Tracy,TracyLee01026 wrote:My 14 yo dd is doing 8th grade this year using ECC and the supplements. She is enjoying it, but progressing very slow. She has language-based LD and dyslexia and everything takes longer to do and to learn and remember. She has memory problems across the board: working, auditory/visual, short and long-term. My problem is that she is not going to finish the books she is working in. She has been learning and she is persistent, but slow. Also, she has writing issues in that the feel of the paper drives her crazy and she has trouble putting her thoughts on paper, but she can produce good work over time.
I want to start her in MFW high school this Sept., but, like I said she is not going to finish the books she is working in. Do I just continue in Sept. wherever we leave off in June or do I get all 9th grade level books? For example, she is doing Applications of Grammar 8th grade right now, do I get AoG grade 9 next year even though she won't finish. Also she will not finish the Apologia General Science this year; do I go ahead and get the Biology one? I read somewhere that she should not do Biology until she has completed Algebra 1. However, she is just finishing MUS Delta, which is division. She does not GET math and has always struggled with it.
Also I heard it is very important to get high school level books in order for them to count for HS credit, which makes sense, but....what do I do? I'm so confused. I've already held her back a year. She will be 15 in May, I don't feel like I can hold her back again.
If she goes to college it will be community college since we can't afford a university. She has a lot of talent in drawing and may want to go to college for Art. Any help is greatly appreciated.
God Bless,
Tracy
I've agonized over such things right there with you. I just have a couple of things on your list that I "think" I've figured out for "my" school anyways. Remember, though, that depending on you dd's special needs, things that apply to other kids may not apply to her.
1. Grammar - Hopefully that is just one piece of her English credit this year. If she did other things, too (reading, writing, vocabulary/spelling, early literature analysis, etc.), then she can be given an 8th grade English credit even if she didn't do the whole grammar book. She can then continue on in the same book next year as part of her 9th grade English credit. AIO is an advanced enough book that she could use it in high school. My goal would be to finish that book before she graduates, and the sooner the better. (No need to continue on to other books in that series.)
2. Math - There are several things to think about here, including:
* Ideally she would complete Algebra before Chemistry. And before taking the PSAT test (usually in early 11th grade) or any of the other college tests, it would be good to have Algebra and either high school Geometry or a solid middle school geometry under her belt. If not, there are short courses to help bridge the gap, but since they only add to the amount of things you're trying to do, it's easier to just do the usual sequence.
* High schoolers can have math classes such as Practical Math and Pre-Algebra on their transcript. It won't look as impressive to colleges, but if the result is more solid skills that boost her ACT/SAT scores, then it may be worth it, since those scores will mean more to colleges than your high school course names. The worst that can happen at a community college is that she has to pay for a no-credit basic math course, but that might be fine in her situation.
* Always name her high school math class honestly. If her work isn't up to Algebra standards, then I either wouldn't give her the credit, or, if you feel she's done the work, then I'd name it something like Algebra 1/2 or Basic Math.
* Some high school math courses spend a lot of time in review at the beginning of the year, and may not really expect you to get to the advanced stuff at the end of the year. Homeschool math programs are less likely to have anything you can skip at the end of the year, but may have a lot of review at the beginning, especially if your student is keeping up her math skills over the summer. You may be able to skip sections of review if she is working more year-round or if she is the type of person who works slowly but retains well.
3. Science - As for her 8th grade credit, I guess it's your call as to whether she's earned a year's credit this year. Maybe she's done other stuff you could count as part of her credit, or maybe she just gets one semester of credit this year. I don't think it's a really big deal. As for 9th grade, general Science isn't really a high school level course in my opinion. However, our local co-op does offer General through 9th grade. I guess it's your call, but I might at least move on to 8th grade science (Physical Science) for 9th, if you don't feel she's ready for Biology. And maybe she could even finish her General this summer -- especially the section introducing Biology?
4. History (or Social Studies) & Bible - I can't help you there. I think a full credit needs to be earned, but not sure if that would be more flexible in 8th grade? I'd ask for advice from the MFW office. Lots of experience there.
5. Electives - In 8th grade, I think the goal is exposure when giving credits in things like Foreign Language or Art. If your dd hasn't had time to earn credits beyond the "basic 4" (math, science, english, social studies), then you might find summer opportunities to boost her "electives" by exposing her to the arts, music, languages, and the like. And in high school, when actual credit hours become important, my dd had a lot of interesting summer experiences to boost up her elective credits. I think it's tempting to skip electives for a struggling student, but actually it's nice if the student has something easy & successful in the mix, too.
Best wishes as you sort through your options. But don't feel like a failure. She's getting the very best education she can, and she is very lucky to have you.
Julie
