Is there an objective way to know which online/distance high schools...

[Lanny]

Greta: I believe that the EOC examinations are given 2 or 3 times a year and that they must be taken on specific dates. A PITA...

The family in the UK with 2 (soon 3) DC in TTUISD, their oldest DD is in High School now. She began High School with 3 credits. One of those credits was Algebra 1, which she had taken when in 8th grade. So, she had to wait, until she was in 9th grade, to take the EOC exam for Algebra 1 and that made it much harder for her. They hired a Tutor. Your DD has an advantage. Your DH is her tutor! She has no problem!   It will be a little harder, but with her dad to help, she can do it.

 

I do not believe there is an EOC exam for Foreign Language. However, the question is whether or not TTUISD 

can (or will) give her credit, for the German courses she is going to take from OSU. You need to check that

out with TTUISD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lanny]

@Joan in Geneva  I was very sad, when I  read about what happened to your friends DD.  I suspect that was many years ago. Do you know what year that was? The vast majority of the students who are enrolled in TTUISD (our DD is "Supplalmental" until she is in High School and then we will Enroll her) are in the TTUISD High School. The majority of the High School students are in Brazil. They are dual enrolled, in their schools in Brazil and in the TTUISD High School. I just cannot imagine that TTUISD would change things, like what happend to your friends DD, and endanger their relationship with their Partner schools in Brazil. The 2 TTUISD families I communicate with have DC in TTUISD High School and are happy and I have never seen any complaints about something like that, on the TTUISD Facebook. Again, I am very sad that happened to your friends DD. 

[Lanny]

@Greta   On your DDs MAC, does she have the MAC version of MS WORD, or, some other Application that can save files in .PDF format?  Our DD, on her PC, has WORD 2010. She creates a WORD document, imports the files for the Math course that she created and saved with the Wacom Bamboo, into WORD, and when she is finished with the lesson and ready to submit it for grading, she "Saves" the WORD file in .PDF format and that file goes to TTUISD, for the Instructor to grade. 

 

ETA: Before DD had WORD 2010, which can Save files in .PDF format, she had an earlier version of WORD that could NOT do that.  I got a Free Application for PCs, called Nitro PDF Reader, that can do a lot more than just read PDF files. She converted her files to .PDF format with that application.

This is the URL: http://www.nitroreader.com/

However, I do not believe they have a  version for MACs. You need to find an Application like that for MACs, if you do not have WORD or something that can Save files in .PDF format.  The Nitro PDF Reader FAQ indicates that they are working on a version for MACs...

 

All of the lessons your DD submits to TTUISD should be in .PDF format. What the Instructor sees will be exactly the same as what your DD submits, if it is in .PDF format. 

 

[Greta]

We use a word processor called Pages, which can create PDFs. We don't currently have MS Word, but I assume we can get Open Office for Mac.

 

I guess the question at this point is whether I should get her a digital notepad, or just have her write the assignments on paper, and then scan them in. Unfortunately, many of the negative reviews of the Wacom on amazon said that they are not compatible with Mac. :-(

[Lanny]

We use a word processor called Pages, which can create PDFs. We don't currently have MS Word, but I assume we can get Open Office for Mac.

 

I guess the question at this point is whether I should get her a digital notepad, or just have her write the assignments on paper, and then scan them in. Unfortunately, many of the negative reviews of the Wacom on amazon said that they are not compatible with Mac. :-(

 

If the "PAGES" word processor can save files in .PDF format, I think that's all you will need.

 

EEK...   If you are reading Negative reviews on Amazon, regarding the Wacom tablets on MAC, I take those reviews *very* seriously.  On a PC, the Wacoms are super, but since your DD has a MAC, I would probably avoid a possible issue of having problems with a Wacom Bamboo tablet on a MAC.

 

So, since your DD has a MAC, possibly a better (safer) idea is for you to look into buying one of those DigiMemo devices that TTUISD recommends for the "Online" Math courses.

[Greta]

If the "PAGES" word processor can save files in .PDF format, I think that's all you will need.

 

EEK...   If you are reading Negative reviews on Amazon, regarding the Wacom tablets on MAC, I take those reviews *very* seriously.  On a PC, the Wacoms are super, but since your DD has a MAC, I would probably avoid a possible issue of having problems with a Wacom Bamboo tablet on a MAC.

 

So, since your DD has a MAC, possibly a better (safer) idea is for you to look into buying one of those DigiMemo devices that TTUISD recommends for the "Online" Math courses.

 

Yes, I was thinking kind of the same thing -- the Wacom gets rave reviews from PC users, but a very different pattern emerges for Mac users, so that's a big concern.  I'm going to read reviews of the DigiMemo devices today, and my husband also wanted me to look into the possibility of a Galaxy notepad, because he's heard good things about those (rather pricey though).

 

I'm hoping that if she receives Word files from her instructors, we might be able to read them using Google Drive, and not have to download Open Office.  I had Open Office once on an older Mac and it was really a pain, horribly slow, and just messed everything up to the point where you'd have to restart the computer after using it.  Maybe it has improved, or maybe her desktop would be able to handle it better.  But if we could get away with using Google Drive to read the files, and Pages to create PDF files, that would be great.

[Greta]

Greta: I believe that the EOC examinations are given 2 or 3 times a year and that they must be taken on specific dates. A PITA...

The family in the UK with 2 (soon 3) DC in TTUISD, their oldest DD is in High School now. She began High School with 3 credits. One of those credits was Algebra 1, which she had taken when in 8th grade. So, she had to wait, until she was in 9th grade, to take the EOC exam for Algebra 1 and that made it much harder for her. They hired a Tutor. Your DD has an advantage. Your DH is her tutor! She has no problem!   It will be a little harder, but with her dad to help, she can do it.

 

I do not believe there is an EOC exam for Foreign Language. However, the question is whether or not TTUISD 

can (or will) give her credit, for the German courses she is going to take from OSU. You need to check that

out with TTUISD.

 

From what I could tell online, it looks like there are July testing dates for the EOC exams.  But since she would not be enrolled as a high schooler yet as of July of next year, I don't know if she'd be permitted to take that one.  Or maybe we could enroll her a month earlier than we normally would, if this would get her access to the exam.  This is something I will add to my growing list of questions!  Along with whether or not they'll accept the credits for the German course.  OSU has a really respected German program, from what I have heard, and I know their coursework is accepted as credit in many high schools.  So hopefully TTUISD would be no exception.

[Joan in GE]

Thanks for mentioning this Joan. Do you know any of the details, such as what requirement got changed/added? And you're saying that this was a TTUISD requirement, and not a state of TX requirement?

 

I've written my friends but haven't heard back yet. It was Texas Tech requirements.

 

@Joan in Geneva  I was very sad, when I  read about what happened to your friends DD.  I suspect that was many years ago. Do you know what year that was?

 

2009 - not that long ago...

 

 I just cannot imagine that TTUISD would change things, like what happend to your friends DD, and endanger their relationship with their Partner schools in Brazil.

 

Probably a big partner school would have a lot more clout than a little family...

 

That said, I can give some more feedback about the materials that they use and the notion of doing a complete correspondance school for high school.

 

That family passed on some of their books and workbooks to us - so I've gotten to review the materials more closely over time. If someone likes to do lots and lots of intense textbook reading and testing, then this could be the coursework for them. There is no room left for other materials because you'd have to be so busy filling in the workbooks, etc. This was a very motivated girl who was doing it.

 

When my oldest was in 9th we took him out of public school and went the 'total' correspondence school route - not with TT but with a mixture of others. It was his 'worst' year ever and he still looks back with horror. I can see why because we were so busy filling out forms for faxing, getting tests, proctors, getting faxes back, etc that it was a nightmare of paperwork with zero joy of learning.

 

The only thing that he actually learned how to do well was 'touch type' as those were the beginning days of online work and so he did a full typing course.

 

I think a few carefully chosen online/correspondence school courses can be very helpful but I will never again go the route of 'all' the lessons coming from 'outside'...and that means that we could not get a diploma with this type of school because they won't accept 'my coursework'. I don't know what their current requirements are, but when I was looking at them quite a few years ago, they wouldn't accept courses from other well known providers such as PA homeschoolers - because they weren't from an 'accredited school'. When the other family was first using them, the girl was able to test out of some credits from previously studied material. I don't know if that still works or not....

 

HTH,

Joan

[Greta]

Thank you Joan, both for contacting the family for more details, and also for sharing your experience with distance learning!  For a number of reasons (I won't bore you with all the details) my husband and I both feel that our daughter really needs outside accountability, and a transcript and eventually a diploma from an accredited school.  So I really appreciate the heads-up about the paperwork and heavy workbook emphasis.  It doesn't sound fun.  But for our situation, I think that's just a reality that we're going to have to learn to live with.  I appreciate the warning -- it's good to know these things in advance so that one can be as prepared as possible.

[Joan in GE]

Thank you Joan, both for contacting the family for more details, and also for sharing your experience with distance learning!  For a number of reasons (I won't bore you with all the details) my husband and I both feel that our daughter really needs outside accountability, and a transcript and eventually a diploma from an accredited school.  So I really appreciate the heads-up about the paperwork and heavy workbook emphasis.  It doesn't sound fun.  But for our situation, I think that's just a reality that we're going to have to learn to live with.  I appreciate the warning -- it's good to know these things in advance so that one can be as prepared as possible.

 

Hi Greta,

 

Here is their answer

 

"The Texas Tech courses were ok. 

 

The homework was graded but there were seldom any comments or technical help. 

 

We liked that it was “official†but nowadays there are so many other online programs that get you that official stamp, it doesn’t seem necessary to do Texas Tech. 

 

The reason we dropped it was that they changed the physical education requirement in the middle of the program.  In the beginning, it was fairly loose so that we were hoping to have basic sports activities get certified and “count.†But when they changed the requirements, it seemed that nothing would count unless it was a specific course or sports program in Texas that they had identified. 

 

We also were counting on taking many course equivalent exams to complete the degree.  The advisors started to get very annoyed that such a high percentage of the credits were from exams and not from taking their courses.  So while the courses were basically ok, getting the degree from them became impossible.  

 

This was 5 years ago, so Texas Tech may have changed their requirements again. 

 

I have to say we never found the administrative staff to be particularly helpful. It seemed to us that they really didn’t want to deal with giving a degree to homeschoolers but would rather see them as Texas Tech students who would do everything through them and come to Texas on occasion for testing.  (Texas has a state required exam to graduate from highschool.) 

 

I could see if someone lived in Texas and intended to visit anyway it might have worked out better.  They didn’t mind a homeschooler taking an occasional course but when it came to getting a degree it was different.

 

There are other degree programs now.  At the time Texas Tech and Nebraska were the main ones.  Stanford has a program if someone has lots of money.  K-12 also exists but is pricey."

 

HTH,

Joan

[Greta]

Joan, thank you for sharing this, and if you get the chance, please also tell your friends that I said thanks for taking the time to share their experience.  I appreciate the information.

 

 

[Joan in GE]

Joan, thank you for sharing this, and if you get the chance, please also tell your friends that I said thanks for taking the time to share their experience.  I appreciate the information.

 

Hi Greta Lynne,

 

I did tell her your thanks and she has made a few more comments as now she read the thread...

 

"So I read the thread.  The one enthusiastic person seemed to have been in a situation where Tech had a partner school in Brazil.  That would have worked because then Tech would have accepted that school’s gym class and testing.  The other family that wants outside grading, I agree.  That is what we wanted too and Tech worked for that.  Tech teachers were a much easier essay grader than I ever was.  Single courses worked, it was meeting the requirements for the degree that didn’t.  I agree a lot of workbook work etc.  This was before it was all online, but for the kids frequently Tech demanded less than the over achieving parents.  "

 

HTH,

Joan