DonHomeschool
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Posts posted by DonHomeschool
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8FillTheHeart,
Thank you for your response.
By the way, the additional testing is recommended, not required by American University. On the other hand, George Washington University requires standardized testing from home schooled applicants.
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Hello Everyone. I have a minor dilemma concerning the home school transcript I developed for my high school children. One of my kids are going to apply to several schools, including American University (Washington DC) that does not require Standardized Test Scores for admission. However, I have a section on the transcript that shows a list of the tests was taken (e.g., SAT, ACT, Subject SAT, etc.), the date, and the composite score.
Now, my question is, will there be an issue if we do not forward the official scores from the College Board, but submit a transcript to American University showing the list of the tests taken?
I do not want to take this section out of the transcript, but I am open to do it if there is going to be a potential problem with American University. Your help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Hello Everyone
I would like your input on where I can find free online English grammar exercises. A few years ago, I used Diana Hacker's grammar site for my oldest child; however, it now seems that we have to pay for this service. I attempted to research for an alternative, but did not find anything similar to Diana Hacker's site. As a result, I would appreciate any recommendations where I can find free exercises in basic grammar, mechanics, punctuation, word choice, etc. online. Thanks.
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Yvonne,
Dual-enrolled courses are not “only†to validate my daughter’s study during the year. There were a lot of variables that led to this decision; however, I truly appreciate your suggestion with the SAT 2 subject exams because it could work for many families.
To answer your question with credits earned (on the transcript), I show all of the courses taken at home and as a dual-enrolled student, but only give her one credit for the course.
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Darcy,
I am going to share my experience with Great Courses to see if it can help you decide what is best for your situation. Last year, my daughter was in 9th grade and I created a “syllabus†for her World History course. I had the opportunity to purchase a few sets of used courses and was able to match several videos (from different courses offered by Great Courses) to a 32 chapter college textbook (it was a college textbook, but it was easy to read). The syllabus consisted of the following: listen to the videos assigned to the chapter (99 videos for 32 chapters), review for a short quiz, and then take the quiz for that particular chapter (all in 127 days). I initially estimated that she was going to take anywhere between 158-191 hours to complete, but she completed all 99 videos, read all 32 chapters, reviews and quizzes in 155 hours.
My daughter did well last year with this format that she dual-enrolled for two world history courses over the summer (between 9th and 10th grade); she obtained a solid A for the first part of world history and it seems that she is going to get another solid A for the second part of world history. According to my daughter, even though world history is accelerated in college (especially over the summer), both courses were easy because of the format presented at home in the previous academic year.
For the upcoming year, I am planning to do the same (use History of the United States from Great Courses). However, I am still searching for a college textbook that would be “an easy read,†then write the detailed course syllabus before her start date at the end of August. The plan is to have her dual-enroll for both US history courses next summer to validate what I did at home.
I apologize for the long post, but I hope it helps with your decision. Good luck to you and your son.
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I was doing some research and did not see any clear recommendations for a secular logic (critical thinking) curriculum. I have an 8 year old that is in 6th grade. She is concurrently finishing Mindware Logic Links (all the books to Level D) and Mindware Analogy Challenges (all the books to Advanced Level), but wants to continue this subject.
I have researched some excellent curriculums, but they are mostly written for Christian students. However, I read a lot of information on The Art of Argument (I heard it can be used by secular students), but the following corresponding courses (The Argument Builder and The Discovery of Deduction) lean towards a Christian perspective (according to reviews and forum discussions).
Additionally, I looked at James Madison’s Critical Thinking Course (which is on my bookshelf), but I wanted to use this curriculum sometime during 7th grade. I also have the same dilemma with Critical Thinking Book One & Two (planning to start this curriculum at the start of 8th grade).
Therefore, what is recommended for this type of student that wants to continue studying this subject for an additional 4-5 months?
Your help would be appreciated.
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Vegesaurus Rex,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I appreciate how you shared your original plans with your children’s education; how you had to reconcile what you wanted and what they accomplished.
I know it must feel great to see how your son progressed to complete law school and in the process to taking the bar exam. Finally, good luck to your daughter at UConn Law.
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Maddysmom26,
Many years ago, I was a student in the State of NY and remember taking “Global History†for two years. Therefore, would the following work for you:
http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/World-History-Patterns-of-Interaction/9780618697854
http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/World-History-Patterns-of-Interaction/9780547491264
(You need to double check if this fits the NY edition)
http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/World-History-Patterns-of-Interaction/9780547520964
(You need to double check if this fits the NY edition)
http://www.hmhco.com/shop/k12/World-History-Patterns-of-Interaction/9780547520766
(You need to double check if this fits the NY edition)
The following is another companion site:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/wh_survey05/book_home.htm?state=NY
With all the assignments, this textbook can easily be split into 2 academics years. Good luck.
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You all gave me very good recommendations (went on Amazon to read more reviews). Thank you.
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Thanks for the feedback. Based on the comments, I guess it is not worth purchasing Thinkwell’s Biology subscription. However, I will attempt to purchase the videos. Additionally, I do not have a problem doing my own quizzes/tests.
I also purchased the 9th edition of Campbell’s Biology. Has anyone on this board ever matched Thinkwell’s Biology videos to Campbell’s Biology textbook (I read that it has been done, but I can’t find the discussion post)?
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Over the years, I have read on the boards that Thinkwell does not properly match their quiz/exams/tests with the chapter lessons. I contacted them a few months ago, and they were obviously vague with their answer (i.e., they are always updating their curriculum).
Therefore, I have four questions:
1) Has anyone who has used the Biology curriculum within the past 6 months notice the same issues, or has these problems been fixed (i.e., alignment of chapter lessons and quizzes)?
2) Excuse my ignorance, but what is more challenging, “regular†Thinkwell biology (which is considered a college course) or Thinkwell AP biology? Can a dedicated student succeed in an AP Biology exam after taking the “regular†Thinkwell biology instead of Thinkwell AP biology?
3) Does anyone know if Thinkwell updated their AP Biology course to correlate with the “new†AP Biology exam requirements (i.e., scientific practices)?
4) Is it possible to take the equivalent of AP Biology in 9th grade without taking Chemistry first (because of Biochemistry)?
I apologize for the multiple questions; I just want to make sure that the right decision is being made. Thanks.
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I have some family members that are thinking about homeschooling their 3 to 6 year old children and have asked me for my input on a language arts curriculum. My wife and I used Calvert Pre-K and K for language arts, along with Fountas & Pinnell First Hand Phonics (Grade K) for our own kids (that was a long time ago). However, my wife does not remember the details, but explained how this combination worked great for our family.
The problem is that Calvert K is too expensive for some of our relatives. They are interested in purchasing the First Hand Phonics, but a supplement (instead of Calvert K) is needed to teach the kids how to write and read.
Therefore, what do you consider is the best curriculum or supplement to learn how to write and read?
I thank you all in advance.
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If you are looking for speeches to evaluate body language and message, then I recommend Ted Talks (http://www.ted.com).
Additionally, if there is a speech where you want to analyze message, I recommend the 2005 Kenyon College commencement address by David Foster Wallace (This Is Water). The speech is not as famous as Job’s commencement speech, but the message is as powerful (especially if you read what happens to the speaker a few years later).
The video has been taken down a few times over the years (from YouTube and Vimeo); however, the audio and transcript is still available:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI
http://web.archive.org/web/20080213082423/http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html
I hope the Ted and YouTube links helps.
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Joan in GE,
I do not know your background with not-for-profit taxation, but here is the link that shows their filed 2011 990 Forms:
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/208/613/2012-208613765-090b73c4-9.pdf
Legitimacy of the agency will be shown on pgs. 35-37 (you will see the association with other regionally accredited agencies). Matter-of-fact, their 990s have the same mailing address as the Northwest Accreditation Commission (one of the regional accrdited agencies) 990s.
I hope this answers your question.
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Joan in GE,
From my research, AdvancED was founded by a few regionally accredited agencies to accredit K-12 schools. However, just like the regionally accreditations that accredits colleges, AdvancED also accredits schools that makes you “scratch your head.†In other words, it’s all about the money.
But to answer your question, AdvancED is “legit.â€
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Mirabillis,
I like what you have for 9th and 10th grade. You can add U.S. History for 11th grade, and split twelve grade between Economics (1/2 year) and Government Studies (1/2 year).
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I would like to thank everyone for their input. Nan in Mass, you are absolutely correct; reassurance is what parents like me need to make these decisions for our children. We have been a homeschool family since the beginning (our kids have never attended public or private school) and these forums have made a huge difference in our decision-making process. Believe it or not, we have never personally met another homeschool family to exchange ideas with or learn from. So I really appreciate the feedback from this forum.
I am “sold†on the idea of producing a “mommy/daddy†transcript. With the dual enrolled credits, SAT/ACT scores, Subject SAT scores, and outsourcing a few classes (live online), my child should be a good shape. The only thing that I do not have scheduled for my child is taking AP tests (maybe I should have her take at least two before graduating high school).
If my daughter ever encounters a problem with an international school/job, we can get my state to issue a high school diploma (based on her dual enrolled college credits) or go to an accredited cover school to evaluate the work that has been completed in the four years of high school (but I don’t think this will be necessary).
Finally, I agree with dirty ethel rackham and the other experienced members that we should not be wasting our time with universities that are unwelcoming to homeschoolers. Moreover, I do expect more acceptance once it is time for my oldest to apply in a few years.
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TLC, that information from NARHS is huge (even though they previously had internal issues themselves). But I will do my research to see if they "turned-over a new leaf." Thank you.
Jenniferjca, I agree with contacting the schools that our kids are interested in attending. Actually, I have already contact a few of them. From what I have read and heard, the “big†universities close by will not give my daughter an issue (I live within an hour of some top schools like Columbia, NYU, Princeton, UPenn, etc). Moreover, the “solid†schools such as Fordham U, Drew U, Rutgers U, Adelphi U, etc. will not give her any problems. We are lucky to be living in an area where there are options.
However, I am still worried about the “mommy/daddy†transcript. I guess my insecurities comes from a conversation I had with an admissions counselor (it was about 5 years ago). It is a public college that my daughter is not planning to attend, but in our conversation, the admissions counselor told me to “make sure that you do not send in a transcript done at home (with a smirk on her face).†Well, I know that I should ignore that comment because it is a school that my child is not going to attend and it was five years ago, but I always wondered how many colleges think this way.
Finally, one of the things that has helped me lean towards a “mommy/daddy†transcript is that my child is going to take one class per semester (two per semester, in her last year of high school) as a dual enrolled student. From what I read and learned, the college grades from the community colleges and 4-year universities will give my daughter the independent grades that will “hold weight†when applying to the university of her choice.
Kindly keep us posted on responses from the contacted colleges.
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Jenniferjca,
There are a few reasons why I would choose Clonlara over Bridgeway Academy.
1) Clonlara is approved by the NCAA. In my opinion, even though my child is not planning to play college sports, it gives Clonlara more credibility than Bridgeway Academy. Moreover, if my daughter decides to play college sports, she will be enrolled under the umbrella school that is accredited by the NCAA.
2) Clonlara has a brick-and-mortar school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Again, this is just my personal opinion, but this gives Clonlara credibility when comparing it to Bridgeway Academy.
3) I received a profile from Bridgeway’s enrollment department from their Class of 2012. It shows that the average GPA from that graduating class is 3.94 (out of 4). I had to look at that figure a few times because it is a very high average (i.e., inflated GPA). I continued reading the profile that showed the average SAT score was 1478 (out of 2400), and a composite ACT score of 19.5. Maybe I’m being too “picky,†but a high school graduating class with a 3.94 GPA does not correlate with a SAT score of 1478 and an ACT composite score of 19.5.
4) After taking everything into account, the 4-year record-keeping program at Clonlara will cost approximately $4,200; compared to Bridgeway’s $4,005 cost. For a difference of only $195, Clonlara brings “more to the table.â€
Jenniferjca, even after the points listed above, I still have not enrolled my child for Clonlara’s record-keeping services. The reason for not enrolling is because of my prior experience with them (it was very bad). For instance, the advisor claimed to not have received my emails. When speaking to them, they seem a bit “lost.†Unfortunately, the enrollment specialist that I recently contacted was a bit “lost†or “confused†himself. Therefore, I didn’t want to start throwing my money away again and enroll my daughter for their services.
My spouse has the philosophy that a “mommy/daddy†transcript will be sufficient. It is very hard to “argue†with her point because of what they previously did and the way they are currently conducting themselves over the phone. In other words, my wife and I don’t trust them. I am leaning towards the “mommy/daughter†transcript, but feel like I am setting my child up to “jump over hoops†to get into one of the colleges. As a result, I am still struggling with my decision to use an umbrella school for record-keeping or “go at it ourselves.â€
Question on Under-Represented Minority (URM)
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Hello Everyone,
Excuse my ignorance, but I do not want to “leave no stone unturned.†If various DNA tests shows an ethnic indigenous makeup between 10 to 12%, can the college applicant be considered as an URM? Thanks.