IEW is a gem that I would not want to do without if I were starting all over again. So many others posters have given the many ++ and the few -- of IEW programs, so I won't repeat those. My older ds (who just graduated from college) told me a year or so ago -- when I was battering him with questions about the good/bad/ugly of homeschooling -- that IEW was one of the most beneficial curricula that we used over the years. I was a big fan before I heard that, but I think it is helpful to hear what our students say as they reflect back. :)

What we found helpful was chemistry, physics, and calculus at our local CC. A few AP elective credits were helpful, but those core math/science courses at our local CC were accepted for credit at my ds's college -- and allowed him a tremendous amount of flexibility in his engineering schedule. Our local CC prepared my ds well. I know that all CCs are not created equal, so this may not be a good option for everyone -- but it may be one reason you are hearing about higher numbers of transfer credits. Best of luck!

:iagree: In our college visits and discussions with admissions officers, "accredited" never entered into the discussion. I'd be interested to hear if families are being told by college admissions departments that they are looking for accredited diplomas. We did not find that to be the case at the colleges we visited and considered.

Accredited diplomas have not been necessary for my two guys. They were accepted into colleges and earned merit scholarships without accredited diplomas. None of the many homeschooling families we know in our area seek out accredited diplomas, and all have been competitive and successful in their paths to college. I can't imagine an employer asking questions about an accredited/non-accredited diploma. In our state when we graduate our homeschool students, they are *high school graduates*. The diploma is just a piece of paper acknowledging that. :)

:thumbup: Wonderful! Congrats!

Here is a handy score calculator: AP Pass. Your daughter can enter her MC percentage right (estimate) and toggle the essay scores to see what she might achieve, based on how she thinks she did on the MC section and the essays. I'll bet you and she will see that she's in great shape! :) That is exactly what I am hearing from my students who practiced by taking the 2001 and 2007 released exams. So it looks like the College Board has ratcheted up the difficulty level. My ds said the same thing about APUSH--the questions were harder than the released exams that he had practiced on.

We only needed one box. It's been a while, so I can't remember if we used them all for Latin -- or close to all. I know we only bought one box, and then I bought another box for Spanish. :)

:thumbup1: My ds did use the 2x3 flashcards. He LOVED them. He continued to use them in the Spanish classes he took after Latin. We thought they were worth the $. We did not use different colors for nouns and verbs. :) But we did cut colored, regular-size flash cards down to the 2x3 size to make dividers within the box. It was helpful to use the box that the blank cards came in to organize the flashcards.

:iagree:

That is a common combination in 11th grade. The APUSH DBQ (document based question) aligns nicely with the AP Language "synthesis" essay (essay question 1 on the AP Lang exam). The AP Lang argument prompt (essay question 3) has frequently referenced historical/political/philosophical issues -- so students who have been writing APUSH free response essays will have had great parallel practice. If you have a strong student, who is a self-starter, these two APs are a great combination IMO. It is a LOT of writing. So that's something to consider (and could be a pro or con). Good luck with your decision!

Sweet! Congrats to all!!! :001_smile:

Ds has computer science tomorrow and APUSH on Friday. Fingers crossed here for a 5 on APUSH--it will get ds 6 credit hours, versus 3 credit hours for a 4. That's a lot of college credit! Good luck to all the students these next two weeks!

I heard the same presentation in Greenville, SC, and I was sad to hear this incorrect information shared with a standing-room-only crowd of homeschool moms who were trying to figure out everything they could about stewarding their students through the high school years. There may be schools and school systems that establish grade-level parameters, but the College Board does not mandate that AP courses and AP tests can only be taken in the junior and senior year. That is not correct. Cheers! ~Brigid

Brigid in NC's ds: North Carolina State University, class of 2016 Creekland's ds - U of Rochester - class of 2016, U of Alabama, Baylor, Furman, U of Pittsburgh (all acceptances) Dirty Ethel Rackham's ds - Hope College, attending fall 2012, Class of 2016, also accepted at Beloit College, Bradley University and Illinois Wesleyan University. Floridalisa's dd: University of Florida, Class of 2016; also accepted Florida State University, Covenant College Grace is Sufficient's ds - University of Akron, Class of 2015; also accepted: Baldwin Wallace College, Geneva College, Eastern Michigan University, Northern Kentucky University Grace is Sufficient's dd - Geneva College, Class of 2016; also accepted: Waynesburg University Gwen in VA's ds2 -- Webb Institute class of 2016 (ED so no other colleges!) hsmamainva's dd -- Radford University, class of 2014. Also accepted at James Madison University, University of Mary Washington, Coastal Carolina University and Flagler College JennW in SoCal's ds - College of Wooster, class of 2016; also accepted Willamette University lisabees' ds -- Oberlin College. Also accepted: Haverford, Macalester, Kenyon, College of Wooster, Denison, Dickinson, Juniata, Goucher. Margaret in CO's dd--University of WY, AROTC, Honors, also accepted: Western State College of Colorado, DIV II swim scholarship, Honors, Westminster (UT), AROTC, Honors, CO School of Mines, Hillsdale CO (MI), Association of WP Grads civil prep for Appointment at West Point Class of 2017 Maryalice ds - Grove City College, probably class of 2015 with dual enroll credits, Early Decision Memphispeg dd- California State Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo class of 2016. Also Accepted: University of Memphis (Honors), University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Honors), College of Charleston, University of Miami, New College of Florida, and University of San Diego. Moira in MA's dd2 -- McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada -- Class of 2016. Also Accepted: Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. Myra -- ds ---Siena College Class of 2016. Also accepted: Clark, SUNY (Geneseo & Oneona & Binghamton), Unniv. of Vermont, Union, and Fordham. True Blue's ds - University of Washington, Washington State University Honors College, and Gonzaga - these are the only ones he applied to. He wanted to stay in WA.

Congrats!! That is quite an accomplishment! :thumbup1:

Wow! How impressive! That's fantastic! :thumbup:

Thanks so much LaJuana and Paz. Terrific thinking! LaJuana, I shared your article with my ds and he was intrigued. He knew of the coach, but not the details of his background. It prompted a productive discussion about alternate routes. I think that golf is not the sports arena of most interest to my ds, Paz, but I appreciate the suggestion. I know of one homeschooler who is on a golf management track, and what fun that would be if golf were your passion! Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions everybody!

I can't say I have used these materials, but they were highly recommended at an AP Literature workshop last summer by the AP English teacher who was leading the session. She is a long-time reader and table leader at the annual reading/scoring of AP Literature exams. I thought this was high praise. :)

If you think your student has enough involvement with music (practice, lessons; also possibly recitals, competitions) to warrant an elective grade on the transcript, I would give an "A." If not, I would treat it as an extra-curricular activity that would go on a separate "resume" page. Lots of schools give grades for music, so I would not hesitate to give your student the same "credit" that students across the country receive. :)

We found this a successful route also. My ds was applying to a college that required three SAT IIs from homeschoolers, so doubling up made a lot of sense. The APUSH & SATII combo worked well for us, as well as the AP Chem & SATII. Good luck on the AP exam! :)

Wonderful news on so many levels! :)

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) materials. It's one thing to know how to write. It's another to know how to teach writing. :)

How about that! Small world! :001_smile: I appreciate your note, Cheryl--and all the notes in response to my question. Thank you everybody. Very helpful advice!

Thank you. That just further reinforces what my ds understands--so I think he is trying to find other options (other than aspiring to "coach") within the sports world where he may be able to combine his skills with his interests. I appreciate everyone's suggestions! These are all very helpful!

My senior--who is heading to college and planning to major in chemical engineering--would love to work in the field of sports management. Where some kids dream of being rock stars -- he dreams of being a college coach. Coaching is about as realistic as winning American Idol, and he knows that. So he's trying to figure out what the possibilities are in the sports world. He knows everything about sports. He's a walking font of statistics and sports facts. He's a good soccer player--captain of his team, all tournament team selection. Dh and I want to support him in any way we can, but we are pretty clueless about sports management and the various paths and options there. If you've had any experience in this realm and can give us any suggestions about where to go--what to consider--in order to help guide our ds, that would be much appreciated! Ds is not a gifted writer--he's my mathematician--so sports journalism would probably not be the ticket. Thanks for your suggestions!