Anyone use a virtual charter school?

[TXMomof4]

I had a big long post typed up and lost it, but the gist of it was this. I'm considering using online/computer curriculum next year for a number of reasons. K12 is the big one I've heard about and it is available through a virtual charter in this state. Obviously, it would be more affordable to go through the ps system to do this.

 

I'm just a little leery of entering the big bad world of the ps system. Any experiences?

 

Positives, negatives, neutrals?

 

I'd appreciate any help making this decision.

[Rosy]

I have a friend who is doing K12 via virtual charter school and loves it. She doesn't do all of the subjects, but she says it helps her kids stay organized and also provides instruction beyond what she can give.

 

I am in a virtual school that provides a curriculum fund to be used on books, supplies, field trips or community-based instruction (lessons, etc.). It has been non-invasive and easy to comply with, and we're able to do a lot of things we wouldn't be able to do otherwise. We check in once a week via email, so the kids can go through me for any communication with the school, and I have to check in monthly to report on their progress, which takes about 15-30 min. and is cumbersome but worth it.

 

It's a hot topic around here...but I think it's great when families have a variety of options available to them.

[Tap]

I have a friend who is doing K12 via virtual charter school and loves it. She doesn't do all of the subjects, but she says it helps her kids stay organized and also provides instruction beyond what she can give.

 

I am in a virtual school that provides a curriculum fund to be used on books, supplies, field trips or community-based instruction (lessons, etc.). It has been non-invasive and easy to comply with, and we're able to do a lot of things we wouldn't be able to do otherwise. We check in once a week via email, so the kids can go through me for any communication with the school, and I have to check in monthly to report on their progress, which takes about 15-30 min. and is cumbersome but worth it.

 

It's a hot topic around here...but I think it's great when families have a variety of options available to them.

 

 

I could have written this post word for word.

 

My good friend uses and loves K12. I use a charter that provides funding to us directly.

 

We are both very happy with our choices. I didn't care for k12s math program or I may have chosen to go with it also.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

We have used a K12 charter school for about 3 years and love it for the most part. I plan to continue it for next year and re-evaluate every year. Every K12 school is different in how they are run so check out my posts in this thread:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161828&highlight=k12

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

In regards to math, I heard K12 is revising it. We are using the non-revised version which incorporates Sadlier Oxford Progress in Mathematics which actually had good reviews and was comparable to Saxon math in the reviews that I read. I do like 99% of the math in that it teaches traditional algorithms and avoids fuzzy math 99% of the time IMHO:)

[catalinakel]

We use K12 through our charter school and I am very pleased. The curriculum is way more challenging than our ps was (my kids have been in ps for the past several years), so we are glad about that. My kids are working really hard and learning lots. I can highly recommend it without reservation.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

We use K12 through our charter school and I am very pleased. The curriculum is way more challenging than our ps was (my kids have been in ps for the past several years), so we are glad about that. My kids are working really hard and learning lots. I can highly recommend it without reservation.

 

:iagree: So far I have to agree. The only thing I am not keen on is the music because I am musically challenged;) The music is actually very thorough. The good thing is that you could actually substitute music lessons or other things IMO (although the teachers may disagree;)).

[Lara in Colo]

I am in an online charter school in Colorado. I'm somewhat happy. They money part is great, (they pay for internet, books, plus have an account for extras) HOWEVER I'm not that happy with the curriculum. Our school is very heavy on LA, not so on math. Plus I find having to teach or learn to the CSAP makes learning somewhat hunt and peck. We skip around the book, front to back to middle. I've currently got 2 children (2nd & 4th) and I am sometimes VERY frustrated with the curriculum not being concurrent. I taught 1 child measuring in November, we measured everything in the house, we poured water into different containers----lot of one on one time, now I'm doing this with the other child, same thing. If it were my curric, I would have arranged this to be done at the same time. This is not the fault of the school, but frustrating none the less. I'm pulling my 2 older next yr and doing this on my own, but keeping the other 2 (K &1st) so that we keep the $$ part going. If you want to talk further, just PM me. With a charter I think you get the good and bad of public education. The biggest bad I find is the holes in LA and History. All of which can be taught around, however the child is sort of learning 2 history courses at the same time, they tend to rebel.

 

 

Lara

[catalinakel]

re. music in K12. My kids are in 6th and 7th grade. We chose to do Spanish instead of music. The classes they are doing in these grades are:

 

Math(pre-algebra A and B)

History (American History and World History)

Literature (a nice mix of classic lit, myths and poetry)

Grammar (!)

Vocabulary

Composition

Science (earth and life)

Art

Spanish

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I am in an online charter school in Colorado. I'm somewhat happy. They money part is great, (they pay for internet, books, plus have an account for extras) HOWEVER I'm not that happy with the curriculum. Our school is very heavy on LA, not so on math. Plus I find having to teach or learn to the CSAP makes learning somewhat hunt and peck. We skip around the book, front to back to middle. I've currently got 2 children (2nd & 4th) and I am sometimes VERY frustrated with the curriculum not being concurrent. I taught 1 child measuring in November, we measured everything in the house, we poured water into different containers----lot of one on one time, now I'm doing this with the other child, same thing. If it were my curric, I would have arranged this to be done at the same time. This is not the fault of the school, but frustrating none the less. I'm pulling my 2 older next yr and doing this on my own, but keeping the other 2 (K &1st) so that we keep the $$ part going. If you want to talk further, just PM me. With a charter I think you get the good and bad of public education. The biggest bad I find is the holes in LA and History. All of which can be taught around, however the child is sort of learning 2 history courses at the same time, they tend to rebel.

 

 

Lara

Are you using a K12 charter school that uses the K12 curriculum since there are other charters that do not use K12 curriculum? The reason I ask is that IMHO K12 is strong in LA, history, and math. I am sure there are differing opinions on that though;)

[LisaKinVA]

VA will differ from state to state. I've been very pleased with the Virginia VA by K12 this year. We are planning on re-enrolling and it will be a huge cost savings to us.

 

I probably will not enroll my younger dd when she is K age, though... too much work, and she can sit in on history or science with her older sibs any time she wants.:tongue_smilie:

[Ellie]

You *should* be leery. You're in one of the best states in the country for homeschooling--no accountability at all to the state...no testing, no reporting, no nothin'. You will give all that up when you enroll in a public school program. Your dc will be a public school student, not a private school student; there could be TAKS testing involved, and you might want to check into the whole immunization issue, as public school students' records are tracked by the government--not sure that will be required of charter school students, but you should check it out.

[littlebug42]

My kids are enrolled in Ohio Virtual Academy which is a K12 school. My kids are required to do state testing and we have to track attendance etc. I have really found the teachers/administrators to be very respectful of the parents and I really find it minimally invasive at this point. I do LOATHE the math program but I just supplement it. Other than that, we have been very happy with the curriculum and the kids really love it so that makes my job easier. As they get older, there are more requirements but we will take it one day at a time and see how it goes. It has taken the pressure off of me with planning etc and gives me an accountability which I really find I need, otherwise nothing gets done. I work nights about 30 hours per week and I was just way too stressed out trying to do it all. I recommend you try to find a parents group for your state's virtual academy (like on Yahoo) and read as many posts as you can to see what the parents complain about or rave about and see if they are things that you can live with. At this point in our journey, the pros outweigh the cons for me.

[Pamela H in Texas]

We used TXVA for 7th and part of 8th with ds. For the most part, it was great program and I'm glad we did it. There are a few irritating things like TAKS and turning in a couple of assignments each grading period. But it is VERY flexible.

 

Anyway, We homeschooled both kids before that and after that, but I'm glad my son got that opportunity to use it (dd was too old as they didn't have high school back then).

 

OH, just a side note. A friend of mine now uses Connections Academy's program in Texas. She used to do k12 and says CA is much better. There is another program also, but I don't remember the name of it. So there are choices here.

Edited March 25, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[Tap]

and you might want to check into the whole immunization issue, as public school students' records are tracked by the government--not sure that will be required of charter school students, but you should check it out.

 

I just sign the religious waver on the back of the immunization form. My kids are current but I don't want to mess with it. I have never had anyone question the waver.

[HRAAB]

We have used two charter schools: K12 through IDVA and IDEA. If I were to go back to one, it would be IDVA. I very much liked the K12 curriculum. The teachers we had were extremely helpful when I had questions. The biggest negative for me was counting hours. We tend to take unexpected days off or even vacation during the regular school year. It wasn't that you couldn't work around it, I just didn't like dealing with that aspect. The testing didn't bother me, in fact I find it helpful in teaching them. The curriculum is rigorous, and they learned so much.

 

I am thinking about IDVA for my upcoming high school student.

[Ellie]

I just sign the religious waver on the back of the immunization form. My kids are current but I don't want to mess with it. I have never had anyone question the waver.

It's good to know that there is an exemption process available. However, the first thing that bugs me is that you still have to file that exemption with the government, and that information is kept in a database:glare: (besides the fact that you have to request the waiver from the health department and have the darned thing *notarzied,* for goodness' sake); the second thing is that when I went to the state capitol to protest the governor's executive order requiring the Gardasil vaccine I was told by more than one fellow protestor that the exemption had to be filed every two years. Apparently, that was a fairly new requirement.

[Tap]

It's good to know that there is an exemption process available. However, the first thing that bugs me is that you still have to file that exemption with the government, and that information is kept in a database:glare: (besides the fact that you have to request the waiver from the health department and have the darned thing *notarized,* for goodness' sake); the second thing is that when I went to the state capitol to protest the governor's executive order requiring the Gardasil vaccine I was told by more than one fellow protestor that the exemption had to be filed every two years. Apparently, that was a fairly new requirement.

 

 

I guess I assumed there were the same laws state to state. In Washington you just sign the back of the immunization form and send it to the school with all of the registration papers. It is done yearly (just like any school) and doesn't require anything more than that. No notary and it just gets stuck in the students file. It is very, very common here for people to choose this route so it doesn't cause a second glance. I think it is especially common in the home school world.

 

As far as I know the ones who record any data with the state is the provider who administers the vaccination.

[TXMomof4]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

Are the kids fairly independent in their work? We will be using K12 if we do this. I know this sounds terrible, but I just don't want the responsiblity of planning every bit of it on top of being sure it all gets accomplished everyday. I see my kids areas of weakness, but don't feel like I have the *time* to address individual weaknesses for each child AND get the basics accomplished, much less any of the fun stuff.

 

When I think of adding logic, one dd desperately wants to learn Greek, one wants Latin, I've failed at writing so far, plus just the basics I am completely exhausted - and I haven't even started planning yet. If I could push the planning of the basics off on someone else for a while maybe we could get to the fun stuff and be a better mommy too.

 

Or maybe that's just pie in the sky. Thoughts?

[Tap]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

Are the kids fairly independent in their work? We will be using K12 if we do this. I know this sounds terrible, but I just don't want the responsibility of planning every bit of it on top of being sure it all gets accomplished everyday. I see my kids areas of weakness, but don't feel like I have the *time* to address individual weaknesses for each child AND get the basics accomplished, much less any of the fun stuff.

 

When I think of adding logic, one dd desperately wants to learn Greek, one wants Latin, I've failed at writing so far, plus just the basics I am completely exhausted - and I haven't even started planning yet. If I could push the planning of the basics off on someone else for a while maybe we could get to the fun stuff and be a better mommy too.

 

Or maybe that's just pie in the sky. Thoughts?

 

I believe it is completely planned for you. You can move ahead a bit here and there, I think they just don't let you fall behind. It is all drafted for you, you just do the grading, documentation and facilitation of the classes. All the materials are provided. The text books, workbooks, readers, and even the basic art supplies.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm not sure how independent the 8yo will be. The 10yr old probably can be more so though. The k12 program itself schedules out the lessons. If you miss one, it'll push it to the next day and rework the schedule for you. TXVA requires that you get 2-3 percent of each class done per week. Her grade will be based off of how much she actually gets completed. A child can miss 10% of the work over the year and still make an A. The state requires a minimum amount of work per year but if you struggle to get that, you can do "summer school" (basically, you get an extra month). They strongly discourage that, of course. My son has some learning differences and still managed to do all the work except what we opted out of due to religious beliefs (very very little, of course). There is a screen that tells you exactly how far you are. Here is a copy of my son's from a long time ago (Oct 25, 2008):

 

 

Anyway, you'll definitely need to keep up with things such as progress, but also time. What we did for that was to have a giant whiteboard (made) that my son would put the time when he started and stopped each class. Then we transfered it to the time page on the program.

 

It is not completely "here, do this." We did math at the white board. I had to check work. I had to make sure work was getting done appropriately. We had to keep on top of percentages, requiring an extra assignment or two sometimes, even on weekends.

 

On the other hand, just about anything other than playing video games, eating, and watching tv can be counted as school time. Well, actually, if it's an exercise program on the wii or watching a history documentary, those would count also. There are several options per lesson so if a kid needs a little more help, they can do a little more. A kid ready to move on doesn't have to do all that is offered.

 

Okay, I'm just rambling. Basically, there are some requirements for mom. I didn't find k12 less intensive for me, just different. Again, for us, it was a REALLY good thing. I am so glad we did it during that time when our life was just nuts. Also, my son was able to catch up. I knew he was on the cusp of doing so, but it gave him the means to do so. I'm thankful for the opportunity.

[FO4UR]

I looked into the option of free VA through my state and decided against it mainly b/c I *need* to be able to choose what currics to use and what to even cover with my dc. Also, I need to make these decisions based upon the good of my children and not b/c I'm held accountable to a VA teacher...I know for certain that would cause conflict in my case, and probably chest pains too.;)

 

My definition of "flexibility" is very different from those I've met who use VA....

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would expect a lot of involvement especially with younger kids to keep them on track and to instruct. The lesson plans are all laid out, but again I would expect a lot of involvement. K12 does try to promote independence as kids get older, but you would still need to check progress and go over work. I guess it also depends on your kids, but it looks like your oldest is my ds age and he requires a lot of direct instruction and me sitting with him to keep him on task even though he is very smart:)

[Carrie12345]

We've used an online charter (Connections) for ds in 5th grade and dd in kindergarten. My then-5th grader was able to be pretty independent. My kindergartener may as well have been homeschooled.

 

I had a real issue with logging hours (not that I disagree with it in that context, but it was annoying), keeping up with ds's real-time online lectures/classes (and scheduling around them), and I needed to drop the subjects I wanted to do with ds on our own (Latin, Logic and SOTW) b/c I couldn't bring myself to dump more work on him.

 

I think these schools are an INCREDIBLE service for those who want them. They just aren't the right fit for me or my children.

[TXMomof4]

Alright, thanks for your input. I'm going to have to think on this.

 

In some ways it seems like the best of both worlds - good education, no/low cost, kids are at home.

 

At the same time it's the worst of both worlds - kids are home and require me all the time but I don't get to choose what to do with them.

 

Praying this is just a funk and I wake up next week with a bright, fresh, excited, ready to work perspective and the rest of the year flows by on streams of joy! :D (or we can make it through without killing each other)

[Ellie]

I guess I assumed there were the same laws state to state. In Washington you just sign the back of the immunization form and send it to the school with all of the registration papers. It is done yearly (just like any school) and doesn't require anything more than that. No notary and it just gets stuck in the students file. It is very, very common here for people to choose this route so it doesn't cause a second glance. I think it is especially common in the home school world.

 

As far as I know the ones who record any data with the state is the provider who administers the vaccination.

Nope, different laws in every state, just as with most other laws. :-)

 

In California, the health department publishes an immunization form that is used by all schools, public and private (although I don't believe it's mandatory for private schools), and it also has the waiver on the back. As in Washington, those forms are kept in the children's cum files; the state never sees them. Most homeschoolers don't have the form and don't need it, although it is available on-line as a fill-in PDF form; I have recommended that hsers whose dc will be going to school fill it out as it will make school entry a little bit easier.

[TracyR]

We use a VA in PA. LOL. Anyways we use a K12 virtual and there are some things I like about and it and some I could definitely live without. Though in the same breath it makes homeschooling in our state more bearable.

 

The things I like about it is the K12 curriculum. I like the math from grades K-5th. After that I don't care for it at all. The rest of the subjects are excellent and very strong. Your child will get a great education with K12. Music though is a little , eh, but that's okay. Math, reading, history, science and art are excellent.

I've enjoyed the literature selections they have as well.

 

The things I don't care for is the Scantron testing ( state test preparation) it cuts into quite a bit of learning time. The emphasis on the state testing. They have monthly assignments in which have to be turned in but I'm not having a good go with it because it wasn't very organized for us this year. I could live without this stuff any day of the week. On top of that they have to do Study Island, which is more test prep. So my girls are just so tested out and they haven't even gotten to do the state testing yet.

 

Virtual schools aren't for everyone. I don't see the need to do them if your in a homeschool friendly state though. Of course some use them to start out homeschooling to get their feet wet, because finances are tight and they want to use a boxed curriculum,etc. etc. So only you know your reasons.

Each state virtual varies. Some are better than others. Just as Connections Academy in our state is terrible but it maynot be in another state. Same for K12 schools. We've had a good experience with our cyber. Just I'm sick of teaching my children to the test, plus doing K12. I would definitely use K12 on my own if I had the money though.