| Author | |
Becky Parker
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2582
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 6:53am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
My first son was homeschooled through 8th then went to the local Catholic high school. We wont do that again. 
My next child is enrolled with MODG and doing great. I have no worries about her for high school because they take care of transcripts. I expect the transition to college should go fairly smoothly as a result.
Child #3 however ... This child thinks outside the box. He's a right brain visual spatial thinker. He has ADD. He isn't doing well with MODG... He wants to be an architect. I'm so afraid about college though. I guess I'm looking for encouragement that he will be able to get into college without being highschooled through a program like MODG.
__________________
Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 7:55am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Both my older children have been accepted to colleges (every one they applied to) on the strength of a homemade transcript.
By now you know what general range of courses needs to go on a transcript. *How* you cover that range of subject matter is up to you, as long as you can represent its having been covered.
For both my olders, I submitted an official-looking short transcript (list of courses, grades, credits, GPA), generated by this helpful service. You certainly don't have to use a grade-reporting service, but for $20/year for a family, it's quite helpful in keeping things straight and calculating GPA. With this shorter transcript I also submitted a more narrative transcript with booklists for each content area -- this was by request of the college admissions departments.
My oldest daughter was accepted to a range of Newman-Guide colleges -- she really is one of those people who don't test well, as compared to their actual academic performance, so the test scores that accompanied her applications were fairly modest. But she still got in everywhere she applied, went to UD where she's now a senior, and has done very well (despite also being right-brained in the extreme!).
My older son was just accepted to Virginia Military Institute, again on a homemade transcript, to study biology. He had a good bit of dual-enrollment coursework, with additional transcripts, as part of his application -- VMI indicated that they like to see evidence that a homeschooled student can handle non-at-home classes. In contrast to the Newman-Guide schools, they didn't really know or care about accredited Catholic programs like Seton or MODG -- things like dual-enrollment and test scores were what they were looking at, alongside his rather out-of-the-box high-school experience. He did also have very high test scores, which gave a lot of validation to my transcripts.
I would imagine that with an interest in architecture, math is going to be a fairly serious focus in high school -- geometry, trig, etc? That's definitely something to plan for, maybe looking to community college/dual-enrollment for upper-level math (do college algebra for your algebra 2, then move into trig and calculus?).
One resource I found helpful -- though pricey -- the first time around was CHC's High School of Your Dreams. It's kind of expensive for an idea book, which is basically what it is, but I really did use it heavily to sketch out my first child's high-school course of study. I lent it out to someone and now, with my third child just a couple of years away from starting high school, I'm thinking I need to track it down again! It was full of helpful information about how to cover content areas in creative ways, and to help students plan and implement their own curriculum. It's not cheap, but for a student like your son, it might be a good resource.
Anyway, yes, you can do this.
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 7:56am | IP Logged
|
|
|
My son just graduated from college with a pretty decent GPA. We did use an umbrella school for our transcripts but they had zero input on his course of study. Quite a few of my co-op students have attended schools such as Notre Dame and Catholic University without a MODG-like program OR an umbrella school.
It can be done!
One thought - if your local community college has architecture classes (ours does, but not all do), he could take basic classes there and then apply to four year schools as a transfer student. The trick to making this work well for you is getting really good grades in community college. Community colleges often have partner agreements with four year schools, too - that is worth looking into.
But, the bottom line is, yes, he can get into college without a program like MODG.
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 9:03am | IP Logged
|
|
|
That's a good point about umbrella schools. When we lived in TN, we were enrolled with HomeLife Academy, which is as Nancy describes: a record-keeping, counseling, transcript-providing resource without dictating curriculum. Something like this might be a nice medium between a full accredited program and a total DIY. HLA does have very helpful counselors and all kinds of useful resources for high school. Even though we no longer enroll with them, I still refer to their site for help and ideas.
Also good info about community colleges and architecture programs.
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SeaStar
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 16 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9068
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 11:09am | IP Logged
|
|
|
CHC will soon be publishing an expanded E-version of HIgh School of Your Dreams, so that is something to watch for. I don't know if the e-version will be cheaper or not, but it might be.
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 11:48am | IP Logged
|
|
|
That's good news. I really felt that it was worth the price tag, especially over multiple kids, but many people are frustrated by its open-endedness (i.e. not prepared lesson plans). It really is a planning resource, and as such I found it valuable. It did include a lot of links and online stuff which probably has needed massive updating, though once you sort of had an idea of something out there, you could probably google and find similar things.
It was especially good for envisioning a non-textbook/experiential/hands-on approach to many subject areas, and the electives were lots of fun (though we found we didn't have time to do many of the most fun ones . . . )
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
pumpkinmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2012
Location: Missouri
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1028
|
| Posted: March 02 2015 at 12:30pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
In our local homeschool group, no one has ever had any problems getting into college. I don't believe any of them used a program either. I've only heard of one who tested really bad on her ACT or SAT (or both I don't know which she took) and she had a 4.0 GPA. The school did ask for detailed book list and course descriptions because her GPA and test scores did not add up. Once that was done she got into her college of choice.
Of course, I have no real life experience with this yet.
__________________
Cassie
Homeschooling my little patch of Ds-14 and Ds-10
Tending the Pumpkin Patch
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Becky Parker
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2582
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 6:19am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks Ladies! I feel encouraged!  I think I like the idea of the Homeschool Reporting Online and Homelife Academy. Something like that might be a nice transition for me. I think I'm just insecure! 
Are there any books that you would recommend I read?
__________________
Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mom2mpr
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 16 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1550
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 6:51am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Just adding my 2 cents......I just learned this in our new state....check on the rules with umbrella schools. From what I have learned, in Florida, if you join an umbrella school you may not be eligible for dual enrollment unless that school has a contract, or some sort of relationship, with the umbrella school. We are currently independent homeschooling and ds gets his DE classes paid for by the school system. I only pay for books.
And thanks for the reminder, and review, of High School of Your Dreams. I need to save for that. Dd, while extremely bright, will probably need more creativity on my part
__________________
Anne, married to dh 16 years!, ds,(97), Little One (02), and dd (02).
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 7:44am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Anne, wow, really? In Maryland, that's not the case. You have to fill out paperwork with your county to qualify for dual enrollment, and run that paperwork around to various offices at the community college, but that's it.
Thanks for bringing up this important point!
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 7:54am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hm, that's interesting. Can you not simply register for a community college class without some kind of documentation from the school district or an umbrella school?
And I guess funding sources, like regulations, vary depending on where you are. Here in NC, everyone has to register with the state (no umbrella-school option), but we don't have anything to do with our local school district. Friends of ours are currently taking community-college classes, and I know it's paid for, and they go for free, but I'm not sure by what mechanism. They just took placement tests and enrolled. My instinct would be to think, "Just sign up for classes, enter them into your official records as plain old 'biology,' or whatever, and then request separate transcripts from the community college when applying to college."
Becky, there's a book called Homeschooling: A Family's Journey, by Gregory and Martine Millman, that I really appreciated when my first child was in high school. It's not just about homeschooling high school, but it has a very good section on high school and the college application process. Meredith Henning also has a new ebook out on homeschooling high school. I haven't read it yet, but there's been some buzz, and I'm sure she has many helpful things to say.
The fact that you've homeschooled high school already, albeit with the structure of MODG, will really help you, I believe. You know basically what the course distribution is, how many credits of what, etc. Looking back at the "spine" of MODG, but talking to your son about his plans and priorities, how he envisions accomplishing his goals, what he needs to do to flesh out that spine in a way that works for him, can be an ongoing process, but a very helpful one. The MODG framework can help you to say, "Okay, so, you have to take ninth-grade English, and these are the skills and ideas that go with that. But we don't have to do it exactly the MODG way. Let's talk about how we can cover these things in a way that will help you learn them." And so on. If you can take the model you're familiar with and flex it to fit the current learner, that's a lot less like starting from scratch, making a curriculum ex nihilo.
So do be encouraged!
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Becky Parker
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2582
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 10:02am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thank you Sally, for the book recommendations and the reminder that I can use MODG as a framework. Wow, does that bring peace! I was overwhelmed with the idea of inventing that wheel, when really, all I have to do is plug in different spokes, so to speak. 
Thanks for your help!
I'm also encouraged to hear that your dd is doing well at UD even though she is right brained. I'm so worried about my son but I'm trying to find peace and learn about this right brained, visual spatial kid and really value him for what God has created him to be. He is quite creative and a blessing. A little low on the self esteem meter, but I think that is because he tries to fit into a left brained world!
__________________
Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 10:36am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Yes, she's had a great time. She is a very one-sided kind of learner (as I was): very strong verbally, very not-strong mathematically. That's why her test scores were not that high -- great verbal scores, brain-freeze-can't-do-it math scores. Fortunately she's an English major, and UD's math and science requirements for humanities majors are pretty gentle, though the school is very rigorous overall.
They definitely have a niche for creative, arty students, as well as physics majors -- she seems to have a lot of physics and econ-major friends, but also art and drama friends. Art, actually, is really strong there -- they're among the top 5 studio-art programs in the country. I got to see the "art village" and the ceramics studio, where she and her roommate are spending much of their time this semester, when I was visiting last week. Very cool! Anyway, it's a pretty diverse school in terms of the kinds of learners who do well there, and they do accommodate students with attention difficulties -- when she took her accommodated comps (because she had tendonitis), she was there with students who needed to take their tests in a room alone, or have extra time, because of ADD.
My husband is on the admissions committee at Belmont Abbey, by the way, and some of the things he sees -- from kids in school -- would make your hair curl. Recently he had to evaluate the application of a student from a local charter school who had something like a 4.0 GPA, and something like a 12 on the ACT. (and uh, no, that student was not admitted). It's depressing to see things like that, but I also think, "Dang. If *schools,* with accreditation, are doing THAT bad a job . . . I think maybe I feel a little better?"
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I just thought I would throw this out since I'd never heard of it until recently, but if you are anxious about having a "real" diploma but want the freedom to develop a curriculum to suit a child's specific interests and needs, NARHS might be a good resource.
Quote:
| The Mission of NARHS is to strengthen home-based education by providing consultation and tools to support course planning, student work assessment, quality academic learning, and goal setting leading to a high school transcript and diploma which have far-reaching transferability and acceptance. |
|
|
and
Quote:
| For homeschool families, parents decide and direct the content of each course, while fulfilling the requirements for each specific high school credit. Once the student has acquired the necessary credits, he or she is eligible for a high school diploma. Students graduate with varying numbers of high school credits according to their ability, ambition, and academic goals. |
|
|
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mom2mpr
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 16 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1550
|
| Posted: March 03 2015 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
guitarnan wrote:
Anne, wow, really? In Maryland, that's not the case. You have to fill out paperwork with your county to qualify for dual enrollment, and run that paperwork around to various offices at the community college, but that's it.
Thanks for bringing up this important point! |
|
|
Yes. apparently umbrella schools are somehow like private schools. And not sure where or how the funding flys around the state yet-because I think private school students can do DE. I am just glad I chose the option I was using in our old state. So, making people aware to check in their state and school system before enrolling in anything for homeschooling if they are thinking of doing DE. And if in FL, another fact I recently learned, if you hope to do Bright Futures scholarship applications you must be enrolled with your school system as a Homeschooler for 11th and 12th grades to apply using the homeschool rules.
Be aware out there and if you can avoid it don't move in the middle of high school
__________________
Anne, married to dh 16 years!, ds,(97), Little One (02), and dd (02).
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: March 04 2015 at 6:54am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Yes, indeed! For all kinds of reasons. We moved when our oldest was a 10th grader, and while the transition from TN to NC was pretty seamless in terms of legal stuff, and we had (and still have) Belmont Abbey as our dual-enrollment option, boy . . . I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever again voluntarily move a teenager. If I could help it. Ever. :)
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: High school without being enrolled...
