If it were my son, I would urge him to put his concerns in writing and email it to the RA and anyone he has already talked to as a “follow-up... this situation is ongoing...â€,and cc me. Sometimes people take things more seriously when it’s in writing and there’s a paper trail. Beyond that, it sounds like there’s not much your son can do on his own. Maybe he should start looking into what it would take to change rooms, if his situation becomes untenable.

MadTeaParty, The AP board is down so I can't check to confirm, but I believe when I sent my sons' scores, all the scores went. There was no "Score Choice" option like there is for SAT subject exams to pick and choose which scores to send. However, I believe I read that it is possible to cancel a score, at which point it is completely eliminated forever. A quick google search suggested that one can also "archive" a score, making it invisible to colleges, but still accessible in the future. I haven't tried either of those options myself, though, so ymmv.

UC was just one application for all, not through Common App, but you have to pay for each one. So, you fill out the app and then check the campuses to which you want to apply and pay $70/campus.

Not sure if you're responding to my post, creekland, but just wanted to clarify.... I am all for applying to reach/dream schools, even multiple reaches! I was just mentioning the application fatigue my kids experienced in case it helps someone else. I know it wasn't on my radar when we started this process. One of my boys in particular had a certain reach school to which he had intended to apply. Since it was very selective, I had suggested he do the other apps first, thinking it would help him craft a better app essay etc to this particular reach school. By the time he'd done the other apps, he decided not to apply to this last reach school after all. I'm not sure whether it was because he was just done with apps or whether he knew better what he wanted/didn't want by the time he got to that last reach. Just something for those who haven't been through this process yet to keep in mind when they come to it. On another note, we've been very surprised at the amount of merit aid that has been offered by a couple of the colleges to which my sons applied. There are data points out there that might help guesstimate how much merit aid one could hope for, but I don't know if one can be sure unless one actually applies. Now I wish we'd looked at a couple more reach schools & done those apps earlier to avoid burn out. They might have come through with enough aid to make them doable. ETA: Yes! This is a great rule of thumb for apps. I don't know why, but I had my sons apply to FOUR safeties. Ugh. Stupid mistake, but I guess I was so anxious & insecure about them getting in ANYwhere. Should have expended that effort on reach schools.

Yes, yes, yes. This was something that blindsided me. I had thought the harder apps (more essays, scholarship essays,....) could be done more easily and more effectively later, after my sons had "practiced" on the easier ones first. Big mistake. It takes a ton of stamina to get through college apps. I also failed to take into consideration how many additional essays, interviews, etc. there would be for merit and specialized scholarships, after the initial college applications were submitted. ETA: We didn't blindly apply to a multitude of colleges. Just completing the apps to our fairly short list of colleges was more time consuming than I'd anticipated. For my dd, we'll factor a bigger chunk of time for application into her fall semester of senior year.

I did the same on our transcripts it can’t hurt.

GC courses meet the same number of hours per week as other classes, but they require a ton more reading than any other course, - hours and hours more. Class time is spent on lecture and discussion. There could always be more time spent on lecture and discussion for these books, but imo three hours/week is reasonable. Regarding cost, $880/GC with the instructors at WHA seems reasonable, if not a bargain. I wouldn’t expect GC 1or 2 to cost less than GC 5 or 6, because it is probably just as time intensive to work with 7th and 8th graders to get them started in reading and discussing these difficult texts as it is to work with 11th and 12th graders at a higher level. The level of work is different, but I would bet that the amount of time and effort the 7th grade teacher has to put in to growing those 7th graders is at least as much as the 12th grade teacher puts into growing her 12th graders.

I have no direct experience with Mr. Baker, but I had heard such great reviews about him from people I trusted that I tried to find a way for my oldest to take a Logic course with him. We just couldn't find a way to fit it in. That's one course & instructor I regret missing!

I only list one grade on the transcript--the end of year grade for yearlong courses or the end of semester grade for semester courses. It's clear from the credits column whether it was a yearlong course (1.0 credit) or a semester course (0.5). I had this same question about what to do for the Common App Mid-Year Report. Someone on the boards suggested doing a separate document, which is what I ended up doing after much playing around with my transcript. I just titled it "Mid-Year Report", included the relevant student identification (name, CAID, graduation date, a chart/list of First Semester Courses (course title, credits, semester grade), another chart/list of planned Second Semester Courses all marked as IP in the "grade" column, the same Key to Grading I used on my transcript (A: 90-100% etc.), a Notes section, signature as "Homeschool Parent/Administrator" like on the official transcript, and date. I submitted the original "Official Transcript" w/ grades through end of junior year (again) + the Mid-Year Report to the Common App. In the notes section of one son's Mid-Year Report, I explained why he would only be completing one semester of a planned yearlong course and that he would complete the second semester during the summer. (Only the first, completed semester will be on his final transcript, obviously, since the second semester will be completed after the graduation date. I wanted them to know, though, that he would be completing the full course.) I used the notes section of the other son's MYR to state that there were no changes since the original Counselor Report was submitted. Haven't heard any complaints or requests to do it differently from the schools to which my sons applied, so I'm hoping what I did was sufficiently clear.

NCAA is the only thing I could think of that could care about accreditation, but I've never looked into that. I know that was one of VPSA's big marketing points about their diploma program a while back, but in a quick look at their site, I don't see that mentioned. So, for NCAA purposes, one needs regional accreditation? (I did see this claim: "Many families don't know that an accredited Diploma opens up a lot more doors to academic scholarship and financial aid. Veritas is accredited by the Middle States Association-one of the most widely recognized and respected accrediting organizations for just this purpose." I can't imagine that this is accurate, though, given the many, many families on this board whose students received scholarships from a variety of schools already this year.) A friend is looking for accredited online high school classes. Has anyone experienced first hand any need for accreditation, besides for NCAA? (Her students aren't athletes.) Thanks, yvonne

The tuition increase doesn't bother me much. It's probably necessary to attract and retain quality instructors. I'd be happy to pay a couple hundred dollars more a year for a truly good writing class because I know teaching writing and reading, grading, and providing feedback on all those essays is so time intensive. I don't think I will use any of the extra services they want to add, though, so all the fees for those services are money I'd rather spend elsewhere. They'll be offering "access to Naviance Family Connection." Does anyone know what that includes? Maybe that would make it worth it for families with juniors and seniors? I like WHA. I like the instructors, and the classes we've taken have been well worth it. But, I wish it were possible to opt out of services we won't use. I can see where all the extra fees would be especially burdensome if a family only wanted to take one course.

I think the accreditation thing is pushed more by parents who think it matters than by the providers themselves. It seems like a pain to do and to keep up, for what, as you say. I can't imagine online accreditation means anything to any more selective private high school or college. I do think that submitting a portfolio of written work samples and a book list from a truly good course will go further than some random accreditation. But it sounds like some families have run into situations where it matters.

It will be interesting to watch WHA's path. They do seem to be moving toward an all-in-one online high school organization with their addition of accreditation, college advising, "houses," etc. Accreditation would be most useful to students who want/need a "diploma program" type of thing and who would be able/willing to take all/most of their classes at WHA. College advising would be most useful in the context of an all-in-one online high school. Parents who use an all-in-one for academics are more likely to look to it for college advising as well. They may be working parents who don't have as much time as a family with a dedicated home schooling parent to do as much as they feel they should, including finding college admissions info. "Houses" are undoubtedly intended to create & foster a community environment, a social group, for WHA students, outside of classes themselves. That might be great for students who are more geographically isolated from irl friends, if it gets off the ground. I know for my boys' "house," a student is putting a lot of effort into organizing online get togethers, games, etc. But my boys would rather put their free time into seeing their local irl friends. Between schoolwork, irl friends, and their EC (debate), they don't have any time left to put into an online community, esp. as seniors who will be moving on next year anyhow. But! I can see how more isolated families might like a closer community environment with students who will likely be in more than one class with them. So, I can see that the direction they're taking could fill a certain market need. I'm glad it's an option for those who want/need it, but I still prefer picking and choosing from different providers, so I'd rather not have to shoulder the fees involved with an all-in-one. It will be a factor to consider in choosing courses. I wonder if there's a bigger market for an all-in-one online high school or a bigger market for the more typical á la carte class from various providers. Maybe an all-in-one online high school which is of higher quality than the current K12,... all-in-one option will attract more families from the public schools who don't want to make the jump to home schooling or to finding á la carte online courses?

Yow! Those are pretty significant increases. I agree. I'd rather see all those add-on fees limited to use of the new services they're offering. Looks like they're trying to become a one-stop high school provider, which I know some people want. That means the cost will go up for all users. Sigh. I prefer to pick and choose courses from all the options out there. Just looked at the fine print on the refund policy, too..... After June 30th, $50 charge for changing from one section to another, $100 fee to change from one course to another. That's fine, as long as there is NO charge if WHA changes the teacher or the textbook for the section for which I have registered. When I register and pay for an online course, it's because I want that specific instructor, and often that specific textbook and time slot. If they change the instructor after I have registered, as has happened in the past, I expect to be offered the option of choosing another section/class OR a full refund, if I do not find another section (time, teacher, & text) that I want.

Have the high schools to which your dd is applying said that they prefer online courses through accredited providers? I imagine public schools might prefer an accredited provider because that's a checkbox they would understand. However, I can't imagine that a private school, smaller and giving more individual attention to applicants, wouldn't consider a portfolio of work (essays, labs...) over some sort of accreditation? I would choose whichever course seems more suited to your student's level, needs, and ability, regardless of accreditation.

Smith College had a great French Lit degree! And it has an excellent year abroad study program in Paris and in Geneva. Unlike some schools where students just go to Paris, for example, and take classes taught by American professors in Paris, Smith students become fully matriculated students at the Sorbonne or at the University of Geneva for a full year. They are no different than any other student at the Sorbonne or at the University of Geneva, except that there is a Smith professor locally who handles any administrative/residential/etc issues. I'm not sure I'd agree that larger universities would be more likely to have strong French Lit programs, but I haven't looked recently. I'd continue to look at both SLACs & larger universities and at the specific courses each offered. Please post back here with your findings, if you have time!

And she is one of the best! I took her Latin in a Week crash refresher course 8 or 9 years ago. My boys took her Omni II class when she was at VP. My daughter is currently taking her GC 4 course.

I would scrap the class and not report it (credit or grade) at all. I'd try to find some other, one-semester course that the student could take this semester to replace the dropped credit. If it's a course the student needs to have on his transcript for some reason, I'd have him do the course with another provider next year. Having had a semester of exposure to the subject and being a year older, he might do better the second time through.

I'd be interested in any feedback on their English courses, if anyone's used them! It is super pricey, but for that perfect English course for a student who's big on lit., it might be an option. So hard to know!

Yeah, I'm not big on classes requiring "participation" and counting it as a large part of the semester grade. Makes it very hard for naturally introverted/quieter students. I assume online courses do it more than in-person classes in order to ensure that students participate, but it makes for an artificiality, I think. I was introverted & quiet in my b&m high school courses, but it didn't impact my grade much, if anything. Teachers would call on me/others who were naturally quieter students and got a sense from that and from our work of how engaged we were in the class. Online instructors don't have the benefit of actually seeing the quiet students, so they have no way of knowing whether the student is engaged or even listening. I'd rather see online instructors call on individual students to keep everyone engaged. It also keeps the class from being monopolized by a handful of students who like to talk, whether or not they have anything significant or valuable to add. I'm also not a big fan of classes that require x discussion board posts and y responses to other posts. But I don't know of any other way to ensure that all students maintain some minimal level of involvement in an online class. Regarding lecture vs discussion.... I actually prefer more discussion than lecture in a class like WTMA's history. The text has more than enough lecture type material. And the fact that the students have to read & narrate (write a summary) of each chapter ensures some level of digesting the material. So, assuming students come to class with a given foundation of facts/knowledge, I think an instructor (esp one like Ms Brian who has a deep understanding of the subject) adds the greatest value by guiding a discussion of the material rather than filling the students with more facts/information. But, the value of discussion is completely dependent on the ability of the teacher. You might want to check the syllabus for the WTMA history class. I know my boys did most of the big essays/projects at the last minute, but I also know that they had a LOT of notice ahead of time. In fact, I think when they took the class 2 years ago, there were intermediate milestones.... submit your topic (four or five weeks ahead of the final due date)... submit a general outline for your paper (a couple weeks later)..... I'm pretty sure the instructor gave good feedback on the outline/direction of the project and also made it clear that students should contact her if they needed any help. (Hope I'm not confusing this with another class...) Things might have changed, though. I hope not because I really liked that aspect of the course.... not just learning content, but also learning time management skills and the step-by-step research paper writing practice! ETA: I've mentioned this before, but I'll reiterate.... I think this is one of those classes where one gets out of it what one puts into it. Not at all a bad thing... My boys, for example, aren't big on history, so they didn't put as much into it as a history buff student would. They still got a lot, I think, out of it, but definitely not as much as a more interested history student would. They were still able to earn a good grade by doing a certain level of work. (I don't think participation counted as much back then, though.) If they'd been into history, I think Ms. Brian could have taken them even further. So, bottom line, I think the class worked for either type of student. Don't know how it's set up now, though!

Did you recalculate your student's GPA to include the first semester grades on the MidYear Report for the Common App? Thanks!

Some people here have mentioned that they've found live online (and affordable!) "tutors" to practice conversational skills on italki and sites like that. If her grammar is good, maybe a live person to talk to, one-on-one, would give her the boost she needs in French?

nm

Could you combine the 12 and 13 year olds into the same Language Arts/English program, preferably whatever the 13 year old is using? Could the 12 & 13 yos each do their own math, at the same time, and then check each other's work, marking any incorrect answers. Then they could make their own corrections and hand it in to you for the final check? I know checking answers always felt like a big time sink for me. I did it bec otherwise my kids would probably let things slide, too, but it was a chore. At 12 and 13, they should be able to compare answers to an answer key & take some of the load off you. I agree with the previous poster about English & math being essential. Do those two consistently & well in the grade school years, K-8, and most other things will fall into place with less supervision. You aren't going to have time to do everything to the extent you might like to, so focus on the most critical things. I only have three children, though, so maybe even just math & lang arts is going to be a stretch. Hope you find a good groove!

There's a sample week posted at the bottom of Maya's AP Eng page.