DS14 to start HS in Sept... please look over plan...

[Mom22ns]

Can foreign language wait or is it best to get it over with in 9th and 10th grade?  Only 2 credits are truly necessary for a normal diploma track right?  Is 3 best?  Thanks.

 

We decided that foreign language was best covered by dual enrollment. 

 

Ds did 2 years of home study first (9th & 10th grade) with Irasshai (Japanese) then took Japanese 1 & 2 at the local State U, so he officially had 4 credits of foreign language and his credits transferred to college and he has already met his college foreign language requirement as well.

 

Dd did one year of French at home, but decided she really didn't want to pursue that. She started dual enrollment spring of her sophomore year (our CC let her enroll as soon as she would turn 16 during the semester she was enrolling for). She is taking sign language there and hopes to continue and take at least 3 semesters which gives 3 credits for high school. So again, she'll have 4 credits of high school foreign language and have her foreign language requirement met when she goes to college.

 

If I were doing it over again, I would skip the French with dd. However, ds really wanted to pursue Japanese and pursuing it on his own before pursuing it at the college level was a good way to make his first dual enrollment class go well. 

[Dina in Oklahoma]

I needed to hear this today! Thank you Lori. :)

 

Always helpful to be able to think it through aloud with others. :)

 

Totally want to be supportive and respectful of your choices, as you best know you DS and your family's needs. Just want to echo again the advice to be very careful about doing more than one online class to start with -- twoboysmom gives great advice out of personal experience very similar to what you are considering, about overwhelming a 9th grader with too much change and too many online classes. 

 

Gently, and I could be way off base here, but it sounds like you are fearful that you won't be able to make high school "rigorous" enough and are changing up a LOT of what you are doing that has been working out of a little bit of panic:

- switch away from a gentle math (TT) to a very rigorous math (AoPS) with a VERY different presentation

- outsource 3-4 subjects as online classes -- and not having done online before

 

Again, very gently, high school is a marathon, not a sprint. And it is a *transition* for students to move into doing high school work -- not a light switch that flips on day 1 of 9th grade. Some students are fully high school ready in middle school or by end of middle school. But a large number of students are are a "mixed bag" at 9th grade, working at high school level for some subjects, and at middle school level for one or maybe several subjects. Some students aren't ready for all high school work until 10th or even 11th grade! That is okay -- everyone has their own academic maturing timetable.

 

Not only is it okay to keep gently moving forward from where your student is at, in the long run, you'll build a MUCH more solid foundation and avoid a LOT of tears and stress all around instead of trying to force brain development and maturing. Really, it will be fine! By the time your student is in 12th grade, you'll be amazed at how much maturing he's done -- in his own unique timetable.

 

 

With that as preface, here's just another of my 2 cents, FWIW ;). Your revised list of credits:

1. English

2. Math: Algebra 1

3. Science

4. History

5. Spanish

6. Elective: PE

7. Elective: Bible/Worldview

8. Elective: choice

 

A few thoughts:

 

Streamline

You're planning so many different options to accomplish the different credits -- be prepared that it will be hard on your family's schedule and hard educationally for both you and DS to bounce in multiple directions each day to accomplish the different credits.

 

Something like My Father's World could be a great choice for both your DS AND for you. It combines your History and English (Literature/Writing) in a very helpful way, and it really streamlines your scheduling and subjects, so you are not having to figure out how MUCH history or literature to do, how to come up with assignments, etc. All that is done for you. It also includes Bible/Worldview! So further streamlining which simplifies things for you. And you could choose to not use the writing in the program and go with Write at Home or other focused writing helps program.

 

English

These sound like fine choices for grammar and writing: Analytical Grammar, Write at Home. If you don't want to go with a package for History/English, and just want something to fill in for Literature, I'd suggest something to really hold your hand and to be a gentle intro into literature: Lightning Lit. 8. (Yes, it can be a great option for a 9th grader; one of my DSs did it in 8th, the other has mild LDs and it was perfect for 9th.) Everything is very laid out for you, and much of it can be done independently by the student. And, you can add some Progeny Press guides or other individual guides to the books to "beef up" the discussion aspect if you wish.

 

Math

I really suggest NOT switching away from a math that is working. Especially at the critical foundations of Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1, which all the higher maths build on. TT is a fine program, and if DS is connecting with it, stick with it. You'll be able to go all the way through Pre-Calc (12th grade), which definitely covers everything you need for college prep. You can also use supplements as needed. The Tablet Class you've purchased. Khan Academy free tutorials. A local math tutor. And if you find that TT is NOT working, then consider a switch after Algebra 1 and repeating Algebra 1 with a different program the following year. You absolutely do NOT want to push forward with Math without a firm understanding of the foundations laid out in Algebra 1. Why not wait until you see how things go with Math next year, before making a switch? Another year of brain maturing might be all it takes… :)

 

Science

A good plan! Co-op support for science is always helpful. And it gets you out and being with other students.

 

History

At home for sure! Great choice to do this subject yourself. One suggestion: see above under Streamlining above about going with a packaged History/English could simplify things for you this first year of high school, and you can branch out and make it more "Do It Yourself" the following year.

 

PE

A good plan! Good to keep up with enjoyed activities and friends this way. :)

 

Electives

This is a heavy load for just starting 9th grade -- if everything is 1 credit, then you're looking at starting high school with 8 credits (8 hours of work per day). Even if each of the electives is just 0.5 credit of time/work, that's still 6.5 credits, so plan on 6.5 hours of work a day. Plus time spent on the online class(es). Plus time spent away from home for Science at the co-op and for PE activities. Plus time spent away from home for other extracurricular activities…

 

For the electives, I would recommend NOT using any online classes this year. Let the electives be the flexible part of your schedule. So, once you get into 9th grade, if you find you need a lot more time than originally planned for the core classes of English, Math, Science and Foreign Language, you can back off on the Electives -- drop them down to just 0.5 credit or even just a 0.25 credit of time put in this year. That is okay! You can spread out a 1 credit Elective over all 4 years of high school. :)

 

 

BEST of luck at you continue to research and plan! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

[momto2Cs]

9th grade is just the one that follows 8th. 

 

My best advice, don't panic. Take 2 views of high school: The long view, map out a rough idea of the next 4 years. The short view, this is just the next year of homeschooling.

 

:001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:

 

[TexasTrue]

Lori D.'s post is great, but I'd like to issue a caution regarding My Father's World.

 

I was going to buy the package, again, since I loved MFW in previous middle school grades. I became very upset, however, when I called MFW to discuss the structure of the high school packages. i.e. Does the Ancient History package represent 9th grade and can you just start at the next history level instead of Ancient. I was told that you had to start at Ancient History and go all the way through; even though I live in Texas and Ancient History, as well as History to 1877 do not count as credits for high school history and I would be throwing away those credits.  

 

One MFW employee told me that Ancient History was the 9th grade level; another one told me it was not considered 9th grade, but high school level. They both proceeded to tell me that you could not switch them up or leave any of the years out. So, you would have to use all 4 years of their program to get the full credits IF they coincide with your states requirements regardless of what grade your child is in. Needless to say we won't be using them again event though we enjoyed their elementary and middle school curriculum.

[Dianne-TX]

Lori D.'s post is great, but I'd like to issue a caution regarding My Father's World.

 

I was going to buy the package, again, since I loved MFW in previous middle school grades. I became very upset, however, when I called MFW to discuss the structure of the high school packages. i.e. Does the Ancient History package represent 9th grade and can you just start at the next history level instead of Ancient. I was told that you had to start at Ancient History and go all the way through; even though I live in Texas and Ancient History, as well as History to 1877 do not count as credits for high school history and I would be throwing away those credits.  

 

One MFW employee told me that Ancient History was the 9th grade level; another one told me it was not considered 9th grade, but high school level. They both proceeded to tell me that you could not switch them up or leave any of the years out. So, you would have to use all 4 years of their program to get the full credits IF they coincide with your states requirements regardless of what grade your child is in. Needless to say we won't be using them again event though we enjoyed their elementary and middle school curriculum.

 

I live in TX as well.  I didn't realize there was an exact path we had to follow except to fulfill the certain number of credits for each subject.  I was going to follow the typical path of World, American, Govt/Eco.  Could you help me understand better?  Thanks.

 

[Mom22ns]

I live in TX as well.  I didn't realize there was an exact path we had to follow except to fulfill the certain number of credits for each subject.  I was going to follow the typical path of World, American, Govt/Eco.  Could you help me understand better?  Thanks.

 

 

I've never heard of that in TX. TX is known for its wonderful lack of restriction. 

 

You will also find multiple people on this forum that have used one or two years of MFW for high school. Just because their ideal says that it should be used all 4 years doesn't mean you really have to do it :).

[texasmama]

From the TEA website, re: social studies credits, the "recommended" and "distinguished achievement" levels (which are the same for this subject) requirements are:

 

4 credits in:

World History (1 credit)

World Geography (1 credit)

US History since 1877 (1 credit)

US Government (1/2 credit)

Economics (1/2 credit)

 

I have been looking at this as of late for my own planning purposes.

 

ETA:  other history courses could be placed under electives (4 1/2 - 5 1/2 credits of those to equal 26 total credits)

[Mom22ns]

TEA does not issue diplomas to homeschoolers. You do not have to follow the suggestions provided by TEA. Instead you should consider the requirements of the colleges your child wishes to attend. The same is true in most states. A few do have some requirements, but very few.

[G5052]

Wow, from a linguist to an accountant.  What a switch!  As crazy as that sounds to us parents when trying to map out a plan for college change is 'so' very common at this life stage.  I changed majors a lot myself and then careers later in life which included going back to school for graduate work.  Another mom on here posted about her humanities focused daughter who wanted to be a musician and was accepted into a very exclusive music school. But after one year had enough of it and decided to switch majors to math.  Fortunately for her, her parents made her complete math through Calculus 'even if she would never use it' in her career.   ;)

 

Actually the switch makes sense somewhat.  He's very analytical and orderly, but he's not motivated by science and engineering sorts of things.  Linguistics would have been my prediction, but accounting fits too. I'll tell you in five years how it all shook out though.

 

Naturally we're flexible.  I work for two colleges and have several contracts as an independent contractor, and out of it all, only one of the college gigs is in the area of my degrees.  Everything else is in areas I picked up. DH is the same way, working in an area completely unrelated to what he trained for as a young man.

[texasmama]

TEA does not issue diplomas to homeschoolers. You do not have to follow the suggestions provided by TEA. Instead you should consider the requirements of the colleges your child wishes to attend. The same is true in most states. A few do have some requirements, but very few.

 

I never really understood the advice to try and figure out which college your child is going to attend the summer before 9th grade, pin down their requirements, and stick to them.  Neither of my boys have the first idea where they might want to attend.  We do plan dual enrollment at the CC at this point, but that is all we know.  I didn't decide where I was going to college until the summer after I graduated high school.  Of course that is a bad plan, but nonetheless I did end up with an undergraduate degree from that college.

 

My thought is that it is pretty likely that my kids will go to a college in Texas (unless they receive amazing scholarships from an out of state college).  To go a step further, without scholarships, they will attend a state university.  No problem because there are plenty of good ones in Texas.  So I could look at the UT or TAMU systems for guidance in what to take, but it won't ever be "wrong" to make sure in this one instance (social studies), I hit the TEA site recs, right?

 

I am really just trying to understand this since my older dd graduated from private school so this is my first trip down this particular road, and I do find it a bit confusing.  Okay, more than a bit.  Math and science and foreign language and PE and electives seem pretty straightforward.  It is social studies and literature that get a bit more complicated.  Or maybe I am overcomplicating it?

 

My sons entering 9th grade next year will be 14 and 12.  When I asked them where the wanted to attend college, they had smart aleck answers.  One said "Harvard", and the other said "The University of Alaska".  Silly boys.  I'm on my own here.  ;)  Truly, they don't have any better answer than that, and even if they did, it could change radically between now and graduation day. 

 

So help a girl out.  That's why I hang out here.  :)  (Well, that, and it's fun.)

 

ETA:  We are a very spoiled family, also, in that we have 8-10 decent universities within driving distance and a large, good CC system. 

[Mom22ns]

I never really understood the advice to try and figure out which college your child is going to attend the summer before 9th grade, pin down their requirements, and stick to them.  Neither of my boys have the first idea where they might want to attend.  We do plan dual enrollment at the CC at this point, but that is all we know.  I didn't decide where I was going to college until the summer after I graduated high school.  Of course that is a bad plan, but nonetheless I did end up with an undergraduate degree from that college.

 

My thought is that it is pretty likely that my kids will go to a college in Texas (unless they receive amazing scholarships from an out of state college).  To go a step further, without scholarships, they will attend a state university.  No problem because there are plenty of good ones in Texas.  So I could look at the UT or TAMU systems for guidance in what to take, but it won't ever be "wrong" to make sure in this one instance (social studies), I hit the TEA site recs, right?

 

I am really just trying to understand this since my older dd graduated from private school so this is my first trip down this particular road, and I do find it a bit confusing.  Okay, more than a bit.  Math and science and foreign language and PE and electives seem pretty straightforward.  It is social studies and literature that get a bit more complicated.  Or maybe I am overcomplicating it?

 

My sons entering 9th grade next year will be 14 and 12.  When I asked them where the wanted to attend college, they had smart aleck answers.  One said "Harvard", and the other said "The University of Alaska".  Silly boys.  I'm on my own here.  ;)  Truly, they don't have any better answer than that, and even if they did, it could change radically between now and graduation day. 

 

So help a girl out.  That's why I hang out here.  :)  (Well, that, and it's fun.)

 

ETA:  We are a very spoiled family, also, in that we have 8-10 decent universities within driving distance and a large, good CC system. 

 

So, look at 10 college websites. They will all have an "admissions requirements" list on their website. I would bet that they will say something like 3 credits of social studies or social sciences. They will vary on the number of credits required from 2-4. They may have a specific course or two listed i.e. including one credit of American History or including .5 credit of Government. That is it. Look. Reassure yourself. Look at the websites of the colleges nearby plus the most outrageous out of state colleges you can think of, Harvard, MIT, whatever. Not one college is going to tell you that you can't include Ancients. Not one is going to tell you what 4 credits of history you must include. What you are going to learn is just how much flexibility you have!!

 

Yes, getting the classes that TEA recommends is safe, but it isn't at all required, necessary or limiting in any way! Feel free to do the classes you want to, or the classes your child wants to as well. Checking colleges will give you an idea in each subject area of what the requirements are to make sure you don't miss anything, then fly from there.

[texasmama]

So, look at 10 college websites. They will all have an "admissions requirements" list on their website. I would bet that they will say something like 3 credits of social studies or social sciences. They will vary on the number of credits required from 2-4. They may have a specific course or two listed i.e. including one credit of American History or including .5 credit of Government. That is it. Look. Reassure yourself. Look at the websites of the colleges nearby plus the most outrageous out of state colleges you can think of, Harvard, MIT, whatever. Not one college is going to tell you that you can't include Ancients. Not one is going to tell you what 4 credits of history you must include. What you are going to learn is just how much flexibility you have!!

 

Yes, getting the classes that TEA recommends is safe, but it isn't at all required, necessary or limiting in any way! Feel free to do the classes you want to, or the classes your child wants to as well. Checking colleges will give you an idea in each subject area of what the requirements are to make sure you don't miss anything, then fly from there.

Cool.  This I can do.  :)

 

FWIW, I had already planned to do Ancients next year.  :D

[texasmama]

Okay, I did this for several universities, and the requirements are quite vague and set a fairly low bar, IMO.  So what I have planned should be no problem for my guys to accomplish.

[Mom22ns]

Okay, I did this for several universities, and the requirements are quite vague and set a fairly low bar, IMO.  So what I have planned should be no problem for my guys to accomplish.

 

Do remember that those are minimum standards. No one gets into Harvard by doing the minimum. If your child wants to go to a competitive college, you'll need a bar set above the minimum. Set your standards based on your own child's goals. If they don't have goals, then maybe based on their potential so that when they develop goals they aren't limited :)

 

For the pp who said they couldn't do Ancients because it wasn't on the list of approved courses in TX, that just isn't reality. Homeschoolers get to set their own graduation requirements and how you set them should be based on some idea of what they need for whatever is next or might be next.

[texasmama]

Do remember that those are minimum standards. No one gets into Harvard by doing the minimum. If your child wants to go to a competitive college, you'll need a bar set above the minimum. Set your standards based on your own child's goals. If they don't have goals, then maybe based on their potential so that when they develop goals they aren't limited :)

True.  The entrance requirements mostly mirrored the middle of the road TX grad requirements.  The stand-out difference seems to be in the number of years the subjects are done, given that a typical progression is being followed.  (i.e. Algebra 1 or higher in 9th)

 

I plan to show my guys the information and let them help guide some of the decisions made.

[Lori D.]

Do remember that those are minimum standards…  If your child wants to go to a competitive college, you'll need a bar set above the minimum...

 

Just wanted to add: in addition to needing to go beyond the *minimum* standards for applying to competitive schools, even if planning on your average school with a high acceptance rate, you also need to go beyond if you are shooting for scholarships. In other words, 24+ credits (with a number of those being "academic" credits -- credits beyond the requirements in Science, Math, English, Foreign Language, and Social Sciences). Also important for scholarships: a high GPA, and a good ACT/SAT score for scholarships.

[texasmama]

At this point, I plan 4 years each of science, English, math and social studies and 2-4 years of foreign language, depending on their interest in it as high school progresses. Their math with start with Geometry, and they will do 2-3 lab sciences. They will graduate with 26 credits if all goes as planned. I have two very different students in my boys so there may need to be some adjustments made, and I expect their path to continue to diverge more as high school progresses. I sketched out a basic plan since reading this thread, though, so I feel like I have some framework. I appreciate the advice of those who have gone before. :)