I recently attended the PHAA “High School at Home” Conference and gleaned some clarifications and explanations that were very helpful! 1. AP Courses are the best preparation for college. The courses themselves are more challenging, get the student interacting with an expert teacher and other quality students. Even if your teen does not take the AP test, just taking the course is impressive to a college. 2. However, taking the AP...

In general, most teens want to get their courses completed as quickly and easily as possible, often with a “just git ‘er done” attitude. But once in a while a student really puts extra effort into a course, delving into personal study of an area of interest, entering a contest that requires additional research and polished performance that complements a subject being studied. It would be nice to somehow draw attention on the...

Mrs. Susan Richman recently wrote an article for evaluators in the summer 2013 edition of Excelsior Magazine. She makes the point that teens often react very differently to the literature assigned for their reading in high school English courses. “Why the difference? Seems to me,” she writes, “that a main one is … some of the teens are guys, and some are girls. They often just don’t care for the same types of...

This question is asked often of the Richmans, of the PHAA Diploma program. Here is a recently published answer from Susan Richman: “This is a question we get *regularly*, and the answer is always the same– NO, it’s NOT possible to graduate early in less than 4 years. “That said, some PHAA students are ready for fulltime college attendance after their junior year– and almost all colleges have a provision for this:...

What tests are required? What tests should my child take? What tests will colleges see and care about? How do I get those tests? Students in grades 3, 5, and 8 are required by the homeschool law to be tested using a standardized achievement test. The law specifies a list of a few approved tests (see list at end of this post). Some are administered to a group, and others are administered one on one.  Some homeschool co-ops or Christian Schools...