I have a tendency to overanalyze every curriculum option and then second guess my eventual purchases. My evil nemesis this year is calculus (well physics is up there too, but I’ll post about that another day :) ). Our plan was to use Derek Owen’s AP calculus AB course, but when the time came for us to start, I started to wonder whether we should find something that would eventually allow ds to continue on through calculus BC topics. So, I changed course and purchased a Larson text because I knew it covered Calc BC +more, and there were sample syllabi out there as well as support videos. But last week Thinkwell went on sale, so I decided to go ahead and purchase their regular college calculus course too. Ideally, I’d love to have a College Board approved AP syllabus. (It seems like the universities in my state like to tout the GPA of their incoming freshman and they are always using the weighted GPA, so AP weighted classes are likely considered in the admission process.) Has anyone been able to get the College Board to approve a Thinkwell-based syllabus? Also, I may try to correlate the Thinkwell videos to the Larson text in case my ds needs extra practice problems, but if anyone has already done this with Larson or another text, I’d love to get your input. Thanks to all of you who have posted regarding your AP calculus experiences in other threads on the board; they’ve been very helpful. Kathy

I know I'm a little late to this thread, but I just wanted to give you a Richmond update. Although the UR website says that AP or SAT subject tests are required, they seemed a little flexible. We sent them a listing of the classes that my son had take through dual enrollment, FLVS, and the local high school, and they said he wouldn't need to submit additional testing. HTH, Kathy

My son is also using Edhesive's AP Computer Science and has really enjoyed it so far. He is just using the free version of the class, and he seems to go through the lessons and assignments fairly quickly. Are any of you using the paid "coach support" option with additional assignments? If so, is it worth the cost? Also, we started the course without really thinking through the whole AP approval process. Do I need to set up an account on the College Board AP Course Audit page? If so, do I just submit a copy of Edhesive's syllabus or is there a special number that I put in for them? Thanks, Kathy

Writing does not come naturally to me, so I've asked my husband to draft our counselor letter. I have suggested that he try to keep personal family references out of the letter, but he noted that if a school counselor truly knew the student, they would relate personal interactions/experiences with the student. So, my husband would like to add a statement about how our son has made such a positive impact on our family...encouraging all of us to expand our educational horizons...For example, my husband read some classic literature because our son was enjoying it so much, all of us are much more aware of current events, etc. Should we try to squeeze this information in somewhere else such as in our homeschool philosophy, or is it okay for it to be included in the counselor letter to highlight by example some of our son's attributes? Thanks :) Kathy

I'm working on our school profile and the supplemental questions today. I'm wondering if you all addressed this part of the supplemental question " schedule, and frequency of interactions with instructors and fellow students (once per day, week, etc.)."? My son took three homeschool co-op classes; for these, I listed the frequency of meetings in the course descriptions document. However, he has also taken several classes at the local high school and thirteen at the local college. Do I need to list the frequency of these classes too? Thank you to everyone who has been posting Common App tips on the board! Kathy aka..stressed out mom :)

I'm not sure if you've already made your decision, but here is another option: My son is in a homeschool class that is using Holt McDougal Physics. Several of the students are using an older version of the text, but we went with the latest version. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) now has a homeschool catalog so that homeschoolers can purchase many of their textbooks, not just Physics. http://forms.hmhco.com/virtual-catalog/publication/dde4c6aa#1 For physics go to pg. 86. The price listed in the catalog is @$105 for the latest text as well as online access to their ebook, videos, virtual labs, worksheets,tests, teacher edition,etc. When I called them about a week ago, they were offering a 20% discount with free shipping, so it came to @$85 for everything. If you don't need the hardcopy of the textbook, they will also sell you just the online components which does include the entire text as an ebook (although I think you have to be online to access it.) There is also a great link that lets you preview the book & online components to see if it would work for you. Go to http://forms.hmhco.com/virtualsampling/ It can be a bit confusing to register...when you find the book that you are interested in previewing, make sure you write down the sample word. Then click on the "evaluate now" and it will link you to another page where you will have to click the "preview" button. This will then link you to another page and so on :) HMH is also offering "virtual school" type classes...they call it HMHele (see pages 2 & 48 of the catalog) I've been asking them if they can send me a link for demo access, but so far I haven't heard back from them. The prices seem reasonable...@$45/semester, but I'd really like to see a sample or hear from someone who uses it before I try it. Oh...one final note for anyone that is interested in getting any of the books from HMH...the phone number on the virtual catalog is a generic HMH number. Whenever I've called, the reps are not familiar with the homeschool catalog. If you live on the east coast, contact Morgan Stower, mkstower@icloud.com. Otherwise, their main homeschool supervisor is Emily Crutchfield, <Emily.Crutchfield@hmhco.com>. Best of luck with your decision! Kathy

I've been looking at some on-line options for the upcoming school year for my highschool sons. They wouldn't do all of their subjects through the on-line companies, but maybe 2-3 per semester. Does anyone had any experience/input regarding Plato's full curriculum (currently offered on Homeschool buyers co-op - https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/plato-learning/?c=1), Global Student Networks - Honors curriculum (I think it is through APEX learning) - https://www.globalstudentnetwork.com/honorscourses.php, and Time4Learning? I'm wondering if the programs are complete or if you need to supplement. (I don't mind supplementing with fun/interesting information, but I'd like the program to cover all of the required information.) I'm a little worried that Time4Learning's high school program is a bit childish. I like that Plato and GSN offer foreign language...my ds will probably take foreign language as dual-enrollment courses, but I'd love for them to get a few basics down before they jump in at the college level. Thanks :) Kathy

Thank you both for your quick feedback. Momto2Ns...I was curious about the book used in the public school 7th grade honors class. Do you know if it is the new Holt book? The new one was written by Stephen Nowicki (I think he did the Teaching Company biology videos), and I think he has written it from scratch. I wonder if it is more rigorous... For those that are interested...here are links to the book: http://www.hmheducation.com/biology/index.php#3 preview chapter: http://www.hmheducation.com/biology/preview-nowicki-biology.php I've registered on-line and can now review the complete student and teacher's editions. I'll try to spend some more time this weekend comparing the content to the "Macaw" book.

We have been plodding through CK-12 Biology...my son says he likes it , but he is going soooooo slowly through it. Also, I feel like sometimes the test questions are obscure and we've found several incorrect answers. I'm starting to wonder if I should have purchased a physical textbook because my son tends to get distracted when he gets on the computer. (I do like some of the on-line resources though.) We are less than half-way through the biology material that I'd like to cover, so we will probably be doing biology through the summer. I have another son who will be doing biology in two years, so I'd like to get something that he will be able to use too. I know a lot of people on here like the Miller-Levine Macaw book, and it is used at our local public school. But I was curious if anyone has tried the new Holt Biology textbook (2012) with the Premium online student/teacher package sold through Harcourt/Saxon: http://vihmh.impelsy...p?catalog=1/8/0 I've looked through a neighbor's Macaw book and also looked through an on-line sample from the Holt book. I liked the way that the Holt book read...the pages seemed a little less busy and the wording seemed more understandable. If anyone has used the new Holt book, and/or their on-line resources, I'd love to hear from you. As a side note, I've found that Glencoe has some great on-line resoures for their biology book that are open to the public...http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078802849/student_view0/unit/ If anyone uses the Glencoe book, I'd love your input too. Thanks!