K12 or Iowa Connections Academy experience?

[Meadowlark]

I'm looking for feedback on either of the two programs mentioned above. It is my basic understanding that each state names their own version of K12, and since I'm in IA, I think it's called Iowa Connections Academy.

 

Basically, I'm pretty sure I need to enroll my kids in public school next year for various reasons-the biggest of which is that I'm expecting baby #6 in August and I just feel like I've hit my limit.

 

But then the brochure came for this in the mail today, and I started thinking that maybe with some help...I could do it. Oh, I don't know. Just throwing it out there in case anyone has found success with it. I'd love to hear from you.

[...................]

Don't. Do. It!!!

 

The virtual charters are nothing but a headache!!! First of all connections academy does not use k12 and their curriculum is horrible!!! The curriculum jumps back and forth and makes NO sense.

 

In addition to problems with the actual content is that dealing with the charters is a total mess. Teachers have up to 150 students and no accountability, "learning management systems" are confusing, uploading work is a night mare, etc.

 

Just homeschool privately! You can do it and we can give you advice.

 

Also if you like K12 you can buy it with your own money and avoid all the charter problems. A lot of people use K12 for one subject such as Language Arts where K12 shines and then choose printed curriculum for the rest.

 

Please please belobe me connections academy will only hurt your student and stress both of you out.

[...................]

If you need hand holding for curriculum the better option would be ACE or Monarch Online :)

 

Public school is ok, too! If you have a good school neaby and your kids aren't special needs they may love it! It's a season not their whole life

[Insertcreativenamehere]

In our experience with a K12 school, the virtual academy is way more work (read: busy work AND work for you uploading, etc) than homeschooling on your own.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Meadowlark]

Don't. Do. It!!!

 

The virtual charters are nothing but a headache!!! First of all connections academy does not use k12 and their curriculum is horrible!!! The curriculum jumps back and forth and makes NO sense.

 

In addition to problems with the actual content is that dealing with the charters is a total mess. Teachers have up to 150 students and no accountability, "learning management systems" are confusing, uploading work is a night mare, etc.

 

Just homeschool privately! You can do it and we can give you advice.

 

Also if you like K12 you can buy it with your own money and avoid all the charter problems. A lot of people use K12 for one subject such as Language Arts where K12 shines and then choose printed curriculum for the rest.

 

Please please belobe me connections academy will only hurt your student and stress both of you out.

 

Thanks for your bluntness-I needed to hear that. I think I know in my gut that it'd be more work, and if there's one thing I've grown to hate-it's mindless busywork. I am just at the point that I feel like public school HAS to be better than what I'm providing in SOME respects. So it's a very real possibility-we're touring next week.

 

Of course that feeling of putting them in school after all of this, is very disheartening. I feel like I've worked so hard to create what we have and the unknown is just scary. One on hand, I think it could be good for our family-kids making friends, less stress for me, and overall just better parent/child relationships I hope. But on the other hand, there goes all of the sweetness that I see too-kids getting along, snuggly read aloud time, etc.  I just feel like I've hit my threshold of when too much is just too much. It's not just a winter feeling either-this feeling has been creeping up for months. I kind of knew this was going to be a telling year.

 

Once in awhile I think.."Surely I can do this"...after all, I survived homeschooling thus far (having 5 kids in 6.5 years)..I feel like I should be able to do just about anything. But at what cost? I'm stressed, I'm tired, not giving my husband what he deserves, and squabbling with the older kids, not giving the youngers the attention they need, etc etc. I've looked at so much curriculum and researched so much "open and go" stuff, and no matter how easy it is, it's hard for me to juggle with 5 (soon to be 6) kids. I just want to be MOM. When do you know when it's time to let go? Sigh. I'm just sad I guess.

[Alexigail]

It's tough balancing the needs of the many, but you can always go back to teaching some or all of your kids at home once you've had a breather.  Iowa has very flexible laws, so you have options.  It sounds like you have a lot on your plate and it's perfectly ok to adapt.

[...................]

((HUGS)) 

 

I have LOTS Of friends that did Public School for a while, when kids were little and then did homeschool again for different reasons.  It's not forever.  IMO Elementary is the best time to be in school- kids still have recess, get to play on the playground, teachers still expected to know all the kids names and they usually stay with one teacher all day, overall in the United States, elementary schools are doing the best job of meeting the needs of all children.  

 

I know it's not the same, but my son had to attend Speech Therapy at our HUGE school in FLorida.  Where we lived, the schools were VAST and no one walked - almost everyone was bussed.  Neighborhoods in FLorida tend to be vast as well so centralizing the schools was just the next thing.  I was really afraid to take him there but I just could not afford private Speech Therapy.  Guess what?  It was WONDERFUL.  From the day we walked on campus, they were so kind to us.  They even invited BOTH my kids to joing their Gifted and Talented Class with NO STRINGS attached.  We decided not to do it, but there it is.  His speech teacher was loving, fun, and kind and they played age appropriate games and she sent home age approprite worksheets and cute ideas to practice Speech throughout the week.

 

There's a reason I homeschool, so I get it that you want to keep doing that.  But the beautiful thing about school is, it's not forever.  It's one year, or in your case one semester.  See how it goes and let them explore this new life.  In a few years when everyone is older you can bring them home, or you can bring some home- many of my Christian or secular friends with large families have some in school and some at home, whatever works for each kid.

 

May you have great peace!! Let us know how the tour goes.  

[City Mouse]

K12 and Connections Academy are two completely different online school providers. They both have free charter schools depending on the state, and they both have paid "private school" options.

The curriculum options of the two providers look verry different. At the elementary/middle school level, K12 seems to be more aligned to a classical model while Connections is very much a public school at home curriculum.

 

If you are choosing public school because of time constraints and a new baby coming, I don't think you will be happy with either option of online public school. While they both advertise "flexibility", that flexibility is limited. Students are expected to keep up with a set amount of work. The "flexibility" comes in more as to the time of day that the work is completed and/or the location of work. There is flexibility to work ahead for strong students, but not to take off 2-3 weeks when grandma comes to visit or when mom has a baby. You can expect to spend 4-6 hours per day (and even more the first few weeks) with one elementary student. With multiple students, I would think that Mom would spend 8-10 hours per day or more on school having to split time between students.

 

I actually like the Connections Academy curriculum. My DS is in his 4th year. I don't find that it is full of "busy work". The curriculum is rigorous when compared to public schools in my state. There is a lot of work but most of it is meaningful. Things like math practice/workbook pages are just there for practice and are not graded, so the parent can choose to skip some or modify the amount. I do think he is getting a much better education that he would in our local school.

 

For us, the outside accountability is helpful. I like that I am not always the "bad guy". I can be sympathetic and supportive. "I know you don't want to do this assignment, but that is what the lesson says you have to do, so let's get started."

Edited January 20, 2017 by City Mouse

[MeganW]

I have several friends who tried the online thing through the school system, and none kept at it more than a year.  They all hated it.

I homeschooled K-2, sent my kids to public for one year, and then brought them back home.  Now we are at a university model school (they go to school 2 days a week and are homeschooled the other 3).  My best advice is to remember that nothing is forever.  You need to make the best decision for the current phase of life.  In our house, we take it one year at a time.  Each spring, my husband and I sit down and discuss where each kid is academically, what things are going well, what isn't working so well, and then decide what we think would be best for the following year.  

Honestly, I am REALLY glad I sent my kids to public school for a year.  They didn't learn much academically, but they gained a frame of reference that makes it much easier for them to understand what peers at dance and swim are talking about.  They also gained a HUGE appreciation for the luxury of homeschooling!  They didn't hate school, but they were really ready to come back home.  That year also gave me the confidence I was lacking in my ability to educate them.  I was always worrying about whether or not I was doing enough.  I was doing plenty, and although all my homeschooling friends told me that, I just worried about it.  Sending them for a year was what I needed to see that I really was doing enough, and having them home afterward was a completely different experience bc I wasn't not always stressed!

Edited January 20, 2017 by MeganW

[boscopup]

For us, the outside accountability is helpful. I like that I am not always the "bad guy". I can be sympathetic and supportive. "I know you don't want to do this assignment, but that is what the lesson says you have to do, so let's get started."

 

Two of mine are about to start virtual school (we enrolled with the local schools Jan. 5, finally got to do placement tests last week, and 7th grader should get login info today... 2nd grader may be a few more days). My 2nd grader will be doing Connections Academy. The curriculum looks like good public school curriculum. Certainly not what I'd choose as a homeschooler, but I'm fine with it for public school at home. I've watched a lot of student review videos and feel comfortable with how it works and the fact that we don't have to do all the "busywork" that people mention.

 

My 7th grader will be doing a mix of Edgenuity and Plato. I think Edgenuity looks really boring. I was disappointed that they didn't purchase Connections for his grade level. But oh well. We're trying this for a semester. If we don't like it, we'll be back to homeschooling next year. But the above quote is what I'm needing here... outside accountability.

 

To the OP, I totally feel you! I only have 4 kids, but #4 has been a clingy toddler that completely disrupts my school day, and I can't work one-on-one with the kids like I would like to. My middle son is very behind in writing (we're in the process of getting evals done - he's likely HFA and may be dyslexic). While focusing on him, the other two fall through the cracks. So I needed something the older could do more independently and get teacher feedback (his feedback will be local teachers) while pushing him in the writing department. My younger is Mr. Independent and could also be doing more than he has been. We'll see if the virtual school helps or hinders. Like any school choice, it doesn't have to be permanent. :) I figured now was a good time to try it, since my oldest will be 8th grade next year, and I will need to outsource him in some manner, especially for composition, which I have decided I am woefully incapable of helping him, even with Writing With Skill holding my hand. My brain just isn't wired to teach writing. Period. I'm a math gal.

 

Even though I have felt like our education at home has been less than stellar this year, the placement tests turned out great... 2nd grader results were 5th grade 3rd/4th month for math and reading, and 7th grader results were 10th grade for math/reading. I don't know if those are grade equivalencies, as I don't know what the test was (Global something), but it was supposed to be a placement test. So who knows. At any rate, the virtual school folks were impressed and said I had done a really good job homeschooling. :) These two have been ahead enough over the years that years like this year didn't totally destroy them, but I need them to get more teacher help, and I can't provide it when I'm trying to walk DS2 through his schooling and deal with the clingy toddler while getting dinner on the table, taking care of farm animals, etc., etc. Something had to give (besides the house, which got let go a long time ago).

 

If we don't like the virtual school, I'll look at online classes for my oldest next year, possibly WTMA. The 2nd grader... I don't know. And the 4th grader will hopefully be able to get into the virtual school so he can receive some services. He just needs an IEP first, so special ed wanted him to wait until after his evals that we already had in motion. Those aren't happening until April though, so he's homeschooling the rest of this year. If I have to, I'll stick him in the local public school for 5th grade, but either way, he needs an IEP because he cannot at all do the writing required for his grade level. And I don't want him going to the local high school (grades 6-12) ever. The vocational school here is awesome, so I would love for him to have access to that, which he would if doing virtual school, but high school is a ways off for him. :)

 

We also have access to K12 through the closest city (and the testing center would actually be closer than the one for my county school), but they don't take folks midyear. They have a blended learning option, that's 2 days a week "school" and 3 days at home, and then they have full online K12 that's available free (the blended learning would be $600/year due to living outside the city). So if we like virtual school but don't like Edgenuity/Plato, I have the option of doing K12 for oldest next year. So far, I've liked the people working our county virtual school. They have been very nice. The elementary school person is knowledgeable about autistic kids' needs, and she even decided to start a social skills class for county autistic students based on my interest in enrolling my son, and the class will be at the elementary just a few minutes from our house. But of course, this semester, he's the one NOT doing virtual school.  :lol:

[boscopup]

Wanted to give a one week update. Well, most of a week. We started Tuesday. My second grader is enrolled in 3rd grade classes at Connections, including gifted and talented LA and math. He loves it so far. As far as busy work goes, you don't have to do any of it. His teacher told me that you only have to do the portfolio items, not the workbook pages that are listed in the lesson. They're there for practice IF it's needed. My son did a week and a half of lessons this week without having any of the workbook materials in hand yet. We held off on completing LA lessons due to lack of the reader, and we didn't start literature yet for the same reason, and also because there is some funky stuff with the schedule due to us starting mid-year. The teacher is going to fix that. Materials came today, so now we can read the things that didn't have an online text available.

 

My son has really enjoyed his lessons this week. His favorite is definitely the LiveLesson sessions. For his level, the teacher does a LiveLesson twice a week - once for LA and once for math. There were about 6 students present at these lessons, so they all got turns answering questions and drawing on the whiteboard. The kids seem to enjoy it. They all say, "Noooooo! Don't go!" at the end. :)

 

The curriculum encourages answering questions in writing, explaining things, etc. So far, this has been fairly simple and not a big deal for my son. The writing is typing, so that makes it a little more fun, I guess.

 

Each lesson has a quick check at the end. It's usually about 3 questions, and it doesn't count against your grade. Every so many lessons, there is a quiz which does count toward the grade, and each unit has a test that obviously counts. They get participation points for attending LiveLessons and are encouraged to keep in touch with their teacher.

 

Work for me... My school does not require me to keep attendance. Yes, I was shocked. I actually CAN'T record attendance in Connections. I tried and was confused when it wouldn't let me. Then I talked to the local program coordinator and she said I didn't have to for either child (7th grader is doing Edgenuity for most classes and Plato science). I do need to discuss things with my 2nd grader, but he's able to do a lot on his own as well. He can watch the videos or read a story. I need to be there for science and social studies to help him pay attention to keywords, which he's not used to doing. I sat down with him and helped him prepare for his social studies quiz, reading through the material again and going over vocabulary. He did very well on that quiz. He just needs to learn to study is all. He's used to immediately knowing everything. ;)

 

I haven't had to upload anything yet, but I have Google Drive app on my phone so I can take a picture to save to pdf and upload easily. The process looks pretty simple.

 

So far this week, virtual school HAS helped me. My 7th grader is completely independent, with the exception of some handholding as he gets used to writing more and actually using his brain to answer questions. Today he did all his classes without asking me for help but one time, and that was because he couldn't submit his answer. It turned out that he needed to scroll down and answer two more questions. :lol: Earlier in the week, he needed me to help him learn to take notes and answer thinking questions. Now he's getting used to the process. He says he's enjoying it so far. He likes edgenuity better than I expected he would. This week, we've been done with school at a reasonable hour, I've been able to work with my 4th grader on writing one on one (he's the one not in virtual school due to needing evaluations done before getting an IEP). I've not been driven completely insane by the toddler. And I even had time to take everyone for a walk midday. So first week has been great. Of course, this is the honeymoon period. Eventually, the novelty will wear off. I'll plan to give a review of these platforms at the end of the semester. I think it does help that I have very flexible virtual school staff. They have been so nice. I've been in contact with the coordinator several times, and she's always happy to answer questions, make changes needed, etc. We had to do testing to verify grade placement, and after they saw the results, it was no problem to stick my 7th grader in algebra and my 2nd grader in 3rd grade everything (he's 2nd grade on paper still). I'm quite happy with my particular school's implementation.

[Meadowlark]

Wanted to give a one week update. Well, most of a week. We started Tuesday. My second grader is enrolled in 3rd grade classes at Connections, including gifted and talented LA and math. He loves it so far. As far as busy work goes, you don't have to do any of it. His teacher told me that you only have to do the portfolio items, not the workbook pages that are listed in the lesson. They're there for practice IF it's needed. My son did a week and a half of lessons this week without having any of the workbook materials in hand yet. We held off on completing LA lessons due to lack of the reader, and we didn't start literature yet for the same reason, and also because there is some funky stuff with the schedule due to us starting mid-year. The teacher is going to fix that. Materials came today, so now we can read the things that didn't have an online text available.

 

My son has really enjoyed his lessons this week. His favorite is definitely the LiveLesson sessions. For his level, the teacher does a LiveLesson twice a week - once for LA and once for math. There were about 6 students present at these lessons, so they all got turns answering questions and drawing on the whiteboard. The kids seem to enjoy it. They all say, "Noooooo! Don't go!" at the end. :)

 

The curriculum encourages answering questions in writing, explaining things, etc. So far, this has been fairly simple and not a big deal for my son. The writing is typing, so that makes it a little more fun, I guess.

 

Each lesson has a quick check at the end. It's usually about 3 questions, and it doesn't count against your grade. Every so many lessons, there is a quiz which does count toward the grade, and each unit has a test that obviously counts. They get participation points for attending LiveLessons and are encouraged to keep in touch with their teacher.

 

Work for me... My school does not require me to keep attendance. Yes, I was shocked. I actually CAN'T record attendance in Connections. I tried and was confused when it wouldn't let me. Then I talked to the local program coordinator and she said I didn't have to for either child (7th grader is doing Edgenuity for most classes and Plato science). I do need to discuss things with my 2nd grader, but he's able to do a lot on his own as well. He can watch the videos or read a story. I need to be there for science and social studies to help him pay attention to keywords, which he's not used to doing. I sat down with him and helped him prepare for his social studies quiz, reading through the material again and going over vocabulary. He did very well on that quiz. He just needs to learn to study is all. He's used to immediately knowing everything. ;)

 

I haven't had to upload anything yet, but I have Google Drive app on my phone so I can take a picture to save to pdf and upload easily. The process looks pretty simple.

 

So far this week, virtual school HAS helped me. My 7th grader is completely independent, with the exception of some handholding as he gets used to writing more and actually using his brain to answer questions. Today he did all his classes without asking me for help but one time, and that was because he couldn't submit his answer. It turned out that he needed to scroll down and answer two more questions. :lol: Earlier in the week, he needed me to help him learn to take notes and answer thinking questions. Now he's getting used to the process. He says he's enjoying it so far. He likes edgenuity better than I expected he would. This week, we've been done with school at a reasonable hour, I've been able to work with my 4th grader on writing one on one (he's the one not in virtual school due to needing evaluations done before getting an IEP). I've not been driven completely insane by the toddler. And I even had time to take everyone for a walk midday. So first week has been great. Of course, this is the honeymoon period. Eventually, the novelty will wear off. I'll plan to give a review of these platforms at the end of the semester. I think it does help that I have very flexible virtual school staff. They have been so nice. I've been in contact with the coordinator several times, and she's always happy to answer questions, make changes needed, etc. We had to do testing to verify grade placement, and after they saw the results, it was no problem to stick my 7th grader in algebra and my 2nd grader in 3rd grade everything (he's 2nd grade on paper still). I'm quite happy with my particular school's implementation.

Thanks so much fort his. I really was intrigued reading about exactly HOW a family implements it. I'm still a bit confused about the whole Connections vs. K12 thing. So how similar do you think Connections is between the states? I'm in Iowa so I have no idea how my program would compare to yours, kwim? Honestly, at this point, I'm just strongly considering public school still. I do plan to go to the Connections meeting in February-maybe for curiosity sake. I think I want to make this work at home, but i know in my heart of hearts that it would be best for everyone if we give it a break. When they're all sleeping (like now) I remember all of the joy we had, but everyday about writing time, I remember the tears and say "Oh yes, THIS is why I want to try something new". So it's a never-ending emotional battle within myself. But I have always been interested in this whole Connections thing, so this information is super useful. Thanks for taking the time to write it out.

[boscopup]

The Connections curriculum and basic layout should be the same between the states. The attendance is the main thing that would be different. There may also be a difference in teachers, as I think you can have local teachers support the program or use Connections teachers. Right now my program is using the Connections teachers, but they want to use their own teacher at some point. They already use their own teachers for edgenuity (so the lecture has the edgenuity teacher teaching it, but that's recorded... Grading and support is being done by local teachers, and my son can go to them for in person help if needed).

 

The main city in my county has a K12 virtual school, and they have both full online and blended (go to school two days a week). I've heard that K12 elementary needs more hands on from the parent, but I'm not sure. It's hard to learn from reviews sometimes. And in both programs, the complaints of busywork are due to the parent not understanding that you don't have to do everything. You have that work available if you need it. I appreciate that the Connections teacher actually told me we didn't have to do all that! :)

 

I think K12 is more online, but I'm not positive. Connections uses regular textbooks (Connections is owned by Pearson), but many of them are in online format only. They're still using textbooks though. They add in Brainpop and Discovery Education videos, plus their own videos that they've created. But those things supplement the textbooks. Connections used Envision Math. K12 has their own proprietary math that everyone complains about. K12 does history and supposedly has a good language arts program. Connections does social studies in the elementary levels, and the science is basic elementary textbook science. Connections includes Zaner Bloser handwriting, but I don't know when/if they ever tell you to do it? I didn't see it in the first 4 LA lessons, though it may have been in parent instructions I didn't read (because my son went ahead and did the lesson without me, as usual).

 

Both platforms will have you do a lesson, then answer some multiple choice questions to verify you understood. Both programs let you go as fast as you want. You just don't want to get behind, as there is a deadline for completion. In connections, it's a bit weird if you're off pace, as the LiveLesson deals with what they're scheduled to learn. My son was put in first semester classes and they're talking about second semester things, but it's been fine. And he'll be changing to second semester math shortly.