Home schooling--ONLINE High Schools

[SGMCO]

Does anyone have their teen in an online high school?
I will be applying soon for next school year
for my DS.
What has your experiance been like?
The other HOmeschool chat is mostly about young kids so
hoping that if I start this one I can get more info.
I live in Colorado.

 

[RMAMom]

I would love some input on this also. I would really like my DD who will be a Jr next year to take some online classes, especially English and writing!

 

[SGMCO]

Anyone????

 

[kawing123]

Do you really think an online program can substitute for high school? Do you have daily Lab access for science? Alot of home school people send their children to community college at this point. I mean my daughter is a high school senior and a top student. She goes to public high school and I cannot believe that anyone would think a child sitting in front of a computer or dvd could replicate everything she learns and has access to on a daily basis. Unless you yourself are capable of teaching calc, chemistry, physics and any AP classes than you are short changing your kid. Look into the community college.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

I can't give you personal experience but I know many families that do this and it is just as good as high school. (Being a homeschooling mom obviously I must say better ) Everyone I know loves it, there are no problems, no lack of anything. I don't know how CO runs things, but here in PA we have several programs to choose from. The cyber schools are public schools, so the education is exactly the same as needed for a school you'd attend, and in 11 and 12 grades you can actually attend certain colleges and get credit for both college and HS. They schools say that you can graduate HS with an associates degree at the same time and it's all "free", paid through the school taxes here. My boys are younger, but I have no issues with them doing a virtual school in high school. That's our plan unless they change things before then!

 

[taximomfor4]

OP, I have been looking into options for my middle-school dd. Have settled on Connections Academy (in many states, we are in Ohio). It doesn't have high school in all its states, but at least here, you can do PSEO in high school. That would address what a pp mentioned. I DO know that even in middle school, they send supplies for science expirements, you do virtual dissections (which oldest dd did in a brick and mortar high school), and you have live class time on the computer along with some free-scheduled time.

Expect to be judged harshly sometimes for making this choice, I haven't even gotten through enrollment for dd yet, and have already encountered THAT. Good luck! And from my own research, looks like you are starting this process at the perfect time of year.

Beth

 

[worm761]

My DS is in 8th grade but will be using the virtual school through high school. We use it now. It is K12 and part of the public school system. Here is the map to the different states: http://www.k12.com/enroll-or-buy/find-a-school-and-enroll/ K12 is also part of the Colorado public schools so it should be free for you to use. We like it. Everything is graded by school teachers. They work in the schools in our district. I would assume it would be the same for you. Do you already homeschool? If not, make sure you understand your homeschool laws. For a list of those, www.hslda.org is where you will find them.
In Florida, we homeschool but use the Virtual School for only some subjects. Some subjects we do separately on our own and are therefore homeschoolers. If you choose to do all of your classes online then you are still considered to be a public school student that just schools at home. Laws vary by state but that is how it works here.
For a foreign language, right now we are using www.livemocha.com because it is free and community based. He has interaction with people.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

We aren't doing any online schools, but it doesn't takea rocket scientist to set up a chemistry lab. Or a biology lab. It was a piece of cake. My two that are in college and grad school did well at home, so don't let people throw any flack your way.

I have friends in both k-12 and Connections, and Seton, and some love it and some hate it. I think you just need to spend time talking to both administration and students. Good luck.

 

[HunnyJar]

We are also a K12 family. Our son is in 8th grade and will begin high school this September. We also know of several families that have high schoolers in the K12 program. This program works for our family, but we always suggest that people look into for themselves. We are very unhappy with the public school system where live, so homeschooling works out very nicely for us. K12 is also a charter school in our area with teachers available every day.

Our son meets with an online class and teacher for math (Algebra) twice a week and with an English teacher once a week. They offer pretty regular field trips and get togethers for social interaction. We also can opt to have our son go to the local school once or twice weekly for music lessons if we choose. And they do offer things like the prom and other activities. As for state testings they secure locations and have proctors available. In fact we have state testings coming up next month.

There are no fees involved with K12 and they also offer a computer for your student to use at no charge while you are with the program. Also they do reimburse you for some of your Internet expenses. We have been a K12 family since our son started 6th grade and have been very happy with the experience.

Hope this helps.

 

[Leajess99]

Do you really think an online program can substitute for high school? Do you have daily Lab access for science? Alot of home school people send their children to community college at this point. I mean my daughter is a high school senior and a top student. She goes to public high school and I cannot believe that anyone would think a child sitting in front of a computer or dvd could replicate everything she learns and has access to on a daily basis. Unless you yourself are capable of teaching calc, chemistry, physics and any AP classes than you are short changing your kid. Look into the community college.

Just to make you aware, not all public high schools can even offer daily lab access or anything like that due to budget cuts.

Oh yeah, and in my area the kids taking AP Classes do it through the virtual high school.

I have taken most of my college classes on line and feel I actually get more out of them as it requires more research and critical thinking than sitting in a classroom at the University and listening to a professor give lectures. I wish they had free public virtual school here. If I could enroll my kids in their dad's state I would be happy to pull them from school.

 

[pam931]

Since you're on Colorado, you'll want to check out this:

www.k12.com/cova

 

[SGMCO]

Thanks so much for all of the input and encouragement.
This is a big step so I learning all that I can so that I can be ready.
There are several Free online Public options in Colorado and trying to
sift through them is difficult.

I am looking into these Free Public options:

1.Connections Academy (been around since 2002)
This school seems to have the most informative information on what
to expect.

2.Kaplan Online High School

3.COVA K-12 (my Niece in Florida goes though Florida VA and likes it but I'm not sure if the COVA it will be the same as the FVA)

All of the schools that I'm looking into have an assigned teacher
for each student and the student can get help when they need it.

This one (below) is part of our County/district and whenever my DS gets to 11th Gradehe will have to be part of a school that is in our County School district to be able to go to a Free Tech/Collage Prep School which is part time
and offers High School and College Credits.

Jeffco Virtual Academy 21st Century (but not until his 11th year)

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

Thanks so much for all of the input and encouragement.
This is a big step so I learning all that I can so that I can be ready.
There are several Free online Public options in Colorado and trying to
sift through them is difficult.

I am looking into these Free Public options:

1.Connections Academy (been around since 2002)
This school seems to have the most informative information on what
to expect.

Can't say about any of the others, but be sure to look closely at Connections Academy. It's one of the options we have in PA and I know a couple people that use it for younger kids, and none of them like it. I know others that use several other schools here and no one is as unhappy with their schools as the Connections people are! I'm not sure why or what the difference is, just thought I'd warn you to look closely at that one.

 

[taximomfor4]

Can't say about any of the others, but be sure to look closely at Connections Academy. It's one of the options we have in PA and I know a couple people that use it for younger kids, and none of them like it. I know others that use several other schools here and no one is as unhappy with their schools as the Connections people are! I'm not sure why or what the difference is, just thought I'd warn you to look closely at that one.

Yikes. I'm not the OP, but we are well into a hurried last-minute enrollment with Connections Academy. Wonder how I can find out what people don't like about it. Not that I had much choice, the other better-known (not fly-by-night) ones in Ohio won't take any more mid-year enrollments. Oh well, I guess I can switch to another after dd finishes out this year. IF the enrollment even gets through on time. WHAT a pain enrolling really is!!

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

Yikes. I'm not the OP, but we are well into a hurried last-minute enrollment with Connections Academy. Wonder how I can find out what people don't like about it. Not that I had much choice, the other better-known (not fly-by-night) ones in Ohio won't take any more mid-year enrollments. Oh well, I guess I can switch to another after dd finishes out this year. IF the enrollment even gets through on time. WHAT a pain enrolling really is!!

Kinda sounds like Connections all together! I don't know details but it just seems like they are very complicated on everything. We use PaCyber and it's so easy, went to a "recruiting" -- for lack of a better word-- thing, signed some papers and we were done... but it was summer time. They are very easy to work with, easy to talk to, and the curriculum is fine, doesn't suit DS but helped me get started. We will be traditional homeschooling next year. I had a friend give me her Connections curriculum when she was done, I couldn't figure out where to start Everything is put right out for you in PaCyber, didn't seem to be the same for Connections. I'm sure it's fine for what you are doing, and you'd have no trouble switching if you don't like it for next year... not much of this year left! Just remember, if you don't like it, that it may be the program and don't give up on all of them

 

[SGMCO]

DH and I sat down last night and reviewed and researched the different
online schools on our list and we decided to go with the local
online school "Jeffco VA". DS has been in Jefferson County School District
from the being and this online school seems just as good as any
of the others and he won't have to switch in 11th grade to get to
go to the Tech/College prep school (which is part time).
I hope that everyones online choice works and is a success for their teen.
Thanks everyone.

 

[BelleRocks]

I'm in Colorado also with a 5th grader in Branson Online (also a public online school.) This is her first year. The middle school in our area is horrible and we are rural so didn't have any other choices.

My experience has been, there is WAY MORE WORK in this program than there was in the traditional school. (I have volunteered at her school since first grade, so I know what I'm talking about.) It seems to me in traditional school 1, they knew the kids were there for X hours per day, and 2, alot of work is done with the class as a group, and with the teacher guiding. In the online school (since it is still a public school of the state of Colorado, strictly regualted) basically the only way to "regulate" it is the amount of work the kids are turning in. And all of the work is done individually, and not as a group.

I wanted her to have the same level of education - I didn't expect her to have to work HARDER than she did at traditional school. And fyi, she was and still is an A student, so grades weren't part of the reason we switched.

It definitely hasn't been what we expected. I have talked to other parents who switched from traditional schools, and they also have had the same experience.

 

[livie1205]

My son just started florida virtual school this year and I just love it! They even have him doing PE everyday! I think he gets more one on one time with the teachers this way also...they call him often to talk about his progress.I had to take him to his old middle school for the f cat for the last 2 days and now he goes right back to his classes...he can do the workk at his own pace and does not feel all the pressure he had at the school.