Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Davidson Onlline Homeschooling option for YS

I haven't seen this option mentioned anywhere, so I thought I'd post it: the Davidson Academy is opening a lot of courses next year online at the middle school level for YS. There will be pre-algebra, algebra 1, middle school biology, physical science, and a number of English and History classes offered. The courses are all modeled after what is actually offered at the academy itself. There is an online application process the kids have to go through to be accepted into the courses.

You have to log into the DYS site and look for "Davidson Online" for all of the details. Or you can ask me here about them.

Portia,
They are more expensive than AoPs, that is a disadvantage, but there is financial aid available. They are $750 for the year. All of the classes include a 1 hr live session with the teacher, interactive sessions with classmates, projects done individually and with a partner, as well as real lab experiments in the science classes.
The math course being offered this year is pre-algebra, and all of the kids and families are loving it from what I have heard.
The classes are based off of the classes offered at the Davidson Academy, and the online teachers work closely with the academy teachers to ensure that the classes are parallel in rigor and expectations. However, since you can't simply put a regular class online, there will be differences between the two sets of courses.
The math classes involve a lot of discussions about how problems are solved and doesn't follow the traditional order of topics due to the units being grouped around similar types of thinking rather than algorithms to be solved. There are no drill and kill problems either.
The science classes will include labs, many of which will be sent to you in a box of labs with real equipment so the students get to do close to the same labs they would do if they actually attended the academy. Many of the labs are inquiry based where the students get to design their own procedures based on instructor directions. The topics covered are found in high school level science courses, with many no longer being covered in public schools.
The English and History courses are heavy in the writing and analysis of literature. Most of the history literature is primary source stuff, so students learn how to read and analyze primary sources as well as see how that all connects to what is going on in society culturally during different time periods of history. The writing in English is at a very high level and there is a lot of analysis of works, both long and short, traditional and recent. The topics covered are not the usual ones covered in middle school English courses.
Currently, all of the online teachers are also the course developers so things get changed if needed to meet the needs of the students in the class, rather than being stuck with the curriculum or program that someone else developed.

Hope this helps.