PA Homeschoolers vs. Veritas Press Scholars Academy

[Guest karemakilah]

Hi everyone,

My oldest is 13 and in the 8th grade. He and his 5 sib's have always been home schooled. He has attended a rigorous home school tutorial for the past 3 years with studies including Latin, logic, Omnibus, Apologia sciences, IEW, Analytical Grammar and more.

 

I'm trying to navigate the waters of high school, AP courses, SAT prep, NCAA eligibility, transcripts etc. I'm very familiar with VPSA, as I call them weekly. (Darren, the young man who ALWAYS takes my call, is on speed dial.) I know my son can enroll, take the required # of online classes, mail in the other non online course work and earn a diploma. I also read this statement from the VPSA site:" Our courses by design do not follow the College Board curriculum for AP courses." VPSA suggests the student also take an AP test prep class.

 

After recently moving to the York area of PA, I discovered PA homeschoolers in my web travels. Perhaps my sleep deprived brain misread their home page, but they stated they offer AP test prep classes. I thought they were different from an AP course. No?

 

Bottome line: If VPSA is saying he needs to take their courses AND enroll in a test prep class, it sounds like the courses aren't enough. However if PA homeschoolers ARE indeed offering AP courses, which is recognized by The College Board, and not just test prep classes (in my mind I hear "teach you how to take this test, but not help you learn the material) then they sound like the better bargain. Plus I noticed that he can earn a diploma through PHAA.

 

Any help would be much obliged!! :sad:

 

Karemakilah

I'm way too tired to list all the kids and all they do... we home school and that's all folks:leaving:

[angela in ohio]

I don't think it's that VP's courses aren't enough, just that they have other objectives than the AP test. AP courses weren't designed with Classical Christian education in mind, iykwim.

 

PA homeschoolers courses - haven't used them yet, but we are registering for Chem and Statistics for next year - are AP courses recognized by the CollegeBoard, so they teach the material for the AP test.

 

We are doing history and literature with Omnibus and WTM, so my dd isn't taking a standard AP course. I plan to have her work through an AP prep book for some areas, though, just to pick up the things we may not have covered, and take them.

[Gwen in VA]

You might try to find out if there is some way for you to talk with someone who has taken the VP class and then done the AP exam. Was the class enough and the prep book was just a nice fill-in-the-small-gaps thing, or is the warning about the courses not being AP a REAL warning?

 

I strongly recommend the PA Homeschoolers AP classes. My kids have taken a total of 11 AP classes through PAH, and every class has done a great job both teaching the material and preparing the students for the AP test. The classes are more than "test prep" classes because the AP syllabi are broad. A class that does a good job preparing a student for the AP exam will have been a worthwhile class that covers the subject material well.

[Leonor]

I strongly recommend the PA Homeschoolers AP classes. .. class has done a great job both teaching the material and preparing the students for the AP test. The classes are more than "test prep" classes because the AP syllabi are broad. A class that does a good job preparing a student for the AP exam will have been a worthwhile class that covers the subject material well.

 

:iagree:They don't just teach to the test. The overall learning experience was truly outstanding. That is the feedback from every student I have known who has taken any of those classes. My ds's experience in APUSH with Susan Richman was so much more than the AP test. At the same time, their performance on the AP tests has been excellent.

[Kathy in Richmond]

:iagree:They don't just teach to the test. The overall learning experience was truly outstanding. That is the feedback from every student I have known who has taken any of those classes. My ds's experience in APUSH with Susan Richman was so much more than the AP test. At the same time, their performance on the AP tests has been excellent.

 

Not to be redundant here, but :iagree:... My kids learned an amazing amount in their English Language, Statistics, and Comp Science classes. They were extremely well-prepared for the exams, but exam prep was only a small component of those courses.

[Guest karemakilah]

Thanks everyone for your wise remarks. At first I was VPSA all the way. I use a lot of VP with my younger ones and thought it would be a good fit. But PAH is cheaper, does the job of teaching the material, WHICH will prepare for the exam, and the kids can be awarded a diploma through their PHAA program.

 

Just when you think you have it all laid out, you get thrown a curve ball to send you back to the drawing board.

 

One other quick question: Is it wise to take an AP course in a subject you think your student might do well in? And maybe take a "regular" class in those tougher subjects where they might struggle?

 

karemakilah

[Kathy in Richmond]

One other quick question: Is it wise to take an AP course in a subject you think your student might do well in? And maybe take a "regular" class in those tougher subjects where they might struggle?

karemakilah

 

When my kids first attempted APs, they began with classes in their strongest & favorite subjects. Over the high school years, they did branch out into some of their less favorite areas (but not all!). In our homeschool, for example, history classes were never AP.