My first going into HS High School our plan and a few questions?

[nitascool]

This year my eldest son will be entering 9^th grade. He plans to go to Art School upon graduation. So we are leaning his education more toward the arts. There aren’t any examples of Art leaning students to go by and we still have to meet the min. requirements. The state requires 4 units of English & Math, 3 units of Science and Social Studies, 2 units Fine Arts, 1 unit Economics and Financial Literacy, ½ unit Health and Phys. Ed.  plus 5 electives (at least one being a foreign language). So this is the plan I’ve set out for him for the year. I’m thinking this will take him about 5 ½ hours per day to complete.

English 1 language arts 1 unit- Magic Lens 1 (a complete gifted program) but we will add in some Shakespeare.

Math 1 unit- Math U See Algebra 1 +Honors

Science 1 unit- Apologia Physical Science

Social Studies 1 unit- Ancient History of the World + Study Guide

Art Appreciation 1 unit - Annotated Mona Lisa + Art Classes (he takes 6 or more classes a year).

Phys. Ed. ½ unit– Workout Journal, Physical Education for Homeschoolers plus lots of activity

Health ½ unit- Facing the Facts, What the Bible Says about Healthy Living, (and something on Drug Awareness)

Latin 1 unit- Latina Christian 1

Logic 1 unit- Traditional Logic 1

Foreign Language- Switched on Schoolhouse Secondary Spanish (this is not considered a hs level course but I think SOS Spanish 1 would be too difficult for him not sure how to place this on his transcript)

My son plans on going into the Art Industry He’s not sure on his art path yet but he plans to use computers in his art process. So he is also doing some computer classes.

Computer Classes-

Coding ½ unit –Codecadamy

Typing – Typing for Kids (I’d like to turn this into a ½ unit class but not sure how)

Digital Art 1 unit– Serif DrawPlus Starter, Art Rage 2 Starter, TwistedBrush Open Studio

 

 So after all this work I do have a few questions…

Does this look like a well-rounded freshman year? Am I missing anything?

When I get around to writing the transcript how do I show that some of his classes are AP level work?

I know that Magic Lens 1 is AP and I plan to add extra to MUS Algebra 1 to make it AP also.

The Art Appreciation will be far more then what is required in our local PS.

Would you consider Ancient History of the World as an AP if you fully use the Study Guide? Or would I need to add more to make it AP?

I know that Apologia Physical Science is not AP… he’s not planning on a STEM career so we’re ok with General Science studies.

Our state science requires one physical science class, one life science and one other advanced science. Will Biology cover the life science requirement?

Thank you.

[Penguin]

I have not yet homeschooled high school, but one thing I have learned from these boards is that a course should only be marked as an AP course on the transcript if you have had your syllabus reviewed and approved by the College Board. That being said, your student does not have to have an official AP course to study for and take the exam. Your student can take the exam without an official AP course on the transcript.

 

One problem that homeschoolers run into is finding a seat for the AP exams. You have to find a high school that will take you. I think that this is unfair, but that is a different issue.

 

If I am wrong about the APs, I hope someone will correct me. But seeing that AP exams are important to your plans, I wanted to point these issues out:)

 

Good luck with your planning!

[Luckymama]

Magic Lens--the Michael Clay Thompson book? Or is it something else? The MCT book is just grammar; you would need to add the rest of the books at that level (Advanced Academic Writing, The Word Within the Word, poetry, plus literature), or you would need to add some other writing and literature. The MCT Magic Lens itself is decidedly not AP.

 

If you're using something else or if you're using Magic Lens as a shorthand for the whole level, ignore what I said---except for the AP part.

 

Zoiks, out of time for replying---need to run.

[Melissa B]

AP is college level equivalent. Do you mean honors?  Magic Lens, Algebra I, etc. are not AP level classes.

 

Magic Lens is only one book (grammar) in the MCT series. I would not award it a full credit of English unless you are adding in the other books as well - Word Within the Word, Academic Writing I, etc.

 

Latina Christiana I is not considered a high school level book. 

 

I believe Traditional Logic 1 is generally considered a half credit.

 

HTH

[laughing lioness]

Like others have stated, AP is designated by the College Board. You can get it approved but go through the process. AP classes are generally taken in preparation for the AP test. If they are not College Board AP Classes, you can add an addendum and call them "Honors." You should have the addendum on hand to show that they were indeed "Honors" classes if asked by the college admissions board. (there are some great threads on AP classes in some of the sticky notes on the h.s. board).

 

MathUSee wouldn't be honors unless you added and addendum to it.Is there a reason that you want the classes to count as "Honors" courses? 

 

Also, I wouldn't use classes that are not intended for high school on the transcript- like SOS - unless your kiddo has SN or LD's.- especially if you are putting them next to Honors and AP courses.Generally kids with an Honors transcript don't have serious disparities in their coursework.  It's a given that high school transcripts list high school level work.If you want him to take the SOS this year- do so, and then start counting high school Spanish 1 his Soph. year. 

Latina Christiana is not a high school level course - I would recommend FFL or Henle for high school.

 

Typing/ keyboarding is a "given" so I wouldn't bother putting that on his transcript. You could do a Basic Computer class and count that, along with info about emailing, word, excel, powerpoint etc. but I wouldn't count it separately, esp. with the Honors courses- you are not going to be that desperate for credits. Glencoe has a nice computer book that's generally worth 1/2 high school credit and covers a lot of basics. You can also find some free things on line and create a 1/2 credit- which is generally 60 hours of work. 

 

Bio will cover life science. A "usual" science sequence is Bio, Chem, Physics or Phys Sci, Bio, Chem. An "Honors" transcript will  list 4 academic math credits and 4 science credits. 

Are you using SWB's History of the Anc. World? How is PHP counting the study guide- as a history credit or Honors? 

For Shakespeare have you looked at GC? We have the series taught by Saccio and it is terrific!

 

 

 

[SilverMoon]

Nothing in there particularly caught me as AP? I suggest reading the huge link farm LoriD posted up in the stickies and learn more about AP. You don't get to declare his work AP level without permission from the top. I think most who aim at AP just take the tests and include the scores with the transcript. No one can monitor your use of the word honors, but I'd be careful not to overuse it.

 

Also, rather than looking at state grad requirements I'd look at the incoming freshman requirements of his intended art school and a few other potential schools. The latter is more important to meet.

 

-High school English is typically half literature and half writing. If grammar and vocab are still needed they'd fall under English without earning extra credit.

 

-Math looks good for an art kid. I assume you mean the honors supplement MUS makes? If you compare the table of contents to something like Lial's Introductory Algebra, Jacobs, and such you'll see MUS doesn't cover as many concepts as traditional texts do. My humanities kid is using it this year too, but we'll cover anything he missed from a different book when he finishes MUS.

 

-If Apologia is a good fit for your DS you can just start biology this year and skip the 8th grade book.

 

-History looks good. If you line up ancient literature with SWB's book it can flesh out history and English.

 

-My DD/9th is using that art book too. We're also using Sister Wendy's Story of Painting book and movie set, and her American Collection book and movie set. We're only going to manage a .5 credit out of all that, but she's not taking classes.

 

-PE/health - I don't know those resources; just aim for the required hours. I'd consider just doing a .25 credit each year for a cumulative credit at the end.

 

-Latin is a half credit. I'd probably think hard about why I'm adding Latin this late in the game. If you plan to get serious and go far with it, go for it. If you're just after the vocab and exposure, I'd weigh the priority against Spanish and the rest of his workload.

 

-Logic is also a half credit. If you do volume 2 also you can make it a whole credit. Or you can do 2 next year.

 

-Spanish - I'd call it a half credit then, or else really put him in Spanish 1. Decide which language is more important and start working hard on it. :)

 

-I'd probably lump all the computer stuff into one credit, or else drop items until it's down to one.

 

 

If you fill out English, drop Latin, and add the second logic book that still equals 8 credits, which is high for a freshman. I'd weigh priorities carefully. It's easy to get lost in the little bits when you have that much stacked. (Personal experience!)

[snowbeltmom]

This year my eldest son will be entering 9^th grade. He plans to go to Art School upon graduation. So we are leaning his education more toward the arts. There aren’t any examples of Art leaning students to go by and we still have to meet the min. requirements. The state requires 4 units of English & Math, 3 units of Science and Social Studies, 2 units Fine Arts, 1 unit Economics and Financial Literacy, ½ unit Health and Phys. Ed.  plus 5 electives (at least one being a foreign language). So this is the plan I’ve set out for him for the year. I’m thinking this will take him about 5 ½ hours per day to complete.

English 1 language arts 1 unit- Magic Lens 1 (a complete gifted program) but we will add in some Shakespeare.

Math 1 unit- Math U See Algebra 1 +Honors

Science 1 unit- Apologia Physical Science

Social Studies 1 unit- Ancient History of the World + Study Guide

Art Appreciation 1 unit - Annotated Mona Lisa + Art Classes (he takes 6 or more classes a year).

Phys. Ed. ½ unit– Workout Journal, Physical Education for Homeschoolers plus lots of activity

Health ½ unit- Facing the Facts, What the Bible Says about Healthy Living, (and something on Drug Awareness)

Latin 1 unit- Latina Christian 1

Logic 1 unit- Traditional Logic 1

Foreign Language- Switched on Schoolhouse Secondary Spanish (this is not considered a hs level course but I think SOS Spanish 1 would be too difficult for him not sure how to place this on his transcript)

My son plans on going into the Art Industry He’s not sure on his art path yet but he plans to use computers in his art process. So he is also doing some computer classes.

Computer Classes-

Coding ½ unit –Codecadamy

Typing – Typing for Kids (I’d like to turn this into a ½ unit class but not sure how)

Digital Art 1 unit– Serif DrawPlus Starter, Art Rage 2 Starter, TwistedBrush Open Studio

 

 So after all this work I do have a few questions…

Does this look like a well-rounded freshman year? Am I missing anything?

Latina Christian is not considered high school level.  I would look into using a different program for high school.

When I get around to writing the transcript how do I show that some of his classes are AP level work?

None of the classes he is taking this year are AP level classes.  If your son takes an AP level class, in order to designate it as AP on the transcript, you need to have your course formally approved by the College Board.  I have never gone that route, but I know of others who have.  Instead I list the course as " X with AP exam" and then list the AP exam score.

I know that Magic Lens 1 is AP and I plan to add extra to MUS Algebra 1 to make it AP also.

Magic Lens in a grammar book.  It is not related to AP English classes.  The only math at the AP level is calculus and statistics.

The Art Appreciation will be far more then what is required in our local PS.

Would you consider Ancient History of the World as an AP if you fully use the Study Guide? Or would I need to add more to make it AP?

I would consider the history class AP only if your son took the AP exam and scored well on the test.  I am not sure if there is an AP exam for ancient history, though.

I know that Apologia Physical Science is not AP… he’s not planning on a STEM career so we’re ok with General Science studies.

Our state science requires one physical science class, one life science and one other advanced science. Will Biology cover the life science requirement?

Biology will definitely cover the science requirement.  Just make sure some of your science courses also contain a lab component.

Thank you.

If your son is planning learning computer programming with his art, I would make sure he is taking the most rigorous math program that he can. 

Good luck in your planning.

 

 

[laughing lioness]

Snowbelt Momma- I would be careful about listing a class AP unless it's an approved AP course. This might raise suspicion and  call in to question the rest of the transcript- If you do take the AP exam, list the exam results- just like if you take DE courses- add the transcript.

 

Info on starting an AP course (for public school, but still) http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/html/how-to-start-an-ap-course/how-to-start-an-ap-course.html

[snowbeltmom]

Snowbelt Momma- I would be careful about listing a class AP unless it's an approved AP course. This might raise suspicion and  call in to question the rest of the transcript- If you do take the AP exam, list the exam results- just like if you take DE courses- add the transcript.

 

Info on starting an AP course (for public school, but still) http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/html/how-to-start-an-ap-course/how-to-start-an-ap-course.html

 

I agree that you can't list a course as AP unless it has been approved by the College Board.  However, it is common practice to list a course as " X with AP exam" if the course is at the AP level but lacking the College Board "seal of approval."  This course label indicates to the admissions officers that while the course was not officially approved by the College Board, it was at the AP level.  I don't think this approach would raise any questions at all with the admissions officers.

 

[Laurel-in-CA]

Others have addressed the academics. I want to talk about the art. You say your son takes 6 outside classes/year, so what are they? Multi-session classes (# hours, rigor?) or single-session workshops? Does your art appreciation include museum visits or "copy the masters" type projects?

 

Here are a few ideas: The year we used Annotated Mona Lisa, dd was also in art class 1.5 hours/week, spent about the same amount of time drawing on her own, and we also went to a museum or art show each month and she wrote a review of the museum or of a particular artist or painting. Another year she took a weekly class at the senior center in oil painting on top of her regular 1.5 hour/week class and did some art appreciation as well. We made an effort to enter available competitions, and I wish we had done more of that. Some of the competitions were online (send in a photo of your work) and some were local shows or the county fair. Her junior year she took a class to help her prepare a portfolio and those competition and class pieces helped her have something that reflected her skill in various media. I would also strongly recommend that your son keep a yearly portfolio, something in powerpoint maybe, that can show all/his best work each year. And look for summer/weekend workshops from local art schools or, if you have the $$, on-site summer courses at art colleges. The one nearest our old home had high school life drawing classes on Saturdays (parents had to sign a release due to nude models).

 

[Erin]

I'm inclined to think the OP is simply making the same mistake many of us newbie high school moms make; using the terms Advanced Placement and Honors interchangeably.  

[Erin]

double post

[Kareni]

When my daughter was a rising ninth grader, she also intended to pursue art and attend an art school upon completion of high school.  She's now a college graduate who majored in Latin and minored in Geology.  All this to suggest you be flexible and willing to go in a different direction if your son's interests change while keeping your academic standards high so as not to close any doors.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom22ns]

This year my eldest son will be entering 9^th grade. He plans to go to Art School upon graduation. So we are leaning his education more toward the arts. There aren’t any examples of Art leaning students to go by and we still have to meet the min. requirements. The state requires 4 units of English & Math, 3 units of Science and Social Studies, 2 units Fine Arts, 1 unit Economics and Financial Literacy, ½ unit Health and Phys. Ed.  plus 5 electives (at least one being a foreign language). So this is the plan I’ve set out for him for the year. I’m thinking this will take him about 5 ½ hours per day to complete.

English 1 language arts 1 unit- Magic Lens 1 (a complete gifted program) but we will add in some Shakespeare.

Math 1 unit- Math U See Algebra 1 +Honors

Science 1 unit- Apologia Physical Science

Social Studies 1 unit- Ancient History of the World + Study Guide

Art Appreciation 1 unit - Annotated Mona Lisa + Art Classes (he takes 6 or more classes a year).

Phys. Ed. ½ unit– Workout Journal, Physical Education for Homeschoolers plus lots of activity

Health ½ unit- Facing the Facts, What the Bible Says about Healthy Living, (and something on Drug Awareness)

Latin 1 unit- Latina Christian 1

Logic 1 unit- Traditional Logic 1

Foreign Language- Switched on Schoolhouse Secondary Spanish (this is not considered a hs level course but I think SOS Spanish 1 would be too difficult for him not sure how to place this on his transcript)

My son plans on going into the Art Industry He’s not sure on his art path yet but he plans to use computers in his art process. So he is also doing some computer classes.

Computer Classes-

Coding ½ unit –Codecadamy

Typing – Typing for Kids (I’d like to turn this into a ½ unit class but not sure how)

Digital Art 1 unit– Serif DrawPlus Starter, Art Rage 2 Starter, TwistedBrush Open Studio

Others have talked about the AP thing. I'm guessing you had the words AP & Honors confused and hopefully that is cleared up now. I want to take on your credits. 

 

You said in the beginning of the message that you are planning about 5.5 hours per day of work, but when I count the credits you list, 

English 1

Science 1

Art Apprec. 1

Health/PE 1

Latin 1

Logic 1

Spanish 1

Computer .5

Typing .5

Digital Art 1

 

That is 9, NINE credits!!! In my mind, you are giving double credit. A credit should represent about an hours work per day. I'm not familiar with all of the materials you are using, but I think you are either taking on too much or giving credit for things that are not deserving of high school credit. Others have mentioned that some of your choices are not high school level. None of your choices are honors level, let alone AP level. From the hours you plan for your student to work, you should be planning to award about 6 credits this year. Now your job is to figure out what those are.

 

You need a full English credit. Math U See plus some supplementing will give you a full math credit. Apologia Physical Science is designed for 8-9th grade, that gives you 1 somewhat weak science credit. Health & PE sound very light, you might consider making that a half credit combined. Latin and Logic can be a full credit each IF you use programs that are high school level and he spends serious time in study. I would not give credit for basic computer skills or typing, those are assumed. I have no problem with Digital Art and Art Apprec being a credit each for a student who is interested in art, but that should mean he is spending 2 hours/day on those topic. If he is not, then give half a credit for each.

 

You need to consolidate and focus him into 6 or 7 classes that have enough breadth and depth to be called high school level, then give him the credit he earns.

[nitascool]

Wow. Thanks for all the great responses. So yes, I was confusing AP and Honors.  

As far as his English credit I was thinking we’d use the entire series of Magic Lens Level 1 including the literature. We will also be adding more literature then just the three books offered in the level including Shakespeare.

As for Math (not his good subject) we planned on adding supplemental material outside of MUS probably Life of Fred.

Latin… I don’t know how I did it but the Latin was supposed to be for my younger son. Ds already finished this Latin program. We are doing Spanish as his Foreign Language. Ugg this is so much work.

I planned to have ds do both Traditional Logic 1 & 2 in a year so it would be 1 credit for both books.  

I’m thinking we can fold in the Digital Art classes with Art Appreciation class. As far as the outside classes are usually 8 weeks for an hour. Some of his classes are 1.5 hours. He has about an hour a day of art work outside of class as practice for each class (I didn’t count any of that time as it isn’t seatwork). He’ll be doing a class in oil painting, sketching for reference, acrylic painting not really sure as the art center hasn’t posted their offerings yet. He usually takes 2 classes every 8 weeks. These classes are usually populated with patrons 16 and older. He is usually the youngest in his class. He will be taking a portfolio class in the spring. He keeps 3 to 4 sketch books a year. I do like the idea of adding in field trips to art museums and writing about artists/paintings.

The school of his choice asks for our state requirements plus a humanities course in both art and music. I think they ask for a 4th social studies courses as well.

[MariaT]

Hi Nita!! Welcome to the exciting world of Home School High School!

 

My rising sophomore is also aiming for art school. Here is what we have tried that has worked:

• DS meets twice a month with a professional graphic designer who gives him assignments out of his old college graphic design textbook. This has been a great way to introduce him to the issues regarding making a living making art. We found the mentor by asking at the local art school for any contacts.
• He started a homeschool journal for our coop, for which he uses his graphic design skills to design. He recruits and accepts submissions on all topics: essays, poems, short stories and original art. He publishes twice a year. Every contributor gets a nice, shiny hard copy. He also created a website for the journal, so that coop members can look at past submissions. Next year he wants to host an art show for homeschoolers.
• We went to Portfolio Day last year. This is a day in November where high school art students can bring their portfolios to admissions officers from art schools around the country. Last year we planned on attending Portfolio Day at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but I saw that the day before, SAIC hosted a presentation called "How to Survive Portfolio Day." It was led by the assistant dean of admissions at SAIC, and he did this highly informative presentation that showed what to do and not do in your portfolio. It was way more helpful to my DS, who was just a freshman at the time, that we decided to skip the actual Portfolio Day. But we will be back-- now that he knows more about what to include in his portfolio. He is intensely interested in getting credible feedback from art school admissions people. Here is the link http://www.portfolioday.net/. You have to check with the individual colleges to see which ones will be attending.
• DS started his own website to showcase his art. This is where he keeps his portfolio. He takes a picture of his art then uploads it to his site. He carefully curates everything.
• Find places to show your work-- start with the local library. This summer he had his art up at the public library during the month of July. It was free-- I just had to contact the library about their display space, and they put us on the list.

I am not sure how we will handle all his art classes in terms of credit and his transcript. He has ALOT. I think we will have a separate Fine Arts transcript that will list all his classes and shows, and keep the Academic transcript separate. I want to make sure that he is still pursuing a "Most Rigorous Curriculum." He is only 15, so he could still change his mind about what he wants to be when he grows up.

 

This is an exciting time! Good Luck!

[Sebastian (a lady)]

One thing you might want to look into, perhaps for future years in high school are the requirements for Advanced Placement art courses.  There is Art History, Art Drawing, Studio Art 2D Design and Studio Art 3D Design.

 

Each has its own requirements.  Some are largely portfolio submissions, with specific requirements.  It is worth looking at the samples and how they are graded.  Others use a multiple choice and free response test format.

 

I don't know how much AP courses/exams would matter for an art school.  But it is worth looking at.

 

As other posters have mentioned, the AP/Advanced Placement label is a trademark of College Board.  In order to use the label on a course, the course must have been approved by College Board through their audit process.  Some online providers and coops do this.  It is also possible to submit a syllabus to CB as a homeschooler.  Or you can label the course as X with AP exam (example, Art History with AP exam) and give the exam score somewhere on the transcript.

 

 

You might also want to look at some of the threads about counting passions as course credit vs as an extracurricular activity.  Everything doesn't have to go onto the transcript.  This is often a discussion that families of students pursuing heavy music loads have.  I've also seen it with students who are pursuing advanced science work or who write passionately outside of their required academics.  There is some benefit to having solid extra curricular activities to point to.