Bob Jones University Press, closely affiliated with Bob Jones University, provides a variety of supports for homeschoolers. It has an “academy of home education,” as well as  distance learning opportunities and textbooks.  The approval for the BJU Press Academy of Home Schooling comes from the South Carolina Department of Education, which recognizes it as an approved homeschool association. This means that students who complete the program—if your state approves it—can receive a high school diploma and transcript.

The intention of BJU Press  is to provide Christian homeschool alternatives for subjects in all areas. Their materials are clearly stated to be evangelistic as well as educational. They state that they hope those who use their materials will—through their use—become more Christlike, increase their service to God, and represent Christ to others. As their homeschool approach is rooted in evangelical Protestantism, it is likely that those who share this faith will be most likely to find their materials fit well into their homeschool. They do, however, have another product line for what they refer to as “conventional schools,” and those who do not share the evangelical faith espoused in the homeschool materials, might consider this other product group.

Bob Jones Homeschool Materials Subjects

Bob Jones Press provides materials in core classroom subjects including English (Writing and Grammar), Literature, Math, Reading, Science, Spelling, Handwriting, and Vocabulary, while treating courses commonly called History or Social Studies as “Heritage Studies. They offer three languages: French, Spanish, and Latin, and other typical electives, including Health, Family Life Skills, Speech and Drama, Art, and Music and Drama. That they offer homeschool Bible study pretty much goes without saying. Instructional delivery includes print materials, video, and products for test administration and record keeping.

Bob Jones Distance Learning can be purchased in three different ways. In one scenario, one receives a specially formatted hard drive containing an entire grade’s materials, making it available anywhere you have your computer. An online option that requires that your computer be connected to the Internet to access videos and assessments is the second option. The third option involves DVD’s containing the distance learning materials, which can be used on a computer that reads DVDs or via a DVD player attached to a television screen.

Cost of Bob Jones Homeschool Materials

Here is an overview of the Bob Jones Distance Learning options:

• Online option provides student and parent access to all registered classes for one term, along with textbooks and handouts. Printed teacher’s editions cost an additional $100; abbreviated pdfs are free and posted online. Grades 1–12 are $899 each.

• DVD option entitles you to lease the DVDs for 13 months, as well as receive textbooks and teacher handouts. Grades 1–12 are $999 each.

• Hard drive option is also a 13 month lease, and includes textbooks and handouts. Grades 1–8 are $899 each; no information is given for grades 9–12.

Before you order any materials that require a computer for access, check with the company to make sure that the materials are compatible with your computer and—if applicable—level of Internet access.

What Is K¹²?

K¹² is a company that specializes on Kindergarten through grade 12 learning that takes place online. They offer four different types of programs. Two of them provide individual courses that can be used to augment another homeschool curriculum. These are:

• individual courses in World Languages. Languages offered are, Spanish for grades K–12; French for grades K–12, German for grades K–12, Latin for grades K–12, Chinese for grades 6–12, and AP Spanish and French for grades 9–12.

• individual courses in other areas that can be used as supplements for electives or AP credit, or for retaking a course in which the student did not do well the first time around. Some are offered in a “Summer Course” format, with learning designed to be completed in a 4- or 8-week session. Courses are divided into K–8 and high school level, and topics include core courses in English, Mathematics, History & Social Sciences, Science, and Language. Elective courses focus on topics such as Health, Physical Education, Music, Fine Art, Economics, Journalism, Personal Finance, and computer science courses, including Web Design, Flash Animation, Game Design, and Audio Engineering. Because the field of technology changes so quickly, if you are interested in technology courses, check to make sure the course is up-to-date with the latest changes.

The other two are complete online programs through public schools, on the one hand, or private schools, on the other.

K¹² and Online Public Schools

In a number of states, public schools have partnered with K¹² to provide online homeschooling for public schools. Because they are part of the public school system, they are free, but students generally, if not always, have to meet residency requirements. Online public schooling serves “traditional” home school students, but also students who are challenged by the school environment, who need—one the one hand—more, and—on the other hand—less instruction and assistance in learning that is offered in school, who are bored in school, who are homebound or undergoing medical treatment, have a family situation that requires frequent relocation, or are pursuing an extracurricular subject at a very high degree, for example, instrumental music or a sport.

K¹² and Online Private Schools

K¹² is accredited by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS-CASI), and recognized as a diploma-granting institution by the Commonwealth of Virginia, where they are located. They refer to this offering as the K¹² International Academy or the iCademy. This option can work for all of the situations described for public school students, as well as for military families, and those who are overseas. K¹² iCademy is currently used across the US and in 36 other countries internationally. Pricing includes volume discounts, sibling discounts, and pre-pay discounts.

What Is Kindergarten?

Prior to the days of widespread preschool and daycare, kindergarten was the transition year in which children were prepared—both academically and socially—for entry into first grade. Children learned not only the basics they would need for first grade, which—depending on their home preparation—might include learning or reviewing the alphabet and counting—but they also learned to exist in a group of around 20, raising their hands, taking turns, following a schedule they didn’t choose, exercising on command, eating at designated times, and getting used to the energy expenditure of the school day. Today, kindergarten no longer serves that function for most children, who have already been outside their homes in a preschool or daycare environment, where they have likely been exposed to both the academic side of education as well as the homeschool socialization and scheduling aspects. 

Homeschool Kindergarten

But in a homeschool, kindergarten is a different type of transition. Many homeschooled children have spent their early years in their own home, involved in the activities of the home, as appropriate, and playing. So, with its limited demands, kindergarten can still serve as a transition to the demands of schoolwork. In the case of homeschooled children, there may be different challenges, in the form of periods in which they are still home, but cannot do the things they are used to being able to do at home. This could include playing with siblings, for example. So, rather than increased socialization, homeschool kindergarten could seem to begin by lessening interaction with other children while the child learns to focus on academics.

The academic aspects of homeschool will be guided by the requirements of the state in which you live and any program or programs that you use that meet state requirements. (Go to the state website to find out details.) This is not to say that you are restricted to the aspirations of the state. You can teach your child to count to ten, say the alphabet, spell his or her name, and know his or her home address, while simultaneously teaching him or her the same things in Finnish, allowing him or her to help in training the family dog, providing French horn and horseback riding lessons, etc. It is likely that you will be able to choose a curriculum that supports your faith beliefs if you so desire, and it’s possible that you and your child will complete the kindergarten curriculum in much less time (fewer hours/days) than recommended and may have to come up with other things to do to meet requirements for attendance.

Socialization in the Homeschool Kindergarten

Opportunities for socialization for the homeschooled kindergartner are clearly different than those available to the student in public or private school. Clearly some of the differences may be ones that were sought in setting up the homeschool. But it’s important for a child to learn to get along with peers, take turns, work in a room in which other people are doing different things, work as part of a team, and negotiate. Other important learnings that typically happen in kindergarten are that people can get to the same result by taking different paths and that one is generally better than others in some things and not as competent in others. If you focus on the goals, you can probably find situations in which your child can have an opportunity to learn these things other than in school. Recreation department programs, library programs, art schools, parks, and other public places are often good starts. A playgroup with other homeschooling families and perhaps taking field trips together can also work.

ABeka Homeschool Grades and Accreditation

ABeka Academy homeschool curriculum is offered for homeschool students in kindergarten through grade 12, and the program is accredited by both the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).

ABeka Homeschool Subjects and Components

ABeka homeschooling can be delivered by A Beka homeschool qualified instructors through video (your choice of DVD or Internet video streaming). Video courses are for a 170-day school year. This option is available for kindergarten through high school. Alternatively, the “Traditional” independent study program is available. The Abeka homeschool program is parent-directed and the materials consist of student and teacher materials for Pre-kindergarten and grades 1 through 6.  

Not all homeschool subjects are available at all grade levels, but these are the subjects in the Abeka homeschool program: art, Bible, French, health, history, language, literature, mathematics, music, phonics, reading, science, social studies, Spanish, spelling/poetry, and writing.

A graduation ceremony is offered for participation by homeschool students who complete the accredited high school program by meeting or exceeding the following requirements: four credits in Bible, English,and Math; three and a half credits in History; three credits in Science; two and a half elective credits; and one credit each in Spanish, Physical Education, and Practical/Performing Arts. The elective choices include Algebra 2, Biology, Business Math, Chemistry, Consumer Math, Family/Consumer Sciences; Home-Ec.—Sewing; Keyboarding; Orchestra 1 and 2; Physical Education 2; Physics, Plane geometry, Precalculus; and Speech.

ABeka Restrictions

Pepole who live near A Beka in Pensacola, Florida and the surrounding area are not able to enroll in ABeka Academy. In addition, ABeka says that it may deny admission to students who do not meet admission requirements.

ABeka Homeschool Materials

It appears that all materials are copyright by A Beka. 

ABeka Homeschool Costs

The Traditional program costs $750 for all grades Kindergarten through grade 6. Sales tax is charged depending on the state the homeschool is in. There are fees for switching grade levels, cancelling a course or a full-grade; and for late student work. Shipping of program materials within the United States is included.

The Video Approach is offered with or without books in grades 1–12, with the program on DVD costing more than the streaming version. The Video and Books version on DVD runs $275 for four year olds in Kindergarten; $495 for five year olds in Kindergarten; $895 for grades 1 through 6; and $995 for grades 7 through 12.

It is possible to get two subject combinations in grades 1-6 (if one is mixing and matching program materials, for example). The choices are Language Arts and Bible on the one hand and Arithmetic, Science, History, and Bible on the other. These are only available via streaming. In grades 7 through 12, individual subjects may be selected for delivery by DVD for $395 each.

User Comments on the ABeka Homeschool Program

Users have critiqued the Abeka homeschool program as boring and called it out for ardent anti-Catholicism in its materials.

What Is Homeschool High School Recognition?

There are several different meanings to the phrase homeschool high school recognition. One meaning is the recognition of your son’s or daughter’s achievement in a way that reflects back to him or her the importance of his or her accomplishment. This may involved symbolic items such as a diploma and a graduation ceremony.

Another meaning of homeschool high school recognition is official recognition of your child’s completion of high school. This can relate to the state, as it signals an end to his or her compulsory education as required by law, but also to tertiary education, such as colleges, universities, technical schools, and community colleges, and employers, all of which may require an affirmation of your child’s level of education. 

Official Recognition of High School Completion for Home Schoolers

One way to get recognition of your child’s completion of high school as a home schooler is to use an accredited program that includes the diploma, transcript, and even—in some cases—the graduation ceremony, in your home school. There are a number of programs that provide this, Note that in most, if not all cases, this option involves your child being taught by teachers from the accredited institution, via streaming video, video on DVD, or video on hard drive. In some cases, live classes are offered via the Internet. For information about options in which you are the teacher of your child, the best approach is to contact your state and arrange for whatever recognition will be needed in advance of beginning a program of study.

DIY Homeschool High School Recognition

There are websites proposing that Homeschoolers simply create their own forms of high school recognition, i.e., that you do it yourself—providing your child with a diploma to recognize his or her achievement. Don’t rush off and do this without checking with your family lawyer! Here’s why:

• Creating an official looking document without sanction and presenting it (for example, to a college admissions committee) may be considered a misrepresentation and/or fraud.

• You should emphatically not follow the advice found on at least one homeschool high school recognition website to download your state seal and affix it to your diploma mock-up. Yes, it might make your child feel special and is if all his or her hard work was being recognized. However, the use of each state’s seal is governed by law and using it without permission appears to give state endorsement and can result in an injunction and lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general. 

However, in the event that your homeschool high school is not affiliated with an organization that provides a diploma and graduation ceremony, there is nothing to prevent you creating a diploma that is limited to what you can legitimately claim on it (check with your state department of education) and having a ceremony as a family or joining with other local homeschoolers for a larger celebration. Unlike most standard high  graduation ceremonies, held on a stage or in a gymnasium, yours could be held anywhere you like—for example, someplace that your graduating child always wanted to go but never has gone before.

Sources

Statutes Governing Use of the Washington State Seal http://www.sos.wa.gov/seal/use.aspx

A website giving advice for homeschool high school recognition that you should not follow http://www.homeschoolthroughhighschool.com/high-school-diplomas-for-homeschool-graduates

Calvert Homeschool Grades and Accreditation

Calvert Educational Services homeschool curriculum is offered for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 8, and the program is accredited by both the Commission on Elementary Schools and the Commission on International and Transregional Accreditation (CITA) of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as approved by the Maryland Department of Education. The curriculum was developed in Calvert’s day school in Baltimore.

Calvert Homeschool Subjects and Components

The    Calvert homeschool curriculum includes the subjects of arithmetic, reading and writing, history and geography, science, and music and the arts. Enrichment courses are offered at 8th grade. These include Vocabulary for Life, Discoveries in Reading, Discoveries in Science, Discoveries in Art, Ancient Greece, King Arthur, Civics in America, Algebra, Intermediate Math Manipulatives, and the languages French, Latin, and Spanish.

The program is available in two versions. The scholastic option is designed for students who need support and structure. The academic version is for well-prepared students who are capable of more advanced work and more complex assignments.

In addition, the program is offered with three different support options/delivery systems.

• In Calvert Classic, the materials include a lesson manual, workbooks, answers keys, supplies, and access to the Calvert website, where one can access online tutorials.

• In Calvert Class with ATS (Advisory Teaching Service), everything offered in Calvert Classic is augmented by a Calvert Advisory Teacher who shares in reviewing student work and additional resources online, including homeschool recordkeeping and online tests.

• The Calvert Virtual Academy option (for upper grades only)  includes not only ATS, but also live virtual classes in which students interact.

• The Calvert Verticy Learning approach is meant for students in elementary and middle school who are reading below grade level and is customizable by the homeschoolers.

Calvert Homeschool Materials

It is important for potential buyers to know that not all Calvert materials are produced by Calvert. For example, in 8th grade, the homeschool history, electricity and magnetism, cells and heredity, Earth’s changing surface, and astronomy books are by Prentice Hall, the English language book is by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, the atlas is published by Nystrom, At the second grade level, the science book is by Macmillan, the book on maps, globes, and graphs by Steck-Vaughan, and the phonics and reading books are by Houghton Mifflin, though this is difficult to determine without a magnifying glass—that is, Calvert is not being upfront in identifying the program components.

Calvert Homeschool Costs

• At second grade, the enrollment fee is $57. The charge for Calvert Classic is $829 and for Calvert Classic with ATS is $1169.

• At eighth grade, all three options are available. Enrollment is, again, $57. The charge for Calvert Classic is $1009 and for Calvert Classic with ATS is $1449. Calvert Virtual Academy is $2784.

User Comments on the Calvert Homeschool Program

How Many Students Are Homeschooled in the United States?

According to NCES homeschool statistics, there were about 1.5 million homeschooled students in 2007, the most recent year for which data is provided, which represents  2.9% of all students. In 2003, there were approximately 1,096,000 homeschooled students, which represented 2.2%. In 1999, there were about 850,000 homeschooled students, or 1.7 percent of all students. The increase in the number of homeschooled students from 1999 to 2007  is 74%, and the increase from 2003 to 2007 is 36%.

What Kinds of Homeschool Arrangements Are There?

In 2007, NCES homeschool statistics indicate that 84% of homeschooled students were taught at home exclusively, while 16% spend some time at school. Eleven percent of all homeschooled students attended school, but for less than 9 hours each week; five percent were in school from 9 to 25 hours per week, while receiving the rest of their education at home.

Why Do Parents Choose to Homeschool?

More parents said that they chose to homeschool a child in order to offer religious or moral instruction than gave any other reason as the most important for homeschooling. This accounts for 36 percent of homeschooled students. Other reasons offered had to do with the available schools, such as being concerned by the school environment (whether from the standpoint of safety, negative peer pressure, drugs, or more than one of those) and disappointment with the teaching. Some parents wanted to provide a non-traditional learning experience, others had problems with time, money, or distance from the school, and still other parents chose to homeschool because their child had health problems or special needs.

What Characteristics Does the Homeschooled Population Have?

Seventy-seven percent of homeschooled children in 2007 were white. When separated by race, 3.9% of white students are homeschooled, 1.5% of HIspanic students, and 0.8 percent of Black students. Eighty-nine percent of homeschooled students live in a two-parent household. Homeschooling was a more often chosen option for students who lived in a two-parent household with one parent working and for students whose household earning was between $25,001 and $75,000 a year than for students in other living situations and income brackets. 

Other Homeschooling Statistics

In 2003, NCES homeschool statistics reported that more than 41% of homeschool students had at least some distance learning component in their education. At that time, 78% of homeschool families used public libraries for curriculum support. Seventy-seven percent acquired at least some of their materials from a publisher specializing in providing materials for homeschooling. In addition, in 2003, 39.4% of homeschoolers sought curriculum support from a public school or private school or school district.

Source

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=91

Homeschooling is not all positive or all negative, but a combination of both elements that may work wonderfully well for your family and others that may prove challenging. Because homeschooling usually takes place in the home, the situation and choices can be quite personal. Nevertheless, knowing the pros and cons that others have found can be helpful in both making the decision to homeschool and in setting up, choosing materials, scheduling, and other aspects of the homeschool experience.

Pros for Homeschool Education

For those who experienced homeschooling in their own families growing up, homeschool may be not just a choice but a tradition. When the parent has the skills and attributes required for good instruction and when the child is happy to be schooled in the home setting, homeschooling can add to the close ties within the family, as parents and children extend their sharing.

Unlike a teacher, who meets children only briefly before they begin spending their days together in most cases, the parent often knows the child better than anyone else. Particularly when a child has special needs or health issues, but also in perfectly normal cases, this extensive knowledge of a child’s personality, talents, likes, and dislikes can get learning off to a good start and make it easy for a parent to adapt lessons to create an excellent fit.

Obviously, one-on-one attention is much more readily available in the homeschool setting, and without any distractions, people find that they can cover as much material in less time than children spend in school, allowing for many other activities to be fit in, including, but not limited to, homeschool field trips that may serve a double function of learning activity and family activity. If desired, care of younger siblings and housework can freely intermix with focused learning activities, or classes can be kept discrete and focused.

With homeschooling, parents need never feel out of touch with their child’s life, and children do not need to spend their days separated from their siblings. In the best situations, this can strengthen the family, and when the family has a faith base, this can be integrated into the education. 

Cons for Homeschool Education

The commitments of time and money, and the demands on skills that a parent may not have the background to carry out well are issues that can make homeschooling too difficult or actually detrimental to a child’s education and family peace. The need for advanced or specialized equipment for a particular class may add a lot of unanticipated cost. Adding teaching to the demands of the household, especially if there are multiple children, may prove too tasking. Purchasing materials and texts and providing other experiences may cost more than anticipated. Keeping the paperwork required by the state, and dealing with a child who doesn’t understand something and is frustrated can be challenging. And figuring out how to keep homeschool issues from seeping out into the family can be a problem as well.

Not everyone who is cut out to be a parent is cut out to be an educator. Even those who are prepared to be educators may not have the best rapport with their child in those circumstances. In addition, some students do require specialized learning experiences, due to learning disabilities, learning style, or other issues, and parents who are not trained educators may find themselves at a loss to understand what issues are involved and how to address them. In some cases, the professional training of teachers, special educators, speech language pathologists, reading clinicians, and others may be able to address elements of a child’s learning needs more quickly and better than a parent who—in this particular area—is walking blind. Even when the issue is simply one of different styles, a parent with little education experience except as learner may not be readily able to adapt lessons for best results. And when it comes to teaching material at a level that the parent has not attained himself or herself, the challenges increase.

Another area that may prove challenging is homeschool socialization. Trying to find ways to create peer-to-peer interactions for a homeschooled child whose neighbors attend public or private school, are on that school schedule, and have formed close friendships there can be difficult.

Types of Online Homeschooling

One of the most important distinctions in the types of online homeschooling that are available is whether it is synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous interactions take place at the same time. They are like phone calls and in-person conversations and classrooms. Asynchronous interactions take place when one party leaves a message for the other party, who can respond at his or her convenience. Most online homeschooling experiences are asynchronous. This gives the homeschoolers freedom, because they do not have to adhere to a schedule, but it also reduces opportunities for interaction.

Another key aspect of online homeschooling is who is offering it. Various online homeschooling providers include colleges and universities, as well as providers of homeschooling materials, such as Calvert.

Online Homeschooling Through Streaming Video

Though it may not seem clear at first, there are some important distinctions between online homeschooling that is streaming video and online homeschooling that consists of that same video on a DVD. On the one hand, the DVD can be used without an Internet connection, possibly making its use more flexible. If the DVD cracks or has a problem, however, the entire course is rendered unavailable. On the other hand, the streaming video can be updated easily and on the spot, if an error or infelicity is discovered. However, during a power outage or if the sending or receiving ISP (Internet service provider) has an issue, it is  impossible to access.

Streaming video may be made in a studio or it may be recorded as the teacher teaches in a classroom. It may be augmented by a teacher (as well as a parent) looking at and commenting on student work. 

Online Homeschooling Through Software Applications

Another asynchronous form of online homeschooling is similar to having a textbook or worksheets (with or without learning games) online. There is no teacher: the student reads through the instructional material and does exercises, plays games, or answers questions to reinforce and demonstrate learning.
Online Homeschooling Though Interactive Classes

While requiring more attention to scheduling, synchronous online courses offer opportunities for interaction that are not available in asynchronous streaming. For example, a student can ask the teacher a question, or work in a group with peers. Each student gets to hear the questions others ask and hear the answers. This expands the opportunities for learning. 

This type of interactive learning can take place through web conferencing software, instant messaging, videochatting, and/or audiochatting. Web conferencing software allows all these forms of interaction—visual, audible, and messaging, as well as document sharing—to happen. The leader (in this case, likely the teacher), can have an open microphone, or pass control when s/he decides it is appropriate.

Combinations of Methods for Online Homeschooling

It is also possible for an online schooling program to include multiple types of online experience—even all of the types mentioned in this article. Parents may find that different subject areas work well with different treatments.

There are so many methods of homeschooling which is what makes the theory of homeschooling so wonderful.  Most home school families do not think that education is one size fits all and they love the opportunity to tailor education methods for their children.  This is great for kindergarten through 12th grades but then what happens with college? 

We know that there are on-line universities such as University of Phoenix and others that allow students to work on their higher education from any computer with Internet access.  Rarely, if ever, do the students have to set foot on a traditional college campus.  The article in Fast Company takes this thinking even a step further.  The thought it brings to mind is that if we can “piece/part” our home school curriculum together, taking the better part of nine different curriculum programs, then why can’t we do the same with college degrees. 

What does it matter if we take English from UCSD, math from University of Phoenix, science from our local college, etc.?  It could all be gathered together to form the requirements of a degree according to Safian.  David Wiley of Brigham Young University is quoted in the article as posing the question:  “Why is it that my kid can’t take robotics at Carnegie Mellon, linear algebra at MIT, law at Stanford? 

And why can’t we put 130 of those together and make it a degree?

In regards to grade school curriculum and the homeschooling aspects, some school districts allow children dual enrollment.  Public schools are moving past the “us against them” attitude toward home school families and they are recognizing homeschooling as an option for children that deserves some credit.  Hopefully in the future of homeschooling we can piece together our children’s education just as we have the ability to now but adding in what we would like to offer our children from public, private or charter schools as well.  We are making huge strides and we hope to continue to do so.  However, as Safian points out in his article, you need people who are willing to go against traditional and risk trying something new.