McLinda Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Help! I am looking for a rigorous program that will meet the needs of my extremely bright daughter. She is currently in the 8th grade and I am researching for next year. Has anybody tried K12 AP and Honors courses? Laurel Springs Gifted and Talented? Pennsylvania Homeschoolers? Patrick Henry? Scholars Online? Veritas? Please give me some feedback. :bigear: Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 You might x-post this on the high school forum. Not many of the posters on this forum have high school age kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy G Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I doubt k12 would be enough for a gifted high school child. Have you thought about PSEO? What are the options in your state? I think most on the board here with high school children are looking at college classes. There are sometimes ways to make college classes work even if your state doesn't allow PSEO until later. My 8th grader is taking some college credits through the high school and then homeschools the rest. If you desire online, look at gifted learning links from Northwestern, CTY Johns Hopkins or EPGY from Stanford. If you search the forum here you will find opinions on those programs. I have never used any program that you mentioned. I wanted to use K12 and looked into it, but found it lacking depth in the areas I needed. Try the high school board, but if you believe you child is truly grade levels ahead you may not get the advice you need. Good Luck! Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 You might x-post this on the high school forum. Not many of the posters on this forum have high school age kids. :iagree:My oldest is in 8th grade now. We are homeschooling full time now, but thinking about using Pennsylvania Homeschoolers for at least one class next year. I've heard very good things about Pennsylvania Homeschoolers both from friends IRL and online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Help! I am looking for a rigorous program that will meet the needs of my extremely bright daughter. She is currently in the 8th grade and I am researching for next year. Has anybody tried K12 AP and Honors courses? Laurel Springs Gifted and Talented? Pennsylvania Homeschoolers? Patrick Henry? Scholars Online? Veritas? Please give me some feedback.:bigear: Thank you! We have had mixed experiences w/online courses. SO is one that I will never use again and definitely do not recommend. We didn't have back some grades from the 1st semester until AFTER the final exam. :tongue_smilie: PAH's AP chem class through ChemAdvantage was absolutely fabulous while the AP psy course was a flop. I have heard lots of negative feedback about Patrick Henry. Ones that you didn't mention that I do recommend are Great Books Academy (their grading service didn't offer much feedback, but the Socratic discussions, homework, and reading selections were good) and AoPS online (our ds used their cal course instead of an AP course and had no difficulty making a 5 on the BC exam and he currently has a 100 avg in his university multi-variable course) For the most part, however, I design my kids coursework w/their input and we do our own thing. My current 11th grader, for example, wants to major in physics/astrophysics and he took homemade astronomy courses using college textbooks accompanied by their online supplements in 9th and 10th and this yr he is taking cal-physics at the local university as well as an independent dark matter study that he designed himself. Another vital part of his education that he looks forward to all yr long are academic summer camps (nothing like being around other academic kids that share your passions!) He actually did a dark matter research project at his camp this past summer and it only fed his love for astronomy and physics even more. But, when it comes math and science, eventually I need access to a university that will allow younger kids to enroll. Our community college experience has been that the courses are incredibly light, and even so, the vast majority of the class still struggles. For high academic achievers, most CC courses are not going to serve their needs. (we have had a few CC courses that have surprised us by being excellent. One was an art history class that taught with college level expectations vs. being dumbed down.) Even the math and science at our local university (which is a good school) are not challenging our ds this yr (can't imagine what the experience would be at the CC) Coursera and other opencourseware options are good sources for at home study. (just be aware that no college credit will be given for them. Many schools won't give college credit for lots of the even "for credit" options anyway.) I have an 8th grade dd that is the opposite of her accelerated older siblings b/c she is gifted across the board and loves literature and languages whereas her older brothers were definitely skewed toward just science/math. Next yr for high school we will probably be switching approaches to private tutors (both IRL and via Skype) for French and Russian and perhaps an online Latin course (I have heard good reviews for several Latin courses) She will probably self-study for the AP English exams sometime during high school. HTH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I have graduated two bright/gifted/accelerated/out-of-the box kids. My experience may not help you, though, as I never used any prepackaged programs because I always felt they were too closed -- the questions and assignments were never interesting, never as insightful as the questions and ideas my kids came up with. Instead I followed the WTM -- have you read the rhetoric stage section? It outlines the kind of coursework that can easily meet the needs of gifted teens. For 9th and 10th I designed my own courses that combined history and literature, and I used AP text books for science. The DVD courses from the Teaching Company helped flesh out all that coursework as did all kinds of material I found on the internet. My kids did short research assignments and wrote about an essay a week on literature, history or science. The essay topics came up through our discussions, the research topics were either my idea or theirs. By 10th grade my kids were taking math, science and foreign language at the local community college. Some people don't have access to community colleges, and if that is the case perhaps there will be recommendations on the high school board for on-line or other courses. I know a middle schooler who is thriving with EPGY -- does it go through high school? Internships can be another way to meet the intellectual needs of a bright teen. Both my boys worked with mentors who taught them skills while including them in a professional work environment. I had them document their work and write about it some meaningful way and included it on their transcript as "career exploration" or some such title. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I know a middle schooler who is thriving with EPGY -- does it go through high school? EPGY has its own Online High School. It is one of the options we are keeping in mind, though we may wind up in the limbo area financially where we don't qualify for their financial aid but still can't easily afford $14k/yr. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Another vital part of his education that he looks forward to all yr long are academic summer camps (nothing like being around other academic kids that share your passions!) He actually did a dark matter research project at his camp this past summer and it only fed his love for astronomy and physics even more. HTH Small hijack - which camps do you recommend? My son did a nanotech. camp at GA Tech which was fabulous. He would love to do tons more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Small hijack - which camps do you recommend? My son did a nanotech. camp at GA Tech which was fabulous. He would love to do tons more. I recommend searching through lists like on Cogito. There are some fabulous opportunities out there. Also, some are extremely competitive and have very early application dates (think opening application dates in Dec). This is the time of yr to narrow your choices and know when the applications open and what the application entails so that you are prepared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 (edited) what are you looking for? books the child can read and learn from, or programs that provide instruction, say online or in class, or programs that provide "credits" and/or diplomas? I can recommend all kinds of written materials in math for the child to read, but they come without "credit" or degrees, and often without instructors, although something could be arranged here in an advisory form. and what level is the child at now? I have often suggested the algebra book by euler, free online and superior to anything else available at any price to my knowledge. http://archive.org/details/elementsalgebra00lagrgoog although this book begins at the absolute beginning, it proceeds to material most undergraduate and many graduate students do not know. Indeed there is stuff there i still do not know, with a PhD from 1977 in math. Euclid is also superb for geometry. http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/euclid/Elements.pdf here are my notes for the first part of euclid: http://www.math.uga.edu/~roy/camp2011/10.pdf If the child is strong in algebra and geometry, and ready for calculus, there are hundreds of possible sources, depending on the level desired, many free ones online at every level, from beginning to ridiculously advanced elite harvard level honors. one of my all time favorites "calculus made easy" by silvanus p. thompson: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33283/33283-pdf.pdf khan academy: http://www.khanacademy.org/math/calculus a beginning course from MIT: http://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-18-001-calculus-online-textbook-spring-2005/textbook/MITRES_18_001_strang_1114.pdf more or less as a joke, here is a ludicrously advanced text from harvard's "most difficult course in the US" challenging even for the most brilliant math majors there: http://www.math.harvard.edu/~shlomo/docs/Advanced_Calculus.pdf there is no shortage of teachers and materials at this level, only a shortage of students. good summer programs include, duke's TIP, http://www.tip.duke.edu/ mathpath, http://www.mathpath.org/ the Boston University Promys program http://www.promys.org/ and where are you located. here in the atlanta area, both georgia tech and univ of georgia in athens allow qualified high school students to enroll. i have had a high school student in a graduate math course at UGA, and he was one of the very best in class. Edited October 8, 2012 by mathwonk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Thank you, 8 Fill the Heart. Great info on this whole thread. :) Mathwonk - really enjoying your notes on Euclid. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 EPGY has its own Online High School. It is one of the options we are keeping in mind, though we may wind up in the limbo area financially where we don't qualify for their financial aid but still can't easily afford $14k/yr. :( Stanford online high school is highly competitive in a global way. Your smart kid is competing with very smart kids from Hong Kong, South Korea, and else where for a limited number of slots. Test scores, summer classes (math or science), leadership, etc. are needed if you consider applying. The application is 26 pages long with multiple essays, letters of recommendation, and sample work. This is not an option to consider at the last moment with the thought that just because you think your kids is bright and gifted that everyone else will view your child in that light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Stanford online high school is highly competitive in a global way. Your smart kid is competing with very smart kids from Hong Kong, South Korea, and else where for a limited number of slots. Test scores, summer classes (math or science), leadership, etc. are needed if you consider applying. The application is 26 pages long with multiple essays, letters of recommendation, and sample work. This is not an option to consider at the last moment with the thought that just because you think your kids is bright and gifted that everyone else will view your child in that light. My kid is a DYS, so I'm confident that she is in the range to be competitive for EPGY OHS. But thank you so kindly for your oh-so-patronizing concern for her welfare....:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My kid is a DYS, so I'm confident that she is in the range to be competitive for EPGY OHS. But thank you so kindly for your oh-so-patronizing concern for her welfare....:rolleyes: What is DYS? Not patronizing, just truthful. Bad day?:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jade Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I would definitely look into one of the gifted options, as someone else mentioned, through Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins. There are lots of online courses. They are expensive, but they might be appropriately challenging. Also, kids can enroll in college courses, too. They can do this online or in community colleges. Kids at some of the public high schools in our town take classes at the university in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 In addition to these suggestions, I'd also check the high school board for rigourous curricula and out of the box suggestions & posts there. In the end, that's were we found some of the best fits for us, although we did use the AL board/forum (depending on when it was) as well. Some parents of gifted dc stop coming here when their dc are in high school. Also, there are some parents who use great things that have never come here. eg For math, we found some textbooks & other books that worked well, and I wouldn't do that out-of-the-box. Gelfand's Algebra is a book I first learned about on the old AL forum, and am happy to own it. I learned about the Dolciani Structure & Method books for Algebra (best years are from 1965-1975) on the high school forum. We do almost nothing online as I prefer hard copies of things and my dc get too cranky if they spend too much time in front of a computer or TV. There other great math books (AoPS is one, but my mathy one wasn't interested in them & by that age my dc get some say in what I choose). However, I found with one of mine that she totally lost interested in being ahead or much challenging material (outside of math) for about 5-6 years during puberty. Not that I didn't give it to her anyway, but she dragged her feet. She's been moving back into being willing to invest the time over the past year or so and is applying to honours colleges now because she's tired of being bored. For fun reading, she has only moved to adult fiction in the past year (and this kid was reading at a college level years & years ago) because she's young for her age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) Stanford online high school is highly competitive in a global way. Your smart kid is competing with very smart kids from Hong Kong, South Korea, and else where for a limited number of slots. Test scores, summer classes (math or science), leadership, etc. are needed if you consider applying. The application is 26 pages long with multiple essays, letters of recommendation, and sample work. This is not an option to consider at the last moment with the thought that just because you think your kids is bright and gifted that everyone else will view your child in that light. What is DYS?Not patronizing, just truthful. Bad day?:confused: DYS is the Davidson Young Scholars program, which seeks to identify and support "profoundly gifted" children. I think some nuance is lost in these thread posts -- and CrimsonWife's oldest child is in the 5th grade, so EPGY high school isn't likely to be a case of last-minute whimsy -- though if she's planning a '13/'14 application I may be wrong! I think that if I were to evoke a response that my [insanely academically competitive and rigorous] plans for Button probably are a case of me just thinking he's bright & terrific & assuming everybody else will agree, I might be cranky at that assumption -- that I am more likely to be a flighty mama of a clever child than a very well-educated and realistic mother of a child with aptitudes at the globally-competitive level; and that I haven't looked at the application packet, to boot. Now to be fair I myself haven't looked at Stanford's EPGY application. But I do have the Stanford and OxBridge college applications ... at any rate, your comment could be read like that; though probably that's not how it was intended -- I myself have written an amazing number of posts that inadvertantly offended! I think your comments, WildIris, were aimed at the OP who is looking for options for next year and also at Thread-Readers at Large: you were expanding on the mention of EPGY and letting everybody know that considering Stanford Online is a serious undertaking. That's not the least bit patronizing and is useful. Certainly I hadn't known how competitive it is b/c we haven't spent any time looking at high school options yet. :grouphug: all around. And tea. Or wine. And I had an offer of valium but that might be taken the wrong way -- good chocolate? Edited October 12, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLinda Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Thank you, everyone! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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