Is K-12 Online worth it for HS math?

[Suzannah]

I know this question has been asked and answered many times, but somehow searching for "K12" and "K-12" isn't giving me useful results. A number of years ago I remember K-12 online being launched and then a short while later, developing a somewhat negative opinion of it. However, I don't recall now what my hang-up was. Price comes to mind as an obvious issue, but I cannot recall what people have said about the quality and convenience of it.

 

I've never really been comfortable teaching math and unfortunately, DS seems to have a brain wired like mine is in that area. We are considering an online course for high school math within the next year or two (so that would be Algebra 2 &/or Geometry.) DH and I haven't discussed online options much and yesterday he came home beaming about some great thing called "K-12 Online." I told him I was aware of it and had a slight preference toward The Potter's School or Veritas, but upon reflection, I'm not really sure why that is. Maybe it was more for content-type classes? Maybe it was just that when I first learned of K-12, years ago, the idea of spending $400 on any elementary student class sounded absolutely ridiculous to me.

 

So I guess this is really a two part question. Is K-12 worth it, since DH is uncharacteristically excited about it? And would one of the many other online options be better?

 

Thanks!:seeya:

Edited August 9, 2011 by Suzannah

[Suzannah]

:lurk5:

[Suzannah]

Hmm, maybe my title isn't catchy enough. Any opinions at all on K-12 Online? I know I've seen it discussed on here before.

[ks-sunflower]

I've used K12 math elementary and middle school. I think in high school, the course is supervised by a teacher, whereas at the middle and elementary levels, it could be purchased independently without the teacher supervision. I liked the texts that were used and the lessons were well-organized and thorough. There really wasn't much on-line in terms of course content. The on-line portion was mostly lesson plans and tracking. You might find out what texts are used since that is an important component for a student working on their own even with teacher supervision. You also might find out what "student help" resources are available and how closely the k12 teacher works with the student.

[Suzannah]

Thank you for your response. In the early years I assumed we would have done some online classes by now. But to date I've never felt like the benefit was worth the cost. I guess I'm just not sure what questions to ask about it.

[swimmermom3]

We used Keystone for Geometry and K12 for a 400 level English course. K12 is far more customer service oriented in our experience. The teacher calls, introduces herself, and really stays in contact with the student. From Keystone, you receive an email introduction and there is no further contact unless the student initiates it. Since the Keystone course was my dd's first online class, she had a difficult time asking for help from someone she had no experience with. I guess my feeling is that if you are paying almost $800 for a credit, you had better get some personal service and K12 delivers that. My dd thought the content was very good and enjoyed the challenge. What is helpful with K12 courses is that you can choose your level: core, comprehensive, Honors or AP. At our local high school, my dd's choices would have been AP or "Bonehead," which really isn't much of a choice. So I can't answer about the math in particular, but I can tell you that our experience with K12 was very good.

[homeschooler2003]

I have used K12 for years and just love it. The teachers books and student books are laid out well and easy to understand. However, a few years ago we switched to Teaching textbooks and really like using TT better. K12 is a great curriculum and I feel it is (most of the time) worth the cost. Especially if I can not teach it myself.

 

This year I am looking for a less expensive way to teach my kids though.

 

Good luck!