IQ Academy provides the type of feedback and teacher support we need with our oldest son. You know in an instant where they stand grade-wise.  Simply log into their website, and two clicks later you see a screen like the one shown here. As you can see, there is one missing assignment. From that point, we simply withhold friend privileges until the work is caught up. It works, although I must admit that my son got a bit behind last fall due to being sick for well over a week. But he caught up with most of the work over Christmas break.
This spring semester we are making sure he does not get behind at all. And instructors are very good about getting back to parents if we inquire about our kids progress. The teachers my son had were very patient, particularly with all the last minute work turned in! Frankly, I think we are better able to keep our son on track than if he were in a regular setting public school. And I am very pleased with some of the technical electives he is able to take, like Web Design and HTML. Yes, there were a few things taught that did not completely jive with our beliefs, but even with that considered, I feel IQ Academy Wisconsin is our best option with this son.

Our second oldest son will continue to be home-schooled at least through grade 9 next year. We have him taking Spanish and History with his grandfather next door, he takes piano lessons, and he is taking algebra courses nearly two grades higher than what he might normally get. He is currently almost at the Precalculus level and we will hopefully get him through Trigonometry and some Calculus I next year. He has a good math aptitude and is able to pick up much of it from the text and DVD lessons. There is no way he could progress this far in math (grade 9) via any public school option. Our hope is to get him enrolled in online community college courses in his Junior and Senior years so he could possibly get college credit for electives and mathematics. This second son is generally is good about doing work given to him with minimum supervision.

What needs to happen at most all levels of math up through perhaps calculus is diligence. Diligence on the part of the student. Diligence on the part of the teacher(s).

For insured student success in mathematics, this is what needs to happen:

1. Student is given the lesson. The lesson may be oral, written, via video, internet or a combination of these delivery methods.
2. Student does the assigned math homework problems associated with the lesson.
3. Teacher, parent, or helper corrects the homework. Then give the homework back to the student with check marks by all incorrect problems.
4. Student attempts incorrect math problems again. If needed, additional instruction and help is provided before problems are attempted again.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until all problems are correctly done.

Even in a homeschool situation, it may be difficult to find the time to go through this process. But perhaps a spouse or older brother or sister of the student could help out. In a public school, this whole process is just not possible without parents helping out. Think about it: If a teacher has 90 students and has to spend 1/2 hour with each math student every day, they would need 45 hours a day! So as parents you need to help them on this!

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the subjects. For example, in his HTML course he is currently getting 100%. And checking his progress was as easy as logging in clicking on “Check Grades”. But we hit a bump in the road. Actually, more like a boulder. In my son’s English class, several of the units assigned consisted of Unit 2 - Creation Myths, and Unit 3 - Flood Myths. The problem with these materials is that they in themselves come off as a proclamation of a religious stand. For example, the unit on Creation Myths sends the student to the web page at http://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths.html

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When the instructions to the student call them to write about the “Noah’s Ark Flood Myth” it is can say to the student that the biblical account of a flood is a myth and thus at least part of the bible is a myth. And there was no disclaimer to the student stating something to the effect that they are not expected to agree with premise that Noah’s Ark is a myth nor will they not be marked down for voicing any type of disagreement. Also, the student gets the impression that the instructor created these materials, possibly with some sort of anti-religion agenda. It turns out that the instructor did not create these materials. Rather this was a new English curriculum, provided by http://kcdistancelearning.com that apparently was being used in some, if not all IQ Academy schools. If you go to the website at http://kcdistancelearning.com, you will see that they provide materials to IQ Academy schools throughout the nation as well as The Keystone Online School .

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My son’s instructor informed me that this curriculum was not her choice, but she was required to use it. After some back and forth emails with the teacher of this class and the principal, the teacher agreed to send my son an email providing a disclaimer stating any religious beliefs conveyed were not necessarily her own and that my son was in no way expected to compromise his beliefs.

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The individual disclaimers sent to my son worked for my son, but I was disheartened that I never received any word from the principal or teacher that this type of curriculum would be accompanied with some sort of disclaimer for all students. What about other kids?

If you are thinking of going with an IQ Academy in your state, you might want to contact the school’s principal on this issue beforehand since the curriculum cited in this blog post may very well be used in your state as well. I am hoping that in the future new courses offered that feature religious content as discussed in this post feature disclaimers to students that will prevent any type of intimidation.

As I stated to both the principal and the instructor, I do not expect a “christianization” of their curriculum. I don’t expect this public school to teach creation science or teach about biblical events. In fact, I would rather they not teach on matters of faith. But I feel any publicly funded school should show a sensitivity and respect for individual religious beliefs. Anything short of such sensitivity is a form of religious intolerance. If such accommodations for diverse religious views with IQ Academy Wisconsin are enacted, I will certainly post again. Until then, I am considering other online alternatives in our state of Wisconsin. If you have any questions or comments for me, drop me an email.

• Stressing that the student practice multiples like 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, etc.
• Stressing the Commutative Property so the student realizes that 3×9 is the same as 9×3.
• Learning to subtract from known multiples. For example 9×7 is 7 less than 10×7.
• Using number facts like those for 5’s and number facts for 9’s.

But ultimately, the student must memorize the multiplication facts. They need to be able to know that 6×8 = 48 when they are doing a multiplication, division, or fraction problem - they don’t have time to be doing a lot of figuring for each fact they must use in a calculation. The way to memorize these facts is via drill. But you can systematize that drill with a multiplication worksheet like the one shown below. Using this worksheet, you can quickly determine which number facts need work and which don’t. You can see how I used the worksheet shown below as well as download your own copies by visiting my page featuring free multiplication worksheets.

Free Multiplication Worksheet

Many will blame reform math for this problem, and I believe there is merit to that argument. But what about kids being taught a traditional curriculum? And most are. The answer to this question became very clear to me when I discovered my 9 year old daughter, who is homeschooled, did not have her multiplication facts and simple subtraction facts down.  When quizzed, she could not tell me what 6×4 or 13-5 equals. So, we had her start doing some work on Math Blaster and flash cards. This helped. But, she missed a lot of problems when working through her Saxon 54 text. So, we simply made here repeat this grade in math this year. Why not? And, we are working with her intensively to get these multiplication and subtraction facts down. And she is getting them, slowly but surely.

Consider the fact that if a student does not get their multiplication, addition,  and subtraction facts down, they can not do the following:

• Multiply larger numbers
• Long divide
• Add unlike fractions, since multiplication is required to get a LCD
• Do estimations

Imagine if your son or daughter were on a job and was unable to add 1/6 + 1/17 correctly without a calculator? This would be because they could not multiply 6 x 17 since they were unsure about what 6×7 equaled!

Holding back a child to repeat a grade and properly obtain these number skills is the nicest thing you could do for them, education-wise.

• All assignments are clearly laid out for the student, and the interface is fairly simple to navigate.
• The student can check their grades at any time, and they will see a screen like the one shown above. Also, the parent can very quickly check the grades - it takes about 5 minutes to check on all the classes!
• The parent can very quickly check to see that their son or daughter is submitting homework that is due. The due dates are clearly marked so it takes only several minutes to check progress. This allows the parent to remind their son or daughter of assignments that need to be done. And if an assignment gets a low grade, the parent can take action sooner rather than later.
• Instructors at IQ Academy Wisconsin were very prompt in replying to emails. I sent an email with a question to two different teachers and received helpful responses almost immediately.

After 1 week, I could not be happier as a parent!

• Kids work from home. In our case, that means they don’t spend up to 3 hours per day on the bus.
• A public school diploma is issued, making college entrance a much simpler matter.
• Some nice electives are offered, like html design and other computer programming classes that even our local public school does not offer.
• Weekly progress reports will be given from each teacher. This is especially helpful for the student that easily gets behind or side-tracked if the parent is not constantly monitoring progress.

Disadvantages might include:

• An overly easy curriculum. We will see.
• Surrender of some control over the child’s education. The student is no longer home schooled but rather is enrolled in the public system. So far this has not been an issue, but I will certainly post here if it does become an issue.

The steps one must take to enroll in such a program include:

1. Research your state to see what online options are available. Search for your state online high school in Google.
2. Attend an orientation session in your area if available. (This was very helpful!)
3. Complete open enrollment papers by the deadline given. You are completing the same forms that you would complete to attend a neighboring school outside your district. In some states this may be done online.
4. Notify the district of your intentions to attend or not attend and pay any needed fees. (We had to pay $75)
5. You may need to meet with a counselor at a nearby location to choose classes.
6. Fill out some paperwork over the summer dealing with immunizations, computer needs, etc.  Attend one last orientation session in your area if required.

I will post updates throughout the year on this program.

An Alternative to YouTube For Teachers and Web Publishers
A trick for posting your own videos on an educational site is to upload your video to YouTube and then use the embed code to place the video on your site. This saves band width. You can do this same thing with TeacherTube! Just join TeacherTube (free), upload your video to their site, and then copy the video embed code and paste it on your site.

In addition to TeacherTube, I recently found other alternatives to YouTube that provide free educational vidoes in a family-friendly platform. I will post about these more at a later time.

Homeschool Physical Science Book

This is a creation-based text, but even so, I think even die-hard evolutionists would find a lot that they would like in this text. What sets this text apart from other creation-science texts is its scientific approach on topics. Wile often points out that virtually all scientists, regardless of their underlying religious beliefs, interject their own bias into their conclusions. For example, on the subject of plate tectonics, Wile points out that some creation scientists exhibit their own unscientific bias by dismissing plate tectonics completely. Wile, on the other hand, does not dismiss plate tectonics outright, but rather offers an explanation for how plate movement could have been accelerated during a cataclysmic event such as a great flood.

The experiments are outstanding! They use ordinary household items (no expensive homeschool science supplies) and are easy to follow.  Also, they include very insightful followup questions. In one very simple experiment on water polarity, both water and cooking oil are allowed to flow out a small hole in the bottom of a Styrofoam cup.  A comb that has been electrically charged with static electricity (from the student’s hair) is brought near the stream of water (or oil). The student then notes that the stream of water is deflected toward the comb but the oil is not. The book then discusses the polar atomic structure of water vs. the non-polar structure of oil as a way of explaining the results. Then, followup questions are asked. Here is one: “Chlorine gas is a molecule compound of two chlorine atoms bonded together with a chemical bond. Is this molecule polar? Why or why not?”

In addition to the experiments, there are many great illustrations and explanations. As someone that has a minor in chemistry and degree in a chemical engineering related field, I must confess that I learned a few things as I helped my son. What Wile almost miraculously does here is teach advanced topics in chemistry, physics, and earth science at a level that a typical 8th grade child can comprehend! I would highly recommend this book for any jr. high science homeschool curriculum!

You can get Exploring Creation with Physical Science at Amazon.com or at ebay

Calculate 5x - 1/2 if  2x+3 = 19.

Simplify (6r²st³ - 9rs²t²)/(3rst).

My son got all three of these problems correct, the first two being a bit bizarre ( in my opinion) for Algebra I.

But, my son is a failure in math!  Yes according to Christian Liberty Academy  in the CLASS program, my son’s score of 68 out of 100 is an F!  We kept a copy of his test and I graded it. With partial credit, as appropriate, he got 79%. With NO partial credit he gets 69%! Tell me how they get 68%?  We have our son enrolled in the CLASS program (for now at least) where we mail in his tests, they grade them, and after completing all classes, he graduates from their school, diploma and all. I have contacted CLASS on this test and contested this exam, but have not heard back - it has been nearly a week.

I do not approve of a  system that fails students in areas they have talent in, as Christian Liberty Academy CLASS program has done here. They seemed to have missed an important aspect of education - finding what the student does correctly is equally important as finding what the student does incorrectly.

I am not some kind of educational revisionist. And I don’t oppose homeschooling nor Christian home schooling. Also,  I believe in upholding high standards. But as a student in engineering, graduate level mathematics, and an instructor of mathematics through the college calculus level, I have never, ever, witnessed a standard where absolutely no partial credit is given on a short answer test!

We will be ending our participation in the Christian Liberty Academy and the CLASS program, except for perhaps use of their science books. To be fair, their 9th grade science book is perhaps the best 9th grade science books I have used with the kids. (It is from a Christian perspective by the way) We will continue to use this book for our other kids at grades 8 and/or 9. The experiments using household items are insightful and the content is comprehensive, yet at a level that an 8th or 9th grade student can comprehend.  As far as their Saxon Math goes, Saxon Math is not my 1st choice at grades 9-12, and Christian Liberty has found a way to make it even less preferable.