Laurel Springs Virtual School for AP Calc BC

[Anonymous]

DD cannot get AP Calc BC into her senior schedule next year without dropping 2 other AP classes. She learned of this on the last day of school, final hour of the day, when she was called to the counseling office. The next class in her math progression is BC. Her only in-school option is Calc AB, but she's already learned half of the content in junior year.

She has an amazing HS math teacher who has volunteered to allow DD to work in his classroom during his plan time IF she can find an online Calc BC curriculum. He would be available to answer questions. Community college does not have an option that works, but now I've discovered a virtual school called Laurel Springs.

Does anyone here have experience with Laurel Springs OR a similar option? Calc BC would be a cornerstone of her senior year class schedule, as she's applying to engineering schools. She'd be capable of the work, so that's not really a concern. How we'd get this info to her prospective colleges, I have no idea. But first, we just need to find a viable option.

Would really appreciate any help/advice/direction. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Homeschooler with two high schoolers here.

Try CTY, but she would need to provide qualifying test scores from her ACT or SAT tests. You’ll find the cutoff scores online.

You can also try USCOUT. It’s the UC’’s online school and apparently ok.

The only families I know who use Laurel Springs use their entire package because their kids are officially homeschooled while pursuing serious sports and arts commitments. It’s popular in a ballet school I’m familiar with, but my impression is that it’s not the most rigorous program and relying on it for AP preparation might be risky. (My kids use different online providers that require students to be officially registered as homeschoolers, hence I can’t recommend them for your situation.)

I hope you find a solution. This situation is pretty ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

OP here. PP, thank you for these suggestions. I'll look into USCOUT. I never even thought about CTY, but DD is (or at least was) a member. She still gets emails from CTY.

I just looked up the CTY option, but there's an evening meeting time required (or so it seems - maybe it's optional) and DD almost certainly could not do that because she'd have sports conflicts. However, she & I will call on Monday to find out more details.

DD's scheduling issues extend beyond what I've described here. My mind is blown by the experience, but I just want her to find a way to get the classes she needs. Technically, she is entitled to them by law, since she has an IEP, but she also needs a good rec from the counselor so we need to tread lightly. Plus, it's not really the counselor's fault. Our district doesn't have the funding to offer as many sections of classes that are needed by many seniors.

I also looked at Stanford online high school, but the price tag was staggering (even for one class) and DD would have had to have applied last fall.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, PP.

[Anonymous]

What about FL virtual learning? I have heard good things bout that program. They have BC Calc. Does CTY have a asynchronous BC Calc class that your DD can take?

[Anonymous]

My child was enrolled at Laurel Springs School this year and will be taking Calculus BC next year. The program is generally good but has tons of assignments (way more than FCPS schools), which may be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. The teachers (at least at the Academy) are good, some have PhD and are excellent. I can’t comment on the AP Calculus BC specifically. My DC took AP Computer Science A course, and there were around 200 assignments per semester (the course seemed to be the one designed by the College Board and used CodeHS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. PP, thank you for these suggestions. I'll look into USCOUT. I never even thought about CTY, but DD is (or at least was) a member. She still gets emails from CTY.

I just looked up the CTY option, but there's an evening meeting time required (or so it seems - maybe it's optional) and DD almost certainly could not do that because she'd have sports conflicts. However, she & I will call on Monday to find out more details.

DD's scheduling issues extend beyond what I've described here. My mind is blown by the experience, but I just want her to find a way to get the classes she needs. Technically, she is entitled to them by law, since she has an IEP, but she also needs a good rec from the counselor so we need to tread lightly. Plus, it's not really the counselor's fault. Our district doesn't have the funding to offer as many sections of classes that are needed by many seniors.

I also looked at Stanford online high school, but the price tag was staggering (even for one class) and DD would have had to have applied last fall.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, PP.

Homeschooler PP here again with a correction: I meant to type UCSCOUT earlier (my kids haven't used it, hence my mistake), so hopefully you'll find the correct site.

My kids are actually also taking classes at Stanford OHS as well as online classes just open to homeschoolers. OHS is great but, depending on the class and instructor, can be extremely rigorous. I know that the AP Calc BC class teaches far beyond a regular AP Calc BC course, which works for some kids, but not all. In any case, the application deadline has long passed.

As for the feedback on Laurel Springs, I'm not surprised. A lot of the high school classes aimed at homeschoolers/ online schoolers have a significantly higher workload than what I hear about many regular schools, but that's a whole new topic..

Good luck in finding a solution; I'm still astonished at this situation..

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

DD thinks it's possible she MIGHT be able to take AP Calc BC at her high school if she drops AP SPAN - and then she can enroll in AP Spanish online instead of AP Calc BC.

Of course, the counseling office is closed until Aug. 3 and the earliest she can add/drop is the first day of school. This is incredibly frustrating.

Florida Virtual School does appear to have an AP Calc BC option, but not AP Spanish. So FLVS is one possibility. Thank you to the PP who suggested it.

UC Scout looks like an option for both AP Calc BC and AP Spanish, so thank you, PP. We will call on Tuesday (closed Monday).

On the one hand, I feel like taking an AP world language online is risky. On the other hand, I feel like colleges might be more accepting of a 3rd-party language class than a 3rd-party math class - especially for an aspiring engineering major. But what do I know? DD feels like taking math online would be easier, especially because her math teacher would be available if she had a question.

I'll update this thread once I've learned more, in case it will help others in the future. And, obviously, please keep the suggestions coming.

[Anonymous]

It would seem that your child can take AP Calculus BC for free through Online Campus at FCPS. Why do you need a course from outside the FCPS system?

[Anonymous]

Another homeschooler here.

AOPS has online classes too. Also check Thinkwell. They are video based (no live teacher) but cover the material.

Check Derek Owens and Blue Tent Online too. Mr. Owens might just teach AB though, I’m not sure if he has expanded his offerings.