Need opinions on K12 and Connections for virtual school

[lilli'smom]

This year, we have pretty much been unschooling and letting DS learn what interests him.

But, DH really hates my unschooling ways (lol) and I want the kiddos to do their best. And between my own health issues and multiple Dr. appts for the kiddos, we need something that can be flexable.

Our district approved virtual school this school year but we failed to meet the residency requirements. I have just found out that they accept K12 and Connections and although I am leaning toward K12, I am looking for BTDT info.

DS is 6 and very advanced. A technical 1st grader doing 2nd-6th drade work.

My DD1 may also be coming to live with us after the summer! and she is failing HS. I want to make sure that I find the best program for her, too. she is almost 16 and will be a 3rd year freshman if this keeps up. (Her dad, while a loving guy, is a UVA when it comes to being an active parent in education).

Any advice?

[kittie313]

I'm using k12 with a 1st grader and K'er and I really like it. In fact, if it weren't for the k12 school we wouldn't be able to homeschool because I need the structure it provides us. They are great with working with us because our oldest dd has multiple learning challenges and our second is "gifted" in some areas, and that child is loving the K history program. For us it just works, although next year is up in the air because I'm getting ready to resume my college classes here in the next couple months.

[theretohere]

You may get more responses in the School forum since virtual schools are public schooling.
Good luck!

[zjande]

We used Connections Academy for 4th grade. We were definitely still homeschoolers, but we followed the basic outline that CA set up for us at home. It was just OK. We made it through the yr but I don't think I'd ever use a virtual school again. There was a ton of busywork, like stuff my son spent a bunch of time on, but it wasn't challenging or interesting for him. Just junk they required. Sometimes I'd just do it for him to get it over with. And we had to do schooling every single week day. If we fell a day behind we'd have to catch up- meaning my son would have to do twice as much work and busywork the next day. I like a much more flexible schedule. We don't always have 4-5 hours every single day we want to spend on homeschooling. Y'know? Also, my son is pretty advanced in math, but they would only allow him to work 1 grade level above, so he was stuck doing 5th grade math that he wasn't challenged a bit by. So, eh. Not all that great for us. Not very challenging, not very flexible, and just kind of annoying to not be able to spend time on the things that he's really interested in but instead on stuff the state said he should be spending time on.

[elanorh]

Here's a link to our support thread on k12 -- if you want to lurk through it. There are several of us here using it.

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho....php?t=1158825

IMO it's a hybrid - technically 'public school' but really feels a lot like homeschooling - which is why the thread is here in the homeschooling forum. We're still doing it at home, and many of us modify/tailor to suit our needs.

There are a few moms posting in the thread who've been doing k12 for several years. Each state is different in terms of requirements/expectations etc., so that will vary according to where you're from.

I met the high school history teacher for k12 for our state - it sounds like at least for your dd1, it might be a really great program. They've got a lot of resources for them, and she'd be able to work at her own pace to catch up where she needs to catch up, etc. k12 also has good assistance for students who are struggling due to learning issues, etc.

[lilli'smom]

Thanks. I am going to check out the K12 thread!

[elizawill]

even though k12 and CA are public schools, they are still "learning at home" - so i think you belong here. a lot of people seem to use k12, and i've read a few that use CA. i looked into both at the beginning of grade 1 for my dd. i went to the information meetings, joined their yahoo groups, etc. i enrolled her in CA, but we withdrew before school even started. i'm better off as a homeschooler & knew that the minute i read the enrollment package. the nice thing about this option is if it's a bad fit for your children - simply withdraw, ykwim? you can return to traditional homeschooling if you all hate it. good luck.

[Smithie]

Based on my experience this year doing K12 with an advanced kindergartner, I would not recommend it for an advanced first-grader. It's not awful, but the pace, repetition and (lack of) depth on information conveyed is just not ideal. And if you inclined to unschooling, the busywork aspect will drive you nuts.

But for a struggling highschooler? Absolutely. Plug her into K12 and supervise her while you set your younger kid some math worksheets, read a history book together, work through an age-appropriate language arts/writing workbook, etc.

In your shoes, I'd be worried like heck about dd1 and totally zen about ds for this coming school year. If his dad hates unschooling, then add in some workbooks he can show off. It's really not a major change for most kids that have age-typical writing skills, but the change in PERCEPTION is huge. When your ds gets all charged up about Topic X and completes a whole workbook in 2 weeks, how thrilled is his father going to be?

[MamaMonica]

If you can afford it, get individual courses for your ds through k-12 and you can choose the levels and subjects you want.

[eilonwy]

I've got a very advanced second grader in K12, and he's doing very well. My more moderately advanced kindergartener is also doing well, but we will likely pull her out at the end of the year to unschool for first and second grades (at least). The two of them have very different personalities and learning styles, so while the virtual academy setting has been great for Bean it's somewhat restrictive for a child who learns the way that Boobah does.