kmstewart12 Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, I'm hoping I'm at least sort of in the correct place though. So, we live in a horrible neighborhood and our school leaves much to be desired all around. I've always been interested in homeschooling, but I'm terrified to jump in cold turkey. Because of this, I'm really considering the k12 public school curriculum through Virginia Virtual academy. I know many "true homeschoolers" aren't fans of the set up, which I can completely respect. I'm looking for people who have done it (preferably completed at least a year) to tell me what your experiences were. I will have two children enrolled (5th and 2nd grade) as well as a 2 year old at home. Thanks in advance for all of your insight. Â Â Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
Ellie Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, I'm hoping I'm at least sort of in the correct place though. So, we live in a horrible neighborhood and our school leaves much to be desired all around. I've always been interested in homeschooling, but I'm terrified to jump in cold turkey. Because of this, I'm really considering the k12 public school curriculum through Virginia Virtual academy. I know many "true homeschoolers" aren't fans of the set up, which I can completely respect. I'm looking for people who have done it (preferably completed at least a year) to tell me what your experiences were. I will have two children enrolled (5th and 2nd grade) as well as a 2 year old at home. Thanks in advance for all of your insight.   Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk   Your question really needs to be what people think about Virginia Virtual Academy. You would not be enrolling your dc in K12; you would be enrolling them in VVA.  The consensus here is that people who buy K12 on their own like it, but people who enroll their children in a public charter school do not, because of the restrictions and requirements placed on them by the charter school.  Of course you can jump right in cold turkey. Most of us did it. There's no reason that you couldn't do it, too. 5 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 9, 2016 Author Posted May 9, 2016 I'm not comfortable jumping in cold turkey. It's just not where I'm at currently. Thanks though. Â Â Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
EKS Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 I have used individual courses from K12 as an independent user, so I don't have experience with a virtual academy. Â From what I've read on here, which virtual academy you use can make a big difference in your experience. Â One thing that has been an issue is that K12 specifically says that all of the assignments are optional--as in they are suggestions that the parent-teacher can choose from according to the student's individual needs. Â And then they frequently list lots of choices. Â But apparently some virtual academies were requiring that *all* the suggested work be done, which is really too much. Â So you need to find out what your particular virtual academy's policies are. Â The courses that we particularly liked were History K, History 4 (we didn't use History 1-3, but I'm sure they were just as good), Science 1 and 2 (we didn't like 3 and 4 as much), and the literature strand of Intermediate English A and B and Literary Analysis and Composition. Â I also love their textbooks for history--Hakim's History of US concise, The Human Odyssey series, and The American Odyssey (for high school). 2 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 9, 2016 Author Posted May 9, 2016 I have used individual courses from K12 as an independent user, so I don't have experience with a virtual academy. Â From what I've read on here, which virtual academy you use can make a big difference in your experience. One thing that has been an issue is that K12 specifically says that all of the assignments are optional--as in they are suggestions that the parent-teacher can choose from according to the student's individual needs. And then they frequently list lots of choices. But apparently some virtual academies were requiring that *all* the suggested work be done, which is really too much. So you need to find out what your particular virtual academy's policies are. Â The courses that we particularly liked were History K, History 4 (we didn't use History 1-3, but I'm sure they were just as good), Science 1 and 2 (we didn't like 3 and 4 as much), and the literature strand of Intermediate English A and B and Literary Analysis and Composition. I also love their textbooks for history--Hakim's History of US concise, The Human Odyssey series, and The American Odyssey (for high school). Thank you! I've tried to reach out to those in vava and haven't gotten much input from those I've reached out to, so I'm hoping a channel like this will provide more input. I really appreciate yours :) Quote
EKS Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 One other thing. Â You used to be able to call K12 and get a demo account which made it so you could see most of their courses in their entirety. Â I don't know if they still do that, but it's worth a try. 1 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 9, 2016 Author Posted May 9, 2016 One other thing. You used to be able to call K12 and get a demo account which made it so you could see most of their courses in their entirety. I don't know if they still do that, but it's worth a try. Thank you! I will look into that as well. I've had both kids do a sample "class connect" to see if they liked the concept. I am sure the novelty added to their enjoyment of it, but they did really take to it. Also, they've enjoyed the sample lessons they have worked through. I will look into the demo account at nap time. Quote
foxbridgeacademy Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 Going through a virtual academy for K12 was a horrible and traumatic experience for nephew and I. Â If all the assignments were done each week it would have taken 10 hours a day or more(for 9th grade). Â He was so far behind by week 3 I considered "helping" him :ohmy:Â . Instead we pulled him out and put him back in a B.M. P.S. Â I didn't at the time have custody of him and couldn't truly HS him. Â Now I do, but with his particular personality :glare:Â :banghead:Â I have found that traditional HSing doesn't work well. Â There are two completely planned out online options that I know of. Â Time 4 learning ($20 for first kid I think, $15 for 2nd) we tried that a year or so ago with my two and they HATED it. Â Too kiddish and cartoony. The other is Acellus ($30/child), so far it's going great. Â The program is light, so make sure they do the homework. Â You could add in things/curriculum, or units to ease yourself into a more traditional HSing style. Â Also my DD who hates T4L and most other HSing options actually likes Acellus and is getting ALL her work done on time and with A's in everything (so is the nephew if I stay on top of him) . Â She's a 7th grader and doing mostly High School classes so you might want to make sure their grade level matches your kid. There's no trial for Acellus so you have to be willing to potentially waste $30 to try it out. 3 Quote
Peaceful Isle Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 (edited) What about something like Acellus or Time 4 learning? It isn't free, but the monthly payment is pretty reasonable. Â - I just read the post above that recommended the same curriculum ;) Edited May 9, 2016 by Peacefulisle 1 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 9, 2016 Author Posted May 9, 2016 What about something like Acellus or Time 4 learning? It isn't free, but the monthly payment is pretty reasonable.  - I just read the post above that recommended the same curriculum ;)  I am going to look into it. My biggest concern is that I am not really comfortable taking on the full responsibility for their curriculum and education just yet, which is why K12 through VAVA was so appealing to me. Thank you for your input. 2 Quote
foxbridgeacademy Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 I am going to look into it. My biggest concern is that I am not really comfortable taking on the full responsibility for their curriculum and education just yet, which is why K12 through VAVA was so appealing to me. Thank you for your input. I think time 4 learning or Acellus would fit your needs, all you do with Acellus in particular is decide how many lessons you want them to do per week.  You can check in from your computer or tablet  and see what they're working on and what their grade is.  The program assigns the work and is adaptive to the student's placement.  Honestly with the FB group being so active I feel like I have 10X more support from them then I ever did from K12 VS.  It took days to get any questions answered and by then an assignment was late and he got a 0 (we never did get an answer on how to turn in a drawing online).  But, if you think it will work for you I'd give it a try, it might be exactly what you need.  2 Quote
abcmommy Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 I do the IN version for high school and IMO its a sub par high school substitute as compared with my good local option. 1 Quote
mom2scouts Posted May 10, 2016 Posted May 10, 2016 Every year, around the month of November, my homeschool groups get inundated with people who thought they were easing into homeschooling by using K12 or another online public school. They are desperate to know how to get out and start homeschooling. They complain about the workload, the busywork, and the amount of work required for the parent. Many of them later say that homeschooling is easier and less stressful and they wish they had done it from the start. If you want something online, there are probably better options than the virtual public schools. 6 Quote
foxbridgeacademy Posted May 10, 2016 Posted May 10, 2016 (edited) I do the IN version for high school and IMO its a sub par high school substitute as compared with my good local option. :iagree:Â we lasted 3 weeks with Indiana K12 before deciding that the local sub-par B&M was still loads better and less of a time suck. Â Edited May 10, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy 1 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Posted May 11, 2016 :iagree: we lasted 3 weeks with Indiana K12 before deciding that the local sub-par B&M was still loads better and less of a time suck.Is B&M brick and mortar? Our issue isn't solely the sub par nature of the academics at the school. Unfortunately, it is also bullying by students and sadly even teachers. Quote
Insertcreativenamehere Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 We used it for first grade and the curriculum was just OK. The individual virtual academy's policies are what drove us to consider homeschooling independently. My son is an accelerated learner and once he finished the first grade curriculum, they would only provide the next level up in math and language arts. That left me scrambling to fill up 6 hours a day of school time (the amount required by the school) in science and history, the areas they would not accelerate. I figured if I was already coming up with content on my own for those subjects, I might as well do it without the school's oversight.  They also require online classes, called Class Connects, and my son detested them. I had to keep track of how much time he spent on every subject every day and scan assignments each month to submit to his teacher.  We much prefer homeschooling to our virtual academy experience. It is much less stressful and time-consuming -- and much more flexible and efficient. 2 Quote
Ellie Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Is B&M brick and mortar? Our issue isn't solely the sub par nature of the academics at the school. Unfortunately, it is also bullying by students and sadly even teachers.  "B&M" (brick and mortar) is a term that was actually invented by K12 to describe physical, campus-based schools. Quote
.... Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 I feel bad adding another negative K12 story to the mix, but we have a close friend who is using K12 through one of the virtual schools in TX. Â She could not keep up with the pace and basically failed the school year. Â They are saying she has to repeat that grade next fall. Â It didn't sound like there was a ton of teacher communication and the mom didn't realize what was going on until it was halfway through the school year. Â So, if you end up enrolling in the virtual school, I would make sure to keep on top of their daily schoolwork, grades, etc. Â Also, ensure there are progress reports/communication from the teacher. 2 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Posted May 11, 2016 Thank you for that tip, I really appreciate it. I just don't feel comfortable jumping into homeschooling cold turkey I guess. I know, shame on me for not owning my children's education from the beginning. But I am looking forward to at least gaining some comfort in just being responsible for the majority of explanation and if it doesn't work out, making the move towards our own curriculum... Â Â Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote
Dmmetler Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Do you have a connections academy option? My SIL used connections through a public charter for my neice when she was struggling with some health issues, and it seemed more flexible than K12. Quote
kentuckymom Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Just to throw something positive in the mix, I have a cousin with two children who are using K12 through a virtual public school in Michigan (I'm not sure what the name is). Their family is very happy with it. Both she and her husband work full time, and the boys (both teenagers) are supervised by another homeschooling family during the day so they're not tempted to just goof off all day, but do their work almost entirely independently. She has two younger children still in the local public school, but it wasn't a good fit for the older ones. Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Posted May 11, 2016 Just to throw something positive in the mix, I have a cousin with two children who are using K12 through a virtual public school in Michigan (I'm not sure what the name is). Their family is very happy with it. Both she and her husband work full time, and the boys (both teenagers) are supervised by another homeschooling family during the day so they're not tempted to just goof off all day, but do their work almost entirely independently. She has two younger children still in the local public school, but it wasn't a good fit for the older ones.Thank you :) Quote
.... Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016  I just don't feel comfortable jumping into homeschooling cold turkey I guess.  Completely understandable!  We've been doing this for 7-8 years and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing!  1 Quote
Ellie Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 There are distance-learning schools that you can enroll your children in for the accountability, although of course you have to pay for them. Â You have such young children that I cannot imagine that you would not be able to teach them yourself. If they were high school-age and needing advanced maths and science and whatnot, yeah, I'd be concerned, too, lol. But elementary-aged children...you can teach them while standing on one foot with your hand tied behind your back. :D 1 Quote
EmseB Posted May 11, 2016 Posted May 11, 2016 Thank you for that tip, I really appreciate it. I just don't feel comfortable jumping into homeschooling cold turkey I guess. I know, shame on me for not owning my children's education from the beginning. But I am looking forward to at least gaining some comfort in just being responsible for the majority of explanation and if it doesn't work out, making the move towards our own curriculum... Â Â Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You could always pick out a "school-in-a-box" option, with scripted curriculum guides and schedules. A lot of things these days are "open and go", meaning you'd just have to open to the next lesson and read it along with your kid. Â When I started homeschooling a couple years ago, I found options with "accountability" to be more onerous, because not only was I going to be doing school with my kids, but I also had an extra layer of school responsibility. It was all the hassle of school with me doing the schooling! 2 Quote
Mrs. Tharp Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 Yeah, have you looked at Calvert? They are very much "school in a box" with lesson plans and detailed instructions. They give all the structure of school while still allowing you to control your own schedule. You can also call them and get help from a teacher whenever you need it. We used it when we started out  and ultimately opted for something cheaper & more flexible, but the education they provide is very, very good. 4 Quote
Arcadia Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 We did the California version for 3 years (K-8th subjects while in K-4th). We didn't have any problems but my kids are both "ahead" of grade level so they basically help push up the K12 VA's state's standardized tests scores range. They let my kids subject accelerate for Langauge Arts, Math and Science as well as let them take German from Kindergarten. Â Each state's K12 VA has its own policy though. Quote
Ellie Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 We did the California version for 3 years (K-8th subjects while in K-4th). We didn't have any problems but my kids are both "ahead" of grade level so they basically help push up the K12 VA's state's standardized tests scores range. They let my kids subject accelerate for Langauge Arts, Math and Science as well as let them take German from Kindergarten. Â Each state's K12 VA has its own policy though. Â To clarify: Your dc were enrolled in a charter school in California that required K12. The K12 courses would be the same in any state; it would be the requirements that would differ, based on each state's laws. 1 Quote
Arcadia Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 To clarify: Your dc were enrolled in a charter school in California that required K12. The K12 courses would be the same in any state; it would be the requirements that would differ, based on each state's laws. The K12 courses are modified to suit the requirements of each state. So the public charter version would differ from buying a K12 course as a customer. For example K12 algebra 1 California edition that the VA used is different from K12 Independent due to modifying to suit state testing requirements. 2 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 12, 2016 Author Posted May 12, 2016 We did the California version for 3 years (K-8th subjects while in K-4th). We didn't have any problems but my kids are both "ahead" of grade level so they basically help push up the K12 VA's state's standardized tests scores range. They let my kids subject accelerate for Langauge Arts, Math and Science as well as let them take German from Kindergarten. Â Each state's K12 VA has its own policy though. What insight do you have about structure, organization, and the like? Quote
Arcadia Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 What insight do you have about structure, organization, and the like? This is very state dependent and my experience is 2 years old. My oldest was in his local assigned public school before we switch to using the K12 VA option. As such they could and probably did get his records for K & 1st from our school district. Also they did placement tests during the first parent teacher meeting for both my kids which was more than 3hrs per child for language arts and math.  For language arts they did the phonics tests and the reading fluency as well as reading comprehension tests. They test until my kids fail or they ran out of tests. Their reading fluency tests at that time was the one that goes A-Z, similar to the Fountas Pinnell system. My oldest who was 6 at that time hit the Z level for fluency, Y for comprehension. He is my bookworm.  The chart in the link gives a quick grade level "expectation" https://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/library/libraries/firsttuesdays/ReadingChart.pdf  For math, the teacher test until my kids can't get 100% correct on the tests. My oldest had a few wrong at the 4th grade test so the VA start him at 4th grade math.  The system local to me was semi-bureaucratic at that time. My kids have to pass all the unit tests and semester exams to request acceleration to the next grade per subject. However, speeding through all those tests were easier than being bored in a classroom.  My kids enjoyed the literature, art, history materials. They did all the science readings and experiments. K12 science has too much info but that is nice for my kids to read more about it. Too much is better than too little. For literature, there was a list of novels to choose from so my kids did have choice there. My oldest had writer's block due to his perfectionism and I could ask for one on one help from his teacher.  Math was boring but it does get the job done. Manipulatives were supplied for math.  The thing with signing up with a K12 VA is that the parent has to advocate especially for k-8. If a child needs help, call or email the teacher. As a public school student, the teacher is paid to help. Even when my kids were in the local school, I had to ask for help if my kids require it. My kids may be above grade level in terms of testing results but they are still just as entitled as any other public school kid to ask for help from their teachers in their weaker areas as long as they are in public school (online or B&M). Turn around was suppose to be 24-48hrs and I get an acknowledgment within 24hrs even if the teacher has to escalate up to get approval.  I am still in contact with my kids former K12 VA teachers. They are nice professional people making a living teaching.  The structure (chain of command) was kind of like the local public school. Any issues with the subject was escalated to the subject lead/head. So math to math lead, science to science lead. Any issues with placement, IEP, 504, LDs testing goes to admin.  State testing was easy and my kids didn't mind. We know many who used K12 VA as a stop gap for a year before deciding on homeschooling, private or public school after that. A friend's child used K12 VA for a year because of bullying and then went back to public school.  Their state testing results are pathetic but those with good test results are less likely to stay with K12 VA since parents are more likely to switch to homeschooling or rent in a "better" school district. 1 Quote
LisaKinVA Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 We are former K12 VAVA participants (first two years they operated), so it's been awhile. Â We also transferred from K12 independent, so I had no issues getting my kids placed into the correct classes. Â The coursework as an independent and as a VAVA user was nearly identical (they changed the math program during our 2nd year, and that was the primary reason we left). Â However, there were more hoops and additional work we were expected/required to do. Â I didn't have a problem scanning in papers for monthly progress check ins. I didn't have a problem meeting with the teacher for progress check ins. Â Where I ran into issues was dealing with the increased lack of ability to meet my kids educational needs, which increased from year 1 to year 2. Â My oldest was accelerated (across the board), but as we started the English program for that year, I could tell my son wasn't ready for the type of questions and output they were expecting. Â He couldn't repeat the prior year (which he had completed successfully), so I asked to divide the English program up over two years, so that he could have some time to mature (he was ahead, after all). Â This was agreed to by all parties and listed in his course plan for the year. Â When we got to the end of the semester, however, we were told that DS couldn't drag the course out over two years, that he *must* complete (85% of all work) the English course that year (we were about 25% vs. 40-50% complete at that time). Â That was NOT fun. Â Our first year, accelerated students weren't required to do all of the extra testing preparation (extra on-line study sessions, etc.). Â Our second year, they were required to (my kids didn't have any problems with the SOLs). Â This extra time was in ADDITION to the required coursework they were supposed to complete, plus they had to do the IXL sessions as part of the required coursework. Â This extra busy work made our school days much longer (we used to be able to mark things off when the objective had been reached, things changed and we were expected to do most of the assignments, regardless of if they were necessary). Â The math. Â It was awful. Â Granted, things may have changed -- but it was mostly on the computer. Â Kids (even young ones now) had to copy the multitude of practice problems onto a separate piece of paper, work them out and then enter them into the computer to get credit. Â The system glitched, and you would lose ALL of your work and have to go back and re-enter everything. Â My younger son was moderately dysgraphic. Â All of that writing (besides being tedious) was physically painful for him. Â So, I would go through and write out the problems for him (taking me 30 minutes or so, waiting for screens to load, etc.), he would work them, and then I'd go back and enter all of his answers. Â I honestly can't remember anything about the actual math lessons (so, I'm not able to compare them to Math Mammoth, Singapore, Abeka, CLE or whatever), all that stuck with me was the ridiculous program. Â They had used Sadlier Oxford for K-5 math in the past, and it was quite good. Â I hated the change. Â They started to refuse moving kids up or down in a curriculum until the end of the first 9 weeks (or later), which made it more difficult to get appropriate accommodations (my younger son could read fluently, with expression in K, so the "average" program was a really poor fit, indeed). Â Keep in mind, that originally, this program was designed and touted as a way for kids who needed more flexibility (either advancement OR remediation) to get it. Â I do think the requirements came from "above" the VA Admin from the state, though. Â But, this lack of flexibility really became an issue. Â That said, there are things I would use from K12 again, if I had that option (we do not, apparently, have access to the independent purchase any longer since we are out of the country, and instead are forced to go through the I-cademy which is incredibly expensive). Â Here is my rank of the curriculum programs (based upon K-8, I've never used the high school level): Â 1) History 2) Science 3) Art 4) English (mostly due to the grammar/vocab/writing -- the lit was really good). 5) Music 6) Math *Also no experience with their foreign language, but I believe they partnered with PowerGlide. Â If VAVA were able to go back to the original intention of the program and become more flexible in their accommodations, eliminate the extra test prep requirements and IXL for learners who didn't need it, and DUMP or offer an alternative for the elementary math, I'd probably be willing to go back. Â At this point, I might only consider it at the high school level (assuming I was in an area that offered it), but I have no first-hand experience with those programs... 1 Quote
MarkT Posted May 13, 2016 Posted May 13, 2016 "B&M" (brick and mortar) is a term that was actually invented by K12 to describe physical, campus-based schools. no that term is much older than K12,com -  discussions of Amazon made the term popular in the early 2000s with respect to physical bookstores such as Borders and B&N  1988 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brick%E2%80%93and%E2%80%93mortar 2 Quote
Laurel-in-CA Posted May 13, 2016 Posted May 13, 2016 LisaK's experience mirrors the general charter school experience....innovative and flexible at the start, but increasingly rigid and rule-oriented as time went on and the bureaucrats got to it. Â If you want to homeschool with confidence, choose an out-of-the-box program with all the books and a teacher guide like Sonlight, Winter's Promise, or Hearts of Dakota (in my personal order of preference). You could also choose Oak Meadow, Laurel Springs, or Calvert, which have teacher oversight and cost quite a bit more but can do grading for you and are more tailored for standard K-12 expectations. There are similar private providers, like Kolbe Academy....also significantly more costly than option #1. Â If you're feeling courageous, go with the program outlined by TWTM and keep your kids together for science and history chronologically, then find other resources at their level. You CAN do it!! Â In our story, we started with Sonlight and used it for 5 years, then began transitioning to WTM-eclectic approach. We've worked with several charters and seen the restrictions grow over the years (and none of them used K12 because I didn't want my kids online that much); we are happy NOT to be doing that now. 2 Quote
Ellie Posted May 14, 2016 Posted May 14, 2016 no that term is much older than K12,com -  discussions of Amazon made the term popular in the early 2000s with respect to physical bookstores such as Borders and B&N  1988 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brick%E2%80%93and%E2%80%93mortar  But K12 started before 2000--not much before, but sill before. Among people *I* knew, which is by and large homeschoolers, "brick and mortar" was much more likely to be used in reference to physical schools than to bookstores. 1 Quote
Meadowlark Posted May 14, 2016 Posted May 14, 2016 I'm confused, and always have been. I'm in Iowa. So when I google K12 in Iowa, it says "Iowa Connections Academy". So is this MY K12? Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 14, 2016 Author Posted May 14, 2016 I'm confused, and always have been. I'm in Iowa. So when I google K12 in Iowa, it says "Iowa Connections Academy". So is this MY K12? Connections academy is another online public schooling company. They are similar in some ways, but I've heard there are some pretty big differences in the way the two operate. I'm my state, k12 has a free option while connections does not. This is sometimes the opposite in other states(connections is the free option while k12 is not). I hope that helps :) Quote
Ms Brooks Posted May 14, 2016 Posted May 14, 2016 I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, I'm hoping I'm at least sort of in the correct place though. So, we live in a horrible neighborhood and our school leaves much to be desired all around. I've always been interested in homeschooling, but I'm terrified to jump in cold turkey. Because of this, I'm really considering the k12 public school curriculum through Virginia Virtual academy. I know many "true homeschoolers" aren't fans of the set up, which I can completely respect. I'm looking for people who have done it (preferably completed at least a year) to tell me what your experiences were. I will have two children enrolled (5th and 2nd grade) as well as a 2 year old at home. Thanks in advance for all of your insight.   Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk  Over 20 years of schooling at home I have used K12 (1 yr. high school and two years gr.3-4), Calvert homeschool (1-4), and Laurel Springs school (high school), as well as schooling through a public charter school as independent study (k-8).  K12 was the least liked by both my kids and myself. I felt like a rat on a wheel, always pushed to meet a goal even if the material were not mastered. If I were to do k12 again I would do it independently so I could fit it to my student's needs. I thought Calvert homeschool more academically demanding, and Laurel Springs was our favorite. Oak Meadow has improved over the years. Some of their offerings look very appealing. 4 Quote
Alessandra Posted May 14, 2016 Posted May 14, 2016 no that term is much older than K12,com - discussions of Amazon made the term popular in the early 2000s with respect to physical bookstores such as Borders and B&N Â 1988 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brick%E2%80%93and%E2%80%93mortar I used it in the 1980's in fund raising -- for example, will they donate for programming or does it have to be bricks and mortar? Quote
abcmommy Posted May 14, 2016 Posted May 14, 2016 K12 ane Connections are both For Profit entities which sell their product to charter schools. Â The MOST sub par parts are delivered directly from K12. Â Â Computer science which is eons behind/ ancient history AP history which was essentially self study and nationally sorted so that my kid's class connects began with the first chapter six weeks after school had begun for us class connects can occur at 8 or 9 pm (this actually doesn't bug me in theory but practically it was bad) a truly inexcusably horrible language program implemented by Middlebury with not enough teacher oversight (ie they get paid and dont work) Â Â Â Quote
ondreeuh Posted May 14, 2016 Posted May 14, 2016 I really encourage you to take a look at Calvert. I used it this year despite having 7 years of homeschooling under my belt. I was really curious about how it work work to use something pre-planned for each day. Overall, I really liked it. It is very solid in covering the essential topics, and in the 3rd grade level it also covers Greek mythology, geography skills, and some poetry. My son is gifted and outgrew the curriculum so we finished it up 3/4 of the way through, but for a more typical learner I think the pacing is great. If I had an average kid I would probably stick with it. Calvert uses textbooks for math, science, and language arts, so it would probably feel familiar to your kids coming out of PS. The "lesson manuals" are very thorough and explain how to present everything, what to focus on, how to give examples, etc. It teaches you how to teach your kids. I used it without the teacher support/grading, so I was able to cut out lessons (like social studies - man that was written as if a kid was an alien and knew nothing about civilization). 3 Quote
MarkT Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 of possible interest: http://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/committees/boars/BOARSStatementonOnlineLearningMay2012.pdf Quote
The Governess Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 There are also private school distance learning options. Some well-known schools are: Laurel Springs, Oak Meadow, and Kolbe Academy. I'm sure there are more I am forgetting. I only have experience with Kolbe; the nice thing about their program is that they offer multiple curriculum choices, and are also flexible enough to give credit for other curriculum/outside classes on the student's transcript. So if their choices are not working for you, you can substitute with something else. They also offer varying degrees of support so you can choose heavy support for your first year and then less once you have the hang of things. Other private distance learning schools may have similar options. 1 Quote
Tsuga Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, I'm hoping I'm at least sort of in the correct place though. So, we live in a horrible neighborhood and our school leaves much to be desired all around. I've always been interested in homeschooling, but I'm terrified to jump in cold turkey. Because of this, I'm really considering the *** public school curriculum through **** academy. I know many "true homeschoolers" aren't fans of the set up, which I can completely respect. I'm looking for people who have done it (preferably completed at least a year) to tell me what your experiences were. I will have two children enrolled (5th and 2nd grade) as well as a 2 year old at home. Thanks in advance for all of your insight.   Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk  Are you looking for people who've done it to tell you their experiences even if they were negative, or do you just want people to tell you it's okay?  You are looking at a virtual online school, but there are many, many options beyond the one you mention, including open-and-go set-ups. But none of those work for you?  You are treating them all as if the option you bring up is the only option and to the others you keep saying you're not ready to take control of that. But given the options that have been listed here, it doesn't make sense.  I think you should consider that even for those who want to follow an open-and-go outside-accountability option, yours is far from the only one. 1 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 22, 2016 Author Posted May 22, 2016 Are you looking for people who've done it to tell you their experiences even if they were negative, or do you just want people to tell you it's okay? Â You are looking at a virtual online school, but there are many, many options beyond the one you mention, including open-and-go set-ups. But none of those work for you? Â You are treating them all as if the option you bring up is the only option and to the others you keep saying you're not ready to take control of that. But given the options that have been listed here, it doesn't make sense. Â I think you should consider that even for those who want to follow an open-and-go outside-accountability option, yours is far from the only one. Firstly, there are many factors going into why I asked the question I asked. I don't need a grown up to affirm I'm making the right or wrong choice for my children, I'm quite capable of doing it without group approval. I was looking for opinions of those who had experience directly with the program through a virtual academy. I have also looked into all of the other options presented to me. At this point, one of the major factors in any decision will be price. Unfortunately, I am not capable of paying over $10,000 a year to school my children at home or anywhere else. It just isn't in the budget. Because of that, as well as my concerns about creating and implementing curricula for my children on my own, I leaned the k12 route and looked for those who may have direct experience with it to let me know what their personal thoughts were. I appreciate your help as well. Quote
Tsuga Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 (edited) Firstly, there are many factors going into why I asked the question I asked. I don't need a grown up to affirm I'm making the right or wrong choice for my children, I'm quite capable of doing it without group approval. I was looking for opinions of those who had experience directly with the program through a virtual academy. I have also looked into all of the other options presented to me. At this point, one of the major factors in any decision will be price. Unfortunately, I am not capable of paying over $10,000 a year to school my children at home or anywhere else. It just isn't in the budget. Because of that, as well as my concerns about creating and implementing curricula for my children on my own, I leaned the k12 route and looked for those who may have direct experience with it to let me know what their personal thoughts were. I appreciate your help as well.  $10k/year? Over-paying for curricula?  Are you joking? There are people on this board, myself included, who have been in poverty.  I think you're a shill for K12 charters. Edited May 22, 2016 by Tsuga 1 Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 22, 2016 Author Posted May 22, 2016 If I want to use an out of the box, with teacher oversight curricula, yes for multiple children that is what I would be looking at. Perhaps you haven't done your research on the subject matter and should try again. Maybe in a far less condescending manner? Â Â Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
CAtoVA Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 (edited) I have used individual classes from K12 (History K and Science 1) and been happy with them. I don't have experience with a virtual charter school though. Â Would you be interested in live, online options other than K12? They would be private options although many are far cheaper than B & M private schools. Off the top of my head, and as another option, Calvert school has a totally online version (private school) starting in 5th grade: http://www.calverteducation.com/curriculum/calvert-academy-online-private-school/. Â Recently I have been doing a lot of research for live, online courses for my rising 7th grader. I'm pretty sure I saw some places that started with kids as young as 2nd grade (whole programs). I'll go back and look over my research and send along some ideas (if I find them) if you think that would be something you may use : ). Â Oh, I'm sorry, I just noticed that you are sensitive price which is totally understandable. Are you saying you don't want to spend more than 10K or you just don't want to pay for a private school (online option) at all especially if there is a public school (charter) available? Many private school options are not all that expensive which is why I ask. Â Â Edited May 22, 2016 by chiefcookandbottlewasher Quote
kmstewart12 Posted May 22, 2016 Author Posted May 22, 2016 I have used individual classes form K12 (History K and Science 1) and been happy with them. I don't have experience with a virtual charter school though. Â Would you be interested in live, online options other than K12? They would be private options although many are far cheaper than B & M private schools. Off the top of my head, and as another option, Calvert school has a totally online version (private school) starting in 5th grade: http://www.calverteducation.com/curriculum/calvert-academy-online-private-school/. Â Recently I have been doing a lot of research for live, online courses for my rising 7th grader. I'm pretty sure I saw some places that started with kids as young as 2nd grade (whole programs). I'll go back and look over my research and send along some ideas (if I find them) if you think that would be something you may use : ). I did look into Calvert and I was so amazed by the possibilities. It looked like Calvert was nearly 5,000 per child. Was I looking incorrectly? I really appreciate any options you can point me toward. Thank you :) Quote
CAtoVA Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 For 5th grade Calvert is $4,000 and I think it includes books and everything you would need. Around my area, that is about 1/3 the cost of a private 5th grade education, lol, but of course it's still more than a virtual public school.  I modified my original post to ask if you didn't want to spend 10K a year (understandable btw!) did you have a top amount you would be willing to pay? I ask because if I find expensive options I won't mention them : ). Quote
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