Homeschooling Internationally with an Accredited Online Highschool

[Nikki Dee]

Hello,

I apologize if this has been covered here already.  I couldn't find anything when I searched the older threads.

I have family in Lebanon (which, if you have heard all the news lately, is really in crisis) and they are facing not being able to get enough gas to drive the kids to school, if it will even be open at all.  Of course, they called their American cousin who is doing that crazy homeschooling thing over there and asked for help.  Normally, I have no problem helping folks get started here in my state, but they need an accredited school-at-home in case their teens want to attend a European university later.  They have an electric generator and internet, so they will be able to do online streaming.  I am also unsure whether I can safely send the necessary books to them, as imports are being seized randomly be whoever and having a cousin fly into Beirut with a giant box of boxes might not be feasible either.  So suggestions that are completely online are welcome.  They do have the ability to have materials printed fairly easily, so options that offer digital .pdfs of the resources would be ok as well.  They are able to afford a good program.  The children are 16 and 13.  So highschool level is the aim.

I know Calvert is a fairly well respected option, but I'd like to steer them towards a Christian classical program if I can. (Their American private school there is an elite school and they need rigorous academic coursework.)  Suggestions?  Thank you very much in advance.  Who knows, we might jump start a Lebanese home school movement.  😉

[AmandaVT]

Would Well Trained Mind Academy be an option? https://www.wtmacademy.com/

DS took 2 classes last year and is enrolled for a full load of classes this year and we've been quite happy so far. Accredited, students from  different parts of the world, and pretty rigorous. 

[lulalu]

 

Is she looking at a specific University she has looked at the requirements? Because I have looked (I homeschool internationally as well) and most European Universities only want a diploma. That it doesn't need to be accredited. But if she has looked at specific ones that require that then it throws a wrench as it becomes more complicated. 

Schools are accredited not curriculum. So going through a school would be necessary. A Beka, BJU have schools and both are accredited and have video options (which I believe are online as well). 

Otherwise there is Potters School, Veritas Press to look into as well. 

Does their sending agency offer an online school? Ours does, it isn't classical, but it is sufficient for those that need accredited and online. 

[maize]

One option for accreditation is NARHS--North Atlantic Regional High School. It is basically a way to get at-home classes accredited; you keep records of work done and send it to them (can be as simple as sharing a google drive folder) and they will give you an accredited transcript. It allows you to use whatever a-la-carte classes and resources you want.

Is their current school an IB school? Just wondering because you mentioned it is a rigorous international school.

A few options I can think of for rigor and someone new to homeschooling would be well trained mind academy, Clover Valley Chemistry https://clovervalleychemistry.com/ , and maybe online college classes. I'm sure others will have more options. I've also been able to find some good one-on-one tutors for my kids through Preply.com (they advertise primarily for language tutoring but have tutors available for many other subjects ad well).

Edited August 29, 2021 by maize

[Farrar]

For international schools, my understanding is that Dwight Global is one of the best options, but it's very expensive. But it's the one and only online IB program that I know of.

For a traditional American school program, I'd lean toward Laurel Springs or Oak Meadow. Or maybe something like ASU Prep Digital. I would not do Calvert, which is cruddy now (they were bought out and are a totally different product than back in the day). Most of the other suggestions in this thread don't do diplomas - they're accredited providers, but not accredited schools, which is a subtle difference. There are some Christian providers that do diplomas though - Potters is one, I believe.

NAHRS is best if you want to assemble a program yourself. That's usually not what people are envisioning these days when they want to homeschool though.

To attend college in Europe, they'll need exams - IB or AP or some other exam. That's just a fact. An accredited school isn't the only key element.

[maize]

9 hours ago, Farrar said:

For international schools, my understanding is that Dwight Global is one of the best options, but it's very expensive. But it's the one and only online IB program that I know of.

For a traditional American school program, I'd lean toward Laurel Springs or Oak Meadow. Or maybe something like ASU Prep Digital. I would not do Calvert, which is cruddy now (they were bought out and are a totally different product than back in the day). Most of the other suggestions in this thread don't do diplomas - they're accredited providers, but not accredited schools, which is a subtle difference. There are some Christian providers that do diplomas though - Potters is one, I believe.

NAHRS is best if you want to assemble a program yourself. That's usually not what people are envisioning these days when they want to homeschool though.

To attend college in Europe, they'll need exams - IB or AP or some other exam. That's just a fact. An accredited school isn't the only key element.

Agreeing that exams are key to entry into most European colleges--IB, AP, and Cambridge A-levels are examples https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Assessment_International_Education. I don't know which of these will be accessible to them; I know AP exams were administered online this past year, maybe that will continue to be an option. IB exams are only available to students in an IB program. If the American school is continuing to operate they may be able to register for AP exams there even if they are not enrolled students.

 

[CAtoVA]

Many schools in Europe will also take DE courses (15-30 units) from an accredited college or university that  grants 4 year (and higher) degrees. There are several American colleges/universities that offer online DE courses at reduced credit rates for high school students (who presumably live anywhere). The courses typically run anywhere from 8-15 weeks per class.

Go to www.beyondthestates.com for more info on non-Europeans attending college in Europe.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by CAtoVA

[Ellie]

On 8/29/2021 at 8:49 PM, Farrar said:

For a traditional American school program, I'd lean toward Laurel Springs or Oak Meadow. Or maybe something like ASU Prep Digital. I would not do Calvert, which is cruddy now (they were bought out and are a totally different product than back in the day). Most of the other suggestions in this thread don't do diplomas - they're accredited providers, but not accredited schools, which is a subtle difference. There are some Christian providers that do diplomas though - Potters is one, I believe.

I don't know what you mean by "accredited providers." Only schools can be accredited; AFAIK, don't all schools offer diplomas? I don't know what a "provider" is.

[Farrar]

18 minutes ago, Ellie said:

I don't know what you mean by "accredited providers." Only schools can be accredited; AFAIK, don't all schools offer diplomas? I don't know what a "provider" is.

Aim Academy is currently seeking accreditation to do just that. One Schoolhouse, PA Homeschoolers, Language Bird, and a bunch of other places have that level of accreditation. They don't award diplomas. They are providers of courses, but the courses are accredited. I think this is something that maybe did not exist a couple of decades ago and has grown - not just for homeschoolers, but for school students looking for recovery credit or courses not provided by their schools. The schools want it to be "accredited." Accreditation is a bit of a silly thing, IMHO. Like, I've been through accreditation at a small school and it really pulled back the curtain for me on what it actually is. And it's not a mark of quality as much as a mark that the organization has their finances in order.

ETA: Adding that there's overlap. Wilson Hill, Potter's School, etc. do both. They have a diploma track and a not diploma track. In both cases, the courses are accredited. But then, can you piece it together and award the diploma yourself if all the courses are accredited? Probably not from the perspective of someone who wants an "accredited" diploma.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Farrar