Testing out of TESC Associates Degree "Study Area" requirements

[abt123go]

Hello,

I'm homeschooling my two sons and preparing for the next four years of highschool. I have read Jennifer Cook Derosa's books on homeschooling/college and I'm inspired to try to help my son's to gain college credits as they complete highschool, maybe even achieving associates degrees! Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

I think I understand how to meet the general education requirements for TESC associates degree, but I'm unsure about the "study area" requirements. My son's have natural interests in biology, nat. Science & math, and computer science, so associates degrees in either of these areas would be a good fit. TESC states on their website that 16 credits are required in biology, nat. Science & math, or computer science "areas of study." Are there ÇLEP/DSST tests that we could take that would fulfill either of these "areas of study?" Could you please advise?

Thank you!

[AJ_Atlanta]

Just a quick look at some of the classes from Straighterline shows the biology classes:

Intro to Biology - BIO-101 3cr
Micro Biology with lab BIO-351 4cr
The Sciene of Nutrution BIO-208 3cr
Anatomy & Physiology - BIO-210 3cr
Lab - 1cr
Anatomy & Physiology II - BIO-213 3cr

16 Credits, and two different options for a class with a lab. I am sure there are other ares of study and sources (if you don't like SL)

[dfrecore]

Yes, there are tons of options:

ALEKS math (Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Precalculus, Intro to Statistics) - $20/mo
Saylor.org - Statistics, Calc I, Biology, Chemistry, Itnro to Mechanics (Physics), Intro to Electromagnetism (Physics) - $25/exam
edX - Differential Equations series if taken live (BUx 226.1, 226.2, 226.3) - $49 each
CLEP - College Math (6cr), College Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus, Natural Sciences (6cr), Biology (6cr), Chemistry (6cr), Information Systems and Computer Applications - $80/exam + testing center fees
DSST - Business Math, College Algebra, Statistics, Environment & Humanity, Astronomy, Physical Science, Introduction to Computing, Management Information Systems, Fundamentals of Cybersecurity - $80/exam + testing center fees
TECEP - The Science of Nutrition, Computer Concepts & Applications, Network Technology - $114/exam
SL - Business Statistics, Calculus I & II, College Algebra, Statistics, Precalculus, General Chemistry + Lab, Physics I & II + Labs, Information Technology Fundamentals, Introduction to Programming in C++ - $99/mo membership fee + $49 and up for each course (plus with labs, you have to buy the lab kit for $98 and up)

Those are the basics, there are more options but costs rise.

I didn't include course numbers, but those are important as many courses duplicate each other. But, if you wanted to put together a plan of attack for each of them, you could do it based on their interests, post them, and then we could let you know if any courses you choose duplicate each other.

[cookderosa]

Hello,

I'm homeschooling my two sons and preparing for the next four years of highschool. I have read Jennifer Cook Derosa's books on homeschooling/college and I'm inspired to try to help my son's to gain college credits as they complete highschool, maybe even achieving associates degrees! Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

I think I understand how to meet the general education requirements for TESC associates degree, but I'm unsure about the "study area" requirements. My son's have natural interests in biology, nat. Science & math, and computer science, so associates degrees in either of these areas would be a good fit. TESC states on their website that 16 credits are required in biology, nat. Science & math, or computer science "areas of study." Are there ÇLEP/DSST tests that we could take that would fulfill either of these "areas of study?" Could you please advise?

Thank you!

thanks for the kind words- a couple quick questions. Do you have access to free dual enrollment at your local community college? If so, do you plan on using that in your plan?

[abt123go]

Thank you for the great feedback. It sounds like we have a fair amount of wiggle room. Once I have a "plan" mapped out, I'll definitely share it with you. Right now, I'm just trying to get a feel for how tight the requirements are.

Jennifer - yes, dual enrolment community college is an option. After reading your books, I started checking into this, but I think this would be for later down the road. There are just so many ways to skin this cat. Right now the kiddos like school with mom (we had negative experiences with public school which makes community college a hard sell right now), and we travel extensively. So flexibility is key. But I have community college on a back burner. Also, we're probably moving to Europe after highschool graduation which means I need to make sure I have all my ducks in a row, and that our homeschool transcript meets European university requirements, if my sons choose to pursue higher education. An associates degree would add significant credibility to homeschool education.

[sanantone]

I'm enrolled in the ASNSM in Biology program. TESU has conflicting information on the webpage, catalog, and academic evaluation on Online Student Services. I'm going to have to pull up the exact requirements later, but you'll need biology II with lab. You don't need the lab for biology I, which is weird. Also, biology I is a required course in gen ed rather than the area of study. I could not find an online standalone lab for biology II anywhere, so I'm taking the course at NMJC even though the CLEP I passed covered the lecture portion of biology I and II.

This is what I took or what I'm in the process of taking.

CLEP Biology - Covered biology I and II, but I'm retaking biology II at NMJC just to get the lab. It's a course for non-science majors, so the labs are easy and kind of a waste, but TESU will count it.
SL Anatomy and Physiology I without lab
SL Anatomy and Physiology II without lab
SL Microbiology without lab
TECEP Science of Nutrtition

I believe all of SL's lab courses are now separated from the lecture portion. I would avoid taking any of their labs unless your son will need them in the future or plans to work in the field. The kits for SL's lab courses are expensive. He will only need the lab for biology II, which SL does not offer.

[TrailRunr]

If your kids have serious interests in the sciences such as health professions/nursing/pre-med, I would AVOID taking any online labs. The online lab classes are frowned down upon by most schools. But they need science classes with labs. I highly, highly recommend that the science credits are in a much more portable form such as community college butt-in-seat lab science classes. I know you guys have had bad experiences with public schools, but the kids really need to be butt-in-seat for the lab science.

SL for calc is probably ok and it will work for the ASNSM in Math, but I find the SL calculus courses to be a bit too easy and not rigorous enough. I'm taking SL as a cheap refresher since I took 2 years of calc many years ago. IMHO, there is a risk that calc 3 will be a huge struggle in a more rigorous class if SL is your preparation method. Then there is the issue of your calc credits not being as portable as AP Calc BC or even CLEP. ALEKS is not adequate prep unless you get 95+% before moving on.

I think testing/SL out is great for GE, but it's not as good for math and science.

[sanantone]

If your kids have serious interests in the sciences such as health professions/nursing/pre-med, I would AVOID taking any online labs. The online lab classes are frowned down upon by most schools. But they need science classes with labs. I highly, highly recommend that the science credits are in a much more portable form such as community college butt-in-seat lab science classes. I know you guys have had bad experiences with public schools, but the kids really need to be butt-in-seat for the lab science.

SL for calc is probably ok and it will work for the ASNSM in Math, but I find the SL calculus courses to be a bit too easy and not rigorous enough. I'm taking SL as a cheap refresher since I took 2 years of calc many years ago. IMHO, there is a risk that calc 3 will be a huge struggle in a more rigorous class if SL is your preparation method. Then there is the issue of your calc credits not being as portable as AP Calc BC or even CLEP. ALEKS is not adequate prep unless you get 95+% before moving on.

I think testing/SL out is great for GE, but it's not as good for math and science.

If you're going to be working in the natural science field, then I believe that completing labs in the classroom is important because you'll receive more guidance. But, I'm going to play devil's advocate here. How would a school know if you completed a lab by distance if you attended a school that has a campus? Nothing on your transcript will say "online" or "distance." The only way they would know is if the course description says that a virtual lab was included.

[dfrecore]

I understand what people are saying here, but since you haven't said what direction they may want to take after high school, it's hard to say if they will need more rigorous courses right now. So, I have a couple of thoughts.

First, if you just want the AA to show credibility for homeschooling through high school (and that may well be a major issue in many countries in Europe, as homeschooling is illegal in many places there), then do the courses however you decide, for high school purposes.

Second though, is if the kids decide to go on to a more rigorous program, they will really need a solid foundation in specific areas of math/science. In that case, I might have them retake the necessary courses in a more formal setting, where they can get more out of a course than they will in most of the options I listed. For instance, if one decided to work in the medical field, then he should take the pre-reqs as butt-in-seat courses. If one wants to be a software engineer, he can retake Calc I and above butt-in-seat. Etc. But if one decided to go the IT route, it probably would not matter much if he had such a solid foundation in Bio or Calculus, in which case he could just move straight into a Bachelor's program.

Doing the way you're suggesting will work, as long as they know that they may be required to retake some courses in the future depending on their career choices. But even then, you've given them a big head start by having them take college-level courses in high school - even if they aren't quite as rigorous as the butt-in-seat courses, they will feel VERY prepared to take those courses in college - I daresay they will have a much easier time than many of the students who are encountering the material for the first time.

I plan on doing this with my daughter in high school as well. She has struggled a bit, so I feel like if I have her take SL courses (or something of that nature) while in high school, then when she goes to college, it will all be familiar to her, and she (hopefully) will not feel overwhelmed. I'm actually doing her a huge FAVOR!! :roflol:

[abt123go]

Thank you again for all the feedback.

I've worked on a couple of plans for each of my sons to apply for ASNSM with TESC. I used Sanantone's wiki refs to fill in the General Ed requirements (thank you, Sanantone for doing this!), but as I mentioned earlier, I'm uncertain about the requirements to fulfill the study areas. I've included complete plans (one for high school, the other for ASNSM) for each child. The plans are very similar. The differences lie in that one son gravitates more towards computer science and the other is more into natural history. I chose a mathematics focus for the "natural history" son since he's crazy about entomology, malacology, etc. and not the human body aspect of biology. Also, I thought statistics would probably serve him better than a strong physics approach. TESC lists AP credits in the range of 3-6. If TESC is conservative and only used 3 credits per AP, we're going to be 1 credit short in the study areas.

As I mentioned, we tentatively plan to move (back) to Europe (most likely France) around the time the boys graduate from High School. Taking a look at entry requirements for EU universities, most require SAT/ACT scores and APs for admissions. Specifically, for France, the boys would need SAT/ACT scores, 3 APs plus pass the french fluency test called DALF. I've included these requirements in the plan, just so we're covered if the boys decide they would like to go to university in EU.

The ASNSM would serve more as a way of opening doors for the boys than paving the route to BS. The degree could help them apply for jobs after graduating high school and gain some work experience, get a feel for certain jobs, and then potentially aim for higher ed if they want to. I doubt the ASNSM would grant a short cut to finish a bachelor's in EU. The education system works very differently, though it could add credibility to our homeschool, if questions arise. Plus, if the boys chose to continue with TESC for a BS, that's always an option. And maybe they could even use the ASNSM to transfer to another NJ state college? My general plan is to open up as many choices as possible for the boys so that they can choose what works best for them.

Please take a look at my plans and advise if they're reasonable. Hopefully I haven't completely underestimated the requirements. Feel free to pick away. I truly need to learn how to do this, and appreciate any help you can provide.