DesertBlossom Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 I'm brand new to homeschooling high school courses, so bare with me. My soon-to-be 8th grader is finishing up the Teaching Textbooks Pre-algebra course. We will be homeschooling 8th grade, but for now the plan is to attend the local high school for 9th grade. I want the high school to accept his Algebra 1 course, but I'm unsure of the best way to do that. I want to outsource it. The high school secretary gave me a couple options for online schools like Smart Schools or Primavera. I'm not sure if those fit our needs. I'm looking at Derek Owens or AOPS online. But if he finishes a course like that, is that something the high school is likely to accept if it's not through an "accredited school." Also, the local jr high and high schools WILL NOT allow him to just take the 1 algebra class in person, and homeschool the rest. Our schools are all-or-nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 Could you make an appointment with whoever would be responsible for his math placement and talk to them about it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 (edited) I'm my experience, in my state and in my school district, the school would not accept any credits received while homeschooling regardless of the source of instruction. What they did allow was for my dd to take the end of year algebra (and German) exam. They would give credit and assign a grade based on that single test. I see this is not your plan, but I will mention that my dd enrolled in 8th grade specifically because algebra, foreign language, and a couple of electives taken in 8th grade are given high school credit and carried up to the high school transcript. This option is not available for any classes taken under the aegis of homeschooling. Edited June 29 by Miss Tick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 Placement and credit may be two different things, and each district's policy is going to be different - I would have a conversation with someone who is actually responsible for course placement (possibly the school counselor, though we have been referred up the chain to assistant principals before for similar issues). If you don't care that the Algebra 1 credit shows up on his high school transcript (and this credit isn't required by your state to show up on the public school transcript), the question you really want to know is what is the school looking for in terms of math placement for 9th grade. They might want standardized test scores, they might want to see a completed course, they might want him to take an end of course exam, they might just take your word for it. When my kids started in public school, the school counselors were happy to look at a combination of standardized test scores and the table of contents or scope-and-sequence of the curriculum we completed at home - but we weren't trying to get credit - we just wanted to acknowledge that Algebra 1 had been completed, and they were ready to start Geometry. If you are looking to get credit, you'll need to find out very specifically what the policy is for getting that credit, again making sure you are getting definite information from someone who has the power to show you a written policy or make this decision. In our district, the options for credit that would be recognized by the high school is to take a specific examination for credit or to take a class from a specific list of online public/private school providers that are recognized by our state department of education and are based out of our state. It wouldn't matter if an online class is accredited in some other way or in another state - they are working off a specific list, but this list is available for download. In our state, "Algebra 1" is a not a credit required by the state for graduation, but Algebra 2 is - so one of my kids who started 9th grade with Algebra 2 skills already mastered had to take the exam for credit or re-take the class. Just not taking it wasn't an option for graduation, even if he took Pre-Calc and up. But the same was not true of Algebra 1, so we didn't pursue any of our kids so far taking the exam for that one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted June 29 Author Share Posted June 29 34 minutes ago, Miss Tick said: I'm my experience, in my state and in my school district, the school would not accept any credits received while homeschooling regardless of the source of instruction. What they did allow was for my dd to take the end of year algebra (and German) exam. They would give credit and assign a grade based on that single test. I see this is not your plan, but I will mention that my dd enrolled in 8th grade specifically because algebra, foreign language, and a couple of electives taken in 8th grade are given high school credit and carried up to the high school transcript. This option is not available for any classes taken under the aegis of homeschooling. I will ask if this is an option. My son has been primarily homeschooled, then started 7th grade at our local school, hated it, and came back home for the 2nd semester. Putting him back in public school is an option, just not our first choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted June 29 Author Share Posted June 29 3 minutes ago, kirstenhill said: Placement and credit may be two different things, and each district's policy is going to be different - I would have a conversation with someone who is actually responsible for course placement (possibly the school counselor, though we have been referred up the chain to assistant principals before for similar issues). If you don't care that the Algebra 1 credit shows up on his high school transcript (and this credit isn't required by your state to show up on the public school transcript), the question you really want to know is what is the school looking for in terms of math placement for 9th grade. They might want standardized test scores, they might want to see a completed course, they might want him to take an end of course exam, they might just take your word for it. When my kids started in public school, the school counselors were happy to look at a combination of standardized test scores and the table of contents or scope-and-sequence of the curriculum we completed at home - but we weren't trying to get credit - we just wanted to acknowledge that Algebra 1 had been completed, and they were ready to start Geometry. If you are looking to get credit, you'll need to find out very specifically what the policy is for getting that credit, again making sure you are getting definite information from someone who has the power to show you a written policy or make this decision. In our district, the options for credit that would be recognized by the high school is to take a specific examination for credit or to take a class from a specific list of online public/private school providers that are recognized by our state department of education and are based out of our state. It wouldn't matter if an online class is accredited in some other way or in another state - they are working off a specific list, but this list is available for download. In our state, "Algebra 1" is a not a credit required by the state for graduation, but Algebra 2 is - so one of my kids who started 9th grade with Algebra 2 skills already mastered had to take the exam for credit or re-take the class. Just not taking it wasn't an option for graduation, even if he took Pre-Calc and up. But the same was not true of Algebra 1, so we didn't pursue any of our kids so far taking the exam for that one. This is very helpful. I do want (I think) for him to get credit for it, because ultimately he will be getting a diploma from the high school. I do not know if Algebra 1 is required for graduation, and I can't find that information on our district's website right now. I have a lot more questions I need to ask the school now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 So mine took a summer CC precalculus class even though he had already taken precalculus with aops. That CC credit unabled him to get credit for all the previous math (Integ 1, 2, 3) and got him a placement into calculus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 Every state has different laws and school districts within a state can vary. Pursue the answer to what will be accepted with the school. In my state, he would have to take the school’s Alg 1 final exam to get credit at a public school. Many online providers are accredited. We had great math instruction at Wilson Hill, if you go that route. Pricey, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 Call the specific school and ask which ones they'll accept. Get it in writing, preferably on letterhead. Then pick one of those. Their lists are usually quite small. In my town the public schools don't accept anything but their own classes or the online public schools, even if it's an accredited distance school. We've seen homeschool kids test into geo at the highschool, pass geo with flying colors that year, and their parents still had to pay for an alg 1 summer school "because it's a required credit." (Fwiw, specific schools get accreditation, not individual courses.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 Just building on things others said and agreeing with a lot of the advice and cautionary notes. I have heard many a tale about schools that switch what they'll accept from year to year. They get a new person in charge of registration and they have a different idea of what should count. So take that into account as well, especially if there's not a lot of history in terms of what the school has taken or not in the past. Some states - like Virginia for example - even now have specific lists of what they'll take and what they won't. So "accredited" may not matter to them much. That list is what matters. Strongly seconding that placement and credit are different. Finally, if you do decide it's necessary to go the accredited route, there are SO MANY more options now than just three or four years ago. It's true that schools are accredited, not courses, but a lot of online providers have now been accredited as individual course providers instead of as diploma issuers. It's no longer the massive limiting factor that it used to be. So Aim Academy, Math Academy, CLRC, WTMA - all accredited. Also, Thinkwell has an accredited provider option now and for me, that's about as close to Derek Owens in level and set up that you can get without doing DO. Plus there are all the usual canned content options like FLVS, etc. etc. Really, that list just scratches the surface. So basically, there are options. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malam Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 (edited) AoPS is also accredited: https://artofproblemsolving.com/school/handbook/prospective/accreditation Edited July 1 by Malam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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