Acellus/Power Homeschool tutor mode disaster

[humbleseeker]

On 4/11/2023 at 9:28 AM, freesia said:

I’m curious as to why he’s accusing them of cheating? What did they do that he thinks is wrong?

 

2 hours ago, Farrar said:

One of the things that's so insulting to homeschoolers in that post is that he's like, this isn't for YOU, this is for the REAL public school teachers who are using Acellus as a supplement to REAL education. I mean, it wasn't that blunt, but that's basically what he's saying. Putting aside that they literally advertised the product to homeschool parents touting that they could use it this way, I have only the nastiest words for the assumptions underlying that. We are real teachers. How do you think some of these homeschool parents were using the product?

I came to homeschooling by accident and with my kid being a teenage, he even believes his parent can not be a teacher. So, we did PH a for a year. At the end of 8th grade I looked into it and came across the Hawaii public school issues with PH and more. My kid was not going back to PS or PH and we found a homeschool cottage type school. I was still using PH on holidays or vacation. 

Many of the parents have been pushed out of the public school because their child has a disability, behavior problems, or medical issues. Many parents reported they had children using tutor mode because they had autism. Several moms used tutor mode for mastery. Some parents do claim to want to transfer to Acellus Academy when their child is all most ready to graduate. 

[freesia]

2 minutes ago, Farrar said:

But then that’s not cheating, it’s just not a course you’ll give credit for at your specific school. That’s a fine policy. I would expect them to have that policy.

Right but it sounds like they didn’t. It’s totally on them. I don’t think anyone cheated. I think he needed to say—use this however but the credit doesn’t transfer into our other program. 

[Heartstrings]

8 minutes ago, humbleseeker said:

ome parents do claim to want to transfer to Acellus Academy when their child is all most ready to graduate. 

Which is Acellus’s own fault for allowing people to do this.  

 

5 minutes ago, freesia said:

Right but it sounds like they didn’t. It’s totally on them. I don’t think anyone cheated. I think he needed to say—use this however but the credit doesn’t transfer into our other program. 

Yes.  I was shocked to find out he was granting diplomas from Acellus from coursework done in power homeschool. That was a crazy policy, but it was his choice as the owner.  

[Miss Tick]

6 minutes ago, freesia said:

use this however but the credit doesn’t transfer into our other program. 

+ "because it isn't rigorous enough for us to consider it a full credit" At least, that's how I read his message.

[humbleseeker]

2 hours ago, freesia said:

For me it sounded like what he was saying was that it was cheating to use the tutor mode and then transfer to the academy—using it as a way to avoid the cost and work if the other program. 
However, yes, it is clear that he doesn’t respect homeschool teachers or understand That some were using it the way he says classroom teachers were. And certainly erasing everyone’s data before the end of the year was terrible. 

 

On 4/11/2023 at 9:28 AM, freesia said:

I’m curious as to why he’s accusing them of cheating? What did they do that he thinks is wrong?

One issue is they have many problems. The cheating was reported prior to this with Acellus Academy student. He then says parent who let students use tutor mode are not able to use there program to its fullest. The program identifies areas of weakness and teaches those things. To bring them up to speed. This detection can not happen in tutor mode. The main issue is that a 75 year old man is being angry and abusive towards a mainly female customer base. The students were not prepared when they started attending the academy. 

2 hours ago, Farrar said:

One of the things that's so insulting to homeschoolers in that post is that he's like, this isn't for YOU, this is for the REAL public school teachers who are using Acellus as a supplement to REAL education. I mean, it wasn't that blunt, but that's basically what he's saying. Putting aside that they literally advertised the product to homeschool parents touting that they could use it this way, I have only the nastiest words for the assumptions underlying that. We are real teachers. How do you think some of these homeschool parents were using the product?

I came to homeschooling by accident and with my kid being a teenage, he even believes his parent can not be a teacher. So, we did PH a for a year. At the end of 8th grade I looked into it and came across the Hawaii public school issues with PH and more. My kid was not going back to PS or PH and we found a homeschool cottage type school. I was still using PH on holidays or vacation. 

Many of the parents have been pushed out of the public school because their child has a disability, behavior problems, or medical issues. Many parents reported they had children using tutor mode because they had autism. Several moms used tutor mode for mastery. Some parents do claim to want to transfer to Acellus Academy when their child is all most ready to graduate. 

I forgot to write many parents could use tutor mode if their child enrolled half way through the year. So, they were not cheating but not wanting to force their kids into a year of school work after leaving PS before the academic year ended. The parents sometimes told the public school what curriculum they would use when homeschooling.

[Heartstrings]

8 minutes ago, Miss Tick said:

+ "because it isn't rigorous enough for us to consider it a full credit" At least, that's how I read his message.

PH has a LOT of assignments that are optional but required for Acellus.  I don’t think many PH parents are doing those.
 

If he doesn’t consider PH rigorous enough he should be open about that. 

[humbleseeker]

23 minutes ago, humbleseeker said:

 

I came to homeschooling by accident and with my kid being a teenage, he even believes his parent can not be a teacher. So, we did PH a for a year. At the end of 8th grade I looked into it and came across the Hawaii public school issues with PH and more. My kid was not going back to PS or PH and we found a homeschool cottage type school. I was still using PH on holidays or vacation. 

Many of the parents have been pushed out of the public school because their child has a disability, behavior problems, or medical issues. Many parents reported they had children using tutor mode because they had autism. Several moms used tutor mode for mastery. Some parents do claim to want to transfer to Acellus Academy when their child is all most ready to graduate. 

 

Just now, Heartstrings said:

PH has a LOT of assignments that are optional but required for Acellus.  I don’t think many PH parents are doing those.
 

If he doesn’t consider PH rigorous enough he should be open about that. 

 

[Heartstrings]

2 minutes ago, humbleseeker said:

forgot to write many parents could use tutor mode if their child enrolled half way through the year. So, they were not cheating but not wanting to force their kids into a year of school work after leaving PS before the academic year ended. The parents sometimes told the public school what curriculum they would use when homeschooling.

It’s pretty easy to get through a full year of PH in just a few months, certainly in a semester.  My kiddo was double timing through the lessons and still fine with every subject in around an hour.  That’s why we switched.  

[humbleseeker]

14 minutes ago, Heartstrings said:

Which is Acellus’s own fault for allowing people to do this.  

 

Yes.  I was shocked to find out he was granting diplomas from Acellus from coursework done in power homeschool. That was a crazy policy, but it was his choice as the owner.  

Exactly, instead of having a more rigid application process to Acellus Academy he wants to stop offering Power Homeschool.

[Heartstrings]

Just now, humbleseeker said:

Exactly, instead of having a more rigid application process to Acellus Academy he wants to stop offering Power Homeschool.

Which is his right, but a bit of business sense says…wrap it up slowly, with warning, offer discounts for Acellus Academy, don’t insult your customer base.   Not many people are going to look at all this decide that the best solution is to give this guy even more money to enroll in AA.  

[humbleseeker]

1 minute ago, Heartstrings said:

It’s pretty easy to get through a full year of PH in just a few months, certainly in a semester.  My kiddo was double timing through the lessons and still fine with every subject in around an hour.  That’s why we switched.  

We switched for that reason and others. I could not get my kid to do the special lessons. I never blamed the company. I just thought they were a bad fir for us and decided to move on. I do not like the owner attacking his customers and encouraging them to fight one another.

[humbleseeker]

Just now, Heartstrings said:

Which is his right, but a bit of business sense says…wrap it up slowly, with warning, offer discounts for Acellus Academy, don’t insult your customer base.   Not many people are going to look at all this decide that the best solution is to give this guy even more money to enroll in AA.  

I believe he abruptly stopped tutor mode back in Aug. 2022, because I came across a screen shot of it. However, the company put it back up. Also, last summer several people complained the system said kid had not completed year after being in tutor mode all  year. The main issue abrupt changes and encouraging division among the customers. I do not like people telling me to be mean to someone else for using tutor mode. Please if as many people who use PH are special needs parents as it appears that will not fly.

 

[Corraleno]

I wonder if Acellus Academy got in trouble with either the regional accrediting body (WASC) or with the NCAA because of letting students "credit-wash" unaccredited/unapproved PH courses into accredited/approved AA courses, and he's projecting all the blame and anger on homeschoolers for "cheating" because he got caught for allowing that?

[humbleseeker]

21 minutes ago, Heartstrings said:

Which is his right, but a bit of business sense says…wrap it up slowly, with warning, offer discounts for Acellus Academy, don’t insult your customer base.   Not many people are going to look at all this decide that the best solution is to give this guy even more money to enroll in AA.  

I hope so but there is even division among Power Homeschool users and Acellus Academy who were not affected. Many Power Homeschool users that were not effected by tutor mode look to be leaving Power Homeschool for Miacademy, MiaPrep, or Time4learning. The Acellus customers do not seem moved either way.

[Heartstrings]

57 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I wonder if Acellus Academy got in trouble with either the regional accrediting body (WASC) or with the NCAA because of letting students "credit-wash" unaccredited/unapproved PH courses into accredited/approved AA courses, and he's projecting all the blame and anger on homeschoolers for "cheating" because he got caught for allowing that?

Ooh.  Good point.