Merry Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I am getting tired of planning our lessons and making schedules, etc. I used 6th grade Calvert in 2002, I think. I'm sure there have been some changes since. So are you happy with it so far? Any regrets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 We used Calvert in 2006 for 3rd and 7th and loved it. I found it was a true open and go curriculum. As for the changes you mention I am not sure since we dd not try Calvert prior to 2006. I did not find anything that was bothersome, from the teacher guides to the student work it was all put together perfectly. The only reason we never used Calvert again was lack of funds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 We just had to spend a fortune on our car so there goes our Calvert money:( Thanks for your feedback. I'll just keep doing what I am doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 To piggy back off this - if Calvert 6 were provided by your state as a public charter option would you use it? It is provided here as an option. It's free, it provides the exact same curriculum and guides as the private Calvert... but there *is* state oversight and that makes me hesitate :glare:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I hear ya. I would have used it this year for my 5th and 3rd graders and lack of funds was the only reason I didn't. I really liked having everything in one place, the peace of mind knowing it was complete, and the high quality materials. On the other hand, I also am glad too, because Calvert had a lot if busy work, the Grammar was totally ineffective, and the literature was good but the "literature study" was a total joke. And the Science kit hardly got used because the experiments hardly ever were mentioned in the TM. So I trust God and His plan. I found an even better option- an umbrella school with an extremely attentive and experienced homeschool mom and former educator as the advisor, with a large staff and plans in place should she have to quit (this was a big issue for me as two of the umbrella schools I had been eyeing totally vanished from the earth), as well as college Counselling. She has made me feel much more confident to navigate middle and high school without forgetting anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 No. I would not try the Public Charter. My freedom is worth more to me than convenience. And anyway, the public charter is anything but convenient! I homeschooled my nephew for a week using Connections Academy and it was and is a nightmare for my sister. There is so much red tape with virtual charters that regular homeschoolers don't have. It's so complicated and the tiny details needed for certain things drive her insane. Paperwork, daily submission of attendance, daily submission of checkpoints )and yes Calvert has daily checkpoints but you skip them if you are on your own), weird ways that you have to format papers, weird ways that you have to use a virtual online screen to type in certain math problems, emails constantly from teachers about state assessments that students must sign in and take, and on and on and on. After that week with Connections I was reminded how much I value the freedom To homeschool my own way!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) Well, we are about to start their grade 3 package (without the math) and we are excited. I did not post before because you were asking about the grade 6 package. Calvert seems to have changed quite a bit since we used their PK program when my oldest was 4. Mind you we only ever used their PK program :tongue_smilie:! It has taken a load off my mind, knowing that I have the guides. We have owned HST+ for years now and only now was I able to start using it. Before that, I was always busy planning. They changed their science books (at least the grade 3 one that I know of) and they now offer science kits with the items that might be a bit more difficult to find. They are also getting rid of their math and switching to Math in Focus. They have only switched up to grade 2 so far but will be switching all their grades next year. Since we were switching to Math in Focus from SM already, I asked so that I could decide what to do next year, should we decide to go with Calvert again. While we were waiting for our package, my son had the opportunity to use their online materials and is really excited to be doing Calvert again. We have been using their Discoveries in Music over the years and my oldest has always loved the Calvert song. It made him feel part of a community :). Another thing I really like is that they have incorporated videos and BrainPop activities within their curriculum, accessible through the online teacher's guides. This takes care of another task for me :). Since I have a very busy 3 1/2 year old, there was so much I could no longer keep up with to the level that I would have liked! Anyway, we will see how it goes this year, but for now, I am really happy with my decision to go with Calvert this year. Sorry things did not work out for you :(! Edited November 1, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I wonder what they will switch the middle grades (6-8) math to. MIF only goes up to grade 5. Well, we are about to start their grade 3 package (without the math) and we are excited. I did not post before because you were asking about the grade 6 package. Calvert seems to have changed quite a bit since we used their PK program when my oldest was 4. Mind you we only ever used their PK program :tongue_smilie:! It has taken a load off my mind, knowing that I have the guides. We have owned HST+ for years now and only now was I able to start using it. Before that, I was always busy planning. They changed their science books (at least the grade 3 one that I know of) and they now offer science kits with the items that might be a bit more difficult to find. They are also getting rid of their math and switching to Math in Focus. They have only switched up to grade 2 so far but will be switching all their grades next year. Since we were switching to Math in Focus from SM already, I asked so that I could decide what to do next year, should we decide to go with Calvert again. While we were waiting for our package, my son had the opportunity to use their online materials and is really excited to be doing Calvert again. We have been using their Discoveries in Music over the years and my oldest has always loved the Calvert song. It made him feel part of a community :). Another thing I really like is that they have incorporated videos and BrainPop activities within their curriculum, accessible through the online teacher's guides. This takes care of another task for me :). Since I have a very busy 3 1/2 year old, there was so much I could no longer keep up with to the level that I would have liked! Anyway, we will see how it goes this year, but for now, I am really happy with my decision to go with Calvert this year. Sorry things did not work out for you :(! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I would look very closely. A lot of the "original" Calvert texts that I loved so much have been replaced with more standard public school textbooks (I can only surmise it's to fall better in line with various state requirements for charter schools). I think it's an incredible loss... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I wonder what they will switch the middle grades (6-8) math to. MIF only goes up to grade 5. Not anymore :D: http://www.greatsource.com/mathinfocus/math-in-focus-singapore_math_approach.html I had seen that they were working on grades 7 and 8 and it looks like they are now out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I would look very closely. A lot of the "original" Calvert texts that I loved so much have been replaced with more standard public school textbooks (I can only surmise it's to fall better in line with various state requirements for charter schools). I think it's an incredible loss... Since we have not used Calvert other than in PK, I can't say that I know which texts you mean. However, I do remember people complaining about the science programs back then when we were using Calvert, saying that they were very outdated, and they are currently using (at least in the grade 3 package that we have), MacMillan/McGraw-Hill for science and Houghton Mifflin for reading, which I personally am ok with. I can see that others might not be though :)! Math in Focus is also a Houghton Mifflin program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) Calvert is still a solid program but it's not what it used to be. If you really want to see how their drive for money (ala selling to public charters) has changed and hurt their program, check out the Way Back Machine. For example, the 2nd grade used to use the Beatrix Potter series as the baseline for all of its literature. The 2nd grade used dictation for much or all of its writing. The 2nd grade also actually studied, read, and discussed the Poetry book. Now, the 2nd grade uses Mc Graw Hill's writing and reading lessons which are boring, ridiculous worksheets. THe Beatrix Potter guide is gone. The Calvert dictation was taken out and now, dictation is tacked onto the Spelling program (which is still better than none!) and uses inane public school sentences rather than beautiful children's literature. In all the grades, half of the poetry books aren't even used. They pick out only about 8 poems the whole year and say only "Your student may enjoy reading such and such poem." No discussion, nothing....... Those are just some examples from one level of the curriculum. I was so disappointed, I send 2nd grade back for a refund. I called and asked why they changed their wonderful program and she answered, "TO be totally honest, in order to sell it to the charters we have to match public school standards and expectations." {Other years are more true to the original, such as the 4th grade. But they've all changed.} At least they are honest over there! The 8th grade took out several of the old literature books such as Treasure Island and replaced them with much lower quality, PC books, such as True COnfessions of Charlotte Doyle and left wing novels such as Steinbeck's THe Pearl. These changes were already in the making when I started homeschooling, but when their headmaster of 20 years retired, and the new headmaster signed on, the changes were lightening speed. Within one year they were marketing to public charter schools, and changing the curriculum to match. I still think it's a great program, and I'd be willing (and even in some ways desiring) to try another year, but this is just an example of why homeschoolers who have been around for 15 or even 20 years are bummed out about the direction that Calvert has taken. The Wayback machine can really show you how it changed. It's quite interesting. Edited November 1, 2012 by Calming Tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) If you really want to see how their drive for money (ala selling to public charters) has changed and hurt their program, check out the Way Back Machine. Would you mind providing a link for this? I would really like to read it. I have no idea what the Way Back Machine is and did not find anything Googling. I also think it is only fair to say that survival may play an important part also, during these difficult economic times. The costs are high and I doubt they are making enough to stay afloat from just the homeschoolers. At least for their homeschool portion, which was what Virgil Hillyer revolutionized, making education accessible to the homeschool community. http://homeschool.calvertschool.org/section-test/7-intaboutcalvert/265-hillyers-vision Just to clarify, I have nothing to gain by posting about this and my siggie will show that I also use other materials in certain areas. The truth for me is, I don't know if I will continue with Calvert. I intent to take it one year at a time. I took months looking over the curriculum through their catalog, checking preview pages etc. I loved the fact that they republished Smilling Hill Farm. That was one book I really wanted for my oldest. I know it is a book that will really appeal to him. I also really liked the other book they have republished, Tales from Far and Near/ Tales from Long Ago. Over time I have come to realize that my son learns well using books that are highly visual. He also does really well with texts, as they usually have the type of structure that works well for us. Singapore Math came out with their Standards edition in order to sell to the school system! This does not mean that they lowered their standards in order to do that! In any case, for us, this decision at this time was the best choice. I am still happy with my decision :). Edited November 1, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 K12 is much better, if you want that Public School-ishness. Well, you see, decisions like this have a lot to do with what each family is looking for and what works well for them. It's a personal decision and we each have our own reasons for making these decisions. I took one look at K12 and knew it was not the way I wanted to go. I respect the fact that it works well for others, though ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 http://web.archive.org/web/19990208003648/http://calvertschool.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 http://web.archive.org/web/19990208003648/http://calvertschool.org/ Thank you :)! I did get some links to Archive.org but was not getting this one. I was not sure if I was in the right place! On another note, when I was looking at Calvert it was your old posts that gave me some points to consider while looking at Calvert again. It wasn't the deciding factor of course, but you gave me some things to look into :). ETA: Off to check the link out :auto:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Yeah, I mean I honestly like Calvert. Would I have liked it more in 1999? Yes, but I didn't have kids then!! Lol!!! The Ed counsellors are awesome too. Very helpful, super friendly and they really do have great ideas. I was only trying to explain anbeyej's comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Yeah, I mean I honestly like Calvert. Would I have liked it more in 1999? Yes, but I didn't have kids then!! Lol!!! The Ed counsellors are awesome too. Very helpful, super friendly and they really do have great ideas. I was only trying to explain anbeyej's comment. I am actually grateful for the points you brought up about the grade 2 package. It is definitely something I will look into. I have considered Calvert for my youngest also but I am uncertain, if we do continue, if I will use the K-2 or just bring him on board in grade 3. I love the idea of the Beatrix Potter guide (it is in the grade 2 enrichment options by the way :)) but my reality is that my kids seem to do better with visual and highly structured resources. My classical dream has been crumbling this past year. I own three of the TOG year plans (DE) and don't know if I will ever get to use them. I will most definitely have to do some heavy tweaking if I do. So many things to consider! No program will ever be perfect. I have faced that by now! I think I am at the stage where I want whatever needs less tweaking. I am all tweaked out at this point :tongue_smilie:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I am actually grateful for the points you brought up about the grade 2 package. It is definitely something I will look into. I have considered Calvert for my youngest also but I am uncertain, if we do continue, if I will use the K-2 or just bring him on board in grade 3. I love the idea of the Beatrix Potter guide (it is in the grade 2 enrichment options by the way :)) but my reality is that my kids seem to do better with visual and highly structured resources. My classical dream has been crumbling this past year. I own three of the TOG year plans (DE) and don't know if I will ever get to use them. I will most definitely have to do some heavy tweaking if I do. So many things to consider! No program will ever be perfect. I have faced that by now! I think I am at the stage where I want whatever needs less tweaking. I am all tweaked out at this point :tongue_smilie:! You know, I can totally commiserate. My daughter, as much as I would love for her to *want* and thrive in the classical model, it isn't for her. She enjoys textbooks and has never met a lit based content subject she retained jack from. It's the simple truth. It took me a while to be okay with it, but I'm inching towards that. My husband finally put it into perspective for me - he didn't use asian math or have lit based, interest led science instruction... but he loves and excels in mathematics and has several degrees in science; what's more, he is passionate about those subjects *even though* he was educated by the standard, old school scholastic Catholic schools model. This came after my daughter's frustration with Math Mammoth; it's our second attempt with it and I love it!!!! She doesn't. She wants a textbook for math. She isn't interested in the wonderful *real* books I bought her for science... horrible sciences, The Way Things Work, George and the Big Bang... she's confused why I keep pushing these at her when she did well with (and enjoyed!) learning from textbooks. I lean towards Calvert. I don't think I would use the state provided charter Calvert (I can't stomach the state oversight), but I'm leaning towards using it privately if we continue on homeschooling next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) You know, I can totally commiserate.My daughter, as much as I would love for her to *want* and thrive in the classical model, it isn't for her. She enjoys textbooks and has never met a lit based content subject she retained jack from. It's the simple truth. It took me a while to be okay with it, but I'm inching towards that. My husband finally put it into perspective for me - he didn't use asian math or have lit based, interest led science instruction... but he loves and excels in mathematics and has several degrees in science; what's more, he is passionate about those subjects *even though* he was educated by the standard, old school scholastic Catholic schools model. This came after my daughter's frustration with Math Mammoth; it's our second attempt with it and I love it!!!! She doesn't. She wants a textbook for math. She isn't interested in the wonderful *real* books I bought her for science... horrible sciences, The Way Things Work, George and the Big Bang... she's confused why I keep pushing these at her when she did well with (and enjoyed!) learning from textbooks. I lean towards Calvert. I don't think I would use the state provided charter Calvert (I can't stomach the state oversight), but I'm leaning towards using it privately if we continue on homeschooling next year. I hear yah! I have tried in so many different ways to make the materials we have used, work for us, and my son has retained what he has retained mostly because of it. Some of the materials worked great, others needed major tweaking. However, I have another child also, and I no longer have the time to dedicate there. My little guy needs my attention also. I already have to juggle instruction time! My time for finding ways to make things more visual is much more limited now. We have other things that we are dealing with here also, so there isn't much free time left in a day. I don't even bother worrying about finding time for me! One thing I like about Calvert is that it has a classical aspect to it, they have added texts in the areas I want, and have even included a computer based learning component. Then there is the addition of links to videos (free access to BrainPop, BrainPop Jr. and Discovery Streaming) and activities across the curriculum, and it just seems like they have a good balance for my situation and the way my family learns best. This was the deciding factor for me! Also, I have purchased Houghton Mifflin products and I am happy with the materials, so the fact that they use Houghton Mifflin was a positive for me. It's because we do intend to continue homeschooling that I have to find what works best for us :)! Edited November 2, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 http://web.archive.org/web/19990208003648/http://calvertschool.org/ My little guy has been sick the past couple of days and I didn't get the chance to check out the link until now. Nothing was opening for me though :( :confused:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 On the other hand, I also am glad too, because Calvert had a lot if busy work, the Grammar was totally ineffective, and the literature was good but the "literature study" was a total joke. And the Science kit hardly got used because the experiments hardly ever were mentioned in the TM. I found the literature study in grade 7(maybe it was 6) to be excellent. It discussed the books in such a way that made my 'hate to read' son see books in a different light. He learned literature vocabulary and poetry also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I found the literature study in grade 7(maybe it was 6) to be excellent. It discussed the books in such a way that made my 'hate to read' son see books in a different light. He learned literature vocabulary and poetry also. This is good to hear! Thank you for sharing :)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) I found the literature study in grade 7(maybe it was 6) to be excellent. It discussed the books in such a way that made my 'hate to read' son see books in a different light. He learned literature vocabulary and poetry also. And the million dollar question is, when did you use grade 7? Because I used grade 4 in 2011 and the kit study was a total disappointment. Perhaps it gets more in depth as they get older. Edited November 2, 2012 by Calming Tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 And the million dollar question is, when did you use grade 7? Because I used grade 4 in 2011 and the kit study was a total disappointment. Perhaps it gets more in depth as they get older. I'm not Down the Rabbit Hole, but judging by her siggie it would have been 3-4 years ago. Coming to the grade 4 kit, I think I have seen your comments before as it being just some basic questions. I was just thinking though, isn't this consistent with Sonlight and TOG at this stage/ age? Or was there more to it that added to you feeling this way? I am genuinely interested since, if we continue with Calvert, we would be doing that package next year. On another note, has anyone used the Little House guides or the Discoveries in Reading kits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) I don't think I would use the state provided charter Calvert (I can't stomach the state oversight), but I'm leaning towards using it privately if we continue on homeschooling next year. I have been looking to find something online about all these changes that Calvert has made over the years and have sadly come up with nothing. Anyway, I just came across this lady's blog who seems to have been using Calvert through a charter for years now and thought you might be interested in reading it, since you did not get input from someone going that route :): http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2010/07/pac-man-loves-3rd-grade/ The specific link is from a couple of years back, when her child was using the grade 3 package that we are currently using. She is still using Calvert if you look at her more recent posts. We are in Canada so I can't say what I would do in this case, however, our situation is somewhat similar. We have the option in our province to either register as homeschoolers (no funding) or enroll (we get funding). We have enrolled and got all our Calvert materials paid for (we paid for our other resources out of pocket like math, WWE, FLL, and other resources that we are using that are not shown in my siggie). We have to report on a weekly or biweekly basis but there is a lot of flexibility. I have no clue what going with a Charter in the US entails though. In any case, I thought you might find it interesting to read what someone that has used this option has to say :). Edited November 3, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I don't know about SL or TOG. ?? I just took the books and either read them with my son or asked him to narrate each chapter to me ala CM. the books themselves were excellent, though easy for the age range. I Am interested whether the lit study picks up in the 5th-8th grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) I Am interested whether the lit study picks up in the 5th-8th grades. I would love to know this also! Edited November 3, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Just to add, the lady who's blog I just linked in a previous post, is currently using the grade 5 package. Here's a direct link to her Calvert posts. I am going through them now and added her blog to my Google Reader :): http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/tag/calvert/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Just to add, the lady who's blog I just linked in a previous post, is currently using the grade 5 package. Here's a direct link to her Calvert posts. I am going through them now and added her blog to my Google Reader :): http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/tag/calvert/ I know I'm overlooking the obvious, but I only see mention of her using the first grade package? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) I know I'm overlooking the obvious, but I only see mention of her using the first grade package? The first link was for the grade 3 package with her eldest: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2010/07/pac-man-loves-3rd-grade/ Oh... ok, I assume you mean her recent posts. I don't think she blogs very often about Calvert. I was hoping to see more posts but oh well. It has been interesting reading her opinion after having used Calvert for going onto 7 years now (since her eldest child's PK year). Here's the link I am talking about: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2012/10/curriculum-choices-2012-2013/ You can find many reviews on Homeschoolreviews also, if you are interested: http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/curriculum/reviews.aspx?id=53 I think I will be reading through those to see if there is any mention about the changes over the years. Edited November 3, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I just found a Calvert Yahoo group, if anyone is interested: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calvert/?yguid=311364530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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