AP*/DC ..….not AC/DC; Part 2

In the previous blog AP*/DC....not AC/DC; Part 1 we looked at the option of Dual Enrollment courses for your high school student who is considering college.  In Part 2 of this blog we’ll look at how Advanced Placement is another option to consider in the academic mix for your  home school, public or private school student. 

Advanced Placement is a program created by the College Board which offers college-level curriculum and examinations to high school students.  Public and private high schools offer courses which meet certain standards set by the College Board.  As far as home school curriculum, you should check with the publisher to see if the content meets standards set by College Board.  Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) also has information regarding online Advanced Placement classes.  Based on exam scores, which are taken in May of the academic year that the student takes the course, a student can receive college credit for many introductory college classes.  Each college sets guidelines as to what score a student has to receive in order to receive credit for that course.  To find out more information about these courses try College Board. 

As in the previous blog, let me share a bit of personal reflection on the different choices we made for our daughters.  When it came to our youngest daughter, circumstances were different in terms of her college selections due to her career interests.  She did take dual enrollment courses at the local technical college.  Additionally,  during her senior year she wanted to take Advanced Chemistry.  After talking, we decided to make it an AP* course.  Before beginning this process, I looked on the College Board website to make sure to follow their instructions on finding an exam site.  College Board lists high schools that will allow outside students to come in and take the exams which are taken nationwide on specific dates/times.   I expected to pay for the exam ($89), but what I didn’t expect was the level of difficulty I faced in locating a high school that: 1) gave the chemistry exam 2) would allow my daughter a seat for the exam.  I called six different high schools, even calling my alma mater.  Half of the high schools weren’t giving the chemistry exam.  Of the other three, only one allowed my daughter a seat for the exam.  I started making phone calls in January because the schools order the exams as late as March.  

For those who home school I offer some words of caution.  Before you start the curriculum, begin making phone calls and make sure your student can take the test at a high school that is giving that particular exam.  There are 22 different tests and most high schools don’t offer all 22 courses.   Of the six high schools I called, only three were giving the chemistry exam.   I also ran into the issue that the school wouldn’t allow outside students to take the exam.  Even the school that did allow my daughter to take the exam did have to “check” and see if it was permissible for her to take the exam.  If she hadn’t been allowed to take the exam, I was resolved to count the course as honors. Also, keep in mind that if your student makes the appropriate grade on the exam(usually a 4 or 5) and gets the college credit, some graduate schools will not accept college credits gained through taking the AP* exams.  I know of a student who graduated from a prestigious university and began the long process of getting prepared to apply to medical school.  She discovered that she had to retake two undergraduate biology courses for which she had received AP* credit because medical schools do not accept those college course credits.  Again, check with an admissions counselor at your student’s preferred college if in doubt.

*AP is a registered trademark of the College Board

Until Next Time,

Johnna

AP*/DC....not AC/DC; Part 1

If your student is considering college, then you might want to consider adding Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment Courses to the academic mix.  Whether your student is enrolled in a home school, public or private school, Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment Courses have a great deal to offer your future college student.  In Part 1 of this blog we’ll look at Dual Enrollment Courses (DC).

Dual Enrollment Courses are named as such because they offer high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while still earning credits toward their high school diploma.  These courses can be offered on the high school campus, online, or on the college campus.  To find out more information about Dual enrollment courses check with your state’s commission on higher education.  In SC, you can go to SC Commission on Higher Education for more information.  If you're in another state, just check out you commission on higher education.

Just a bit of personal reflection on the different choices we made for our daughters.  During their senior year my two oldest daughters took 2-3 dual enrollment courses each semester at the local technical college.  They drove 45 minutes on Tuesday/Thursday to attend classes.  Our oldest daughter took an online course her second semester.  Additionally, during the academic year they were still completing their course work for our home school.    My goal was to expose them to a college classroom setting which included learning study skills needed for college, communicating with college professors, engaging with other students and earning college credits.  

As we began the process at the end of their junior year, I was able to find information at the following SC website:  transferring Dual Enrollment courses. Based on this information and their interests, we selected their courses.  In order for them to take classes at a technical college (cheaper per hour than a 4 year school), we had to submit their SAT (or ACT scores) and have our third option home school association sign off on paperwork.  Students can also take the COMPASS test in order to take college courses prior to graduating high school.  If you’re not sure what to do, contact your local college and find out more information.  Usually, they have staff that deal specifically with dual enrollment students.  Be advised that they may call the program something different than Dual Enrollment….our local technical college calls them PACE classes. If your student is in public or private school, contact the guidance counselor to see how to proceed.

When it came to our youngest daughter, circumstances were different in terms of her college selections due to her career interests.  Many of the colleges she was looking at were private or out-of-state and her GPA wasn’t going to get the “big” scholarships.  For more information on this topic, check out my blog post The Money GPA. We decided the best course of action for her would be to take 3 courses each semester at the technical college during her junior year.  Was it risky to send a junior on campus for classes?  Yes, but we felt like our daughter was academically, emotionally and mentally prepared for the challenge.  As a parent you have to make that judgment call because you know your student better than anyone.  At the end of her junior year she had 20 hours of transferable college credits and her GPA gave her the opportunity to compete for the “big scholarships.”  One word of caution:  if your student has too many college credits, they may be considered a transfer student and not an incoming freshman.  They may not be eligible for the big scholarships that are usually available only to incoming freshman.   Each college is different…..so check with an admissions counselor at the college(s) where your student intends to apply.

*AP is a registered trademark of the College Board

"Oh, So Worth It!"

In financial aid lingo they're called third party scholarships. They are need based and merit scholarships that are not disbursed by state scholarship programs, institutions or even federal programs.  For the student, it's extra money.  It is also extra work, but it can be “oh, so worth it!”

One word of caution:  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER....oh by the way, did I say NEVER pay someone to help your student "find the right scholarship for them."  There are people out there claiming that they will help find scholarships for you, fill out your FAFSA and many other things for a fee.  In order to receive financial aid of any sort, you will have to fill out the free FAFSA.  

All you have to do is type “scholarships” in any search engine and you will come up with pages of websites.  Websites such as Zinch, Fastweb, and Cappex, allow students to put in profile information and then they match the student up with potential scholarships.  These sites also have tips for college admissions.  These websites aren’t just for juniors and seniors either.  Even sophomores can apply for some of the scholarships.

Sample Scholarship Application

Companies such as Best Buy, Walmart, Burger King, Lowe’s and Coca-Cola also have scholarships that your student can submit online.  My one word of caution with these is they are very time intensive.  My two oldest daughters spent a lot of time filling out online applications with no success.  My youngest daughter chose not to make applications to any of the programs listed above.  Parents or other adults can also nominate students for Kohl’s which has a service scholarship program.  The adult nominating the student will need access to all of their academic information, extra- curricular activities and information specific to their service involvement.  

Other available scholarships are much closer to home.  If you’re a member of a credit union, check to see if they offer scholarships.  You can also try service organizations such as Rotary Club or Lions Club to see if they offer scholarships. Sometimes you have to know someone in the organization who is willing to sponsor your student.  The Elk’s Lodge has a national, state and local scholarship program.  Your student may have to write essays for these scholarships. According to a high school guidance counselor, students who are willing to write the essays are more likely to get scholarships. During a Financial Aid session at my daughter’s freshmen orientation, the financial aid representative suggested contacting the guidance counselor at rival high schools to see what scholarships they’re suggesting to their students.

Finally, be aware of deadlines and what each scholarship requires for submission. Some scholarships are very specific down to the type of folder you must submit the scholarship application in and the type of supporting documents/materials you must include.  

Be a cheerleader for your student.  Between college applications, honors program applications, and scholarship applications my youngest daughter wrote between 12-15 essays.  She was weary~~~ We found out about a scholarship opportunity just a week before it was due.  Did I mention she was weary?  She had to write another essay and get supporting materials together in just a week, but it was “oh, so worth it!”

Until Next Time,
Johnna

The Money GPA

For public, private and home school students who plan to attend a two year or four year institution of higher learning, the fact of the matter is this:  GPA is crucial!!  If your student desires to compete for merit scholarships, then their SAT, ACT scores and GPA are extremely important. For the purpose of this post, I'm discussing the type of scholarship that a student qualifies for because of their grades in high school courses.  There are need based scholarships, but I'm only discussing merit scholarships  In my experience(my disclaimer that you need to do your own research:  don't depend on mine) merit scholarships come in two forms:  institutional and third party.

We'll talk institutional in this post.  Each school  has there own set of guidelines as to how they disburse their merit scholarships.  The key is to know what each school requires and when everything is due.  Many  schools require the student to apply separately to their scholarship program with reference letters, an application and essays. Based on these applications, some schools invite students to scholarship interview days in January/February. Other schools don't have interviews, but base scholarships on SAT, ACT scores,   GPA, and application information. Students usually find out in late March to mid-April if they've been awarded scholarship money. 

With all that said........all these applications, scores, GPA, etc. must be in the hands of the schools by mid-December of the students' Senior Year.  Let that soak in~  Your students' eligibility for scholarships is based on their GPA at the end of their Junior Year.....yes, that's Money GPA~~  Many institutions generously reward students who are ranked 1st or 2nd in their class.....again, based on their Junior Year.  Also, your student needs to have taken their final SAT or ACT by the first of December in order for schools to receive scores to determine eligibility for scholarships.

The moral of this blog is that you have to be thinking about GPA, SAT and ACT long before Senior Year.  It all starts when your student starts taking high school credits. 

Until Next Time,
Johnna

Just Beginning~~~

Maybe you’ve decided to take your child out of a traditional educational setting or maybe this will be the first time you’re trying to have some “structured” educational time.  If you have a preschooler or elementary age child that you’ve decided to home school, let me give you just one phrase to consider—“Enjoy your time together.”   

News flash~~   You don’t have to mimic the traditional school setting, time schedule or curriculum.  I think that we feel like we have to in order to validate our home school.  When my girls were little, we did have a “school room.”  I started out having them “do their work” at the table we had set up in a bedroom.  I had some wire storage racks that housed books and supplies because I was trying to “contain” it all in one room.  Notice that I didn’t call it a spare bedroom because it wasn’t spare…..all three girls slept in one room.  Thank goodness for 2 sets of bunk beds!

We did work out of that room, but it didn't take long before we spilled out into the living space….kitchen table, living room floor, island in the kitchen, etc.  The reality was that I found it difficult to work with them while I was cooking or completing tasks around the house.

We didn’t have a strict time frame for school work.   We got up, ate breakfast, got dressed and started their activities.  We finished the school day when they finished with their work.  Some days were longer than others.   

As far as curriculum, you can get overwhelmed very easily because there are so many options available.  Everyone’s curriculum style is going to be very different.  When it comes to curriculum, there are no rights and wrongs, as long as you choose something that best fits your child.   There are some who like a “one size fits all” curriculum.  For example, private schools will use a particular curriculum across the board. Many times when parents take their child out of a private school, they will continue to use the curriculum because the student is familiar with it.  Also, you can use a computer based curriculum.  I chose the eclectic style…using all kinds of different curriculum.  When my girls were preschool and elementary aged, we used unit studies in order that we could sit down and learn together.  We learned so much together…..the key word being “together.”  If you were to ask any of my girls what there favorite part of home schooling was, they would invariably tell you “Sitting on the couch and reading a story together.”  I used a unit study,   http://fiveinarow.com/. that focused on reading a book and then you would study science, social studies, math, art, history, etc based on the book.   Math was my only supplement in terms of a textbook subject until middle school.

When choosing a curriculum, do your research.  Ask other home school parents what they use and why.  Check out:  http://www.rainbowresource.com/   They have a 1300 page catalog that has detailed descriptions of all the home school material they sell.   You can download the catalog or request one via mail.  Prepare to be overwhelmed though because it’s 2-3 inches thick, but a great resource to have.  Christian Book Distributors, http://www.christianbook.com/  , has a tab dedicated to home schooling products.

Finally, I would have been lost without a friend who shared with me about the curriculum she used and why…among many other home school matters.  She made such an impact in my life as a friend and a fellow home school mom.  Find someone and talk to them.  Life isn’t meant to be lived as the Lone Range.

Until Next Time,

Johnna

For the First Time ~~~ It's Not Back to School For Me~~

All over Face Book I'm seeing pictures and posts from parents and students of their very first day of school, their Senior Year, their first day of their last year of college, their first day of their last semester, etc.  You get the point~  My name is Johnna Carter Legendre.  For the first time in 16 years, I'm not teaching any students.

On May 25, 2013 we graduated our last daughter from our home school:  Grace Academy.   It was a bittersweet day.  I had accomplished the goal of graduating all three daughters from high school.  Another goal I had was that they would be prepared for college.  All three are currently attending four year institutions on scholarships. Now, I'm facing the reality that I don't have anyone to teach.

I was sharing with a friend about some of the things that I had learned and was still learning even as our last daughter was graduating high school.  My friend, who is a public school teacher, told me, "You should write a book.  I'd buy it."  Well, I don't know about anyone buying it....except for my friend, but I've decided that I can share about what I've learned over these past 16+ years.  Some things I wouldn't change...some things I would tweak....and some things I wish that I had done differently.

My goal for this blog is to share my experiences in order that home school parents might benefit from my journey.  As my three daughters began to enter college, I learned so much about the admissions and scholarship process that could be beneficial to all students:  public, private and home school.  So even if you don't home school, you may find helpful information for your student. 

Until the Next Time,
Johnna