Any e-schoolers out there? (incl info on K12)

[graygables]

Some people have asked about the K12 program, hence this post.

We are entering our 5th year of e-schooling and I'm enrolling my DDs in the K12 program (www.k12.com) that is offered through a virtual academy in our state. We are given a computer, complete curriculum, internet, teacher support, and special ed services, all paid for out of our tax dollars. You can also buy the K12 program independently as a homeschooler, which we did for my youngest for K (to "force" her into the system...she missed the cutoff by 2 days). My 17yo just finished up with a different e-school and is heading to college in the fall. We have to meet all the state requirements for public school children (testing, hours, etc), so it makes homeschooling very easy.

Any other e-schoolers???

 

[busymomma123]

Hi,

I am not an e-schooler yet, but we are seriously considering it. We too live in Ohio. Which one do you use? We are looking at Connections.

 

[Nascia]

We are e-schooling in PA. Our oldest, DS 9, just finished his first year with Connections Academy in PA. We are also enrolling our 4 yr old DS in a virtual academy in the fall. Connections was great. They use the Calvert curriculum and are very supportive. They also provided everything we needed and a teacher to oversee his education.

We are thinking about switching to a K12 academy in the fall. I've heard the science and social studies are a bit more thorough. I would love to hear your experience with the curriculum, and have a ton of questions if you don't mind answering .

 

[graygables]

Hi,

I am not an e-schooler yet, but we are seriously considering it. We too live in Ohio. Which one do you use? We are looking at Connections.

We're leaving OHDELA (run away, run away!!! ) and going into OHVA, which uses K12. We used it 2 years ago, but had issues with their special ed department which have supposedly been resolved. The curriculum there is fairly advanced, but it is taught in a very orderly manner. Parents are given a script which is very helpful and the lesson planning/hours reporting system is excellent. There were books as well as online work and they send you all the equipment/supplies you need (important for science!) I can't comment on the teachers now since I don't know them, but the teachers I had for DD for our 2 years were great. Special ed was a different story and it may be still, I won't know until we get back to it. I was also told that they are using an online classroom (elluminate) that they didn't have before, so that should be interesting.

 

[VolleyballQt07]

We are in Toledo. We use OHVA..We really like it (this was our first year). Just wanted to say hi to another OHVA'er !

 

[skoi]

We're homeschooling, but are looking into PAVCS (which uses K-12) for our dd when she gets to high school. I read K12 does have a high school curriculum now. Has anyone used it? We have 2 more years to decide.

Also- any comments on PAVCS would be appreciated. I know some people who used it and hated it. They said there was too much paperwork, the work was unrealistic, etc. Appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Julie

 

[imp&pixie]

We just finished our first year with a K12 virtual academy (CAVA). We absolutely LOVED it. We had lots of get togethers with other CAVA families and we even participated in a music co-op with a bunch of other families.

 

[graygables]

We're homeschooling, but are looking into PAVCS (which uses K-12) for our dd when she gets to high school. I read K12 does have a high school curriculum now. Has anyone used it? We have 2 more years to decide.

Also- any comments on PAVCS would be appreciated. I know some people who used it and hated it. They said there was too much paperwork, the work was unrealistic, etc. Appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Julie

I know K12 has been rolling out the high school over the past few years. When we were there, it was only K-6th. I haven't heard much from the high school side of things (my 17yo was just a bit ahead of them), but I can tell you that DELA was HORRIBLE for high school, simply dreadful.

 

[busymomma123]

Parents are given a script which is very helpful and the lesson planning/hours reporting system is excellent.


Does this mean there is a set number of hours you have to do everyday? I have heard that ODela wants you to be logged in for like five hours everyday. But I have heard that a lot of times it doesn't take nearly as long
to complete the lesson. Not to get anything started in a debate or anything, but what about socialization? I was looking for advice on HS and started a thread for that. However it got really carried away. People went crazy debating the issue. I hope this thread doesn't go that way.

 

[graygables]

Parents are given a script which is very helpful and the lesson planning/hours reporting system is excellent.


Does this mean there is a set number of hours you have to do everyday? I have heard that ODela wants you to be logged in for like five hours everyday. But I have heard that a lot of times it doesn't take nearly as long
to complete the lesson. Not to get anything started in a debate or anything, but what about socialization? I was looking for advice on HS and started a thread for that. However it got really carried away. People went crazy debating the issue. I hope this thread doesn't go that way.

I posted on your thread, I'm sorry it went the way it did...some people, y'know?

OHDELA is implementing some new things to try to keep from imploding/being shut down. There is a mass exodus from there at the moment, including us, so I haven't kept up with all the new "requirements". The state of Ohio requires 920 hours per year, with a max of 40 per week (I think). It doesn't take that long for my DDs to finish the lessons, so the hours are made up with things like reading, PE (dance, skating classes, any supervised recreation), music lessons, educational games/TV shows, field trips, etc. I set up our schedule so that we do school 6 days a week, through most of the year, so actual "class time" is usually 2-3 hours per day, if that. I am a firm believer in teaching through experience and life, not just books. Free market economy field trip to the mall, people!

As far as socialization goes, my 10yo has Asperger's/selective mutism so it's hugely important for her to learn social skills. She takes ice skating lessons that are offered to homeschoolers/eschoolers through a local rec center, 7yo takes ballet, and they both take piano lessons. Ice skating has been HUGE for her to learn to get along with other kids and learn to communicate on various levels. The class had about 16 students, ranging from K thru 12. One of the older boys introduced himself to me and shook my hand (big points there!). He felt it was important for the parents to know who some of the other students were. Very mature, well-mannered, and spoken and if DD were older, I'd fix her up in a heartbeat. We also attend a Wednesday night program at a church where they interact with other children. Especially for the Asperger's DD, VMK (Virtual Magic Kingdom) has also been a huge success. She learns how to communicate and she can't misspell words, so it's been a double help. In our daily lives, we are rarely thrown in an office with 30 other people our age or "grade level", so I feel it is important to teach children how to respond to all ages in all kinds of situations.

That said, last time we were in OHVA/K12, the teachers arranged field trips/outings (as did some parents), so the children could get together for various activities and meet one another. I understand they have also added a virtual classroom (elluminate), where kids can go to "class" online, raise their "hand", ask questions and hear the answer. OHDELA's system was a failure at that. The teacher also keeps in weekly contact and I believe will visit with the child if possible (it wasn't for us before w/ DDs disability). We have never had any problems finding social outlets for our kids (there are more lessons, activities, etc that we simply don't have time for)

I always tell people who are waffling to try it for one year. If at the end of the year, you do something different, that's great, at least you know that it won't work for you. But, if it does work, you've learned that sooner rather than later and have improved your child's education in the meantime. BTW, in case anyone questions my credentials, I am a former English teacher, at-risk through AP English IV, so I've seen both sides of the HS/PS issue.

 

[Brier Rose]

I always tell people who are waffling to try it for one year. If at the end of the year, you do something different, that's great, at least you know that it won't work for you. But, if it does work, you've learned that sooner rather than later and have improved your child's education in the meantime. BTW, in case anyone questions my credentials, I am a former English teacher, at-risk through AP English IV, so I've seen both sides of the HS/PS issue.

I couldn't agree more with this!

That's exactly what we did. I'm so glad we decided to give it a try for one year, as that year has led into many happy years after.

You can't really know until you try!

Best of luck to you!

 

[Nascia]

[/QUOTE] Also- any comments on PAVCS would be appreciated. I know some people who used it and hated it. They said there was too much paperwork, the work was unrealistic, etc. Appreciate any input. [/QUOTE]

We are currently looking into PAVCS and Agora, they both use the K12 curriculum. I'm going to an information session for Agora tomorrow night. I have noticed a few during our first year at Connections Academy using the Calvert curriculum. I really didn't think the work was "that" involved or excessive. Most of the work was similar to what the kids would be doing in a B&M school (actually there is a Calvert day school in Md that uses the same Calvert curriculum), with the exception of writing. There was a ton of writing, my son had to a daily journal and wrote several compositions a week. He was definitely not writing that much when he went to the local ps. (It probably would have been a lot easier if he didn't HATE the physical task of writing so much ). All of the other subjects were typically what you would find in a b&m school. We would customize the lessons so it would relate to real life situations and we would usually go a bit more in depth. The kids also had periodic quizzes and unit tests to check for understanding in each subject, both the quizzes and tests were online.

We really liked the electives they offered. My son, in 3rd grade, is taking Spanish and Latin. He has also had a class on migration patterns and computer technology. None of which, with the tech class as an exception, is offered at the local ps. CA also offered French and German as well as classes in home ec, chess, history, mythology and music.

We did have to send in a portfolio of work every other month. The portfolio items were preselected by the school and usually consisted of 4- 5 writing assignments, 2-3 science lab reports, 2-3 reading lessons and 1 - 2 geography/ social studies. We also had biannual LEAP testing (2 hour interactive test for reading and math) and benchmark testing that we completed quarterly (short timed tests for math, reading, writing and oral fluency). Naturally, we also had to complete the PSSA state testing. Our teacher called us on a bi-weekly basis to check in and we often corresponded via e-mail throughout the year. Although it may sound like a lot, it really wasn't that much more than what you typical ps kid does, testing wise, in a year.

I have noticed, from talking with other parents, that those switching from traditional hs to eschooling had a more difficult time adjusting to the paperwork/ deadlines and testing. The ones that complained the most about the "red tape" were those who had been hs and used to very little oversight.

 

[Nascia]

[/QUOTE]
Does this mean there is a set number of hours you have to do everyday? I have heard that ODela wants you to be logged in for like five hours everyday. But I have heard that a lot of times it doesn't take nearly as long
to complete the lesson. Not to get anything started in a debate or anything, but what about socialization? I was looking for advice on HS and started a thread for that. However it got really carried away. People went crazy debating the issue. I hope this thread doesn't go that way.[/QUOTE]

In PA we only had to log days. Each lesson is equated a specific amount of time. For example, a math lesson was always given 45 minutes. If the student completed their math lesson in 20 minutes they still received 45 minutes credit. Likewise, if it took the student 2 hours to complete it, they would still only get credit for 45 minutes, at least here in PA.

My son was involved in various clubs through the school. He interacted on the message boards, had a pen pal and competed against his classmates in the Quiz Bowl (he was one of five national champs ). The school also set up field trips throughout the year. We usually had 1 or 2 per month in our area. You could also attend the field trips in other regions. Aside from the school sponsored events, my son also participated in a variety of after school programs. He played basketball, 2 different leagues, soccer, football and swam. He also attend several classes for kids at the university. He was always visiting his friends, or having them over our place, on the weekend. We went to parks, playgrounds and the library when we were finished for the day. He will be volunteering at the library and preschool after schooling is done in the fall. He gets to interact with people of all ages in real life settings. He has never had a problem making friends or talking to people. It's really up to the parents to get the kids involved, especially, when they young. When you look, you will be surprised at how many opportunities there really are. The best places to start are the library and local college. Good Luck!

 

[busymomma123]

Has anyone had to use Speech Therapy through the public e-schools? My son was dx with a severe speech handicap this past year of kindergarten. He was going to have speech, but due to surgery for him and the speech therapist he never received it.

 

[skoi]

Thanks for the replies. We were in K12/PAVCS for a year and a little more, but it was too advanced for our son in K, and we pulled him. Then our daughter really hated the time at the computer, so we pulled her and went back to hs'ing using Sonlight. Our daughter is a reader and loves that, but neither of us are crazy about their high school curriculum so we're in the research phase. I did like K-12's academics, especially their history (I am former history teacher- college all the way down to middle school).

Nascia- I didn't know there were so many other charters out there. Can you state again why you're leaving your current charter? K12 (as I remember) had a lot of writing. It was fine for dd, but ds is still lagging in language arts. He can read pretty well (according to the placement tests), but I'm not happy with his spelling and mechanics, and forget writing. We're doing Alpha Omega with him because it's more "school like" and that's what he really needs right now. Let me know how Agora looks. Thanks.

Thanks everyone.
Julie

 

[RangerPooh]

I just heard about this yesterday as my SIL is considering enrolling my neice in the eschool here in Washington. Reading your thoughts on it was refreshing as we didn't really know what it was like. I mean as a college student I ahve taken online courses but weren't always held accountable for the work, so it's nice to see that you are actually accountable for it.

 

[graygables]

Has anyone had to use Speech Therapy through the public e-schools? My son was dx with a severe speech handicap this past year of kindergarten. He was going to have speech, but due to surgery for him and the speech therapist he never received it.

Both my DDs are on IEPs and receive services. Niether has speech therapy (yet), but for OT and social skills classes, we were sent to a local speech/OT place and the school paid the bill. Nothing out of pocket for us. They are required to provide the necessary services, but, as with any public school, you may have to put up a bit of a fight.

 

[Nascia]

Nascia- I didn't know there were so many other charters out there. Can you state again why you're leaving your current charter? K12 (as I remember) had a lot of writing. It was fine for dd, but ds is still lagging in language arts. He can read pretty well (according to the placement tests), but I'm not happy with his spelling and mechanics, and forget writing. We're doing Alpha Omega with him because it's more "school like" and that's what he really needs right now. Let me know how Agora looks. Thanks.
Thanks everyone.
Julie

There's no real negative reason why I'm leaving. Connections had been good for us for the most part. The staff was really nice, accessable and helpful. We had a good relationship with our teacher and community coordinators. A few minor things have come up, but nothing to really make me want to leave, KWIM. I would like to try K12 and see how it "fits" with my DS9. He loves science and history and I've heard K12 is much more involved in those subjects. It's not that the Calvert is bad, just not as thorough as I'd hoped for him. As far as LA, he understands mechanics and usage, but has a horrible time physically writing. If I let him type his comps he does great. We are having him evaluated by an OT to check his fine motor skills. I think at the end of this coming year we'll know where we stand and which works best for him.

I have heard wonderful things from the parent involved in Connections Academy in both Oregon and Washington. It seems that e-schooling has really taken off out there. I believe that the Oregon school will have close to 1,500 students next year, in only its second year.

 

[Denine]

Interesting thread. I just received a mailing for OVA which uses K12. I like the idea that they send you everything you need, including the computer.

Do you feel like the state has control over what is taught or do you feel it is autonomous enough? I am going to start DD in the Fall with pre-K. I am concerned that it will be just like going to school, only at home with not enough control over what is taught beyond the basics. I have also looked into the one that uses Calvert.

It is interesting that K12 has better history and science. It seems like so many HS curriculum are very heavy into LA, but not much into the sciences. I want DD to have a good background in math and science. Of course, that could be because both DH and I have BS degrees.

 

[skoi]

Nascia- thanks for the information. We're going to look into the K-12 schools over the course of this year for high school. I think it will be easier than dealing with our school system (Philadelphia), which has been nothing but trouble since for a few years.