Online schooling for ballerina in training. Need thoughts.

[lisabees]

We have decided to let my stepdaughter train privately with her dance instructor seven hours a day.  It is a tremendous opportunity with one of the best Russian instructors in the country.

 

DD is currently an honors student in 9th grade.  She is bright and curious about the world around her.  Her father, though, is extremely concerned about sacrificing her education for dance, but is willing to give her chance at her dream.  He wants to ensure that there is preparation for Plan B or C or D!

 

I can't believe I am even saying this, but I am considering online schooling for her (we are in PA).  You know - those Cyber Charter schools.  Number one, we need free.  Yes, I know we could homeschool for free.  But she splits time between her mother's house and ours.  And I now work.  There would be a lack of organization and accountability if we tried to home school in the traditional way, I think.  DS15 works on his own all day, but is highly motivated and has been homeschooling for years.

 

DD lacks time management and this will be quite the transition for her.  In addition, ballet is the priority for her.  If she is like other dancers who live this life, her education will take a back seat.  It will be a get'r done situation.  Her father, though, wants her to have a good education with at least honors classes.

 

I know nothing about those cyber charter schools.  I don't know if some are better for others.  I don't know what kinds of questions to ask when dealing with an athlete of this sort. 

 

Any thoughts or advice for us?

 

 

 

 

[MarkT]

It would be very helpful if you add your state of residence. This will help folks here list your free or almost free options.

 

Is she home-schooled now or attending a B&M school?

[lisabees]

Mark, DD is currently in a brick and mortar school.  We are in PA.

 

Please let me know if I am missing an obvious solution other than a virtual charter school!

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'd say go for it.  Another option is something like a place listed below, which is not free, but not super expensive.  You might prefer having less of the public school in your business. 

 

http://www.jmhs.com/

[hepatica]

Wow, sounds like a lonely life. Will she not be affiliated with a ballet school at all?

 

My DD is in a pre-professional ballet school. Most of the students are residents and do Keystone Online School (we live 45 minutes away, and my DD does her school at home). They dance from 2pm - 8pm Monday thru Friday, and 10-3 on Sat. There are a small handful of day students who manage to stay in B&M school, but the workload is crazy. From what I understand, most of the resident and day students who do the online program do not complete their the high school program in 4 years. It is quite common for them to continue with their studies for 5 or 6 years. And, while there are some high achieving students, many are just not that focused on school (my DD included).

 

 

[lisabees]

Thanks for the responses.  Yes, hepatica, it will be a lonely life!  But she will indeed be affiliated with a school.  It is a small school and her closest friends are there.   She will be the only one training privately and intensely with the instructor at this time.  

 

Her good friend, who has had company offers all around the world, is completing her training this spring.  

[Arcadia]

There is a lot of bureaucracy/rigidity for California's virtual academy at high school level which leads to people dropping after 8th grade.

 

I'll see what the cyber charter requirements are. If it is turning in homework daily, listening to online lectures and doing quizzes and the workload is heavy that can affect amount of sleep.

[amsunshine]

That type of  intense training is quite pricey.  Have you looked into quality residential programs for her?  I realize her Russian teacher must be amazing, but just wanted to throw that out there.  Kirov Academy and Harid come to mind -- both are excellent vaganova schools with both ballet and academic instruction included.  Harid is cheaper, but Kirov is closer to you, and they do offer scholarships.  

[daveswife]

I think PALCS might be a good option for her. It has an excellent reputation, a wonderful gifted program, and their average SAT score is very good. Also, lessons are generally asynchronous. We have a lot of cyber charter students in our area, and it seems PALCS is one that serious athletes/performers choose.

 

School Profile

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wish we had stuff like this here!

 

 

[MarkT]

I'd say go for it.  Another option is something like a place listed below, which is not free, but not super expensive.  You might prefer having less of the public school in your business. 

 

http://www.jmhs.com/

James Madison High School

Math ends at PreCalc

no AP classes

 

 

K12.com  and Connections Academy have a lot of courses, honors and AP and they are free public charters in PA

I have heard some mixed reviews 

 

of course the student has to be more self motivated - which the virtual charters do mention in their literature

[Dmmetler]

We don't have the virtual high schools you do in PA, but a lot of serious athletes/dancers seem to use Laurel Springs school.

[plansrme]

Is tuition for dual enrollment free in PA?  If so, perhaps you could outsource some of her classes to a community college that offers classes online.

[lisabees]

There is a lot of bureaucracy/rigidity for California's virtual academy at high school level which leads to people dropping after 8th grade.

 

I'll see what the cyber charter requirements are. If it is turning in homework daily, listening to online lectures and doing quizzes and the workload is heavy that can affect amount of sleep.

 

Arcadia - we are in PA, not CA.  But thank you!

[lisabees]

I think PALCS might be a good option for her. It has an excellent reputation, a wonderful gifted program, and their average SAT score is very good. Also, lessons are generally asynchronous. We have a lot of cyber charter students in our area, and it seems PALCS is one that serious athletes/performers choose.

 

School Profile

 

Just found about this yesterday!  Glad you have heard good reviews.  If you have any other thoughts/info in this program, please share!

 

Thanks again.

[lisabees]

Is tuition for dual enrollment free in PA?  If so, perhaps you could outsource some of her classes to a community college that offers classes online.

 

Yup!  I have considered this as well.  Thank you for the reminder.

[lisabees]

That type of  intense training is quite pricey.  Have you looked into quality residential programs for her?  I realize her Russian teacher must be amazing, but just wanted to throw that out there.  Kirov Academy and Harid come to mind -- both are excellent vaganova schools with both ballet and academic instruction included.  Harid is cheaper, but Kirov is closer to you, and they do offer scholarships.  

 

I am very familiar with those schools.  But her instructor is giving us an incredible deal that we cannot pass up.  And because our good friends' daughter has just completed her years of private training with this instructor, we have insider knowledge about the experience.  Yes, different girls equal difference experiences, but when her mother tells us that there are no two better human beings on the planet (husband and wife) who will love our daughter like their own and always, always, always look out for her best interests, it's an easy decision.  

 

We are extremely lucky to have found such a special place.  They love the kids as people, as well as budding dancers.

 

You must have experience in this ballet world - feel free to share your stories with me anytime!

[Butter]

My cousin was a gymnast and for several years did Laurel Springs School.  There was no option at the time for a virtual school in the state where they lived.  I would try to find people who actually use the virtual school in your area.  How virtual schools are run can be very different from state to state and virtual school to virtual school within the state (even if they all use K12!).  My friend has her son in a virtual school (in Texas) and she figured up all the time they expect kids to spend on school and ridiculous amounts of Test Prep and it ends up being about 10 hours of school a day.  She flat out told the teacher that wasn't happening and explained she used to be a K12 virtual school teacher in another state and this is ridiculous.  She has gone to only have her son do what she considers necessary (he is switching to a b&m charter school next year) and any of the specific work samples they require for submission (recently, one was a *coloring page* - for 4th graders - so she has pretty lost any faith she had in the way this particular virtual school is being... plus they are breaking the state laws by having kids do too many off-site standardized test practices).  She said it was *nothing* like that when she was teaching in Arizona.  So to know if going with the free option would be reasonable (and if she could even get as much as they "require" done plus dance 7 hours a day), try to find parents of kids in the virtual school high school.  Keystone and Laurel Springs or even K12 paid out of your own pocket may possibly be better options.  Don't trust the virtual school people, though.  My friend said they will tell you what you want to hear just to get you to sign up.

[amsunshine]

I am very familiar with those schools.  But her instructor is giving us an incredible deal that we cannot pass up.  And because our good friends' daughter has just completed her years of private training with this instructor, we have insider knowledge about the experience.  Yes, different girls equal difference experiences, but when her mother tells us that there are no two better human beings on the planet (husband and wife) who will love our daughter like their own and always, always, always look out for her best interests, it's an easy decision.  

 

We are extremely lucky to have found such a special place.  They love the kids as people, as well as budding dancers.

 

You must have experience in this ballet world - feel free to share your stories with me anytime!

Glad to hear!  I was throwing those suggestions out there just in case.  It sounds like this will be the best path for your dd and your family.

 

Dd13 is still on the beginning of her ballet journey.  She has been lucky to have excellent Russian instructors here on the west coast, and spent last summer at Kirov on scholarship.  She dearly loves the place, the staff and the instructors, and was also offered a tuition merit scholarship to stay for year round.  However, the room and board + academics are out of our reach financially.  Her instruction here during the year is still excellent, though, and she will be attending PNB's summer intensive on scholarship this year.  We are taking things day by day with her.  I'm not ready to let her make the commitment to study ballet full-time yet.  She is also interested in biomedical engineering, lol, so I am working to keep all options open.  

 

Good luck with finding an online academic program that works for you!  

[lisabees]

Glad to hear!  I was throwing those suggestions out there just in case.  It sounds like this will be the best path for your dd and your family.

 

Dd13 is still on the beginning of her ballet journey.  She has been lucky to have excellent Russian instructors here on the west coast, and spent last summer at Kirov on scholarship.  She dearly loves the place, the staff and the instructors, and was also offered a tuition merit scholarship to stay for year round.  However, the room and board + academics are out of our reach financially.  Her instruction here during the year is still excellent, though, and she will be attending PNB's summer intensive on scholarship this year.  We are taking things day by day with her.  I'm not ready to let her make the commitment to study ballet full-time yet.  She is also interested in biomedical engineering, lol, so I am working to keep all options open.  

 

Good luck with finding an online academic program that works for you!  

 

Ha!  My 12 year old dances at the same studio for about 18-20 hours a week.  She also wants to be an engineer!  

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Here are some questions to ask the cyber school about their policies and rules since some afford more flexibility than others. We used K12 via Agora and PAVCS when he was in early elementary school. I would also ascertain their NCLB status and whether they have met the expectations of the PA Dept of Education since some schools in the past were threatened with closure. I am not up on the latest data. At the time we preferred PAVCS. Connections may be the next choice. Schools run by K12 may be my last choice since they have run into scandals before but again I have not researched this lately.

 

I would ask detailed questions such as:

1. Number of mandatory synchronous classes, flexibility in scheduling them.

2. Optional available classes that are available in all subjects. 

3. Mandatory state testing and face to face sessions including dates and locations and flexibility.

4. Test prep requirements for state testing.

5. Available teacher support, tutoring, office hours.

6. Required work submissions and dates for the whole academic year.

7. Grading rubrics, criteria.

8. Flexibility in completing lessons or order of lessons. For example, our school expects 10% completion of each course each month for a 10 month school year. I also can do a day of history if I like or do lessons on the weekend or at night as long as I mark attendance each official school day which takes 1 minute to do.

9. Any expectations or requirements such as health screenings, etc.

10. Expected supplies given.

11. Course acceleration allowed and under what criteria.

12. Length of school year and is the online school available prior to or after the official school year.

 

13. Are there mandatory times when student has to be logged onto computer or can they do lessons 24/7 as long as they sign attendance for that day.

 

14. Any acceleration allowed?

 

15. Flexibility in assignments on topics a student has mastered already? For example, if student knows content already may they just do assessment? 

[school17777]

In addition to cyber charter schools, you may want to talk to your local school. Our school district has their own version of cyber school and you may find it more flexible. In the past, a student who was starring in a broadway play in NYC was in the program as well as a student training in gymnastics several hours a day.

[Lanny]

From what I have read here on WTM and on HomeSchoolReviews, I believe most of those who reported about their experiences with those free schools (K12, etc.) are very unhappy and discontinue using them.  I believe you would find the scheduling required would greatly interfere with the dance classes.  An Asynchronous course (TTUISD, etc.) would help, however those require the student be very good with Time Management which you indicated is not a skill your SD has at this time. When we were children, one of my cousins was into Ballet. She got a degree in something I can't remember at Berkeley and she still enjoys going to see Ballet.    I wish your SD much GL

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I forgot to add that we loved the K12 curricula but we only experienced the early elementary years. I did hear good things about older grades. The problem with K12 was the K12 run school in PA had some controversies about it. PAVCS at the time used K12 curricula but was not run by K12 and was a better school. But be careful with public charter cyber schools since they may not be flexible at all now as it was for us when we did. Therefore, ask very detailed questions.

[scoutingmom]

There is also Easy Peasy All-in one Homeschool  (There is also a high school site) that is an online program.  It is a homeschool program (ie, not government run) and you'd have to do the marking etc....

[lisabees]

No Place Like Home and Plum Crazy!  Thank you so much for the detailed and thoughtful information.  It is so helpful.  This is becoming quite overwhelming.

[katilac]

I think the problem with most virtual charter schools is that they are time-consuming. Basically, they are meant to be school at home, and thus don't save as much time as another approach might (you do save some time, of course, but probably not enough to accommodate 7 hours of dance instruction per day). 

 

I'm not sure that full honors classes are compatible with her dance commitment, even if you school shorter days but year-round. If she dances for 7 hours and sleeps for 8, that leaves 9 hours for school and everything else - hygiene, meals, transportation, and so on.  

 

What about honors classes in her strong areas? Math/science OR history/literature? 

[lisabees]

I think the problem with most virtual charter schools is that they are time-consuming. Basically, they are meant to be school at home, and thus don't save as much time as another approach might (you do save some time, of course, but probably not enough to accommodate 7 hours of dance instruction per day). 

 

I'm not sure that full honors classes are compatible with her dance commitment, even if you school shorter days but year-round. If she dances for 7 hours and sleeps for 8, that leaves 9 hours for school and everything else - hygiene, meals, transportation, and so on.  

 

What about honors classes in her strong areas? Math/science OR history/literature? 

 

 

That is true. Especially if she has trouble with time management. My son can work slow when it comes to writing papers but he's become fairly efficient at completing his courses. His day averages around 6-7 hours.

 

Very good thoughts.  We should definitely limit her honors courses.  And I am not sure whether she should include Spanish 3.  She is part hispanic and is quite fluent already.  

 

Her father would like her to start over the summer with 2 classes, so she really gets an idea of how much work is involved.  She is starry eyed, so the transition may be quite the shock!

[Lanny]

Follow on: I read the replies after my first reply. I wonder about another option, but it would not be "Honors" level. It would get her an accredited high school diploma. There are a few threads around WTM about American School and Penn Foster and possibly some other schools. They are very inexpensive and are probably Asynchronous.   The workload of a free school or a school like TTUISD, combined with a full day of dance, may be something your SD is not capable of, but probably you should let her try this. After 4 years in a Spanish speaking brick and mortar school, in October 3012 my DD began with two 6th grade courses from TTUISD.   She has learned a lot about the workload and time management since then and she is almost caught up.  Since your SD is part Hispanic I would encourage her to take as much Spanish as is possible. It will open doors for her, all of her life.  Doing some of her studying on weekends and studying year round are options for your SD.   

[lisabees]

Lanny - thanks for the heads up year round schooling.  It is definitely something I have considered.

 

I have heard about American School.  I'll do some checking!

[purpleroses]

I know nothing about cyber charter or public schools since it's not offered in my state, but I do know private online schools/independent study programs that are very good. However those can get pricey.

[meet me in paris]

Lisabees, we are in the same boat!  My dd is in 8th this year and in a full time ballet conservatory.  Her schedule leaves her little time for school and I am worried about starting high school next year. We are also looking into online options.

 

I've been watching the older girls this year and how they handle it all.  The majority of them do public virtual school, and they are pretty stressed out.  Fall was especially bad with Nutcracker rehearsals and YAGP preparation.  Most of them spent their entire Christmas break catching up on school work.  The kids in the program that are doing a more traditional homeschool program are less stressed, that is for sure.  Because of that, we are looking for an online program that can be used independently (not an accredited version) so that we can shave off some of the busy work. We use HomeLife Academy for our record keeping, so we are not worried about diplomas, transcripts, etc.

 

One thing that has worked in our favor is that dd has one night off a week from ballet.  She comes home early that day and has a large chunk of time to devote to school.  Since your dd is not in regularly scheduled classes but working with the directors one-on-one, maybe you could adjust one day in the middle of the week to allow for more school work?

 

Good luck on your journey!

[purpleroses]

Yes. I would do one of those in a heartbeat if I could afford it. American School is very affordable, but I didn't think it was right for my kiddo. The online high schools through universities are usually a little more rigorous, but pricey. BYU has a scholarship program where you get one free course for every five they complete with a B or higher. Up to $660 per semester. I like that those allow for year round study. You can stagger courses a little better or keep at their schedule. 

If I may ask what's you price range?  I remember when I started searching for online and umbrella schools I did see some that were cheaper than others. The ones that come to mind are Compu High, Texas Tech Independent Study, Forest trail, Franklin Virtual School, The Ogburn School, and North Dakota Center for distance education. The only thing with Texas Tech is that you have to take Texas exams, well that's what they said when I called.  

 

****oops sorry I thought you were the poster that asked this question and responded back to me.

[Lanny]

<snip> The only thing with Texas Tech is that you have to take Texas exams, well that's what they said when I called.  

<snip>

 

 

With regard to the Texas EOC (End of Course) examinations required for High School graduation from TTUISD (and all Texas schools that operate under the regulations for Public schools), the state legislature reduced the number of exams required for High School graduation, from 15 to 5. That was during their 2013 session.   So, DD will need to pass those 5 exams.

 

At this time, the Texas legislature is  contemplating making it easier to get a Texas diploma, which we  hope they will not do.