.... Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I'm about to ask some of the dumbest questions ever.... Thank-you for taking time to post. I have no idea where else to ask this. I started looking around at high school and what 4-year colleges in TX require from homeschoolers for admission (we live in TX). I'm seeing over and over again that homeschoolers need to have completed the "Recommended High School Program" or "Distinguished Achievement High School Program" that is outlined in the Texas Uniform Admission Policy. I thought that was just for the public school students. OK, so I printed out the 17 page Texas Uniform Admission Policy...and I do not like it...at all. I have a few questions: 1. For mathematics...it says that my student must have 4 credits and they MUST consist of Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry and then it provides a list of optional 4th credit classes. :confused: I'm reading through and I can't find provisions for kids who are on an accelerated math sequence. What if they take Algebra 1 in 7th or 8th grade? 2. We were seriously considering Kolbe Academy for high school...but it does not even come close to meeting the requirements in this Texas Uniform Admission Policy thingie. If Kolbe is an accredited out-of-state high school...would it be acceptable as a replacement for this "Recommend High School" sequence? Would I be asking for trouble using Kolbe? 3. What the heck is THEA? :confused1: 4. The history sequence was very classical ed-unfriendly. It says that the credits MUST consist of 1 credit World History, 1 credit World Geography, 1 credit US History after 1877, 1/2 credit US Govt, and 1/2 credit Economics. That's not what we wanted to do... 5. Am I correct in assuming that 4-year colleges in TX accept either the ACT or SAT? :( I am very confused and I'm sure I sound like an idiot. Thanks for taking time to respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Been there twice and survived... They want something that looks similar to what the PS students do-- 4 years English, 3-4 years of Math and Science, 4 years History/Social Studies and a foreign language if at all possible. The will base 99% of the admission on the ACT or SAT scores (scholarships will be based on these scores as well). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 FTR, colleges won't care about the fact that Kolbe is out of state or accredited. Also, it is pretty common for colleges in all states to want to see the same history and math progression that you have listed (and IMHO, the history requirements are pretty reasonable). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I've done this 3 times now. The first did Saxon math -- in high school he did Algebra 2, Advanced Math, and Calculus(took 2 years). So the accelerated progression was fine. All mine did some sort of world history, American history, government, and economics in high school. Some of this was dual credit at our local CC. What college are you looking at? I would call the guidance counselor there. I found that helpful with my first. Also, for homeschool students I think they mainly look at the SAT/ACT scores. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 The will base 99% of the admission on the ACT or SAT scores (scholarships will be based on these scores as well). From what I'm hearing, you're right. This is also what the parents in our homeschool group were telling me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 So the accelerated progression was fine. What college are you looking at? I would call the guidance counselor there. I found that helpful with my first. OK. You actually made me feel a lot better. As I'm reading through the printout, it sounded like they weren't allowed to be accelerated in math - which is really weird. We haven't started looking at colleges yet. We're pretty new to Texas and we're still not even sure what colleges are here. I definitely feel like it's time we start researching this stuff, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 FTR, colleges won't care about the fact that Kolbe is out of state or accredited. Also, it is pretty common for colleges in all states to want to see the same history and math progression that you have listed (and IMHO, the history requirements are pretty reasonable). I know. It really made me mad when I first realized this. How would a classical education in high school be compatible with TX's Recommended High School Program (under the Texas Uniform Admission Policy). We were planning to do a Great Books study and another 4 year history cycle in high school. I was flipping through the Rhetoric section of TWTM and it doesn't even look remotely similar to the TX requirements. :( Ugh. Just frustrated and confused. Thanks for the thoughts, Everybody!! You guys are very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Great that you are in Texas and your DC is *very* lucky that if not in a Public High School (or TTUISD) the STAAR examinations will not be a requirement for high school graduation. From 2 STAAR examinations that I looked at yesterday, last year, approximately 2/3 of the students failed to pass those 2 STAAR examinations.. Passing the STAAR examinations is a requirement for a High School diploma from a Texas Public High School (or TTUISD). My wife and I are all for "rigorous" and all for "testing", but they have gone overboard, with the STAAR examinations required for High School graduation at this time. GL on the choices you make. If you are interested in Public Universities, TTU has the "Raider Guarantee" with reduced tuition/fees, for qualified students, and I assume the other Public Universities have something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenvneck Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I was worried about that, too, but then I learned that as long as the student has at least 1500 on the SAT there are no requirements to complete the same classes as schools. Both of my college kids had wildly-varying credits, but that's all they needed. ETA: They did need transcripts, but with at least a 1500 the transcripts didn't need to match what the colleges were used to seeing. Hope that made sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I went and looked at Sam Houston State University's requirements. Mainly because they're easy to find. This is what I see. Texas Education Code (TEC) 51.803-51.809 ( State of Texas Uniform Admission Policy) requires that all students meet one of the following college readiness standards in order to be eligible to be considered for admission at a Texas Four-Year Public Institution: Successfully complete the recommended or advanced/distinguished high school program or complete the portion of the program that was available to them; or Successfully complete a curriculum that is equivalent in content and rigor to the recommended or advanced/distinguished high school program at a high school that is exempt from offering such programs; or Satisfy the College Readiness Benchmarks on the SAT or ACT assessment. SAT – 1500 out of 2400 (Verbal + Math + Writing) ACT – 18 English, 21 Reading, 22 Mathematics and 24 Science You only have to meet one of the requirements. As homeschoolers, we can fit that second requirement. I do believe a classical education fits the "rigor" requirement. :) I can't guarantee that every college has this exception, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that they do. As others have said, check with the colleges you're looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 It's not a big deal. I've graduated two students in Texas (well, one will be graduated at the end of the month) and have gone through college admissions twice. Both were admitted to a state school with full tuition scholarships plus a stipend towards on-campus housing (although it doesn't come close to paying for all of it). What the state schools in Texas actually want to see for math is 4 years completed in high school and they really want them to at least get through Geometry and Algebra II. They don't really care all that much what the 4 years of history are, but they do want to see 4 years of history. They don't really care what you call your 4 years of English, but they do want to see 4 years of English. They want to see at least 3 years of science (preferably 4) and they want at least 2 of them to be lab sciences and they would really like for one of them to be biology and at least one of them be physics or chemistry. (They'd prefer to see at least 1 year each of biology, chemistry, and physics.) They want to see one year of fine arts (can be appreciation or history of art/music/theater or actually doing art/music/theater). They want to see at least two years of a single foreign language (preferably 3). They want to see some electives to fill things out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 Thank-you for your replies, Everybody. I spent about an hour googling this yesterday after I posted here. I've learned a lot about homeschooling high school in the last 24 hours! :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 Both were admitted to a state school with full tuition scholarships plus a stipend towards on-campus housing (although it doesn't come close to paying for all of it). That is awesome!! :coolgleamA: I've been looking at tuition costs here and wow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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