ctc for high school

[pjsullivan]

i am considering high schoool for my daughter- I am wondering if anyone has used CTC or RTR for high school--what should i add? anu information would be great
thanks
pam

[Carrie]

Pam,

This past discussion may be of help to you as you ponder. Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5400

Blessings,
Carrie

[kidsforHim]

I'm wondering about this too! What did you do for the science, follow the plans in guide with supplementing? If so, then what did you use? How do you grade?
Thanks!

[Nealewill]

At the time that is post was originally written, HOD did not have any of the High School levels written. Therefore, may members were taking lower levels of HOD and modifying them for High School credit. You can definitely still modify a lower level for high school credit depending on your needs. Just curious, have you seen the placement chart yet? That might be a better place to start. If you are set on CTC, can you share some info about child so that others might be able to jump on and tell you their experience about their high schoolers as well.

[kidsforHim]

I am looking for an alternative to doing the Biology paces. I posted about this in another post. I received some great ideas and am so greatful for that but still looking for other options.
My son is 15 & in 9th grade. From here on I do not know what to say or how to express the situation clearly. I know I can come across blunt and I don't mean to BE blunt. He needs a lighter approach to science and still get a credit. He always has struggled understanding most anything unless its presented simply and of course lots of diagrams and pictures always help, although if the written portion is simple and clear it's not necessarily needed. He gets weighted down with a work load typical for his 'grade'. It depends on the style of the course. He is just this year understanding grammar for the first time, using an approach that takes it one step at a time. He just can't seem to sit still or stay with something for very long, without 'needing a break'. He experiences mental fatigue and so schedules his school accordingly- tough subject then a lighter one. He's always going outdoors no matter the weather, got himself in the paper for bike riding after a winter storm. He's never been tested for any learning issues but in the beginning we had to take things slower for awhile, the mental fatigue thing really showed up. He showed a few symptoms of possible dyslexia. He sometimes now will say things in a 'backwards' way - he means the opposite of what he actually spoke.( I can't think of an example right off to explain ) We have'nt used too many question and answer type curricula because it has always been hard for him. He would have trouble knowing what they were wanting for an answer. He started to hate school in 3rd gr. He would get down on himself. I noticed that he could tell me things that I had no idea he knew, we hadn't studied it in school. I'd ask him how he knew and he would say "I read it in a book". So then we went with notebook/narration approach. He got his confidence back and started liking school again. But now we're in high school....

I've got to run now, I hope some of this helps. Probably got more than you wanted
Becky

[Nealewill]

Okay, I see

Yes, as you can see from my signature I have younger kids But there are some great homeschool HOD mamas on here that I am sure have some helpful info.

[Gwenny]

I would give him credit for doing a course that you think is his level. I wouldn't worry about if others consider it high school level worthy. I have 2 Liberian daughters that struggled with learning and I know there was NO WAY they could do the typical high school material. I wondered how I could legitimately give them a high school diploma-yet I knew that in high school there are all different learning levels in the school and they all receive the same diploma. Several years ago I happened to be at a retreat with a lady who taught special education in a Houston high school. I asked about that. I asked if they received a "different diploma", or a provisional one of some kind. Nope. They need to complete the material on their level. That freed me to assign them things they really could do and understand, yet still give them a diploma. Asking them to be able to do what someone on a college track would need to do would be like asking me to do electrical engineering classes---not happening. They learned so much more reading books on their level than they "getting through" a higher level book that they really didn't understand.

That's another beauty of home schooling. You can decide what's best for your individual children.

[psreit]

Nancy is absolutely right. There are homeschool diploma programs that give several diploma options. There is a higher academic diploma for the college bound student and a general diploma for those students who struggle or do not complete all of the required academic courses. Some will even offer a business diploma and maybe even a vocational diploma. My daughter will be doing CTC in probably 8th grade since we are moving back to Bigger here in 5th. I'm just going to let her work through the guides at a pace that will not overwhelm her. When she's in high school, we just keep moving along where she is and do enough to be considered a credit. My evaluator said the important thing is that the child is progressing.

[kidsforHim]

Thank you, psreit & Gwenny for your replies. It helps to hear from those who have already graduated children,either from school or homeschool. I feel rather lost. He is my oldest and all my acquaintances who have graduated children have used textbook curriculum. They just don't get doing school this way.

So, how would I give a grade for his work or do I need to worry about that. How would I put it on transcript? And I worry about how will I know he's doing 'enough to be considered a credit'.?

Home schooling IS a blessing though, but WOW, I've had to do some 'un-learning' myself. This board has really helped free my mind from the 'typical' way to do school. It's given me the know-how, encouragement and confidence to take the way that I feel God has directed us to go for each of our chidlren.
Thanks everyone!
Becky

[psreit]

I don't know what state you are in, so I can only speak for PA. If my highschoolers did not use textbooks, we went by logged entries (days). If we had 120 logged entries for the year, it was considered a credit. If I remember correctly, the courses that were not graded, my evaluator gave a satisfactory and just showed the credit for that subject on the transcript. So, it will depend on what you want to see on the child's transcript. I guess if the child may attend a college/university that wants to see grades, someone else in that situation may be able to help. Having an evaluator that understands the law really helps.

[kidsforHim]

Ok. We've not had to meet with an evaluator but if we'd ever move (probably to OH closer to family) I would like to have some way to show what he's done. Also, he will probably not be attending college other than maybe an area technical instiute or our church Bible Institue which is very small.
I am way visual, could you tell me how the logged entries are done?

[psreit]

kidsforhim - Sorry, I didn't see this sooner. You asked how logged entries were done. If your son completes the work that is required of him for the day, you consider it a logged entry. I keep a log book and write what was done on a certain day for each subject (not a lot of detail). I have a daily planner. Once you have logged work done for 120 days in a certain subject, it counts as a credit. If you are doing a full day of HOD, you record a logged entry for each subject completed. We can count 120 logged entries (days) or so many hours. I never did hours. I don't remember how many per subject they say, but to me it would be crazy to go by hours when the credit can be gotten easier by days/logged entries. I'm not sure why they do that. HTH

[my3sons]

Hi pjsullivan! There was a similar discussion on the board where Tracy posted and asked for advice in using CTC for her son. I think the advice she received may be helpful. I also think you'll be encouraged by her coming back and posting about her son's experience starting CTC for high school.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15692&p=110267#p110267

In Christ,
Julie

[Nealewill]

Kidsforhim - in OH you do not need to complete a log. You must just show that your child is progressing. However, in OH I believe you are supposed to complete a formal high school transcript. You can do annual testing or have a private teacher evaluate you. I use a private evaluation and turn that in to the schools. But I have my kids tested every other year. For me, I like the testing because I just like to see how they are doing in comparison with peers and I also like to them have some testing experience for when they get older. But if I had to pick one over the other, I would pick the evaluator.