Homeschooling High School With Online College Courses
When we first started homeschooling, I thought we would do it for a few years and then transition the boys back to school.
I was certain there was NO WAY I would homeschool my kids through high school.
It seemed like too much to take on. The increased requirements, the college transcripts, the need for varied social experiences – I was certain that high school needed to happen in a brick and mortar school.
Nine years later, I can sheepishly say, “Never say never.”
My oldest is in tenth grade. This means that we are not only figuring this high school thing out, we are also actively considering college.
He is not 100% certain he will attend college. I am not 100% certain how we would accommodate his needs in a college classroom (much less pay for it…ahem).
As we have explored various alternatives and solutions for both accelerating his high school learning, and coming up with creative options for college, we discovered Ed4Credit.
Please know, although I was compensated for my time in writing this post, I only share products that genuinely work for my family. I hope they help yours as well!
Ed4Credit is an online, fully accredited option for college coursework. It’s a non-traditional way for students to earn actual college credits whenever and wherever they want. Although designed for learners of all ages, it is a great option for high schoolers to decide if college is the right path for them.
How Ed4Credit Works
Ed4Credit offers self-paced college courses online. Courses include:
Business
English
Humanities
Math
Sciences
Social Sciences
Technology
My son selects the online college course he wants to take and has 120 days to complete it. That’s it! He chooses when and for how long he wants to work on his course, with complete and total flexibility.
If and when he does decide on college, Ed4Credit is approved by the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Credit Recommendation Service. This means that he can simply create an ACE account and have a transcript sent to the educational institution he chooses.
(Over 2,000 colleges are listed on the ACE website as accepting credit, but many more will allow ACE credit transfers. We saw several, local schools that he is actually interested in attending on the list, making this an even more beneficial option.)
Ed4Credit Advantages
College Credit
Upon successful course completion, my son earns actual college credit that can be transferred to an accredited, member school. For our purposes, it works well that he does not need to be accepted at or enrolled in a college to take classes. It’s giving him a chance to “try out” college before going through the actual college enrollment process.
Low Cost
Each course is $195 (except science labs), which includes the textbook, full access to the online classroom, online support from an experienced educational consultant, and the final exam proctor service. There are no hidden costs or fees.
Incidentally, this price is less expensive than many of the online, high school level homeschool courses we have considered – and he earns college credit as well!
Flexibility
The program is entirely online. My son can study anytime, anywhere.
The online classroom has an easy-to-follow layout and what he needs is all in one place. He completes each online college course module at his own pace. He takes exams when he is ready. Most importantly, he can step away from the course whenever he needs a break or is having a tough time. This accommodation matters for my son’s learning differences. He knows he has 120 days to complete the course for credit, but when he chooses to complete the learning is totally up to him.
Because of this flexibility, I find that he is less stressed and more easily able to engage in the material. I check in from time to time on his account, to ensure he is making progress, and that’s about it on my end.
Increasing Confidence
This is perhaps the most important advantage for my son. Ed4Credit gives him the chance to study college-level courses in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. He does not feel the pressure of comparison and he is allowed to take each module exam more than once. He will schedule the final exam only when he feels ready.
An added benefit is that each course module has interactive games, as well as links to online videos and links to webpages that support the materials. This increases his retention of the learning and overall engagement, as it better accommodates his learning style.
Homeschooling High School With Online College Courses
We are still not sure if my son will attend a traditional college. The good news is that if he does choose to attend, he knows he can handle the course work and will already have several courses completed. This saves us a bit of money and allows him the freedom and flexibility to make an informed choice for his future.
If you are interested in learning more about this viable option for your high school learner, Ed4Credit offers a free ebook – 5 WAYS TO GET ALTERNATIVE COLLEGE CREDITS.
Even better, right now, Ed4Credit is offering 20% off for Not The Former Things readers. Use the code: Homeschool18 (This code is good for the month of October only).