Online Homeschool Choice

[melz128]

Hello!  I'm new here so I'm sorry if this has been discussed, however I was originally going to "online homeschool" my upcoming 5th grader this year with our state k-12 program however it has filled up well before they originally thought and we are now forced to find other homeschool options.  At this point I'm looking to use an online option that is accredited if possible.  I've looked at Calvert, Bridgeway, Keystone & Forest Trail.  Does anyone have experience in any of these online options?  I've googled my heart out and find reviews ALL OVER THE PLACE!!  Some say each is great and some have major complaints.  (I'll admit it looks as if Keystone gets more negative reviews but my state is trying to suggest that is the one we use???)  Thanks so much for your time!!

[Kiara.I]

From what I've gathered, accreditation isn't particularly relevant in elementary, is it?

 

Do you require an online program or do you have time to work with your child, and can therefore do book versions instead?

[CAtoVA]

Accreditation doesn't matter in elementary and maybe not even above that depending. I was not aware that Calvert or any of the options you mentioned was "accredited." They are for profit, online schools/businesses that have successfully been providing online education for awhile (making $) so presumably they are doing a reasonably solid job of it.

 

That said, there are many, many similar options to choose from aside from those four. To suggest options, or even to evaluate the ones you are talking about, I would ned to know some more information about your family and your needs. What are your children's ages, how much of their day do you want them online, do you prefer synchronous, asynchronous, or a mixture for delivery of content, how available are you for assistance/teaching, tutoring, does the provider have to be secular, etc.? Love to help, but I need more info.

Edited July 26, 2021 by CAtoVA

[Ellie]

2 hours ago, CAtoVA said:

Accreditation doesn't matter in elementary and maybe not even above that depending. I was not aware that Calvert or any of the options you mentioned was "accredited." They are for profit, online schools/businesses that have successfully been providing online education for awhile (making $) so presumably they are doing a reasonably solid job of it.

In fact, all of them are accredited by regional accrediting agencies. Accreditation still doesn't matter for homeschooled children, but yes, these schools are accredited.

[SoCal_Bear]

completely unnecessary to go accredited for 5th grade.

There are MANY options available to you. Cathy Duffy has a fairly good list here:

https://cathyduffyreviews.com/homeschool-extras/online-schools-and-courses

 

[CAtoVA]

Thanks, Ellie, I was unaware of that....I thought they were just businesses/schools. Not that it matters at the elementary level typically : P

 

[Ellie]

10 hours ago, Plum said:

I don’t know what state you are in but there is no reason I can think of where accreditation is necessary for elementary. If your public school is suggesting that, it’s because it’s the school district wants to make things easy for themselves and not because you have to.

As someone who had their oldest in Connections Academy for 5th, accredited online school is overrated. It was much more work than necessary. A lot of parents fall into the trap of online = everything is done for you, when state online schools are more work. They include a lot of extra unnecessary busywork for kids to do to ensure they make their attendance hours. Online school takes a certain personality type to succeed, self-starters independent types who have good time management and executive function skills  

 

Just pointing out that the virtual public charter schools are not the only "accredited online schools." It is what the public schools will recommend, of course, because it isn't their job to know all the resources available, and because of course they would want people to keep their children in public schools. But still, there are many "online accredited schools" which are private. You can include ABeka Academy in that group, for example.

[AnneGG]

I’m not too familiar with school at home options. However, we do use Outschool for extracurriculars and extra practice and have been fairly happy with it. There are some semester long courses that may work for you, although it gets expensive. 
 

For math, I’d recommend Singapore Dimensions with the video instructor. You can find it on their website. 
 

It may not be too late to get him into an ELA section for Memoria Press Online Academy, Athenas, or WTMA. Maybe Veritas Press Self Paced for history. For science I’d probably just do outschool 1-2x a week, following his interests.

I don’t care for Calvert/LifePac because  higher order thinking is limited. I tend to lean on Bloom’s Taxonomy when choosing curriculum.  

[SoCal_Bear]

Since you mentioned Calvert, it sound like you are open, I'm pretty sure Schole, WIlson Hill, Veritas Press Online Academy, The Potter's School are all solid Christian providers with some seats open. The Cathy Duffy link I had separates religious and secular providers. Kepler Education is a newer provider where Wes Callihan and all the Roman Roads Media folks teach now.

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by calbear