05-27-2018, 05:52 PM
fork, I'm not answering for the op, but I will add that when you are DIYing your degree, it is important to lock in a catalog so the requirements don't change. As an example, if you're planning your courses and exams - but TESU changes their gen eds this summer, that's a big deal. Not a big deal when you have a few credits, but a VERY big deal when you have 90+ credits. So, there is a sense of urgency to get credits counted and applied as soon as possible. (that doesn't mean as soon as possible at a certain age, rather at a stage of credit-earning) In the case of this post, they've already been pushed back multiple times. It's fair to be nervous in this case.
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This brings up a question for me that maybe you can advise on cookderosa-what would you do with a 15yo (almost 16) with 62 credits? It's more than a few credits, but certainly not 90+. On one hand, they are half way there, but on the other, they cannot apply for two more years. In reality they could finish before the 2 years are up. You are right that any changes in gen eds could be difficult, but probably not insurmountable. We have been pondering this since hearing about the age requirement change and are not sure if we should change course (ie. switch schools), continue on with TESU and hope that they don't change the age requirement again or ????
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Since you asked my opinion, I am of the opinion that shortening k-12 isn't a good idea, but rather bringing the goalpost of a college degree closer is a great idea. So, if this were my son (and I have 4 sons, each has been/is/will be in the same situation as yours) I would construct a plan B. TESU, if they become hard-core on this issue, is not an option for your son. Without special exception, he's 5 years away from enrolling. When parents have a plan to finish so far ahead of a traditional age, I'm probably not the best person to give targeted advice since I haven't spent time in that pursuit with my boys. If, however, one of my sons told me they wanted to finish high school (stop homeschooling) at age 16 AND finish their degree at that time, I would be quite sad- because in our house that means its time to launch - and I like having influence over them for at least a year or two into their 20's.
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Thank you for your opinions. We certainly have a lot to think about. We are worldschoolers so we travel extensively. The flexibility of the TESU program really worked for us. I would always tell fellow worldschoolers that there kids could still travel the world and go to college because we were doing it. Now, I'm not so sure. Shortening K-12 is also not my goal. However, I also see a a lot of value in not repeating coursework and moving the college goalpost closer. We are just finishing up gen ed's with my two (almost 16 and 17) and this change has thrown us for a loop. We decided to slow down our travels in order to utilize the dual enrollment program in our state for the next two years (maximum), but now our future is not as clear. I think I really need to explore COSC and EC and try and map out a new path, but it seems like a daunting task.
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It is daunting for sure.
The catch 22 is that the ACE courses are perfect for homeschoolers who don't have easy access to AP courses (especially regarding cost and exam location) and CLEP works if you have your own curriculum....which is usually also daunting for parents. So, these benefits are perfect for homeschoolers, but the colleges that allow the most credit seem to target adults- which means that our 15,16, 17 year olds with tons of college credit don't have a ton of options for taking that credit somewhere. The big 3 are fine, but even if they were open enrollment, there are a lot of occupations that are not a good fit for those schools. I had high hopes for the Alternative Credit Project to bridge ACE credit into traditional colleges, but not so much.
You should try the Colorado Community College system as an option. I don't have degree plans or anything, but the entire state participated in the ACPE, which was a guaranteed transfer into Colorado University schools as a full and perfect transfer. I don't know what kind of ACE credit your teens have, but if any of it was part of ACPE, you can go back and have their ACE transcript updated showing both. Colorado also has distance learning. There are a lot of barriers in this path (ACE for teens).
[/quote]
And just like that, my mind is blown again
Thanks for the suggestion. I will begin looking into the Colorado Community College system and ACPE as well because we do have several ACE courses on the current transcripts (As well as B&M, CLEP/DSST, study.com, Straighterline, etc). If anyone else has info or experience going the Colorado Community College route please share it here or we could even start another thread. Let's try to help each other out as much as possible.
[/quote]
This brings up a question for me that maybe you can advise on cookderosa-what would you do with a 15yo (almost 16) with 62 credits? It's more than a few credits, but certainly not 90+. On one hand, they are half way there, but on the other, they cannot apply for two more years. In reality they could finish before the 2 years are up. You are right that any changes in gen eds could be difficult, but probably not insurmountable. We have been pondering this since hearing about the age requirement change and are not sure if we should change course (ie. switch schools), continue on with TESU and hope that they don't change the age requirement again or ????
[/quote]
Since you asked my opinion, I am of the opinion that shortening k-12 isn't a good idea, but rather bringing the goalpost of a college degree closer is a great idea. So, if this were my son (and I have 4 sons, each has been/is/will be in the same situation as yours) I would construct a plan B. TESU, if they become hard-core on this issue, is not an option for your son. Without special exception, he's 5 years away from enrolling. When parents have a plan to finish so far ahead of a traditional age, I'm probably not the best person to give targeted advice since I haven't spent time in that pursuit with my boys. If, however, one of my sons told me they wanted to finish high school (stop homeschooling) at age 16 AND finish their degree at that time, I would be quite sad- because in our house that means its time to launch - and I like having influence over them for at least a year or two into their 20's.
[/quote]
Thank you for your opinions. We certainly have a lot to think about. We are worldschoolers so we travel extensively. The flexibility of the TESU program really worked for us. I would always tell fellow worldschoolers that there kids could still travel the world and go to college because we were doing it. Now, I'm not so sure. Shortening K-12 is also not my goal. However, I also see a a lot of value in not repeating coursework and moving the college goalpost closer. We are just finishing up gen ed's with my two (almost 16 and 17) and this change has thrown us for a loop. We decided to slow down our travels in order to utilize the dual enrollment program in our state for the next two years (maximum), but now our future is not as clear. I think I really need to explore COSC and EC and try and map out a new path, but it seems like a daunting task.
[/quote]
It is daunting for sure.
The catch 22 is that the ACE courses are perfect for homeschoolers who don't have easy access to AP courses (especially regarding cost and exam location) and CLEP works if you have your own curriculum....which is usually also daunting for parents. So, these benefits are perfect for homeschoolers, but the colleges that allow the most credit seem to target adults- which means that our 15,16, 17 year olds with tons of college credit don't have a ton of options for taking that credit somewhere. The big 3 are fine, but even if they were open enrollment, there are a lot of occupations that are not a good fit for those schools. I had high hopes for the Alternative Credit Project to bridge ACE credit into traditional colleges, but not so much.
You should try the Colorado Community College system as an option. I don't have degree plans or anything, but the entire state participated in the ACPE, which was a guaranteed transfer into Colorado University schools as a full and perfect transfer. I don't know what kind of ACE credit your teens have, but if any of it was part of ACPE, you can go back and have their ACE transcript updated showing both. Colorado also has distance learning. There are a lot of barriers in this path (ACE for teens).
[/quote]
And just like that, my mind is blown again
Thanks for the suggestion. I will begin looking into the Colorado Community College system and ACPE as well because we do have several ACE courses on the current transcripts (As well as B&M, CLEP/DSST, study.com, Straighterline, etc). If anyone else has info or experience going the Colorado Community College route please share it here or we could even start another thread. Let's try to help each other out as much as possible.
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