I don't know that I have any advice, but I can certainly provide understanding and sympathy. We moved across the country just before our oldest was starting high school. That ultimately turned out to be a great move. Both my kids settled into a wonderful, active homeschool teen group where they made many friends and had numerous activities. Four and a half years later, a year ago, we moved half way across the country right after our oldest (son) graduated and our youngest's (daughter) sophomore year. The move was much harder on her. While her brother would have been leaving and settling into college life anyway, she was missing her friends and having a difficult time finding a place to fit-in in our new area. What she ended up doing was working hard this past year and summer in order to graduate early and will be going full time to a local CC this fall. Since she turns 18 in September, it was a viable option for her and perhaps the best option. She was ready to move on.

My daughter has done this this year. She was going to take a few CC and a few homeschool classes for her senior year but she decided that she would rather do her homeschool courses as summer school classes and graduate early (with 24.5 credits). All of her friends graduated this year too. She finished her homeschooling this Friday. We just got her pictures back for her announcements yesterday and will be mailing off graduation announcements Monday. Her first CC classes start next Friday. Since she turns 18 in Sept., we're good with her decision. The last minute decision to do summer school and graduate early did mean that she has to start at the CC, but we're happy with that decision too.

Currently I'm working my way through a huge box full of mysteries my in-laws gave me after they read them. I have a book blog where I review and rate (normally) the books I've read. I'm not rating the mysteries, though. Lori L http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

Since Vocabulary for the College Bound Student was only a small part of our whole English curriculum for the year, we did an exercise a day. It averaged out to about 1 1/2 school years to complete Vocab for the college bound. Once they finished that in 11th they started Joy of Vocabulary, (also by Levine; a paperback with answers in the back) and used that through their senior years. We didn't add any tests or anything. I guess much would depend upon how big a role vocab is playing in your whole English program. This worked very well for us.

I have heard of parents including information like the detailed description requested by Washington State with their students application. Some schools can also ask for SAT subject tests, etc., or require a GED too. It is their prerogative to ask for whatever documentation they feel is necessary or has been determined by their policies (or the state for state schools). None of the universities my son was interested in attending required anything like this. If they had, I would not have hesitated to provide the information. If we had felt that they were asking for an excessive amount of documentation (or a GED) that school would have been out of the running for my son. If you want to attend a certain college you need to be willing to jump through whatever hoops they have. It's up to you to decide if you feel the hoops are excessive.

We didn't have any colleges care what curriculum we used with our graduate... of course our son was a National Merit Scholar and had high test scores on the SAT and ACT so they were all just recruiting him. I wouldn't have hesitated to list what curriculum we used.

My son did great with Apologia for science. He used Apologia's physical science, chemistry, physics adv. chem and adv physics. We used A Beka's biology. He's off at college now doing wonderfully. My daughter used A Beka's biology and Apologia Chemistry. She hated Apologia with a passion. Hated it. We ended up using a college textbook for Geology this year and she'll likely use a college textbook for Botany next year. She likes to have color pictures, illustrations, etc too. For her, I wish I had tried a different chemistry.

My daughter loves these books! Geography has been one of her favorite high school courses.

I would have no problem using A Beka. We used A Beka for biology in 9th for both kids. While my oldest whipped through Apologia Science books including Advanced courses, my youngest hated Apologia with a passion. She just managed to finish 75% of the Chemistry textbook before we allowed her to stop. Then she completed Chemistry: A Self Teaching guide. She liked A Beka and I wish I had had her continue with it. All kids are so different. If you think your son would like using A Beka more, I'd go for it.

There are some homeschoolers who are not doing even an minimally adequate job. While we can celebrate all those who are doing a great job it behooves us to admit that there are others who are not doing any kind of schooling at all. It pains me to admit this. I'm almost all done homeschooling, so I have years of experience to look back on from several different areas of the country. We recently moved from one area of the country. While I know many families there who were striving for excellence (my son and another young man were both National Merit Scholars), I also knew other families who were not even striving for minimum standards. Even worse there are a couple families who I know are not trying at all and a case of educational neglect against them could be easily proven. What do we do about this as a community? To even suggest that someone should speak to these people is almost viewed as unthinkable in the homeschool community. We are all so individualistic that we can't even agree upon what the minimum standards should be. What I see are people making excuses for them just as they make excuses for their neglect. But the fact remains, teenagers who are not reading or doing math at all or beyond a lower grade school level (1st or 2nd) simply because their parents are too busy with other activities to actually DO school is unconscionable. It is not a case of "better late than early" when it's become "not at all." (And no, there is no learning disability involved.) Sometimes I do wonder if we need to put the "home" back in homeschooling, but I know that is a simplistic view of the problem. Blaming it on the influx of new homeschoolers who perhaps aren't as committed as some of us veterans who have had to fight for our rights is also a convenient excuse. I really do think it is a problem, though I would never admit this to anyone outside of the homeschool community.

My students both used A Beka Geography, but my daughter also used the Geography Coloring Book by Kapit along with a good World Atlas for a full credit of Geography. She does shortwave radio DXing as a hobby, which has helped her learn her geography more than anything else. The CIA world facts site is a great resource too: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html