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Get tips for busy homeschool parents trying to choose the right test and prepare students for high school test success and to earn college credit...

Do homeschool PE credits seem elusive to you? Do you wish there was a surefire system to document all PE credits? To be sure, homeschool PE&...

I've written in the past about our son's experience with a "Pemberly Ball." If you're wondering what that might be, check out these blog posts! Can't Get Enough Jane Austen?The Down-Side of Literature-Based EducationI Hate Literary Analysis - Part 4Now is a great time of year to start planning events for the winter and spring. If you are considering a “Pemberly Ball” for your own homeschool literary studies, you might be interested in how to find...

Summer is the perfect time for fun miscellaneous activities like summer camps, swim teams, home improvement projects and family vacations! I understand that is a lot to balance, but have you ever wondered if your students can receive high school credit for any of these activities? It’s possible! Both of my boys earned their P.E. credits during the summer months through a swim team they participated in.You can count credits even though they’re over the summer...

Should you include documentation of your students academic record by year or by subject on your transcript? Do colleges prefer to see the classes by subject organization: english, math, history etc. or do they prefer to know which year your student completed what subject: Freshman, sophomore, junior etc.? The trouble with these questions is that there isn’t a one size fits all answer.I decided to put both on my sons transcripts. The reason why is because...

Are you ever unsure about how many English credits to give your students? Does your student spend more time on English assignments than they do on any other subject? These are common conundrums and you are not alone! Can composition and literature be documented as two separate credits?My student spends an hour on composition and an hour on literature each day. In answer to this I will tell you that there are some classes that simply take...

 The other day, a client asked me, “What is the best way to record transcript credits for classes that do not fall within a given school year?”  This family homeschooled year-round, and had courses that spanned several ‘school years,’ so they wondered how to reflect that on their homeschool transcripts.One of the best ways to handle this situation is to record the end date when you actually finish the course. That’s actually what our family did. ...

 I'm not a big fan of dual enrollment at community college, but I know that it makes sense in some situations.  If it's a good fit for your family, I want to make sure to pass along one tip.Community college classes provide outside documentation, and provide some "proof" that a child can be successful in a college level class in each subject.  For that reason, it's helpful to have a community college class in each general...

As the resident homeschool adviser to your children, it’s important that you don’t drop the ball when it comes to deadlines, plans, and requirements. You will need to keep track of the academic calendar and what courses your children need to cover, when they need to study for specific tests, what year to take those tests, and what specific tests they should take.My husband works as a project manager.  He doesn’t actually build the building, but...

Recently I wrote a little tip about studying American Government this coming year, during a Presidential election year.  As homeschoolers, we get to teach subjects when they make sense for the student, not just because of their age or grade.  But why do schools insist on teaching it later in high school?  That's what Donna wanted to know!Lee, I have often wondered why I usually see government class listed in the senior year.  I know as...

 Next year would be a SUPER fun time to study American Government!  Why, because of the election!You can use our 4 year election cycle to your advantage, by teaching American Government during these big election years.Colleges like to see American Government on the high school transcripts.  Usually a half-credit semester class, an Honors or AP class might take a whole year.  Often during senior year, students will have a 1/2 credit class on American Government in...

 Preparing For CollegeIn order to determine what courses your student should cover in high school, it’s good to think about what colleges want to see as admissions requirements, and then set your goal in line with those.  If you set college preparation requirements as graduation requirements, your student will be prepared for college whether they intend to go now, or if they change their mind later.Cover the CoreStudents should have four years of English during high...

I used Latin Road for 3 years. My boys were RATHER successful with it, not to mention my son still remembers all of his Latin even after three years without cracking a book! He was required to take a college placement test at the college he’s attending, so they could find out which course would be applicable for him. He passed all 3 levels of Latin, and began the university in Junior level! Yippee! He liked...

Dear Lee,"Did you schedule the art studies or simply allow them do it as they wanted? I debate a lot about whether its worth setting aside the time for art study." Art is really, TRULY my weak area, for that reason I basically reserved time for art study, or else we would most likely never do it! We never had a challenge getting math or science finished, only art, LOL! I planned it for 2-3 times...

The easy part of earning admission to Harvard is being a homeschooler.  The hard part about getting into Harvard is the same thing that makes it hard for every other student to get in.  Harvard accepts homeschoolers, and if your homeschooler has an eye on the Ivy League schools, don't worry that homeschooling will hold them back.  Here is a story about one family and how they educated for excellence, with excellent results.Here is a YouTube...