Hello, have been sending in supplements for violinist younger son...definitely not a music major, but music has been a major extracurriculat activity. The common app doesn't handle the recorded media, just a few questions mostly for potential majors. Some colleges only take a CD, others have an online submission for .mp3 or .wav files and don't want the CD.. No time limits we've found, but admissions folks have said that only a sample will likely be listened to. Get the first few bars perfect! Eldest son did the live auditions bit, which is very intense, and he needed a CD early to get certain audition slots...good luck, and start early!

Keystone has been at an appropriate level for math and science for our ds, who is an average or just above math student...usually 50th to 75th percentile range on the bubble tests (variable, as he is not a good test taker). DS does not have learning disabilities as such, he just doesn't get math quickly. He does well on the Keystone courses, as there is plenty of review and practice time. However, his language skills are far better, 75th to 90th precentile (again, variable due to test anxieties). For language, literature and history courses we have gone with Lukeion and Scholars Online, as their classes are taught at a far higher level of sophisticstion than Keystone. I do not put a lot of time into teaching ds, and mostly ask that he show me the test corrections that come back to be sure he understands whatever he might have missed. The teachers have been very good about answering his questions, too. Keystone could be a disaster for a dc with serious planning or motivation issues. Keystone has started to offer a "plus" option, which seems to address this with scheduled teacher contact times for those for whom some more structure would be helpful but who do not want to go to a fully scheduled class format like K12. Apologies for the late response to the original question....

Hello, We have been using Keystone for ds (now 17 and a rising Senior) in hopes of getting an accredited diploma IF there are problems with certain colleges on ds' wish list. Most colleges don't seem all that concerned with the diploma, given a portfolio and/or verifiable grades and/or OK test results, but a few seem to be picky...see the discussions on U. Pitt. elsewhere on these boards. We plan to apply as homeschoolers EXCEPT if we end up with troubles from some particular college. The Keystone courses have recently been updated, and ds is still working on the old versions. Thus, I'm not 100% sure of what the latest revisions look like. The old courses needed updating, as not all the textbook layout lined up with the online course materials and some of the tests had issues (multiple correct keys and so forth). Keystone is offering typical high school courses with typical high school content problems (in my opinion): too much focus on lots of little bits of data with not much of a big picture. This isn't Keystone's fault; the textbooks and state standards have been set up that way. I guess that's why we homeschool! We have enriched ds' program with courses (with far better "big picture" focus) from Lukeion and Scholars Online, for which Keystone has thus far given transcript credit. These account for about half of ds' credit load and probably three-quarters of his workload.

Having had to emergency-teach chem to both my ds during 9th grade public school biology, I'd strongly advise chem first....old-school descriptive biology is not what is going on in current curricula. It is simply unreasonable...and futile...to ask kids to memorize the Krebs cycle and the like with no background in chem. Way easier to catch up a bit of algebra to do stoichiometry in chem than to help a kid fake his/her way through chem-based bio without the prerequisite chemistry. (I am a chemist by trade....high school science curricula really, really annoy me!)

Let me second the rec for Scholars Online...they have a great program. Also we've been very happy with Lukeion language and history classes.

The best of the Keystone courses are interactive...there are textbook reading assignments and questions to address, but also online activities. The ungraded test-youself online quizzes, usually one for each week's worth of work, are helpful. They can be taken as many times as you like until you are confident of the material. The online graded tests are part multiple choice, part teacher-graded short answer and essays....feedback on the multiple choice part is immediate, with the rest coming back within two or three days. However, some of the courses are not interactive and involve textbook readings and assignments only, plus the online graded tests. These are less effective and harder to motivate. In either case, the textbooks are included in the fees and are yours to keep. They can be marked up and highlighted in whatever way helps you learn. This, too, is very helpful. Good luck.... One really has to look through a particular course during the refund period to be sure it is a good one.

We have been using Keystone for DS, and expect him to get a diploma from them eventually. Keystone can be a lifesaver if your DC needs the flexibility (our DS has had health issues...much better now...with good and bad days to work around.) Keystone has been very good about transfering public high school credits, as well as credits from other online providers given appropriate documentation. They will accept a limited number of homeschool portfolio courses, but we did not use that feature. Course quality at Keystone varies, and the adults need to check the materials during the refund peiod to be sure you are getting what you want. There can be a significant amount of busywork involved in these courses, which use standard high school textbooks and methodologies. There are often errors in the online tests....multiple correct keys. Our experience is that Keystone will credit these if challenged, but one needs to be aware of the possibility. There are far better courses available.....we have used Lukeion and Scholars Online for some things and are enthusiastic about both these providers...but Keystone covers the basics with flexibility.