Posted on 01/06/2005 7:58:45 PM PST by Kevin OMalley
Keystone
http://www.keystonehighschool.com/index.php
American School
http://www.americanschoolofcorr.com/
Thank you, cinives. That is a very well written article. I'm not quite done reading it yet, but the 3 points below really resonate with me.
“All the time I just sat there
sat there
Waiting for something to happen.
My teachers should have ridden with Jesse James,
My teachers should have ridden with Jesse James
For all the time they stole from me.”
***This was written by an 11 year old. It expresses the sentiment better than I do.
"...the teacher replied that to assist Tanya to achieve still further when there were other children in the class who might never reach her current level of achievement, would be a violation of the principles of social justice."
***I sometimes think that a large percentage of the problems we run into in the educational establishment are the result of these kinds of socialists running the show. They do not have the best interests of these children in their heart.
Yet research suggests that “the bird that’s tethered to the ground” is at much greater risk of social isolation and emotional maladjustment through inappropriate grade placement with age-peers.
***Not only research, but just read through the thread above to find some solid anecdotal evidence as well.
I believe research shows that it's a classic case of envy - teachers against children, not just socialism. Not that there aren't talented and great teachers out there, on the contrary, but the vast majority of teachers today have substandard SAT scores, lackluster college transcripts, and are mediocre students even in do-nothing pedagogy courses that they take to become teachers.
My dd had a 6th grade language arts teacher tell her that she shouldn't be using "big" words because other kids might not understand her.
BTW those who are socialists are usually those who inherited wealth or privilege or those who are envious of it. Same difference. They hate excellence and aristocracy in any form. Even if they inherit wealth, they know they don't deserve it. Ayn Rand had some great writing on this subject.
"What does your daughter think of Rice?"
She likes it.
Of course it is much more difficult than the community college she attended for three years, where she had a 4.0 without having to work very hard. At Rice, at least in her chemical engineering classes, she has to work very hard just to get above the mean on tests. I think that having to work hard and finding out that no matter how smart you are, there is always someone who is smarter is good for her.
She has done better in her electives, getting an A+ on her final paper in her English British Writers: Chaucer to 1800 Class. She loved her professor and is planing on taking a Shakespeare class from the same professor, if she can get into the class.
My daughter had a full scholarship to the University of Houston, and was all set to go there, but a visit to each campus changed her mother's mind in a hurry.
The Rice campus is really very beautiful. All the buildings are in a similar style, sort of Mediterranean, but different, and all the architects have used their considerable creativity in designing variations on a theme, so that each building is unique, even though they are all harmonious. Many of the buildings were designed by graduates of the Rice School of Architecture, which is very good by the way, but some of the newer buildings were done by noted outside architects.
The campus is not too far from downtown Houston, in an area that has very nice homes and trendy shops. Across the street from the campus is a large park and the Houston Medical Center, which consists of quite a few hospitals and a couple medical schools. There is great big fence around the entire campus, with gates that can be and sometimes are closed. Just outside the fence there are trees and shrubs, thus everything outside the campus is considered to be "outside the hedges" or the real world. Just outside the hedges, they have a jogging path where joggers can be seen circling the campus.
They have a residential system, which is sort of like co-ed fraternities. Everyone is randomly assigned to a particular "college", which is what they call the various buildings where the students live and eat. My daughter commutes, but she has still been assigned a college, in her case, Baker College, named after an ancestor of former Secretary of State James Baker, the guy who helped keep Gore form stealing the 2000 election. James Baker still has something to do with an Institute for Public Policy at the school. The intramural sports and various sophomoric rivalries take place between and among the various colleges.
The students at Rice are not generally conservative, but they are not generally activists, either. There were no protests or sit-ins at Rice during the run up to the start of the war in Iraq or during the presidential elections, as far as I remember. My daughter said that a few students said that they were bummed out when Bush won, but it was not a big deal. A couple of Nobel prize wining professors at Rice sent out an e-mail criticizing the Bush science policy and invited Rice students to a meeting to discuss their opinions, but that just shows that even very smart people can be blind when it comes to politics.
My daughter does say that almost everyone has something unique and interesting about him or her and that almost everyone is nice and friendly. My daughter is conservative and she dresses modestly in long skirts, but she does not feel like she is ostracized for not being one of the hip college crowd. There is supposed to be a good deal of drinking going on at the parties thrown at the residence colleges, but my daughter does not drink, so she has no first hand knowledge about that. She did mention that one of the guys in her class in chemical engineering got so drunk last semester that he had to go to the hospital, but I suppose that happens at most colleges these days. At least most of the drinking happens in the rooms on campus, so the kids are not driving while drunk.
My daughter has found the professors to be funny and nice, although she thinks they must be evil to assign such difficult homework and give such hard tests. They have an honor code at Rice, so she often takes her tests at home and has to quit when her time is up, even when she is not done. I know my daughter obeys the honor code to the letter of the law, but I wonder if all the kids who she is graded against on the curve are as scrupulous as she is in following the code.
Rice expensive, but for a very good private school, its tuition is comparatively low, and even though our income is not low, my daughter still gets quite a bit of financial help in the form of grants and subsidized loans, and she also takes out some unsubsidized loans and works in the summer, so our out of pocket expenses are not too bad. My daughter was doing work study, but her classes are hard enough without her having to work during the semester, so she cut that out this year.
Overall, we are happy with Rice, but my daughter is probably not getting the full benefit of a Rice education by getting a degree in chemical engineering and by commuting. My daughter complains that in the chemical engineering classes, the professors do not do a real good job of explaining the material. Instead they expect the students to figure it out on their own. And, since doing the work required for chemical engineering takes so much time, my daughter has not had the time to take advantage of many of the neat things that she sees are going on around campus. Ditto the commuting, which keeps her out of some of the more fun, but less academic goings on on the campus.
Your daughter sounds like she would be a good candidate for Rice. Even with her excellent verbal SAT score, she would still be challenged by the material in humanity classes, since 25% of the students have verbal SATs above 760. Rice does not have a major/minor system, so many of the students are double majors and often the two majors are in wildly different areas. My daughter says that many of her classmates are also student athletes and she wonders how they can manage to play sports and still be so competitive academically. My daughter is not athletic, but she is quiet and shy, but she still has lots of friends. My daughter does get a kick out of the antics of some of the more outgoing and enthusiastic kids in class, laughing at some of the funny quips they come up with in class and enjoying the way the professors seem to be able to handle the wise guys and girls with good grace.
Since Rice likes to have lots of different types of students on campus, you might want to highlight that which is unique about your daughter. In our case, my daughter stressed the fact that she was homeschooled, conservative, and a religious Christian and she was admitted, so it must have worked.
Rice is one of the schools that her college counselor mentioned as a good possibility. She said it was an underrated or overlooked school and a bargain.
We're in the "looking" stage, so we'll mark Rice down as one to take a good hard look at.
Thanks. Here's their URL. I also found a good article that they were linking to.
http://www.hslda.org/
Homeschool to college
SELENA LAWSON
Guest Writer
January 10, 2005
http://www.hslda.org/docs/link.asp?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egsusignal%2Ecom%2Fvnews%2Fdisplay%2Ev%2FART%2F2005%2F01%2F10%2F41e1ec46a4b5a
Brittany Lock, a junior at Georgia State, grew up and attended elementary through middle school in Gwinnett County. She watched as the violence between male students wearing blue and red bandannas increased, and sixth-grade girls wondered aimlessly into motherhood.
A member of the dance team, she performed during half-time at the student basketball games. Tamarah Lock came to watch her daughter’s performance one evening and according to Brittany, she was shocked at what she saw.
“Finally, she was just like, I can do a better job than that, and she pulled me right out [of school], “said Brittany as she tapped her French tips on the wooden desktop.
She was a thin girl of average height, and her short blonde pigtails jutted out under her pink hat. Her pink scarf added color to her camel-brown corduroy jacket and blue jeans the way that her freckles added color to her button nose. She was a burst of color in the otherwise drab institutional room.
Brittany is one of 11 Georgia State students enrolled this semester who had listed high school as home-school as an incoming freshman. According to the Office of Admissions, these students scored an SAT average of 65 points higher than the 1094 average, which is the highest on record of incoming freshmen.
The reasons behind these higher test scores may be linked to the way that home-school students learn, according to Brad Dillon, a junior at Georgia State who was home-schooled.
“The ability to teach yourself how to do things helps you with problem solving,” he said. The SAT is problem solving.”
Brad concluded, “It’s not that home-school students are more intelligent. It’s the way they are taught. It’s a lot different then high school.”
According to a Rudner study touted by the CHEC (Christian Home Educators of Colorado), the average eighth grade home-school student performed four grade levels above the national average, and one in four of the students are enrolled one or more grades above their age level.
Deedee Muehlbauer, a mother in Alpharetta that home schools her children and a computer trainer at Southern Poly Tech, said that she has a daughter who is 6 and reads on a third grade level; and is on a second-grade math level.
She said it is because they can move at their own pace. “I see that they (her two children) have the concept, and we move on.”
Dana Poor, a home-school mother of three in Paulding County, added that she can teach each of her children in a way that is specific to their learning style.
Dana said that Katie-Faith, her 3 year-old, learns best when the curriculum is tailored to be hands on. “In a public school, she would get lost in the shuffle.”
Both parents said that they were able to construct learning programs that they felt best suited their children’s learning.
Does individualized learning prepare them for mandatory standardized tests?
Home-school students are accustomed to taking standardized tests. According to Georgia Law, home-school students must take nationally standardized tests at least every three years starting at the end of the third grade.
According to a study done by the NHERI (National Home Education Research Institute), the students score at least 20 percentile points above their traditionally schooled counterparts.
Despite their significantly higher test scores, the media and admissions officials are still skeptical about the non-academic effects of home-school. According to the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association), after “decades of home-school success stories, the media still brings up ‘concerns’ about socialization.”
A study conducted by Dr. Paul Jones, the Vice President of Institutional Research and professor at Georgia College and State University, and Dr. Gene Gloeckner, an associate professor of education at Colorado State University, concurred with the HSLDA. The study stated that 35 percent of the polled admission officers said they did not think that home schooled students would cope well socially in college.
Dana , the mother from Paulding County, disagreed with these concerns. She said, “If children are social in a classroom setting, then they are socializing when they should be working, and then it’s acting out.”
She added that in home-school groups they are socializing in “playgroups,” and they are “learning to interact properly from adults, instead of children who are acting out.” Playgroups are the children’s social activity because they meet with other home school children.
Brittany agreed that home schoolers have more than a few social outlets, including a number of home-school groups like the educational acting troop she was part of, but she added that it takes “a certain personality type” to make an effort to be a part of the groups. She said, “I meet people wherever I go.”
Brad stated that he was part of similar groups, in particular a home-school basketball team, which competed with other schools in the region.
Although he made several friends through this group and in other niches, he said, “I have a hard time making new friends because even though I have an outgoing personality, I lack the skill it takes to go up to someone and say ‘hi’.” He said that might have been different if he had been in a public school.
In conjunction with the socialization stereotype of home-school students, Brad, who appropriately sported a peacock blue t-shirt that read: “Acceptance,” stated that a stigma is attached to the moral and religious implications of home-school.
“The most annoying stigma attached to home-schoolers is, ‘Oh, you’re home-schooled. You must be a right-winged, conspiracist, conservative, bible-banging,’” he said. “Because I fall partially into that—yes, I’m conservative; and I’m a Christian, but I’m not an extremist.
But anytime I say anything, it’s ‘you’re just saying that because your home schooled,’” he added, as he fidgeted in his seat, his eyes darting from left to right, never seeming to land in one spot for very long.
Stereotypes and socialization aside, home-schooled students must meet other challenges when entering college.
According to the study by Dr. Jones and Dr. Gloeckner, 74 percent of colleges surveyed require extra documentation before allowing home-schooled graduates to enter their school. Among these extras were personal essays, a portfolio, letters of recommendation, SAT II (subject test) scores, and personal interviews.
According to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Georgia State students have two options for applying.
First, students who meet the SAT minimum score of 1090 could submit a portfolio that included proof that they completed the 16 College Preparatory Courses required for admission into a university of Georgia system, information on their course of study, course outlines, and a complete bibliography of all works read in their home-school career. According to Brittany, this option accompanied a personal interview.
The final option for applying listed was taking the SAT II subject subtests, which were in addition to the SAT I requirements.
Brittany, who chose the first option, said as her eyes widened and the pitch of her voice rose slightly, “It wasn’t hard to get into school; it was a process.”
Aside from increased admissions requirements, home-school students lacked the help offered to other students by high school guidance counselors, according to Gary Mason, a veteran admission professional from Ball State University in Indiana.
Brad said that he changed majors in his junior year because, unlike high school students who are exposed to different career paths, he lacked the direction that traditional schooling offered.
Still, Mason found that home-school students were well prepared for college
Despite the obstacles they faced to enter college, Brad, whose dad taught at Georgia State for 25 years, said that home-school actually groomed him for college.
“I did not have someone making sure my assignments were done like you do in high school. If you miss an assignment in [college] you are screwed. You’re not going to hear about it again until it’s due,” he said.
“In home school, I taught myself (after learning the basics),”he said. “So I was accountable for my own work.”
Even though she was prepped for college, Brittany, whose parents did not assign a particular curriculum, said that it is still a challenge for her because she did not have what most students had in high school.
“I had never written a paper in APA format or in MLA,” she explained. She said that what is a review for most students is all new for her.
Although these students faced some social adjustments, Mason said these students are doing well in school. Brittany, while holding the powder blue bag that displayed her Greek letters, said that she has at least a 3.2 GPA, and Brad said he has a 2.9 due to his switch in major.
“They say one of the things with home-schoolers is that they will have a hard time adjusting because they’ve been so sheltered,” said Deedee, as she began the story of her own transition to college.
She grew up in Alpharetta when it was still considered cow country. She went to an all white Protestant school.
“Going to Georgia State was a culture shock,” she recounted. “I was opened to a world I had never experienced: all nationalities, older students, single parents, and different cultures, races, and religions. I made it.
I don’t see what they mean when they say this huge adjustment (when entering college),” said Deedee, as she took a bite of her sandwich. “We all have to make adjustments. You do what you have to do.”
My son is an 18 yo junior in college as well, but because of the sequencing of his courses he will be a senior for at least two years before he graduates. Of course, his situation does free him to take a lot of courses outside his major for fun to keep his number of credits up to full time.
In case the link goes down
MU High School
The University of Missouri-Columbia High School (MU High School) is a part of the University of Missouri Center for Distance and Independent Study, and is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
The mission of the University of Missouri-Columbia High School is to provide distance learning courses, through a variety of delivery methods, that will complement traditional high school curricula and provide an accredited diploma program for independent learners of all ages seeking an alternative to traditional high school attendance.
MU High School offers a convenient, credible option for homeschool students, rural students seeking college preparation, gifted students seeking challenges, or students who need to catch up on a few courses. MU High School offers a diverse and comprehensive curriculum that includes over 180 courses. Many courses are available online (see online courses).
Students may use our courses and apply credit earned to graduate from their own high school, or to achieve their personal academic goals. Please check with your high school counselor for specific information concerning your school district's policies on independent study.
MU High School offers an online diploma—you can take all the courses you need to complete a diploma online. For more information about the MU High School Online Diploma...
http://www.ncacasi.org/about/about
About the NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement
Overview
Founded in 1895, the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) is a non-governmental, voluntary organization that accredits more than 9,000 public and private schools in 19 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools worldwide. For over 100 years, our focus has been to advance the quality of education. Our Vision, Mission, and Values are available online.
You may remember us as having been called the NCA Commission on Schools. In 2001 we changed our name to the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. A document about the reasoning behind the change and the meaning of the new name is online.
Schools
NCA CASI accredits a range of schools from pre-kindergarten through post-secondary, including: early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult/vocational, college preparatory, special purpose, unit (K-12), and non-degree granting post-secondary schools.
NCA CASI Performance Accreditation
To earn NCA CASI accreditation, schools must:
Meet NCA CASI's quality standard and criteria.
The standard and criteria require a broad and rigorous curriculum, highly qualified staff, appropriate pupil-teacher ratios, safe and secure facilities, and other components necessary to provide a quality education. The complete standard and criteria is online.
Implement a school improvement plan focused on increasing student performance.
Host at least two peer review/evaluation visits during the school improvement cycle.
Document the results of their school improvement efforts.
Because the NCA CASI accreditation process is geared to helping schools document increased student performance, it is called the Performance Accreditation framework.
Benefits of NCA CASI Accreditation
NCA CASI accreditation provides:
A Mark of Excellence
NCA CASI accreditation assures the public that the school is meeting high quality standards and implementing a school improvement plan focused on increasing student performance.
A Proven Process for Increasing Student Performance
NCA CASI helps schools increase performance for all students. A six-year study of schools actively involved in the NCA CASI school improvement process revealed that 79% achieved verifiable gains in student achievement.
Transfer of Credits
NCA CASI accreditation provides students with the assurance that credits earned in one NCA school will be accepted by another regionally accredited school if the student moves to another state.
Access to Programs and Scholarships
Accreditation can also benefit students as they participate in specific sports programs, apply for federal grants or scholarships, or pursue admission to colleges, technical schools, or military programs that require students to come from regionally accredited schools.
A Vehicle to Meet State and Federal Requirements
NCA CASI provides one, streamlined process that helps schools meet state and federal requirements while earning regional accreditation.
Peer Review and Support
NCA CASI coordinates peer review visits to every accredited school. This process offers teachers and administrators an opportunity to gain valuable input from their peers as well as visit, review and analyze the practices and plans of other schools. This process also protects the public trust, as all schools are examined by an outside team and have had their improvement plans reviewed by experts.
Professional Development
NCA CASI provides a range of professional development opportunities, including: state school improvement workshops, regional training sessions, and our annual meeting which has over 100 practitioner-led sessions focused on helping schools raise student achievement. Our catalog of events and staff development opportunities is here.
Publications
NCA CASI publishes a variety of tools, materials, handbooks, and documents designed to assist schools with the school improvement process. These include: the NCA CASI School Improvement Handbooks, NCA CASI School Improvement Software Suite, Journal of School Improvement, e-News, Raising Student Achievement Success Story Series, and others. Our directory of publications is online.
mark for later
Has anyone heard of KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program?
http://www.kipp.org/index.cfm?pageid=home
KIPP is a network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory public schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. At KIPP, there are no shortcuts: outstanding educators, more time in school, a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, and a strong culture of achievement and support help our students make significant academic gains and continue to excel in high school and college. Join us and reach more children with a high-quality public education.
I'm continuing to add keywords to this thread and the other one to increase awareness, as well as posting a notice in some school threads...
Proposal for the Free Republic High School Diploma.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316882/posts
I personally didn't quiiiite make it through the 8th grade, but I was smart/bored/troublemaker, aced the GED at 16, and went on to work.
The ONLY regret I have is that the military (all branches, although I first went to the Air Force in my early 20s) didn't want me because I hadn't finished high school. Not finishing high school does in fact say something about you, because MOST people will hang in there, and they want you to be like them. In hindsight, I wish I'd gone back at that point and "finished" my education. I'd make a kick-as$ soldier.
So it seems to be well recognized that there is some kind of stigma attached to a GED; but so far no one has said that the stigma continues after a few college courses have been finished, even with the military. That is the whole point of encouraging this course of action, to get at least a few college courses under their belt. And a Free Republic Bacculaureate which would be a GED+ would have no stigma at all.
Update on Angela Lipsman, thanks to ladylib. See post #130 for first mention.
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/39189.htm
WHIZ KID WHO DITCHED HS NOW A COLLEGE GRAD STUDENT
By CARL CAMPANILE
I think in the very near future, we are going to see a whole lot of change in the way public schools work. In fact, I wouldn't doubt it if grades 9-12 become obsolete. Kids want out. They want to move on. Many high schools are now offering AP courses. If kids are unhappy with brick and mortar high schools, they can take courses on line or attend junior college. In fact, one newspaper article predicted that in five years' time, most kids will be taking on-line courses, and they can be taken anywhere and at anytime and with any provider they choose.
It's going to change because people want it to change, and it's going to hit the education blob like a ton of bricks. Some public school districts have already realized that and are offering their own on-line courses to students who would rather be elsewhere than the local souless pile of bricks.
I've got a couple of qusetions about the homeschooling and community college in Texas. I am 15, and I just moved here with my family. We had always lived in Califronia. When I was 13 years old, my mom made her own homeschool up, throught the state of California. It was accredited because she has a masters in education. However, I completed all of my work through a community college. We moved here in December and I was interested to see what high school was all about, so my mom enrolled me at the local high school as a Jr. I am very much above all the other kids, I've completed most of my required courses in California, so I've basically got electives to fill up my schedule. However, I am so sick and tired of my peers. I cannot stand the immature behavior. I would like to disenroll from high school and begin at Jr. College. I have no clue where to start because, like I said, we are new to Texas and it's laws. In reading some of your posts, I have seen a couple of people who have just made up their own diplomas. I was wondering if this would work for me as I do have two years of Jr. college transcripts. Sorry for the long post. Any help would be very appreciated.
Thank you,
Lauryn
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