It's become fairly typical for high school students to take the PSAT twice-once as a sophomore and then again as a junior. The thinking is that taking it as a sophomore allows the students to experience the test and with the results, see what their weaker areas are (the results show specifically which questions a student has gotten wrong). Taking the exam allows the student to then access certain parts of the College Board website (the code to do so comes with the test results). The website has a wealth of resources, and I believe, practice tests (for free :) ). At my ds15's high school (he goes to a public one), freshman students could also take the test; we opted no for him in freshman year, but he will take it as sophomore, and then again as a junior. Please note: It's the junior year scores that are entered in the NMSQT competition (National Merit Scholars).

Janet: Thank you so much for these words of encouragement. All: we were just dealing with this decision/scenario for our 17 year old, who just finished his jr year. And we are opting for him to have 2 more years. He is relieved. For him, this "bonus" year will give him the extra time to mature, grow in confidence and embark successfully on his first year of college. We're really trying to do what's best for him, that he has requested, and not listen to the court of public opinion. :001_smile: As you stated Janet, there are many reasons (which I won't go into) of why this is needed for our son. I just decided to take a look at the WTM forums this afternoon-and voila, this post that was exactly what I needed to see. Thanks!!

This book was one of two used in a "The College Admissions Process" course I took through the UCLA College Counseling program. Asher is quirky and the books is laid out in a "funky" manner. But it's a fun read and full of solid information. Especially useful for learning about schools not on the beaten path. Skewed toward private colleges. Coupled with Asher's book for that course was Admission Matters (Springer, Reider, Franck)-the 2nd ed. of that book. Fantastic, inexpensive resource. I would say required reading for both student and parents. Really unpacks the college admissions process and provides some good jumping off points for family discussions. I think I spent $10 on this-and the advice is priceless, truly! Back to digging up more books.... Donna

[quote= Here's the site for US News & World Report http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges Just a word of caution, re: US News Rankings. I'm currently pursuing a post-baccalaureate College Counseling certificate from UCLA (online). The US News rankings are usually disregarded by those in the College Counseling field-has to do with the "methodology" used to create the rankings. There are better sources available for researching colleges. For one of the courses I took, we had to create a "presence" on the internet (blog, website, or Facebook page). I opted to create a blog. Here is the link: http://bestfitcc.wordpress.com/ On the right hand side of the blog home page I have resources listed (websites and blogs) that are my "go to" pages. Please note: I'm not currently working in the field for pay, just volunteering and updating my blog from time to time while I finish the courses and my sons finish high school. :001_smile: I will go dig out my books and post more info on those later. Donna

Here in CA, to enter CC one does not have to have a high school diploma-and if not, just need to be 18. If an applicant has a high school diploma, does not need to be "from an accredited school." So I encourage you to check for yourself what the local cc requires. I do know our local cc, where my ds17 will start college in 8/13, allows students to use SAT, ACT, and/or AP test scores in lieu of placement tests, to place into certain levels of Math and English courses. We are new to homeschooling high school this year, w/ds17. This came up suddenly for us in mid-October, so I had to figure things out quickly. A couple of excellent resources that were, and still are, so helpful to me: The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens, by Debra Bell. She also has a website: http://debrabell.com/ Lee Binz is "The Homescholar"-she homeschooled her 2 sons through high school. They each received tremendous amount of scholarship money and have now graduated from college. She has a number of free resources on her website, a blog and FB page w/info, and has written a book (I have the book; it's very helpful, Setting the Records Straight. Her website is: http://www.thehomescholar.com/

Most employment applications focus on highest level of education attained with applicant listing college(s) attended, dates, degree-if any-earned. If mem serves, there is usually a box to check yes or no about being a high school graduate. Of course, our homeschooled graduates can check "yes". If name of high school is needed, then applicant would list name of his/her school (whatever name the family has given the school). The employer's focus is usually on highest level of ed attained-and then that institution might be contacted to verify.

:iagree:

Thank you Laura! My impression is that her class prepares the students well for college writing/critical thinking, and not just the AP exam. I am pleased with the language arts resources she's planning to use in addition to the literature the students will read.

My ds17 is registered for this course in the fall. I researched a number of AP Lit courses offered online but it's Brigid Thompson's that seemed to resonate the most with us. Any additional feedback that you might have on this course would be most appreciated. DS17 will soon begin reading Great Expectations .

My DS17 studied Amer Hist this year as a jr. We borrowed the Ken Burns series from our local library system. It took about 3 wks until it was available. My husband had watched this series on PBS when it first aired over 20 yrs ago,and I had caught a few episodes w/him, way back then. We've loved watching it again as a family. Really made the history come alive for our son.

Our junior in h.s. asked to be homeschooled in October after experiencing severe bullying/harassment by other boys in his Christian h.s. We began homeschooling-starting the school year from scratch-on 10/31. Once we made it through Christmas season to the new year, he struggled a bit with the change; having gone through most of his school years in either a Christian school or public charter school setting, he was starting to struggle with the adjustment. So we found a class for him starting in late Jan. with a local, Christian homeschool co-op. There were about 18 students, mostly 10th-12th grades, in the class. He loved going. In fact, through this co-op (it is an excellent one) we learned of a jr/sr prom being held in the area for Christian homeschooled students. My son wanted to go-and many that he knows from the co-op went as well. One family had a pre-prom picture taking party at their home; another family organized rides from the venue to their home for the after party. I have to tell you that these are some of the most genuine, socially engaged teens I have met, with strong hearts for God. Is there a co-op near you that you could look into for your children, esp. your dd15? In late December, ds17 started bass guitar lessons, which he takes during the day on Wednesdays. This lesson is private but there are many homeschooled students coming and going during that time. (The studio caters to homeschooling families). Does your dd15 have an area of passion-fine arts, horses, sewing, etc- that she could take lessons for/spend time on in the daytime? Another interest my son had was to get more involved volunteering with youth group at church. When he was attending a "brick & mortar" school, he often had to skip the Thurs night h.s. youth service because he had mtns of homework to do and/or tests on Fridays. Not only is he a regular attender now each week, but he goes in early to provide tech support for the youth worship band. And that has now morphed to him going in on Sundays @ 7:30 am to provide tech support for both the 9 am jr high worship and the 11:15 sr high worship. He loves doing this-and it wouldn't have happened were he not homeschooled-he simply would not have had the time. His most recent addition to volunteering at church is to help in Kidsway, the elem children's pgm. Are there areas of interest for your dd15 where she could use her gifts/talents to serve others? Finding the local resources takes a bit of looking. Our experience was that we would speak with one person who told us abt another resource-God just connected the dots for us, and quickly. He is faithful and I will be praying for you!

Since I reside in California, with one homeschooled son and the other in the local public high school, I was a bit concerned when I read the posts and looked at the chart showing 13 credits only needed for graduation. The program planning guide is on the homepage of my ds15's school website. The reqmts to graduate are much higher (26) than the 13 shown on the linked table, plus within the different subject areas, there are specific ways to fulfill those, as follows: English 4 credits (Eng 9-Eng 12, in gr 10-12, option of the AP/Honors versions Math 2 credits (must be Alg. 1 and Geometry) Social Studies 3 credits (must be World History, US History, Govt/Econ)* Science 2 credits (must be a Biological Sci & a Physical Sci-and each must be on the UC/CSU approved list) PE 2 credits Health & Safety 1 credit Fine Arts or For Lang. 1 credit Electives 11 credits *For Social Studies, AP Euro History, APUSH, AP Govt can be taken in place the classes listed; AP Govt incorporates Economics in the curriculum. The grad reqmts vary by district, although all students in every district must pass the CAHSEE (CA H.S. exit exam); it is given in the 10th grade, allowing time for students who don't pass to prepare and retake. Bear in mind that min admission reqmts for the CSU and UC systems differ from the min h.s. grad reqmts, always asking for more except in Social Studies-UC & CSU systems require only 2 credits. Each district has different reqmts to graduate but must meet the min by subject area as shown on the table that was referenced in an earlier post. To clarify, a credit is the equivalent of a year-long 2 semester course. I know that the education system in CA is less than stellar, but when I first looked at the link to the table, I couldn't believe it said 13 credits. We live in a very good district-there are some that are better and many that are worse. Hope my post provides some clarification.

Including the cover page and introduction, there are 176 pages in the pdf file. I ordered mine from the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. There is a 100 day timeframe to access it via their website, so be sure to download it in time.

My ds17 is homeschooled, for the first time this year as a junior in h.s. He's a decent writer and has had a lot of writing experience prior to embarking on the homeschool journey. After extensive research on my part, we opted to have him take some online IEW based classes. I have purchased the Bravewriter HFH program, but have only read the intro and skimmed over the rest. I like the structure of IEW but I also appreciate the organic approach of Bravewriter. May I be so bold as to say I see a place for both? When ds17 is finished with the online IEW course, I will start him on the HFH this summer but lightly-mainly to keep the writing process fresh for him. I may also work with ds15 on his writing this summer. Again lightly. Both sons will be reading for their 2012/13 English courses this summer(ds17:AP Lit & Comp online; ds15: Honors Eng 10), plus ds15 will be reading another book for AP Euro History. I'm sure neither of my sons will be thrilled about writing during the summer, so that's why I'm treading lightly.:) So, I think you can incorporate both the structured program and the HFH with your dd. What also spurred me on to buy the HFH was getting it on sale. I have worked in a Christian elementary school before as an instructional aide/sub teacher, including assisting with writing instruction and tutoring. I wish they had used IEW and Bravewriter!

As part of your homework, I would start cultivating resources (from websites & books) to help you launch your journey. Start a file folder for articles/info you print out and info you p/u @ the convention. Also, start bookmarking on your computer useful websites you find. Two books that were extremely helpful to me: The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling & The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens, both by Debra Bell. She also has a website: http://debrabell.com/ HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense aAssociation)is a wonderful resource, http://www.hslda.org/default.aspx Check the website for the organization putting on the convention you're planning to attend. Just Google the name of the organization. I'm certain they will have good info on beginning to homeschool and have resources to point you to. Cathy Duffy's Reviews-so helpful but I never bought the book :), just got my info from her website, http://cathyduffyreviews.com/

Regarding having to work at being organized and getting distracted easily, good that you know this about yourself. It will help to start off organized-but that doesn't have to be overly complicated. :) File folders/notebook/planner will be fine. Lots of information "out there" on everything pertaining to homeschooling-caution though as it can be overwhelming. I believe it's better to start off simply, then add in as you grow in confidence. Find what works for you. Choose workshops at the convention for beginning homeschooling, and for homeschooling high school. The exhibitor hall can be daunting/overwhelming. Just gather information. You have time to plan this summer, so don't feel pressured to have it all figured out by the weekend. :)

I started writing a long message last night but scrapped it. So here's the short version: yes, yes, yes you can begin the homeschool journey in high school! That's just what we did with our older son this year-and we were thrown into "the deep end of the ocean"-we pulled him out of his Christian high school due to severe mental anguish he experienced due to bullying/harassment by boys there. We restarted, from scratch, his junior year on 10/31/11 (his poor grades/performance in the Christian school from late Aug-Oct 10th were a result of the bullying/harassment that he internalized; atypical that he didn't tell us until his mental health suffered. We found out that he was afraid we'd send him to the local big public h.s.). God is so faithful and provided us the resources, connecting the dots for us so powerfully, in 2 short weeks. In the nearly 7 months since we began this journey, I've been amazed at the incredible resources/support available to homeschool high school. So glad to see you're going to the local convention-will be so helpful for you. Good you have a friend mentoring. I'd recommend the HSLDA website and if your state has a homeschool association, look at that as well. (Here in CA there are 3 of these; we joined the Christian one). We operate independently but under a PSP umbrella. Our school year has gone well-yes, some challenging days but overall very good. Highly recommend finding a local network of support (we have several in our area, incl. some specifically geared for Christian homeschooled teens; my son went to a jr/sr prom recently sponsored by that group). Also, see if there are co-op classes available in your area. My son took one this spring via a Christian homeschool co-op. Next fall he'll take 3 classes w/them, including Biology. I wish you well and if you want to msg me privately for more info, I'm happy to help.

Kareni, Thank you! We were new to homeschooling this school year. I've been looking at WTMF periodically since last fall-and it's been so helpful! I was reluctant to post for fear of not doing it right, still trying to figure out all the lingo, abbreviations, and enhancements. :) Donna

The plan is firming up but not set in stone yet! My ds (oldest child), provided input, with guidance from me/DH, for next year. This is what we've come up with: Language Arts: AP Eng Lit & Composition online (via Blue Tent Online) Science: Apologia Biology via co-op (has already completed Conceptual Physics & Chemistry) Social Sciences: US Government (fall) still working on that but might be Pre-AP via Debra Bell online or BJU Press Text here @ home (@ recent homeschool conference, he scoped out 4-5 curriculum choices and liked BJU Press a lot); Economics (spring)-Economics in a Box, which I'm very excited about Bible/History: Sonlight Core 200 "History of God's Kingdom"(home)-but just the Bible/History of the Core. DS wants to study church history, and this looks like it will fit the bill well. Electives: Photography (Fall)/Yearbook (Spring) @ co-op; "Masterpiece Art" (all year) @ homeschool co-op Extracurricular: continue w/weekly Bass Guitar lessons & practice; membership in local fitness club (goes 3-4 times per wk); volunteers providing Tech Support for junior high and senior high worship (2 services) @ church; "Pit Crew" volunteer (h.s. students helping with children's pgm) once a month. May go on a Missions trip to Mexico next spring. He is a creative type although he abhors that label, so I just keep that in mind when planning. :) He also is a good writer. He doesn't want to take math as a senior (would have been Alg 2 if he did) but we've advised him that, if needed, he can always make up any shortfall at the CC. He will attend the local community college after he graduates from high school next May. His plan, with our blessing, is to transfer to a Christian college. He is very interested in Music, History, and Ministry. Will be interesting to see what God has in store for him! Younger DS, 15,(public h.s. due to avid sports participation) is a completely different creature. Makes for a very interesting life, never a dull moment! :)