Welcome to the #1 of 2 "motherlode" of linked threads on high school topics. Enjoy exploring the amazing collected wisdom of The Hive! (In case links break, I have listed threads by their original subject heading, and have also provided the original post date and poster for search in various ways.) Warmest regards, Lori D. topics linked in first 2 posts of this thread CREATED: Aug. 2012 UPDATED & REORGANIZED: Sept. 2018 ======================== CONTENTS: HIGH SCHOOL MOTHERLODE #1: page 1 topics: High School Time Table (what to do/when for each year of high school) Teaching Executive Function Skills Preparing for High School Addressing Fears Getting Started Books & Resources Making a High School Plan Time Management High School on a Budget Expectations/Attitudes Accreditation / Cover Schools page 2 topics: tests -- info and comparisons on: - PSAT (National Merit Scholarship qualifying test) - ACT / SAT (frequent college entrance requirement) - SAT Subject (also called SAT II) - AP (Advanced Placement courses & tests) - CLEP (college credit by exam) - GED (high school diploma equivalency test) - ASVAB (military entrance exam) - Compass/Accuplacer (college placement test) - IB (International Baccalaureatte program / diploma), and comparison with AP ======================== High School Motherlode #2 -- pinned thread at top of high school board page 1 - transcripts / credits / grading & GPA - honors designation - record keeping / course description / letter of recommendation - graduation / diploma page 5 - homeschool subjects (English, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Electives) - making your own courses - extracurricular activities - outsourcing / online classes / dual enrollment Going to College Motherlode -- pinned thread at top of college board page 1 = college search / college visits / online college page 2 = college applications / Common App (including more on transcripts, course descriptions, etc.) page 3 = financial aid / scholarships / FAFSA and CSS Profile page 4 = Honors Programs / Internships / NCAA page 5 = heading to college / at college / overseas studies page 6 = alternatives to college / gap year / military / career exploration ======================== GENERAL TOPICS Reference threads High School "Time Table" (deadlines + what to do/when in each year of high school and for college prep) -- Mar 4 2012, Lori D. College [prep] checklist: heading into 11th grade, what should we be doing? — Jan 24 2018, mirabillis What do "seventh" and "ninth" grade look like to you? (brain development and goals for the average student for grades 7-12) -- May 31 2012, Colleen in SEVA Could you point me to a list? (what type of classes "count" for what type of subjects/credits) -- Aug 13 2013, MomOfOneFunOne Can you help me decipher some terms please? (defines: Honors, AP, “regular”, high school, and college) — Apr 15 2018, chocolate-chip chooky Explicitly teaching executive function skills (great descriptions of techniques for helping atypical learners, esp. in learning how to study/learn) -- Sept 30 2018, lewelma Preparing for high school (looking ahead from middle school) If you knew then what you know now (what would you do differently for Logic stage years) -- Feb 25 2009, MSNative High school parents: looking back what would be your ideal for 7th/8th grades -- Jan 15 2009, at the beach 8th grade goals: What skills do your kids need to practice before high school? -- May 14 2015, Chrysalis Academy Looking back (what you would do differently to prepare for high school work) -- Oct 19 2008, Guest Hypothetical question: What to do for the 4 years before public high school? -- July 2 2013, Walking-Iris How best to prepare for high school? — Feb 2 2016, Gwenny Pressing through the middle years of homeschooling: how do you do it? -- Nov 11 2014, Chrysalis Academy Addressing Fears about homeschooling High School The "There Will Be Gaps" thread -- June 2 2013, swimmermom3 Damn...now things are starting to feel real -- Jun 28 2015, SparklyUnicorn To all you people with 8th graders (or there abouts) (encouragement of what to do in 8th to get ready) -- Nov 18 2008, Nan in Mass For those of you with 8th graders considering homeschooling high school (encouragement of what high school can look like) -- Jan 30 2008, Nan in Mass Will I ruin my kid's life by homeschooling for high school, and other questions -- Apr 1 2015, NoPlaceLikeHome Talk to Me About High School Fears (will my homeschool transcripts/records be accepted by colleges?) -- Mar 11 2009, debbiec Teaching a high schooler next year.. I am terrified! (encouragement of what is needed, how to plan) -- Nov 30 2014, kfeusse Approaching high school, confidence flying out the window (can I do it at home? what about outsourcing? extracurriculars?) -- Oct 21 2014, Calming Tea How do you plan high school for the child that you've got? (big thread; how to support interests AND complete academic credits?) -- Jan 21 2015, Chrysalis Academy Please describe the reality of homeschooling high school (time commitment; typical day; what do you do) -- June 1 2016, EKT Homeschool vs. Public (or Private) High School vs. Classical Conversations Challenge Pros and cons of homeschooling high school — Aug 2 2016, Jean in Newcastle Just curious: why do you send you DC to public school [for high school] (discussion on why/why not homeschool high school) — June 2 2017, extrafor6 Rising 9th grader wants to try public school — Feb 1 2018, Tumbatoo When you teen decides, “I think I want to try high school next year.” (experiences?) — Sept 21 2016, Elfknitter.# Classical Conversations Challenge for high school - experiences? -- May 19 2017, diaper joys ======================== GETTING STARTED Overview/Topics to Start With Can someone link me to a nice 4-year overview for high school? (lots of topics: planning, required credits, tips, info on tests, etc.) -- Feb 22 2014, Halcyon I need a guidance counselor (addresses fears, tips on planning, ideas for outsourcing, info on tests, etc.) -- Mar 20 2015, SaprklyUnicorn Starting over again - homeschooling in 8th-12th grades questions (good overview of all the "getting started" topics) -- Oct 14 2014, snipsnsnailsx5 My son is starting high school this year (linked resources, tips, and gentle steps from posters on getting started) -- Jan 13 2013, faiths13 High school curriculum, where do I start?? (how to decide what credits to do, and then how to select curriculum) -- Dec 26 2012, mamakelly Homeschooling high school... where to begin? (links to threads on specific topics: getting started, curriculum, credits, transcripts, etc.) -- Oct 14 2010, iwjeanie Where to start? Which resources, etc.? -- Jan 23 2013, profmom Soon to be high schooler (where do I start?) - Feb 7 2010, scrapbabe Books and Resources Need book suggestion for help in homeschooling through high school -- Feb 7 2009, Debbi in Texas High School at Home (books/resources to help?) -- Mar 9 2009, Pensguys Homeschooling High School (suggest books for overall planning/getting started) -- Jan 19 2009, Chelle in MO Homeschooling high school with limited resources (need resource ideas) — Jan 20 2018, Entropymama High School on a Budget Free homeschool curriculum and resources (mega list, all ages, including high school) -- Feb 20 2017, shinyhappypeople A free high school curriculum list -- May 24 2014, Karen Looking to outsource: need ideas to make it affordable -- Nov 11, 2017, diaperjoys Homeschooling high school with limited resources -- Jan 20 2018, Entropymama Homeschooling high school on a very tigt budget, the duct tape and WD40 way -- Jun 8 2016, frugalmamtax Is this even possible: homeschool high school for free or very cheap -- Sept 13 2016, Um_2_4 Rigorous high school (esp. 9th and 10th) on a shoe string -- Jan 24 2016, Calming Tea High school on a budget? -- Sept 30 2015, Calming Tea s/o Minimalist schooling: poverty schooling? (ideas for all grades, as well as high school) -- Dec 28 2016, frugalmamatx How would you home school high school without internet and lots of driving? — Nov 29 2015, Pen ======================== PLANNING / SCHEDULING General Discussions The breadth vs. depth question -- July 7 2010, swimmermom3 Broad vs. Focused study in high school and how to find balance? -- Mar 18 2013, Kfamily Are we all crazy? How can a kid get everything done in high school homeschool? -- Mar 16 2010, titianmom To parents of freshmen, sophomores next year (4 types of college admissions, and why you have to plan ahead in the high school years) -- Apr 25 2014, Nan in Mass NOT planning for college (options? how would that change high school?) -- Feb 19 2016, shinyhappypeople What is a "good" education? -- Jan 16 2019, zyxwvut Making a High School Plan Looking forward toward high school (time line, planning credits, how to make a plan, picking curriculum) -- Jan 2 2016, Sebastian (a lady) When formulating a high school plan (what factors to consider?) -- Feb 10 2010, razorbackmama To parents of freshmen, sophomores next year (4 types of college admissions; why you have to plan ahead in high school) -- 25 Apr 2014, Nan in Mass How many credits / college prep & graduation requirements How many credits for all of high school? -- Dec 16 2016, Garga 5 or 6 classes a year per year in high school? — Sept 30 2014, LNC Hold my hand: help with 9th grade plan? -- Apr 16 2017, Lucy the Valiant Advice for 9th grade planning (includes discussion on over-scheduling, balance/not burning out student, etc.) -- Nov 28 2016, popehj Frustrated with meeting college requirements vs. our own -- Sept 13 2011, Kfamily Another transcript issue for us: # of credits (will 30+ credits be too much?) -- Aug 31 2018, Evanthe Graduation requirements (how to plan credits over high school; college prep set of credits; what an English credit looks like) -- Aug 31 2017, provenance61 Time Management How do we get all of the things we want to cover crammed into 4 years of high school? Looking for advice from seasoned moms — Feb 19 2018, housemouse OMG! Please tell me this is typical and it gets better -- Sept 28 2016, reefgazer A homeschooled day week in the life of a teen -- May 4 2015; Quark Please tell me this is typical and gets better -- Sept 28 2016, reefgazer High school planning angst - time, credits, depth, oh my -- Dec 5 2015, Chrysalis Academy Too many hours doing school work vs. just being a kid -- Feb 27 2016, dereksurfs Typical length of hours for academics in high school? -- May 30 2017, j_thurm Specific Ideas for Scheduling Planning 4 or 5 days/week? Some other method? -- May 12 2012, OHElizabeth Scheduling questions -- how much in a day? (ideas for not overloading/keeping a balance) -- Aug 14 2014, Brandicm Scheduling: time on task vs. set amount of time/subject vs. predetermined assignments -- Aug 28 2014, g1234 Scheduling -- Nov 7 2013, Woodland Mist Academy I'm toying with block scheduling (last post includes links to more threads on block scheduling) -- Aug 30 2012, Jean in Newcastle ======================== EXPECTATIONS / ATTITUDES Various Teen Topics Seeking advice on teen boys :) — Feb 12 2018, lewber How organized should a 16-year-old be? — April 9 2018, borninthesouth How much do you interact with or talk with your high schooler throughout the school day? — Mar 20 2018, hopeistheword “Why Aren’t American Teenagers Working Anymore?” (link to article; sparked much discussion) — June 11 2017, Melissa M Helping our young adults find the “bright side”? — June 1 2017, swimmermom3 Depth and Passion? (how to help your student develop this?) — Feb 21 2018, Jazzy Is anyone else’s senior just worn out? — Mar 22 2017, Attolia Interest-led AND college-bound? — Feb 6 2018, PeachyDoodle Attitude Smart yet unmotivated teen — Jan 24 2018, leeannpal How do you handle an intentionally difficult high schooler? -- Nov 30 2017, Sharon37217 Homeschooling a reluctant teenager -- Dec 30 2017, 2ndGenHomeschooler How to deal with a teen that doesn't want to do anything -- Aug 31 2015, GypsyHomesteader Tired of dealing with this kid (bright, NOT motivated, behind -- just graduate him?) -- May 2 2016, razorbackmama Accelerate / skip a grade / graduate early Red shirting an accelerated learner? (discussion covers several topics on this subject) -- July 17 2018, JRmommy 2e high school - pushing a highly-gifted low-energy teen -- Apr 29 2017, tj_610 If your child is accelerated does s/he graduate early? -- June 5 2015, JadeOrchidSong Graduate early (gifted)? (your experiences?) -- Aug 22 2016, StephanieZ Has anyone decided last minute to graduate their junior early (posters pose good questions to think through) -- Oct 28 2016, prairie~phlox Skipping junior year? (any repercussions with earlier PSAT or ASVAB tests and declaring a grade?) -- May 18 2015, jetzmama I can't decide whether this is my DD's 9th or 10th grade year -- Aug 17 2018, Calming Tea No outsourcing and now potentially no Dual Enrollment: WWYD? Graduate early? — Feb 17 2018, frugalmamatx "Just Average" Does anyone on this board have a NON-superstar high school student? — Jan 17 2015, Kinsa High school AS high school — Feb 16 2012, Kim in SouthGa Anyone just doing average work in high school? — Aug 1 2012, scrapbabe s/o “average” work in high school: when did you know that’s how it would be? — Sept 9 2012, JaneP I want to share some very average PSAT scores — Dec 8 2012, teachermom283 Launching an average kid — Sept 8 2017, Jazzy I would like to hear from moms of “average” kids who want to go to college — Aug 13 2012, Kris in Wis Anyone with extraordinarily average students attending college? — Dec 19 2017, dereksurfs I get so depressed reading some posts on this board (anyone else NOT have over-achievers?) — Feb 11 2016, kfeusse I need former slacker teen success stories today — Mar 9 2018, texasmom33 "Behind" (due to illness or other) / LDs (Learning Disabilities) Learning disabilities and college admission (and accommodations for tests) -- Feb 11 2017, AmyinMD Accommodations for teen with ADHD, anger, and depression — Jan 22 2018, Zoo Keeper Do you tell your student's online teachers about LDs? -- Jan 11 2016, AppleGreen Online high school for someone who is behind (due to illness) — Jan 30 2018, Joyce Gripe High school with a chronic illness -- Aug 15 2017, Chrysalis Academy Online high school for someone who is behind -- Jan 30 2018, Joyce Gripe Very behind in math: need some advice for best path forward -- Mar 8 2018, ILiveInFlipFlops ======================== ACCREDITATION / COVER SCHOOLS / STATE REQUIREMENTS Accreditation Can I get some clarification? Accredited vs not (is it the school/organization that is accredited, or can curricula be accredited?) -- Jan 9 2017, heartlikealion Accreditation: how important is it? -- Feb 12 2018, momof2cowboys In this situation would an accredited transcript be worth it? (not going beyond high school, or only to trade school) -- Feb 2 2018, HSmomof2 9th grade: seek accredited program or not (in case ending up at public high school or trade school) -- May 14 2016, blue darling Accreditation (how GA homeschoolers can be accredited) -- June 19 2012, Momto MERLD Accredited diploma programs for high school -- Apr 21 2017, HSmomof2 Cover / Umbrella Schools Using a cover school for only 9th and 10th: cons? — Mar 14 2018, MamaSprout Accredited diploma programs [cover school] for high school (which ones let me choose the curricula) -- Apr 21 2017, HSmomof2 NARHS: any experience with them? — Mar 8 2018, bluebonnetgirl Options for earning a high school diploma (what program/organization oversees credits and awards diplomas?) -- Feb 27 2016, Daria State Requirements Do you base [your homeschool] high graduation school requirements on local public school standards? -- May 15 2018, Innisfree Do I have to follow state [public school] graduation requirements? -- Dec 11, 2014 Veritaserum State requirements for graduation (do you follow public school requirements or not?) -- Apr 1 2016, Pronghorn Determining your graduation requirements (how/when did you decide?) -- Nov 12 2015, MissMousie Graduation requirements (what are yours?) -- May 9 2015, FreeIndeed College requires proof of meeting high school graduation requirements -- Dec 12 2016, Amoco California a-g California charter schools and a-g requirements -- Apr 16 2017, LAmom If you plan to apply to UC schools, list your courses here: another a-g thread -- Sept 10 2016, mirabillis UC a-g online vendors: a lot are being dropped -- Mar 20 2018, Calbear A-g -- July 4 2018, happycc College admissions requirement: accredited high school (CA colleges and a-g requirements) -- Feb 17 2015, Cakes Accredited high school diploma needed for community college (is this needed in CA or for a-g requirements?) -- May 31 2017, Virlizorchid99 New Jersey Is this too much for 9th grade? (NJ credit requirements + topics of college prep set of credits, how to include "extras", etc.) -- Jan 4 2017, CatholicMom Graduation requirements (translating NJ 5 credits = 1 credit + other topics) -- Aug 31 2017, provenance61 New York Anyone in upstate NY? Can you please fill me in? -- Feb 27 2018, EKT Tired of NYS -- Apr 19 2016, Blossom'sGirl NY wanting proof of high school diploma -- Oct 2 2015, Nancy in NH Pennsylvania Not exactly new, but need help (PA credit requirements + topics of blending public high school & homeschool -- June 26 2016, kozureokami ======================== topics / links continue in next post

So... :D I did the same thing for high school bio that I did for chem. Remember, though, that I'm not a high school specialist in Bio so my judgments on whether something is reg or honours could be off - please feel free to correct me if you disagree with something I've posted! :) I didn't include a category for "Math background needed" for most of the bio curricula (except for AP). I don't find that a certain level of math is required for most high school biology courses beyond just basic alg skills (working with simple equations, fractions, decimals, possibly scientific notation, etc.). A student may run across the concept of pH but is usually not required to calculate it. If a course is VERY rigorous, a student may have to do calculations regarding buffer systems but even that only requires knowledge of quadratic equations and the quadratic formula (and probably only shows up in AP Bio, if I remember correctly). They could also just memorize the Henderson-Hasselbach equation and just use that. :) Before taking honours bio, a first course in chem would probably be useful to the student Again, also, I know I've missed a ton of resources. Please chime in with anything that I've missed or post your reviews or thoughts on any of the curricula. I'll take up the first five posts of this thread - post #2 should be for Reg Bio, post #3 should be for Honours Bio, post #4 should be for AP Bio, and post #5 for other resources. (You may notice these lists look veeeeerrrrrrrrry similar to my chem lists. :) Most of the companies selling homeschool high school chem courses also sell bio courses. I used my chem lists to create the bio lists and then just tweaked, added, or removed info as necessary. Because chemists are lazy. Uh huh. :D)

This thread intended as a comprehensive discussion of how a homeschool parent can teach their student Java programming and prepare them for the AP Computer Science A exam. I am doing this now since my son taught a Java course to homeschoolers in the fall and did AP CS A test prep this spring. I was both his assistant and his student in these courses and I want to take advantage of that dual perspective to capture my thoughts on how to best approach this topic. My goal is to enable homeschool parents who do not have programming experience (or Java programming experience) to administer a homeschool course and successfully prepare their students for the AP Computer Science A exam. This thread is not intended to be the ONLY or the BEST approach to this topic. What works best is very subjective and it depends on the characteristics of the teacher, the student and their goals for the course, among other things. Rather it is simply a resource which someone wanting to provide this course can use to gather ideas on how best to proceed. I encourage everyone to provide corrections and suggestions in the comments and I will make adjustments to the posts as I feel is necessary. This thread will include ideas on how to teach Java programming, but it will be mainly focused on AP CS A test preparation. The discussions will range from broad overviews to detailed discussions of technical topics with very specific strategies provided. I will provide many links to available resources, some free and some for a fee. (I am not affiliated with any of the organizations to which I am linking.) In the interest of ensuring that I have enough space to fit all the material that I want to cover, I am breaking this post into several separate posts on different topics. Here is an outline of what will be covered: - Should my student learn computer programming in high school? - Java programming: Overview and Resources - AP Computer Science A: Overview and Resources - Multiple-choice (MC) test-taking strategies - Free-response question (FRQ) test-taking strategies - Programming Fundamentals: Tips and strategies - Data Structures: Tips and strategies - Logic: Tips and strategies - Algorithms/Problem Solving: Tips and strategies - Object-Oriented Programming: Tips and strategies - Recursion: Tips and strategies - Software Engineering: Tips and strategies Please bear with me as it will take me days or weeks to assemble all of this information. In the meantime, please ask your past AP CS A students to comment on what they found to be the most difficult areas or to provide any tips that helped them the most. Also, if you are a parent who is thinking about offering this to a student, but have questions which are not answered here, please post your thoughts and I will see if I can answer them. If you are a parent that has taught AP CS A, either successfully or not-so-successfully, please share your insights on what works and the struggles that you had. Thanks!

It's that time of year where we need to lock down our choices for dd for next year, and i wanted to check in for some updated reviews on any of the above classes. I don't think I've ever seen a review for PAH's art history, but my search capabilities are limited :) We are looking for a class which is organized and will prepare well for the AP exam. If you'd prefer to PM, that would be equally appreciated. Thanks so much!

Based on a recent string, I picked up that typically to get advanced credit or to show advanced course work students either do AP or DE. My DD18 graduated with an AA prior to going to a selective LAC. She took no APs. I recently learned that attaining the prescribed scores on a selection of AP exams will earn a student a credit. DE classes do not allow a student to earn a credit though it is possible to test out of certain requirements though credits are not awarded. Now I am trying to decide whether for DD16 who is in the same dual enrollment program it is beneficial to take one or more APs. She would be taking APs only to open up here schedule a bit and not for additional street cred for her application. Is it possible to self-study for APs or is an approved curriculum required? I understand that we would need to find a school that would allow her to take the AP exam at but as we are in an urban area I think that this is possible. One other problem with the AP that I see at this moment is that the AP test fall during Finals/Graduation weeks and I would anticipate her taking at least one test each year if we go that route. See there anything else that I am missing? Thanks! Sarah

Have you heard of BasisEd? one of the top 5 schools system in the country. So when in the news some school like that comes to light I usually ask myself what are they doing right that I can use in my homeschool... There are many things, but one thing jumped out at me... they start their AP exams in 8th grade with the US History AP. By the time they take the May test they have covered US History for many years, and are prepared. By graduation they have taken 9 to 11 AP exams. They spend their Senior Year doing a Thesis, or a project that of course needs to be aproved. My kids are in elementary school. so why am I still thinking about AP tests? If I set my eyes on the US History AP, then I have a few years to drill the content into my kids and then let them try it. What are yourt thoughts with mimiking succesful "schools" or with AP tests early on? If you have taken AP courses, how have you prepared your student? Thanks Mrs Q

Copied from their announcement on Facebook two hours ago. "Our Calculus course has been approved as an AP Calculus BC course! This is an official recognition by The College Board that our Calculus course meets or exceeds the expectations colleges and universities have for this subject, and grants students permission to use the "AP" designation for our Calculus course if it's listed on their transcript. However, do note that AP exam preparation still won't be the primary focus of our Calculus course. Students planning to take the AP Calculus BC exam after completing our course will also need to arrange to take it at their school or another nearby brick-and-mortar school – you can learn more about how to register for AP exams on the College Board's website" It is also stated on their course page https://artofproblemsolving.com/school/course/calculus ETA: Received an email from student services to say the June 2016 class is included as well in the approval.

Not sure if I am late to the party but I recently was told about a site that offers free full courses to prepare someone to sit for an AP or CLEP exam, whichever they choose. It's called modernstates.org. Their site says it is partnered with edx.com but they too offer courses for exam or certificate. Edx.com offers more courses and can also be for adults in certain fields to get certificates to show their employers or whatever. So my question is...if modern states is partnered with edx than what's the difference b/w the 2 for a high school student trying to test out of college freshman classes? Anyway, this seems too good to be true but I love that my student could take a full free course, take an AP exam, and earn credits, all for the price of the test! I can't afford AP classes and I was a little iffy about just studying for a CLEP exam b/c I really want my student to get full course learning. This seems like the answer. Anyone have any experience/info? I know all about checking with colleges first to see if they accept AP/CLEP so I don't need all that info, just info about these 2 sites. I am thinking of taking a course myself to test it out. I may sit for an exam afterwards, who knows. EDITED TO SAY: Sorry. I originally thought these were full courses but several ladies who have commented below have corrected my misunderstanding and they are TEST PREP courses. The modern states prep courses themselves say CLEP, not AP, but on their site it says these courses help prep for CLEP and AP so that is why I included AP in my description. Thx~

The AP Course Audit website is now open for courses for the 2015-2016 school year. As such, I thought it might be interesting to have a thread to share approved syllabi to simplify the process in the case someone is using an identical or similar curriculum. My recommendation is to post both what you have approved for this year as well as what you might be looking to get approved this year. If you would like to request or offer a syllabus to someone, please do that via PM. When you share a syllabus, you may also want to share the official AP syllabus number for that syllabus in case they want to file it as an identical or modified version. (I don't think we should post them in the thread so that people don't just use them indiscriminately.) I don't know if any of us use sufficiently-similar curricula to make this at all worthwhile, but I'll start: Syllabi we have that are approved for 2015/2016 school year: AP Chemistry - Based upon Chemistry by Zumdahl, and AP Chemistry Guided Inquiry Experiments (for the labs) by The College Board - This syllabus was first approved for the 2014-2015 school year. AP Computer Science A - Based upon TeenCoder: Java Programming - This syllabus was first approved for the 2014-2015 school year. Syllabi we are interested in getting approved for the 2015/2016 school year: AP Physics C - Based upon Physics by Resnick, Halliday and Krane. AP Calculus BC - Based upon Calculus of a Single Variable by Larson Hostetler and Edwards (Chalk Dust Calculus) If you don't know how to get started with getting your College Board account set up and getting your syllabus approved, I recommend that you read the step-by-step instructions in this thread. Hopefully things haven't changed too much since last year. If you are wondering why anyone would go through the trouble of getting these syllabi approved, I can think of four possible reasons (there may be others): You are teaching a course and you would like to be able to advertise the course as having received "official recognition by the College Board that it meets or exceeds the expectations colleges and universities have for your AP subject." You would like to put "AP" on your official high school transcript for your student. You want access to additional sample tests. You just want to be thorough and ensure that you are covering all the material that is expected for an AP-level course. One final thought: MomsintheGarden says that she does not want to share these out to members with fewer than a couple of hundred posts so that individuals do not join just to gain access to these syllabi. (I'm not really sure what a student would do with an approved syllabus, but perhaps there is some concern there. Frankly, I don't really enjoy reading the ones I wrote myself. :tongue_smilie: )

I recently came across this online lab option and thought I'd post it out here in case anyone was interested. Here is the link - http://www.sciencecourseware.com/BLOL/ It's offered free by the California State University system. It states it is AP or college level.

I just noticed that Khan Academy now has a subject called "AP Chemistry". Since we are about to start that course again with the twins, I am wondering if it is helpful in the following ways: As part of the course? As drill for the AP Chemistry exam? In other ways? TIA for any and all feedback on this tool!

According to the College Board, our students' 2017 AP scores will be posted this week on a staggered schedule. As was mentioned in a previous thread, 2017 AP score distributions are now up on TotalRegistration.net in case anyone is interested in seeing the distributions for their students' exams. Here are the scores we will be looking at this week: DS17: AP Chemistry - On the border between a 4 and a 5 (But he didn't quite finish and only 9.2% earned 5s this year.) DS15: AP Computer Science A - Expecting a solid 5. DS17. DS15, and DD15: AP Microeconomics - Expecting a 4, 5 and (hopefully) a 3.

AP English Literature Anyone using Sonlight Core 600 Fall 2017/Winter 2018? Does anyone have a CB approved syllabus for this core? I am looking to not have to recreate the wheel. The core looks excellent! I have spent time analyzing each week. Lot's of literature and excellent reflective writing exercises. Thanks!

What resources have you used for setting up a AP Art History Course for your student? Thinking of using Khan Academy, some Practice Exams, and something that teaches writing for art history. Has anyone done notebook with this subject? TIA for sharing your ideas.

For variety of reasons, we've yet to land firmly on ds 11th grade schedule for 2017-18. Who has used The Potter's School for AP classes? If you don't mind, please share: 1) What class(es) you dc(s) took; 2) Year of class; 3) Teacher name; 4) Score on AP test. We're most interested in AP calc BC and AP English, but all experiences welcome. We thought we were set for AoPS calculus next year, but class night conflicts with ds' Boy Scouts. He pleaded to do it anyway and read transcript later; mean parents said no. :-( Thank you!

We're navigating the numerous options for grade 11 this fall for our oldest (uncharted territory for us). This occurred to me: 1) AP classes are a year long. 2) Colleges TYPICALLY give 3 credit hours for successful AP test scores (there are exceptions, depending on college, class and AP score). 3) Dual-enrollment college semesters in an equivalent subject (let's say US History) TYPICALLY are 3-credit hours (4 for sci/math). 4) Colleges TYPICALLY have minimum admission requirements of numbers of years in different subjects, with 4 years English/lit, 3 years social sciences inc. 1 of US history, 3 years math, 3 years science inc. 1 year biology and 1 of physical science, being a common set. So...my question. Do colleges consider a 3-credit college DE semester course equivalent to a HS "year" of that subject, regarding satisfying their ADMISSION requirements? I'm guessing "no". The reason I ask is that this would free DS to load up on more STEM electives, if we could "knock out" US history, English, etc., in a semester of DE rather than a year of AP (we know these classes are harder; not inferring it's an easy "knock out"). It's not particularly important to us how many college credits he starts with at matriculation, or what classes he places out of; our main focuses are DS' candidacy at highly competitive STEM schools and/or academic scholarships at moderately competitive ones, and continuing to foster his joy of learning. Let's not branch off into discussions comparing AP and DE, cost, rigor, competitiveness of admissions, etc.; there are other threads for those. Let's assume DS can handle any option, cost is equal, and a substantial amount of high-level coursework is important to his ambitions. I'd love to hear from any parents who have walked this path all the way to college enrollment with their kids, and learn how DE semesters were considered by colleges - again, not for credits earned or class placement, but for fulfilling the ADMISSIONS requirements of colleges for years taken in a subject. I hope that makes sense. I'm willing to email a plethora of colleges to ask if needed, but thought I'd start with my wonderful WTMF community. :-) Thank you!

Has anyone used Memoria Press Online Academy for AP US History or AP European History? Anyone familiar with Julie Baldwin (teaches APUSH) at Memoria Press Online? Please feel free to PM if you would rather not share publicly.

Our local high school called today to tell me they are having difficulty ordering the AP Computer Science A test for our son. When he tried to place the order, the CB web page asked him for an access code. This did not happen in previous years. He called me to ask if I had a code that he could use, but I don't know anything about that. I told him that it is possible that they had sent me a message through the course audit since I got the course reapproved last August and that I would look into and get back with him tomorrow. Of course it is now Februrary and AP Course Audit is currently closed. I'll log in tomorrow and look around, but I frankly don't expect to find anything. In the meantime, I thought I would post here and see if anyone knows anything about an access code that schools need for ordering AP CS A. Perhaps this issue is coming up because the high school is not approved for AP CS A, but that seems like an odd requirement that will leave a lot of homeschoolers with nowhere to test. I wonder if he had the problem simply because it is still February, but beyond that, I am at a total loss. If you have any ideas about what might be causing this issue, I'm interested to hear them. TIA! I'll call the CB tomorrow is I HAVE to, but I expect they will be a bit busy on March 1. :glare:

Yep, it's late in the process. I just decided to seek College Board approval to designate two home-school courses as AP. I had been thinking that DS would just take the AP test, but I've decided that it would be preferable to be able to designate our courses as AP. And, yikes, the deadline is January 31 (yeah, I should have decided on this earlier). Specifically, we're thinking of AP Statistics and AP Spanish Language and Culture, but my question is mostly about general words of wisdom from folks who have been there with submitting any syllabus for AP designation. The content of both courses is similar to what we'd do anyhow, so we don't really have any philosophical problems with the course content needed. There do seem to be, however, a whole lot of boxes to be sure are checked and buzzwords to include! Even though I picked a book which is one of the quasi-approved ones for AP Statistics, the sample syllabi on the College Board website and evaluation criteria seem to indicate that a lot of specific wording needs to be included; I'm not sure if that's recent or not, since some older approved syllabi don't seem to have that level of detail. In any case, I don't want to mess this up for some small detail. For the statistics, I'm confident that the main text (Starnes, et al, 4th ed.) does a good job, and I'm confident in my ability to cover any of the material where needed. I think I'm ready to send this proposed syllabus to the College Board, but I'm hoping you all will be able to provide any tips. Please! I'm thinking of just trying to use an existing syllabus which uses Temas for AP -- but NOT the 67 page one on the Vista Higher Learning website! That's too much. In advance, thank you very much! ETA: links.

So when we talk about colleges wanting to see that your student took advantage of the most rigorous program that was offered, how do they judge a homeschooler? Dd has been taking several AP classes freshman and sophomore year. Are they expecting that each year we would need to either continue to teach these or outsource? Thanks!

AP Physics C at PA Homeschoolers is on our short list for next year. Has anyone taken it or is taking it this year? How did you like it? Any preference for Jack Kernion versus Jeff Lanctot? Any other AP physics C alternatives?

If your students earns a grade in an AP class, do you add some amount to the grade point (0.3? 1.0?) or do you add an extra fraction of a unit or credit? Also, can someone explain the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?

I am looking for a French I class that meets either AP or college credit requirements. Debra Bell's AIM Academy AP French I seems pricey to me. Has anyone here tried College Plus for high school AP courses? If you have suggestions for any online courses (the less expensive are appealing to me), would you mind sharing those with me? Thanks!

AP Trevor has begun tweeting the overall score distributions and test comments on the AP twitter account. Macroeconomics and Microeconomics were released today. Calculus AB and BC are supposed to be released on Monday. You can compare with results from previous years at TotalRegistration. Individual scores will be released beginning July 5. AP Macroeconomics Scores: 5: 16.1%; 4: 23.4%; 3: 16.2%; 2: 17.5%; 1: 26.8%. These may shift slightly as late exams are scored.28 students worldwide (out of 135,000) earned all 90 points possible on this year’s AP Macroeconomics exam.More than 40% of AP Macro students found FRQ2 on loans/demand deposits extremely difficult, earning 0 pts:More than a third of AP Macro students aced this FRQ3 on specialization & trade, earning all 5 pts possible:AP Macro students did extremely well on multiple-choice, esp on economic growth; most challenging were the financial sector questions.AP Macroeconomics continues to see score increases: the % of 3,4,5s is higher than 5 years ago & 50% more students are participating. AP Microeconomics Scores: 5: 15.3%; 4: 27.3%; 3: 23%; 2: 14.4%; 1: 20%. These may shift slightly as late exams are scored.47 students worldwide (out of 83,000) earned all 90 points possible on this year’s AP Microeconomics Exam.AP Micro scores were generally highest on FRQ2 (consumer choice) & lowest on FRQ3 (monopolistic competition)AP Micro students did quite well across multiple-choice questions; the most challenging were on firm behavior and market structure.scores are generally lower this year than last, but still higher than 5 yrs ago when 50% fewer participated.

My dd is taking AP biology her sophomore year and wants to do some preparation this summer. She hasn't had high school biology, but she did take AP chemistry her freshman year (this year) and is doing well. Is there anything particularly difficult in AP biology that she could get a handle on now? Memorize the Kreb's cycle? Learn how a kidney works? Study the difference between transcription and translation?