two very pricey (2 x $40), beta-version texts AND entire works like the play, The Importance of Being Earnest. It's ridiculous. The kids should be reading hard copies and learning to annotate them! Especially junior high students! Is anyone else using TPS's Eng 1/2 courses? Are you having a similar experience? I cannot imagine recommending these classes any more. I hope TPS hasn't changed its Eng 3+ high school courses.

Has anyone tried the online ToG dialectic history classes? I'd love any feedback you might have, as well as a better idea of how exactly those classes work. Thank you!

Thank you so much! That is very helpful! I do plan to supplement with additional lit, just because I love lit and my niece is a big reader. I'm going to have her do the placement test and see how it goes.

Hi, I'll be homeschooling my rising 7th grade niece this coming year. My own children took several high school level TPS Eng courses and I was happy with all of them. I'm bummed that they don't have the Journey into Narnia class that my dd did in 7th, but perhaps one of the other Eng. 1 courses would work. I already do Rod & Staff grammar with my niece, and will be doing R&S 7 this year with her, so I'm looking for minimal grammar in a TPS Eng course. If anyone has had a student take the TPS English 1 Lit & Comp Journeys & Quests or Unlikely Heroes courses, or if anyone's student has had Pamela Holben as a teacher at TPS, I would very much appreciate any feedback on the classes/teachers. Thank you!

Is there any downside to taking "Conceptual Physics" using Hewitt's text for a bright 11th grader who hopes to go to a good 4-year college/university? She took "Honors Bio" in 9th and Chemistry in 10th. My daughter took it in 9th grade concurrently with algebra 1 because she is so not mathy. (She loved the conceptual physics course & instructor, though!) My sons took AP Physics in 12th with AP Calc. Are those the two choices nowadays--conceptual or AP? Or, is there something between conceptual and AP levels for physics? I've tried my usual online searches to see what some top private college prep schools in CA are using for physics, but it looks like the ones I usually check are using online resources rather than a text. Thoughts? Thanks so much, in advance!

Thank you, everyone, for weighing in on my question! There are various underlying issues with the young man that are being addressed. My question is solely about whether there would be any long term ramifications for him of having a GED. Ie, assuming he is able to get through the other, emotional issues and get back on track, will he regret having gotten a GED? Arcadia, I hadn't looked into the CHESPE/CA College Promise info, but will pass that along to my friend. Thank you!

That is crazy! Talk about being chained to a checklist! I wonder if you had gone up the ladder enough, until you reached someone who had graduated with a 4-year degree (ie, someone who would have known that a high school degree/GED was required for college admission), if it would have made a difference. But that's an interesting data point! Thanks for posting!

Thanks for your bil's story! It sounds like he really turned his life path around! I'm hoping my friend's son is able to do the same because it's not looking very bright right now. Not a drug issue for him, as far as my friend knows, but he's wrestling with other problems. That is interesting about Amazon requiring proof of your high school diploma (or GED) despite the fact that you had a BS! Wouldn't one HAVE to have a high school diploma to get a 4-year college degree?? I don't think I could even find my HS diploma anymore! What did you give them?

I know the general consensus is that we should give our homeschooled high school graduates a diploma, and I agree because I like to make sure I haven't closed any doors or knowingly omitted doing anything that could possibly affect my kids later. But, I was wondering..... have you or any of your homeschooled kids ever been asked about, or for, their high school diploma after they graduated from college? Is a high school diploma, or GED, ever seen, or come up, after those college apps are in? Thanks! Yvonne

Asking for a friend whose senior year son is has been at a small private school for 11th & 12th. It's not a high end private school, so they don't have any real college advisors like other private schools might. Her son is failing two of five classes this year. He had a similar record last year. He won't read the books assigned for English, claiming he can just read summaries. He won't do most of the work for his English class. He's very bright, but stubborn and angry. I don't know what's behind the anger. He chose to continue with a second year at this private school when he could have returned to public school. I know.... the big issue here is the anger and attitude, but life goes on and while they're working on that, they need to figure out what to do about school. Early on, in middle school through maybe 9th grade, he had wanted to go on to a top 4-year college, but that's obviously not happening now. My friend mentioned today that she's advising him to take the GED and go to community college for a year or two while working. Given that he will probably fail 2 of 5 classes because he is not willing to do the work, I guess getting a GED might be the only way forward? I know a GED is a distinct disadvantage if one plans to go into one of the services, but he has a physical condition that rules that out anyhow. Are there other disadvantages to having a GED? I know it is generally considered to be for kids who've had problems, which he has. But does a GED limit a person besides as far as the services? Thanks! Insert other media

Here's a cool website where you can click on Econ or Gov or.... and see which colleges require each of those from high school applicants. No idea how accurate it is, but maybe a starting point! https://www.whatwilltheylearn.com/

I don't think so. IIRC, my sons just self-reported. We didn't send AP scores until they'd decided which school they were going to attend. Then we sent all AP scores to that school.

I guess the only reason I'd rather delete than cancel is that cancelling involves sending in a hard copy form & who knows how long that will take. I wanted to try to delete asap so I could send the other scores to the college she really wants to attend. And I know AP scores are self-reported on apps and that the student doesn't have to send official score reports until after acceptance, if then, but we'd still like to send her other AP scores to this one college now. 🙂