AP Bio - WHA or TPS? Help please.

[LAR]

First off, know that we are a secular family looking for an AP Bio class with a live online class component. 

I realize both Wilson Hill Academy, Sylvia Chen and Potters School, David Rockholm teach from a religious point of view, but both also use a secular textbook (Campbell).  This is the first time in our eight years of homeschooling that I'm at a complete loss.  I've even contacted and met with a local public school AP Bio teacher.  While this teacher was amenable to our proposal, she is very geared to the public school system.  

I just can't find another option.  

Can anyone please give me some insight as to whether WHA or TPS might work for us?  

 

[fourisenough]

My gut says WHA would be more ‘secular friendly’ than TPS, but we haven’t been brave enough to take a Science from any religious provider. That isn’t exactly true: one of my students took middle school life science through WHA and it was largely secular (aside from the opening prayer). If you do enroll a student in one of these classes, please report back later.

[LAR]

30 minutes ago, fourisenough said:

My gut says WHA would be more ‘secular friendly’ than TPS, but we haven’t been brave enough to take a Science from any religious provider. That isn’t exactly true: one of my students took middle school life science through WHA and it was largely secular (aside from the opening prayer). If you do enroll a student in one of these classes, please report back later.

I just had a religious science teacher respond to me via Facebook to say that "You cannot teach AP bio from a Christian perspective. 33% of the test is evolution based."   So, perhaps an opening prayer will be the religious aspect of the course.  Will post an update once we decide. 

[daijobu]

There aren't a lot of good options for AP bio at present.  The exception is Stanford OHS which offers an excellent live online AP bio class, but you need to apply in advance and it is expensive.  

[pgr]

13 hours ago, daijobu said:

There aren't a lot of good options for AP bio at present.  The exception is Stanford OHS which offers an excellent live online AP bio class, but you need to apply in advance and it is expensive.  

 

ETA: I don't mean to derail the thread, OP! And I agree with LAR - it would be my guess that an accredited AP course would have to teach the material as it will be tested.

I was trying to figure this one out. Do you know - is it possible to just take one course at Stanford OHS? I did read that they have admissions criteria with recommendations, GPA, etc needed, and that they have criteria for what's needed in order to receive a diploma from them (obviously), but I could not find info on whether my DD could potentially just take Bio AP at some point.

Edited July 10, 2019 by pgr

[daijobu]

28 minutes ago, pgr said:

 

Do you know - is it possible to just take one course at Stanford OHS?

 

 

Yes, you can apply as a part time student (2-3 courses), single course student, or enroll full time and graduate from Stanford Online High School.  Many students will switch their status during their time there.  There is a timetable for applying that corresponds to that for regular private schools.  

The neat thing is that it isn't just a online vendor of high school classes.  Your student and family becomes part of their community with in person meet ups, events, dances, etc.  My dd only took 1 class at a time (and then switched to part time), but got the benefit of all these other social opportunities.  (I did too!)  

[pgr]

4 minutes ago, daijobu said:

 

Yes, you can apply as a part time student (2-3 courses), single course student, or enroll full time and graduate from Stanford Online High School.  Many students will switch their status during their time there.  There is a timetable for applying that corresponds to that for regular private schools.  

The neat thing is that it isn't just a online vendor of high school classes.  Your student and family becomes part of their community with in person meet ups, events, dances, etc.  My dd only took 1 class at a time (and then switched to part time), but got the benefit of all these other social opportunities.  (I did too!)  

 

Thank you!!

 

[fourisenough]

On 7/9/2019 at 3:13 PM, LAR said:

First off, know that we are a secular family looking for an AP Bio class with a live online class component. 

I realize both Wilson Hill Academy, Sylvia Chen and Potters School, David Rockholm teach from a religious point of view, but both also use a secular textbook (Campbell).  This is the first time in our eight years of homeschooling that I'm at a complete loss.  I've even contacted and met with a local public school AP Bio teacher.  While this teacher was amenable to our proposal, she is very geared to the public school system.  

I just can't find another option.  

Can anyone please give me some insight as to whether WHA or TPS might work for us?  

 

@LAR I’m curious which class you ultimately chose and how the year is going. Can you offer some feedback for the rest of us secular folks who will need AP Bio in the future?!

[MamaSprout]

Worldly Pupil?

Also, really look to see if you want/ need AP Bio. I was asking this on another board last January and had already missed some of the deadlines for Stanford Online High School. Ultimately, though, after talking to some twenty-somethings who had done an AP Bio and a current biology teacher, I couldn't find a good reason for dd to take a class that is such an enormous time commitment. She's a math and science kid, but all of the majors she's interested in won't require a biology credit. We did look at a DC class, but she's self studying for the SAT Biology Subject test and doing labs that she's interested in doing.

[fourisenough]

7 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

Worldly Pupil?

Also, really look to see if you want/ need AP Bio. I was asking this on another board last January and had already missed some of the deadlines for Stanford Online High School. Ultimately, though, after talking to some twenty-somethings who had done an AP Bio and a current biology teacher, I couldn't find a good reason for dd to take a class that is such an enormous time commitment. She's a math and science kid, but all of the majors she's interested in won't require a biology credit. We did look at a DC class, but she's self studying for the SAT Biology Subject test and doing labs that she's interested in doing.

It’s hard to know what this DD will study in college, but in my experience AP Bio often fulfills a gen ed science credit. In fact, both my DDs 1 & 2, based on their AP Bio exam scores, earned 5 credits, satisfied a gen ed, and placed into the second year bio class required in their nursing program. For them, it was a definite win. 

I’m intrigued by Worldly Pupil. I hope they have some data to share re: exam scores from this year’s class. It’s a little scary to enroll with no BTDT reviews/experience. 

[MamaSprout]

1 minute ago, fourisenough said:

It’s hard to know what this DD will study in college, but in my experience AP Bio often fulfills a gen ed science credit. In fact, both my DDs 1 & 2, based on their AP Bio exam scores, earned 5 credits, satisfied a gen ed, and placed into the second year bio class required in their nursing program. For them, it was a definite win. 

I’m intrigued by Worldly Pupil. I hope they have some data to share re: exam scores from this year’s class. It’s a little scary to enroll with no BTDT reviews/experience. 

Definitely email them. I suspect they have statistics on that. They are not new, just new to this board.