High School texts (or DIVE course)used to prepare for DSST Physical Science?

[hsfamfun]

I homeschool as well. My oldest son is in the honors program at a nearby state college and is doing wonderfully and we homeschooled his entire academic career. Something that I have noticed and that he has noticed as well is that homeschooling is very effective and he is well prepared for college courses, no matter what materials we used. I used the Charlotte Mason method of teaching and we did not really use textbooks until the high school level, except for math and a lot of people gasp at that fact. However, both of my children are well educated. My point is not about educational methods, because, I have seen homeschoolers from many different homeschool methods succeed. So, go about your learning as you would and educate your children. Then, when they are at the end of their learning for that subject, evaluate where they are, take an online practice test for the subject, and seek college credit if you wish. The 6 layer curriculum method in Cookderosa's book, Homeschooling for College Credit, is what I use for those subjects my younger son is seeking college credit, but if you are already using DIVE and they are learning, stick with it and go from there. Good luck!

[cookderosa]

I homeschool as well. My oldest son is in the honors program at a nearby state college and is doing wonderfully and we homeschooled his entire academic career. Something that I have noticed and that he has noticed as well is that homeschooling is very effective and he is well prepared for college courses, no matter what materials we used. I used the Charlotte Mason method of teaching and we did not really use textbooks until the high school level, except for math and a lot of people gasp at that fact. However, both of my children are well educated. My point is not about educational methods, because, I have seen homeschoolers from many different homeschool methods succeed. So, go about your learning as you would and educate your children. Then, when they are at the end of their learning for that subject, evaluate where they are, take an online practice test for the subject, and seek college credit if you wish. The 6 layer curriculum method in Cookderosa's book, Homeschooling for College Credit, is what I use for those subjects my younger son is seeking college credit, but if you are already using DIVE and they are learning, stick with it and go from there. Good luck!

I completely agree with your suggestion and your observations about success. It's never about the curriculum = well educated kids. If it were, we'd all buy that curriculum and all our kids would be equal! Ha!
Continue high school using DIVE and if your child is really doing well, understands the material, and is close to the targets, do test prep and attempt the CLEP.
Seriously, it's impossible to unknow that exams exist, so when I plan my children's school, it's just impossible for me to be completely neutral- but I do try. I try to ask myself "what would they do next if I didn't know anything about college credit?" and go forward. Planning high school with an eye toward college credit is good- you can inject college credit, save money, save time, etc. But letting college credit be the idol that drives your choices *in my opinion* is short-changing the teens. I'm not suggesting anyone is short-changing anyone, I'm suggesting that the process can have that effect when taken to the extreme.
I realize this thread got completely away from the original question, I'll apologize because I'm probably to blame for that! I'll try and answer the question initially asked:
No, I do not know if that specific high school curriculum will help a child pass the CLEP exam. However, if you like that curriculum, it aligns with your family's religious beliefs, and you're happy with the style, then you should use it. There are things you can add to it that will boost it into college level if your child does well. (REA guide, InstantCert, Peterson's Practice Tests, Khan Academy) Hope that helps

[rjohnson]

I completely agree with your suggestion and your observations about success. It's never about the curriculum = well educated kids. If it were, we'd all buy that curriculum and all our kids would be equal! Ha!
Continue high school using DIVE and if your child is really doing well, understands the material, and is close to the targets, do test prep and attempt the CLEP.
Seriously, it's impossible to unknow that exams exist, so when I plan my children's school, it's just impossible for me to be completely neutral- but I do try. I try to ask myself "what would they do next if I didn't know anything about college credit?" and go forward. Planning high school with an eye toward college credit is good- you can inject college credit, save money, save time, etc. But letting college credit be the idol that drives your choices *in my opinion* is short-changing the teens. I'm not suggesting anyone is short-changing anyone, I'm suggesting that the process can have that effect when taken to the extreme.
I realize this thread got completely away from the original question, I'll apologize because I'm probably to blame for that! I'll try and answer the question initially asked:
No, I do not know if that specific high school curriculum will help a child pass the CLEP exam. However, if you like that curriculum, it aligns with your family's religious beliefs, and you're happy with the style, then you should use it. There are things you can add to it that will boost it into college level if your child does well. (REA guide, InstantCert, Peterson's Practice Tests, Khan Academy) Hope that helps

Thanks.

I appreciate your input.