What helped us was that the Georgia Department of Education lists the accreditation authorities it will accept for homeschoolers to receive credit for comparable public high school classes. Many, if not all, of the regional accreditation authorities are accepted and NARHS,if I recall correctly, is accredited by MSS - Middle States something, which is on the approved list. I learned that in order for my son to be eligible for the Hope scholarship in Georgia, which pays for tuition at a state university, his courses must receive accreditation. So if my son decides he prefers homeschooling after trying public school,I will use NARHS to receive the accreditation stamp of approval.

Yes, NARHS helped me to get my son's Algebra and Physical Science work accredited for his placement into higher level courses in public high school for next year. From what I've read in this forum, most universities don't really care if the classes are accredited; however, if your child decides to go to public school, some public schools require accreditation or passing placement tests. Also, our public school requires specific accreditation authorities and would not accept the accreditation provided by Kolbe. (My son was only halfway through Jurgensen Geometry in January, so he registered with Silicon Valley Online High School, which is accredited through AdvancED, and quickly completed the Geometry course for accreditation.) So when my son starts public school in August, he'll be placed in Algebra 2 (although he's taking Derek Owens' Algebra 2 class now, so he may be ready for Precalculus.) For NARHS, I only sent in his tests and textbook information. It was a very straightforward process. For courses using a textbook, NARHS requires the text to be completed. If the course is "homegrown," more information is needed. I hope this makes sense. I'm in a rush and can't proofread for content/errors. Please ask more questions if needed!

I would really appreciate hearing the names of teachers/classes at GAVS that are recommended/not recommended. I understand reluctance to name names if one is dissatisfied, so please PM me if this is the case. My son will start 9th grade in public school in August, but he will probably have to supplement with GAVS classes. Any recommendations/non-recommendations will be greatly appreciated! Thank you

I was concerned about the overly religious tone of the students' conversations in GB1 that have been expressed in this forum. I contacted the instructor, Dr. Turscak, previously about the course content, then emailed her specifically about this issue. She approved my copying her response here: I make every effort to ensure that all religious (and not religious) views are treated with respect in my Great Books classes. No one religion is treated as the only possible or correct interpretation of any topic that arises from the literature that we study. Students are not permitted to insist that their classmates think as they do. I did have a situation last year where some students began trying to influence the beliefs of one another. I intervened and did not allow this to continue, and the issue was resolved. Since then, I have worked to be more proactive on this issue. I remind the students that this literature has been appreciated for millennia — by Pre-Christians, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, and others of all religious stripes — and that this class is a place to wrestle with deep ideas in the context of your own convictions but is not a place to try to make everyone else believe what you do. I constantly ask my students to wrestle with the fundamental ideas that are raised in the literature we read - honor, nobility, death, family loyalty, integrity .... As we do so, I cannot forbid the students who hold religious convictions from all comments on those convictions when they reflect on the texts, just as I would never forbid a student who is an atheist from commenting on his/her belief during class. Although many of our students are Christians, I have had Hindus, atheists, and those of other religious convictions in the class. I insist that students make all of their comments in an atmosphere of openness and respect for those of differing beliefs but I can’t ask them to compartmentalize their religious convictions (or lack of religious conviction) so that they completely separate those beliefs from our discussions. I have taught for over 20 years of my career in independent private schools, with students from all over the world, and they have always appreciated my classes for the freedom and openness I try to cultivate in the Socratic discussions. I have been very impressed with Dr. Turscak and the information she provided about the class and this issue. I was all set to register my son for this class, but he has requested to go to public school next year... :crying: I am very sad about this, and that he won't have the opportunity to take GB1 next year... I hope this helps those of you who are interested in CLRC'S GB1.

Dear Kathy, Please tell us the name of the "new young woman" who taught your dd! Thank you!

Outstanding review! Thanks for taking the time to include not only the detailed information about the course, but also your personal critique. :hurray:

Hi, Bluebonnetgirl, Would you mind sharing the provider and instructor for the class your son took in 8th grade? Thank you!

Kathy, The link to one of your older posts doesn't appear to work -- and I'd appreciate the information. Do you know another way to access your post? Here is the post with the link that doesn't work: Hi Angela, My daughter completed Henle I and II independently at home with me working alongside her. She started by using the Memoria Press Henle studyguides, but soon found that they moved way too slowly. At that point, we switched to Laura Berquist's Mother of Divine Grace syllabi. She completed everything that was scheduled in those books for Henle I and II, including all the quizzes and tests. Berquist has different options for pacing; we chose the slower and more thorough option. After Henle, we still self-studied using a wide variety of resources, as I described in this thread. Hope that helps :) Thank you so much! Georgia

Also check out VerbalPlanet.

We've used the Memoria Press First, Second, and Third Form books, which we really enjoy - and have added Henle as well. All of these come with great support materials.

Have you looked at Hake Grammar? It's similar to the Saxon Math approach - and it includes diagramming. It doesn't require parent involvement, either. Here is a sample from RainbowResource.com. (We don't use it for writing, but writing is included in the package.) The kit includes the student workbook, teacher answers to the workbook, and quizzes and answers. We used R & S when my son was younger, but switched to Hake Grammar the last two years. https://www.rainbowresource.com/pdfs/products/prod022041_smpl0.pdf

What texts are used for the Integrated Math?

Seconding Great Courses Plus - we love them!

I also looked for an online Italian class, but the provider I found had to cancel due to the lack of the required minimum number of students. However, I found a reasonably priced Italian teacher on Verbal Planet. She is a native Italian speaker, certified to teach Italian as a second language, with 10 years of teaching experience. She is also fluent in English. Her rate is reasonable - in fact, the tuition for the cancelled online class was more expensive than her weekly one-hour lesson for a year. She recommended a text, which I ordered online from Amazon for under $30. My son doesn't start his Skype lessons with her until the second week of September, but I'd be happy to follow up with you if you are interested.

Teachers through VerbalPlanet are much less expensive! We found an Italian instructor for $18 an hour. It's too early to tell how good she is since we aren't starting until September, but I'll be happy to get back with you if you can wait.