Ontario Homeschoolers

[KatieO]

I am concerned about university admission in Ontario for homeschooled kids. Do any of you have experiences that you would care to share? Have any of you used online schools in order to have an official transcript to make the admission process any easier. I would be grateful for any advice you can offer.

[Ruth in Canada]

You can find up to date info on the individual university web pages, but here's an old summary: http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/universityCanada.shtml You may also find info on this webpage helpful: http://www.rainsberger.ca/blog/university-admissions/

 

I know a number of kids who have taken courses through AMDEC, ILC or through their local high school. It's my understanding that if you have 6 grade 12 U or M courses, Ontario universities know how to put you into their computer, even if you don't have a diploma. All access to publicly-funded on-line schools is now done through your local school--this is a change and is a bit of a pain in some areas. Homeschoolers can go straight to ILC if they have a letter from their school board saying they are homeschooling. Parents I've talked to who have both used AMDEC and have had kids in the local school say that AMDEC is much more educational--and also a lot of work. (I can testify to the "a lot of work" statement.)

 

Many kids in Ottawa take advantage of the U of O "headstart" program that allows them to take a few university courses each semester. They build up a track record and then either continue at U of O or transfer to another school. I can't give you first hand info however, we're not quite there. The beauty of this program is that it's just $50/semester. However, you could try the same thing with Athabasca or your local university--it will just cost more.

[KatieO]

This is very helpful information. Thank You! What drawbacks are there to accessing the publicly funded online courses? Will I have to answer to an administrator at the board level if I go this route?

[Ruth in Canada]

In some school districts, there has not been a problem. Other school districts were more restrictive, at least last year. (Didn't want "their" kids going to a different school. Insisted that the kid take at least some local classes. Insisted that the kid take a full load. Etc. I think a lot of this has now blown over, but you might want to check with homeschoolers locally.)

 

DD has taken 3 AMDEC courses and 1 ILC course. She is currently completely homeschooled, and no one will bother us that she's not in school. (Our friendly homeschool board liaison calls, but he really is friendly and supportive.) However, when she takes on-line classes, she is considered a public school student, at least for those classes. If you are currently undeclared to your school board, you would not be able to continue to do that and take on-line classes.

 

We like the freedom to follow dd's interests and abilities, so we have not relied totally on on-line courses.

[Heather in Savannah]

We are Cdn's from Ontario on visa's in the US. I'm straddling two jurisdictions, and so have registered my dd with NARHS(North Atlantic Regional Highschool). About 3-4 yrs ago, I met a young man at the OCHEC conference, who had been admitted to U of Waterloo Engineering, by using NARHS and SAT's. I don't know what the current feeling is in Ontario regarding NARHS....anyone else with insight? I am looking at my dd taking some courses through Athabasca as well. My observations back in Ontario were that homeschooled students attempting to enroll in their local highschool for the 6 courses, were not being admitted at that level, rather dropped back a grade. Sorry, that I can't provide much guidance, but hopefully more people will jump in with their insight.

[Ruth in Canada]

I've heard stories all over the map about where students get placed when they go to the local high school. It seems to depend on the principal and the guidance counselor. Some kids are allowed in advanced classes without prerequisites. I also heard that one school wanted a kid to do grade 9 math when she had already gotten a 5 on the calculus AP. Some schools easily give credit for past work, others don't. In theory, all schools are supposed to provide a means of proving you've completed equivalent work, but the hoops seem to vary.

 

Our experience with AMDEC is that they've been willing to give kids the chance to prove they are capable of the level of work they propose.

[Punks in Ontario]

I know a young HS man who has just started at Nippissing this year in biology. This was his first choice, by the way. He has always been homeschooled, and his mother spent some time and energy making sure the university was satisfied with his prereequisites.

 

Karen

[KatieO]

This is all very helpful info. Have any of you heard anything about virtualhighschool.com?On principle, there's no way I'd cough up the high fees for this in addition to the hefty property/education taxes I've been paying for the last 8 years but I'm interested in what sort of rep it has. As taxpayers in Ontario, we shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get our kids enrolled in online/distance programs.

[Ruth in Canada]

I believe StaceyL has used it and wasn't happy. You may be able to either search the archives or get her to comment directly.

 

From a government point of view, they aren't making you jump through hoops. They are saying that if your kid attends a publicly-funded high school, they have to do what every other kid who attends a publicly-funded high school has to do--register at the assigned local high school. If you're interested in having your child take on-line classes at AMDEC or elsewhere, you will probably have no problems--we don't in Ottawa. (The local school gets more than reimbursed for the cost, so they shouldn't complain.) If you do get hassled, let me know and I'll put you in touch with someone who knows all the right contact numbers. Or, if you tell me the school board you are dealing with, I'll ask that person what she knows about how things are working with that board.

[LBC]

I am concerned about university admission in Ontario for homeschooled kids. Do any of you have experiences that you would care to share? Have any of you used online schools in order to have an official transcript to make the admission process any easier. I would be grateful for any advice you can offer.

 

I'm in BC, but I've heard Paul Faris speak a couple of times - once at BCCHEC, and once at an HSLDA meeting. He's the HSLDA leader for Canada. He homeschooled in Ontario, and was accepted at Western (I hope I have the right school - like I said, I'm from BC :)). At the time, Western didn't accept homeschoolers. He didn't apply as a homeschooler. He made up a transcript, and he listed the courses he had taken, being sure to name the courses so that they would be what the admissions board would be looking for (similar to what would be on a high school transcript). Paul Faris is now a lawyer.

 

At the HSLDA meeting I attended a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Faris brought a young man along who was a homeschool grad, and had just graduated from an Ontario university. He went to the admissions counselors a year before he graduated and asked what he could do to have his application accepted over someone else's. They told him what they wanted to see, and he was accepted.

 

I hope I'm remembering correctly. I didn't take notes. If you get a chance to attend a meeting or conference where you can hear Paul Faris speak, you would be able to have some of your questions answered. Here's a link to the website for the HSLDA in Canada: http://hsldacanada.org/default.aspx

 

Lori