Can some one please explain how a PA Homeschooler

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

Can someone please explain how a PA Homeschoolers class works.

 

I was under the impression that you met in like a group meeting, but do you actually even see the instructor?

 

Do you have any interaction with real people or are you just emailed assignments?:confused:

 

Do you work in a group atmosphere or do students just post to a board like this?

 

Is the feedback on the essays etc worth the money?

 

I know everyone seems really happy with them, but I am debating whether or not it is worth the cash!

[mcconnellboys]

Well, I haven't done them so can't give you those specifics, but I do know a student here who took several of their AP courses and absolutely loved them. She did very well in the classes and on her exams. She loved her instructors. She ended up a National Merit Scholar with a full ride to a great, small liberal arts college here.

[Kathy in Richmond]

My kids have taken three of their classes (Eng Lang, Comp Sci, Stats).

 

The classes are asynchronous, so there are no real-time class meetings. The instructor usually posts some sort of lesson on the main class bulletin board at the start of the week, along with all the assignments for that week. The lesson is not taught directly; the kids are supposed to be able to read the text or readings and come back with problems solved, response essays written, etc, though the teachers (and fellow students) have always been available to answer any questions that come up.

 

The kids have various boards (essay board, Q&A board, even a social board, etc) where they post completed assignments. Sometimes the work is emailed directly to the teacher for grading. In AP English Language this year, they usually write one or more responses to a reading, respond to each other's responses, have some sort of essay work-in-progress, peer review each other's essay assignments, do AP test prep (multiple choice & timed essay weekly), etc. There are lots of assignments and a high degree of interaction between teacher and kids.

 

The other two classes we have experience with (Stats and Computer Science) have new teachers now, so my comments would be less relevant. They were slightly less interactive- more emailing assignments than posting everything as dd does in English. Even so, the instructor kept a class 'feel' to the group, and included weekly interaction and some posting of class work.

 

All three classes were top-notch and my children were extremely well-prepared to get a top score on the actual AP. If anything, their classes err on the side of over-preparation. What I like most,though, was that they learned a ton and enjoyed it. My dd has enjoyed getting to know her fellow students (She still keeps in touch with some of the Stats classmates from last year). The actual test prep was just one part of the class this year - what dd learned in the readings and writings and teacher/peer reviews was invaluable and would have been worthwhile regardless of whether she sits for the exam.

 

You asked if they do any group work. This year in English they have occasionally had group assignments (wrote a joint essay one time, did several joint mult-choice assignments where they had to discuss and come to agreement on answers). These were done via email/IM. Every week, though, they post and comment on and review each other's written work.

 

The feedback on the essays is superb. The kids just completed a research paper over the course of several weeks. As they posted their drafts, they received helpful comments from the instructor and from peer reviews. The final draft was hand graded by dd's instructor and will be a great piece to keep in her portfolio (we found that some colleges required a graded essay sample when my ds applied a few years ago).

 

Is it worth the money? I think so - at least for the classes in which I have no interest or expertise, and especially for classes with a heavy written component like English. Somehow having an audience for their writings (and in English almost *everything* they write is posted online for everyone to read) gives my kids a reason to do their best :001_smile:.

 

You know, another great way to find out more about the various classes is to go to the PA Homeschoolers AP class page. When you click on one of the classes, scroll down and you'll find a link to a page that contains actual student reviews of the particular instructor's classes. We found these to be invaluable in learning about how much workload and interaction we could expect from each class. The workload varies wildly from class to class (at least in our experience), so it's a good idea to be forewarned!

 

I hope this makes some sense - in a hurry here to get out the door with dd for a math meet in MD today!

 

HTH,

Kathy