The option to request a free copy of the PASS textbooks on CD-ROM is no longer available. A visit to the new PASS site says that free copies are mailed to Florida schools, and other schools may purchase the books.
The individual courses that use PASS books have links to previous editions that you can download for free. I will change those pages to no longer say, "See the main page for information about ordering free copies." as soon as I can get to it.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Earth Science resource.
THIS LINK takes you to a textbook companion website to "Explore the World of Earth Science." It includes animations and interactive lessons ("investigations").
Thursday, August 18, 2011
High school math help.
This is a textbook companion site that has practice problems, tests, and video tutorials. It covers Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, and PreCalculus. Click on the textbook cover and you're taken to the chapter links. The video tutorials are topic specific, so you can find exactly what you need.
FIND IT HERE.
FIND IT HERE.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Study resources.
SAS CURRICULUM PATHWAYS has moved out of the Beta stage and into a full launch. This link takes you to the main page, where you can create a free account. This program covers core subjects - mathematics, English/language arts, science, and social studes - and Spanish, as well. Within each subject you will find short activities or audio files on specific topics, such as an interactive tool dedicated to "Exploring Graphs of Linear Systems" in the algebra section.
Whatever course you are studying, you might want to visit the SAS website to see if there are any activities that can help you.
Along the same lines is McGraw-Hill's PRIMARY SOURCE INVESTIGATOR, a program centered on history studies. Simply choose a book title based on which history you are studying (such as U.S.) and then you will be taken to a list of topics with short readings and/or interactive clips.
Whatever course you are studying, you might want to visit the SAS website to see if there are any activities that can help you.
Along the same lines is McGraw-Hill's PRIMARY SOURCE INVESTIGATOR, a program centered on history studies. Simply choose a book title based on which history you are studying (such as U.S.) and then you will be taken to a list of topics with short readings and/or interactive clips.
Inexpensive world history/western civilizations books.
Just like with the science books below, I did an Amazon hunt for history books, for anyone who prefers to have a printed textbook to read. As always, these links are merely FYI. They aren't affiliate links and you don't have to buy anything here.
World History to 1500, 2006 edition, used from $1.20.
World History, Volume II: Since 1500, 2006 edition, used from $3.00.
The World's History, Volume 1 (to 1500), 2005 edition, used from $3.00.
The World's History, Volume 2 (since 1100), 2005 edition, used from $0.36.
The World's History: Combined, 2000 edition, used from $11.99. This is a combined volume of the previous two books. It's actually, (even with shipping), still cheaper to buy the separate, newer books, but I included it because there is, as of right now, one seller selling it new for $18, if you prefer new books.
The Heritage of World Civilizations, Volume 1, 2008 edition, used from $2.00. (There's a 2002 edition HERE starting at $0.08.)
The Heritage of World Civilizations, Volume 2, 2008 edition, used starting at $9.56. (The 2002 edition HERE starts at $0.51.)
Western Civilizations, Volume 1 2002 edition, used from $0.34
Western Civilizations, Volume 2, 2005 edition, used from one penny. (No, really.)
Western Civilizations, Brief Edition (One-Volume Edition), 2005 edition, used from $1.99. (This is the condensed version of both previous volumes, combined.)
Western Civilizations, Single Volume Edition, 2002 edition, used from $1.78. (This is the full version of the two volumes, combined.)
Western Civilization: Brief Discovery Edition, 2005 edition, used from $0.51. This is a different textbook than the other Western Civ books above. (And keep in mind, this "brief" book is over 700 pages long.)
The Western Heritage, 2000 edition, used from $0.98.
World History to 1500, 2006 edition, used from $1.20.
World History, Volume II: Since 1500, 2006 edition, used from $3.00.
The World's History, Volume 1 (to 1500), 2005 edition, used from $3.00.
The World's History, Volume 2 (since 1100), 2005 edition, used from $0.36.
The World's History: Combined, 2000 edition, used from $11.99. This is a combined volume of the previous two books. It's actually, (even with shipping), still cheaper to buy the separate, newer books, but I included it because there is, as of right now, one seller selling it new for $18, if you prefer new books.
The Heritage of World Civilizations, Volume 1, 2008 edition, used from $2.00. (There's a 2002 edition HERE starting at $0.08.)
The Heritage of World Civilizations, Volume 2, 2008 edition, used starting at $9.56. (The 2002 edition HERE starts at $0.51.)
Western Civilizations, Volume 1 2002 edition, used from $0.34
Western Civilizations, Volume 2, 2005 edition, used from one penny. (No, really.)
Western Civilizations, Brief Edition (One-Volume Edition), 2005 edition, used from $1.99. (This is the condensed version of both previous volumes, combined.)
Western Civilizations, Single Volume Edition, 2002 edition, used from $1.78. (This is the full version of the two volumes, combined.)
Western Civilization: Brief Discovery Edition, 2005 edition, used from $0.51. This is a different textbook than the other Western Civ books above. (And keep in mind, this "brief" book is over 700 pages long.)
The Western Heritage, 2000 edition, used from $0.98.
Back to school sales.
I'm looking over the flyer for my local Wal-Mart and it lists 1-inch "Economy" binders for $0.92. I believe they only come in black or white, but in any case, it's a very good price for binders for the study journals. (The economy binders don't have the plastic coverings that allow for cover sheets, if that's important to you.) 1-inch binders are a little on the small size for a full-year course, but you could consider buying one per semester, if the $1.84 price for two is still less than anything you can find in a larger size.
Just to note: Spiral notebooks are $0.20. Of course this may be a regional thing and vary by area/state. In any case, I'm pointing it out because the pages are perforated, so your student can remove the paper (70 sheets per notebook) as he uses it, to place in his study journals, if you want to save a little bit more money. Notebook paper is selling at $0.75 for 150 pages, so $3 = 600 pages. On the other hand, if you buy 10 spirals, at $2, you'd get 700 pages. This may be getting a little too penny-pinching for some people, but it can be an option for those on a really tight budget. Also, the cheap spirals make good scratch paper for working out math problems.
Speaking of spirals, there is a reason I do not suggest simply using them for the study journals. As your child builds his journals, working around an exam outline, he will find information for individual topics in more than one place. By using binders, he can add notes on each topic to any previous notes he's already written, to keep everything grouped together. For instance, if he's studying biology and has a section of his study journal devoted to the topic "Root, stem, leaf, flower, seed, fruit," as listed in the CLEP outline, any time he comes across information pertaining to this topic, he can add it to his study journal in the appropriate spot.
Side note: The flyer has 3-shelf bookshelves for a "roll-back" price of $12.48. They aren't terribly fancy or anything, but they do make a good place to keep study journals and any books you purchase for the year. We don't have space for a dedicated school room, so each child has a bookshelf where all binders, books, and supplies like pens and pencils (kept in dollar store baskets) sit. There's also a box on the top of each bookshelf to hold library books. The rule is, you can take a book out to read it, but it goes back in the box when you're done. This way there's never any scramble to find all the books the day we go to the library to return them.
Just to note: Spiral notebooks are $0.20. Of course this may be a regional thing and vary by area/state. In any case, I'm pointing it out because the pages are perforated, so your student can remove the paper (70 sheets per notebook) as he uses it, to place in his study journals, if you want to save a little bit more money. Notebook paper is selling at $0.75 for 150 pages, so $3 = 600 pages. On the other hand, if you buy 10 spirals, at $2, you'd get 700 pages. This may be getting a little too penny-pinching for some people, but it can be an option for those on a really tight budget. Also, the cheap spirals make good scratch paper for working out math problems.
Speaking of spirals, there is a reason I do not suggest simply using them for the study journals. As your child builds his journals, working around an exam outline, he will find information for individual topics in more than one place. By using binders, he can add notes on each topic to any previous notes he's already written, to keep everything grouped together. For instance, if he's studying biology and has a section of his study journal devoted to the topic "Root, stem, leaf, flower, seed, fruit," as listed in the CLEP outline, any time he comes across information pertaining to this topic, he can add it to his study journal in the appropriate spot.
Side note: The flyer has 3-shelf bookshelves for a "roll-back" price of $12.48. They aren't terribly fancy or anything, but they do make a good place to keep study journals and any books you purchase for the year. We don't have space for a dedicated school room, so each child has a bookshelf where all binders, books, and supplies like pens and pencils (kept in dollar store baskets) sit. There's also a box on the top of each bookshelf to hold library books. The rule is, you can take a book out to read it, but it goes back in the box when you're done. This way there's never any scramble to find all the books the day we go to the library to return them.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Free Audio Books.
Just wanted to give a quick plug for a great site - LIT2GO. Lit2Go has a nice offering of free audio books in downloadable MP3 files. My daughter has dyslexia and reading for any length of time can give her severe headaches. Thanks to sites like Lit2Go, we can download audio versions of classic literature for her to listen to on her MP3 player.
Foreign Languages... Things that make you go, "Hmmmm."
(Remember THAT SONG?)
If you've visited the Spanish, French, or German course pages, you've seen a link to the FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE'S FREE LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. If you poke around, you'll see there are dozens of different languages offered there. Anyone up for learning TWI?
Recently I was given a copy of BARRON'S MASTERING SPANISH 1. As I flipped through the book (from 2003), I thought, "Well, this looks awfully familiar."
The main page of the FSI Language Courses website has this to say: "These courses were developed by the United States government and are in the public domain."
The front cover of the Barron's book says, "Developed by the Foreign Service Institute. The same course used by the U.S. Government to train diplomatic personnel."
Yes. Yes, it is the same course. The exact same course. The free, public domain course that Barron's is repackaging and selling (because, frankly, they can; anyone can.) So, you can go ahead and spend the $46 or up to buy it on CD and get a printed copy of the book, or you can download everything for free. The files on the site are MP3s and we've been able to transfer them to my daughter's MP3 player without an issue.
Just as a side note while discussing foreign languages: The free Destinos and French in Action videos from Annenberg do coordinate with textbooks. Right now you can get the textbooks used through Amazon for less than $15, if you'd like to have them.
If you've visited the Spanish, French, or German course pages, you've seen a link to the FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE'S FREE LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. If you poke around, you'll see there are dozens of different languages offered there. Anyone up for learning TWI?
Recently I was given a copy of BARRON'S MASTERING SPANISH 1. As I flipped through the book (from 2003), I thought, "Well, this looks awfully familiar."
The main page of the FSI Language Courses website has this to say: "These courses were developed by the United States government and are in the public domain."
The front cover of the Barron's book says, "Developed by the Foreign Service Institute. The same course used by the U.S. Government to train diplomatic personnel."
Yes. Yes, it is the same course. The exact same course. The free, public domain course that Barron's is repackaging and selling (because, frankly, they can; anyone can.) So, you can go ahead and spend the $46 or up to buy it on CD and get a printed copy of the book, or you can download everything for free. The files on the site are MP3s and we've been able to transfer them to my daughter's MP3 player without an issue.
Just as a side note while discussing foreign languages: The free Destinos and French in Action videos from Annenberg do coordinate with textbooks. Right now you can get the textbooks used through Amazon for less than $15, if you'd like to have them.
Florida homeschoolers: It's tax-free weekend.
Just a reminder to Florida homeschoolers that it's (sales) tax-free school shopping time, now through Sunday. CLICK HERE for a printable list of all the items that qualify.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Pssst... PASS Textbooks update.
Any course that uses one or more PASS textbooks has been updated with links to previous free editions available for instant download, thanks to ERIC (Education Resource Information Center). You may still want to send away for the CD-ROMs if you can, but this provides you with another option. (Especially helpful if you are just getting started and want/need to begin your studies as soon as possible.)
Study Journal Covers.
It's my son's birthday and I have a small gift for you. (Isn't it cool how that works out sometimes?) Consider it a "Back to School" special for those of you who follow a traditional school-year calendar.
If you use the type of binders that have clear plastic tops that allow you to slip a piece of paper in the front of your binder, these covers especially work well, but you can use them as a first page in any kind of binder you have. Keep in mind, study journal covers are completely unnecessary (and arguably frivilous)- you don't have to spend the ink to print them, but if you do want a set of covers and don't have the time/desire to make your own, you can use the ones I've uploaded for you here: JOURNAL COVERS.
Just a few notes:
1. I made covers for every course currently available on the site. This includes making covers for all the courses my children themselves didn't/haven't completed, because, obviously, I didn't already have those to share with you and I wanted to create a complete set.
2. All the covers are together in one zip file. I really didn't want to spend the time uploading them individually. There are over 50! (There's even a cover for your Record of Study, as described in the Getting Started portion of the website.)
3. There are two "Art-Drawing" covers because I made different covers for my own children, since they disagreed on which graphic they liked best. Choose whichever you want.
4. The images used in these covers all came from the same royalty-free website that I pay a subscription fee to access. This means you are free to download and use these covers if you like but you cannot reuse the images. Speaking of, these file represent hours of work. They are given away freely here on my site but they should not be repackaged or hosted elsewhere. If you want to share them with friends, please simply point them to the link here. And absolutely - these files are NEVER to be sold in any form. NO EXCEPTIONS!
5. When I print covers for my children, I also include their names and school year info. I have removed that from all the files for you for obvious reasons, but here are two examples of what they would look like with that included: ONE YEAR COURSE EXAMPLE and SEMESTER COURSE EXAMPLE.
If I add any more courses to the site, I will make a new journal cover for it, accordingly. By the way, I'm also adding the link to the covers to the FREE PLANNING FORMS page. That page is a relatively new addition to the site, if you haven't already seen it. It includes blanks calendars of various types, subject planning forms, and even forms you can use for report cards and transcripts.
If you use the type of binders that have clear plastic tops that allow you to slip a piece of paper in the front of your binder, these covers especially work well, but you can use them as a first page in any kind of binder you have. Keep in mind, study journal covers are completely unnecessary (and arguably frivilous)- you don't have to spend the ink to print them, but if you do want a set of covers and don't have the time/desire to make your own, you can use the ones I've uploaded for you here: JOURNAL COVERS.
Just a few notes:
1. I made covers for every course currently available on the site. This includes making covers for all the courses my children themselves didn't/haven't completed, because, obviously, I didn't already have those to share with you and I wanted to create a complete set.
2. All the covers are together in one zip file. I really didn't want to spend the time uploading them individually. There are over 50! (There's even a cover for your Record of Study, as described in the Getting Started portion of the website.)
3. There are two "Art-Drawing" covers because I made different covers for my own children, since they disagreed on which graphic they liked best. Choose whichever you want.
4. The images used in these covers all came from the same royalty-free website that I pay a subscription fee to access. This means you are free to download and use these covers if you like but you cannot reuse the images. Speaking of, these file represent hours of work. They are given away freely here on my site but they should not be repackaged or hosted elsewhere. If you want to share them with friends, please simply point them to the link here. And absolutely - these files are NEVER to be sold in any form. NO EXCEPTIONS!
5. When I print covers for my children, I also include their names and school year info. I have removed that from all the files for you for obvious reasons, but here are two examples of what they would look like with that included: ONE YEAR COURSE EXAMPLE and SEMESTER COURSE EXAMPLE.
If I add any more courses to the site, I will make a new journal cover for it, accordingly. By the way, I'm also adding the link to the covers to the FREE PLANNING FORMS page. That page is a relatively new addition to the site, if you haven't already seen it. It includes blanks calendars of various types, subject planning forms, and even forms you can use for report cards and transcripts.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Inexpensive science textbooks.
In keeping with the earlier post I made about finding inexpensive textbooks, I've done a little digging around on Amazon and found the following. Even with the $3.99 in shipping costs per book, none of these books would cost you more than $17, if you purchased the least expensive one for sale, and most of them would come in under $10. Although CK-12 provides free science textbooks, if you don't want to be reading everything on your computer or mobile reader (Nook, Kindle, etc.), buying a used textbook like any of these is cheaper than printing out the free books, when factoring in ink and paper. (Reminder: These are NOT affiliate links - just here FYI):
Environmental Science: Principles, Connections, & Solutions - 2007 edition, used starting at $1.79.
Environmental Science: A Global Concern - 2007 edition, used starting at $13.00.
Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology - 2002 edition, used starting at $0.35.
The Good Earth: Introduction to Earth Science - 2007 edition, used starting at $1.99.
Biology - 2007 edition, used starting at $4.93. (According to the description, this book has 1259 pages and weighs over 7 pounds! Sheesh.)
Biology: Concepts & Investigations - 2008 edition, used starting at $4.49.
Introductory Chemistry: A Foundation - 2003 edition, used starting at $10.86.
Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry - 2005 edition, used starting at $4.00.
Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe - 2006 edition, used from $3.50.
Astronomy: The Evolving Universe - 2002 edition, used starting at $7.97.
Physics - 2004 edition, used from $6.41.
Physics: Principles and Problems - 2004 edition, used starting at $13.00.
Environmental Science: Principles, Connections, & Solutions - 2007 edition, used starting at $1.79.
Environmental Science: A Global Concern - 2007 edition, used starting at $13.00.
Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology - 2002 edition, used starting at $0.35.
The Good Earth: Introduction to Earth Science - 2007 edition, used starting at $1.99.
Biology - 2007 edition, used starting at $4.93. (According to the description, this book has 1259 pages and weighs over 7 pounds! Sheesh.)
Biology: Concepts & Investigations - 2008 edition, used starting at $4.49.
Introductory Chemistry: A Foundation - 2003 edition, used starting at $10.86.
Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry - 2005 edition, used starting at $4.00.
Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe - 2006 edition, used from $3.50.
Astronomy: The Evolving Universe - 2002 edition, used starting at $7.97.
Physics - 2004 edition, used from $6.41.
Physics: Principles and Problems - 2004 edition, used starting at $13.00.
Environmental Science.
I have split out ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE from earth science as its own course. This can be used to study for either the AP Environmental Science exam or the DSST Race to Save the Planet exam, or as an alternate 1-year high school science course.
Monday, August 8, 2011
SAT & ACT Prep.
Depending on your college of choice, you may need to take either the SAT or ACT exam. (Many scholarships also require these scores.) I have added a SAT & ACT TEST PREP page to the site with several links to free resources to help you prepare.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
If the materials here on HC USA aren't enough....
NOTE: All links in this post are used for reference only. They are NOT affiliate links; if you choose to purchase anything mentioned here, I will not profit from it. I am not attempting to make money off you by making this blog post.
There may be a point where you either feel that the free resources available online are not enough, or you may simply want additional materials to study. In that case, there are a few options that can help you.
Cheap textbooks. Believe it or not, they do exist. You have probably heard college students (justifiably) complain about the costs of books, but that's because they are often forced to buy the latest edition of whatever book their course requires, and this can often be $150 or more. When you are self-studying, this is not the case. Not only can you buy used, but you can buy the used previous edition. While sometimes books really do go through major revisions, often the changes are minimal. We have in our house an environmental science textbook that, when reading through the preface and introduction pages, we learned has undergone rewrites on an average of more than once a year. (17 in 12 years.) I think there's something to be said about the belief that books are "updated" frequently to keep the prices artificially high. Colleges do get money from the sales, after all. As frequently as science can change with new discoveries, I find it awfully hard to swallow the idea that it changed so much to warrant the need for THAT many new editions of our book!
How do you find cheap textbooks, and how do you even know which one to buy? You want to start with a visit to a college or university website where you can scroll through their online catalog and course descriptions. For an example, let's suppose you are interested in taking the Biology CLEP. You visit the THOMAS EDISON STATE COLLEGE WEBSITE and discover that the Biology 101 course uses a book called Biology: Concepts and Applications (8th ed.) This book is being sold new for $145. Ouch. However, a perusal of Amazon's website reveals you can order a PREVIOUS EDITION OF THE SAME BOOK new for under $18 and used for as little as $2.99.
You can use this method of finding inexpensive textbooks for any course you are undertaking. Alternately, you can also find textbook titles by LOOKING AT A SPECIFIC EXAM GUIDE to see what textbooks are recommended for study, and then also look to find a used previous edition.
Study guides. The obvious ones here are the "Whatever for Dummies" and "Idiot's Guide to Whatever" books, but there are other series out there you might be interested in. Many of them include chapter quizzes, and some even have tests and final exams. If you're in a state/situation where you need to keep grades, this can be especially helpful. (Keep in mind, if you plan to use the quizzes, you should consider buying new, or make certain the used book isn't written in, because someone may have already marked the answers otherwise.)
1. THE DEMYSTIFIED SERIES. These books generally cover math and science topics, though there are some other subjects.
2. HOMEWORK HELPERS. These cover a wide range of subjects.
3. (WILEY'S) SELF TEACHING GUIDES. Mostly maths and sciences.
4. NO NONSENSE KNOWLEDGE. These books come with titles like "Chemistry Made Simple."
The nice thing about the study guides are you can often get them new from around $10, and used for half that (or even less.)
Practice Exams. While, unfortunately, it seems that the free practice exam sites keep disappearing, you can pay to take them. You can either look at BUYING A PREP BOOK THAT COMES WITH PRACTICE EXAMS or TAKE A FEE-BASED ONLINE PRACTICE TEST. If you are particulary worried about the exam, this is a good option. After all, the $5-$25 you invest here may make the difference between a pass or a fail, and since you do pay to take the exams, you definitely only want to take each one once!
(You should also check your local library. Ours has many exam study guides you can check out. Interestingly, these must be books that have a high rate of not being returned, because our library has a policy now that you must leave a $20 deposit to check any of these books out, which is given back once you've returned it.)
There may be a point where you either feel that the free resources available online are not enough, or you may simply want additional materials to study. In that case, there are a few options that can help you.
Cheap textbooks. Believe it or not, they do exist. You have probably heard college students (justifiably) complain about the costs of books, but that's because they are often forced to buy the latest edition of whatever book their course requires, and this can often be $150 or more. When you are self-studying, this is not the case. Not only can you buy used, but you can buy the used previous edition. While sometimes books really do go through major revisions, often the changes are minimal. We have in our house an environmental science textbook that, when reading through the preface and introduction pages, we learned has undergone rewrites on an average of more than once a year. (17 in 12 years.) I think there's something to be said about the belief that books are "updated" frequently to keep the prices artificially high. Colleges do get money from the sales, after all. As frequently as science can change with new discoveries, I find it awfully hard to swallow the idea that it changed so much to warrant the need for THAT many new editions of our book!
How do you find cheap textbooks, and how do you even know which one to buy? You want to start with a visit to a college or university website where you can scroll through their online catalog and course descriptions. For an example, let's suppose you are interested in taking the Biology CLEP. You visit the THOMAS EDISON STATE COLLEGE WEBSITE and discover that the Biology 101 course uses a book called Biology: Concepts and Applications (8th ed.) This book is being sold new for $145. Ouch. However, a perusal of Amazon's website reveals you can order a PREVIOUS EDITION OF THE SAME BOOK new for under $18 and used for as little as $2.99.
You can use this method of finding inexpensive textbooks for any course you are undertaking. Alternately, you can also find textbook titles by LOOKING AT A SPECIFIC EXAM GUIDE to see what textbooks are recommended for study, and then also look to find a used previous edition.
Study guides. The obvious ones here are the "Whatever for Dummies" and "Idiot's Guide to Whatever" books, but there are other series out there you might be interested in. Many of them include chapter quizzes, and some even have tests and final exams. If you're in a state/situation where you need to keep grades, this can be especially helpful. (Keep in mind, if you plan to use the quizzes, you should consider buying new, or make certain the used book isn't written in, because someone may have already marked the answers otherwise.)
1. THE DEMYSTIFIED SERIES. These books generally cover math and science topics, though there are some other subjects.
2. HOMEWORK HELPERS. These cover a wide range of subjects.
3. (WILEY'S) SELF TEACHING GUIDES. Mostly maths and sciences.
4. NO NONSENSE KNOWLEDGE. These books come with titles like "Chemistry Made Simple."
The nice thing about the study guides are you can often get them new from around $10, and used for half that (or even less.)
Practice Exams. While, unfortunately, it seems that the free practice exam sites keep disappearing, you can pay to take them. You can either look at BUYING A PREP BOOK THAT COMES WITH PRACTICE EXAMS or TAKE A FEE-BASED ONLINE PRACTICE TEST. If you are particulary worried about the exam, this is a good option. After all, the $5-$25 you invest here may make the difference between a pass or a fail, and since you do pay to take the exams, you definitely only want to take each one once!
(You should also check your local library. Ours has many exam study guides you can check out. Interestingly, these must be books that have a high rate of not being returned, because our library has a policy now that you must leave a $20 deposit to check any of these books out, which is given back once you've returned it.)
What about AP exams?
I have not addressed AP exams at all on HC USA. Here in Florida, (and in at least some other states that I know of), the free online public school, FLORIDA VIRTUAL SCHOOL offers AP classes homeschoolers can take, so generally, I have pointed people I know in that direction if they have interest in using AP tests for credit.
That said, you may not live in a state that has this option, so here are some things you might like to know:
1. Yes, you can take an AP exam without taking an AP class, if you are a homeschooler. THE OFFICIAL AP WEBSITE says this: "If you are a homeschooled student or attend a school that doesn't offer AP, you can still participate. Each year hundreds of students participate through independent study. Some states even sponsor online AP courses." *
2. You may want to look over the AP EXAM LIST as there are some exams offered in courses that do not have equivalent CLEP/DSST exams.
3. Remember that with AP exams, unlike the other college-level exams, you only have a certain time during the year that you can take the tests. THIS CALENDAR shows the AP dates for 2011.
4. SPARK NOTES offers some AP Prep. Scroll down the screen for a list of tests.
5. If there is enough interest in self-studying for AP exams, I can look at putting together additional electives on HC USA to cover those tests that are different from the CLEPs, etc.
* This applies to homeschoolers. If you've already graduated high school, I do not believe you would be eligible to take an AP exam. I suppose you could contact the College Board and ask.
That said, you may not live in a state that has this option, so here are some things you might like to know:
1. Yes, you can take an AP exam without taking an AP class, if you are a homeschooler. THE OFFICIAL AP WEBSITE says this: "If you are a homeschooled student or attend a school that doesn't offer AP, you can still participate. Each year hundreds of students participate through independent study. Some states even sponsor online AP courses." *
2. You may want to look over the AP EXAM LIST as there are some exams offered in courses that do not have equivalent CLEP/DSST exams.
3. Remember that with AP exams, unlike the other college-level exams, you only have a certain time during the year that you can take the tests. THIS CALENDAR shows the AP dates for 2011.
4. SPARK NOTES offers some AP Prep. Scroll down the screen for a list of tests.
5. If there is enough interest in self-studying for AP exams, I can look at putting together additional electives on HC USA to cover those tests that are different from the CLEPs, etc.
* This applies to homeschoolers. If you've already graduated high school, I do not believe you would be eligible to take an AP exam. I suppose you could contact the College Board and ask.
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