Pros and Cons with SOS and FLVS?

Question

I want to know the Pros and cons between SOS(switched on schoolhouse) and FLVS (florida virtual school).

I don't know whitch one to choose.

Answer 1

I don't know anything abut FLVS but I've done the SOS curiculum last year and am switchin to Abeka this year if I don't go to private school.  THe pros of SOS is the following:

custimizable, cool tools to use,  affordable,  easy set-up, grades your tests, quizes at a click of an icon, and is all on the computer and organized for you.  The cons are the folllowing:

must teach yourself, would be better with a teacher, ALOT of reading,  sometimes doesn't explain very well, can grade wrong,  can get stuck on a problem and not able to move forward, sometimes it can mess up cuz it is a computer,  and is just mostly hard to figure out.

Answer 2

I know absolutly nothing about Florida Virtual School, we don't live in Florida, but we have been using SOS for 3 years.

So, here are the pros: User friendly, quick set-up, self-guided learning (upper grades) instant feedback, comp grading or parent grading, customizable, easily transportable via laptop, no internet connection required, printable grades and forms, uniform learning thruout all studies, games, tests and quizes.  Cost is quite reasonable.  Can create your own school calendar.  Work at your own speed.

Cons:  Can move too slowly for gifted learners, Christian world view (con or not depending on your beliefs).  A lot of reading.

We tried another cirriculum last year, but quit mid-year and returned to SOS at my students request.  So, I guess that's a pro!

Answer 3

My daughter has been using FLVS for 3 years. The pros are that it is online. It has regular high school type classes and quite a few AP's as well as Honors classes. You have a few paces that you can choose from and you have monthly calls with the teachers, plus you can call them during office hours (they have quite a bit of these) and they also offer tutorials and/or tutor sessions and you can resubmit most assignment but not tests or quizzes. Sometime you work with other students.

The cons are that sometimes the teachers take a few days to get back to you and you have to have a good internet connection. If you do all of the work that you are supposed to do some courses can be more time consuming then regular high school courses. Another con is that some of the courses have problems like not always teaching to the test. Found this in Latin for example. However my daughter takes a few courses per year but does not use it for her entire curriculum.

Con if you are from out of state, because it is expensive, BIG pro if you are in Florida because it is 100% free.

Answer 4

Those are *completely* different.  If you're in FL, FLVS is a public school option - so it's basically free.  If you're in another state, it's a private online school.

SOS is a *curriculum*, not a school.  You'd be considered an independent homeschooler and would have to purchase all the SOS courses.

Both use the computer.  SOS is *very* buggy (that's why they have new versions every year - not just updates) and it only uses one teaching style.  With FLVS you'll have a lot of different learning styles.

With FLVS you'll have assigned, certified teachers helping and making sure you're on track.  With SOS, your parents will have to work as your "learning coach/teacher".