Virtual Charter School?

Question

I am thinking about letting my child attend a "Virtual Charter School," for high school, maybe you all can help me reach my conclusion...

So, I just want to ask if you do have a child in a VCS, or have some experience with VCS how is it? What are the pros & cons?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I have 3 kids in Cyber school.. and No, it is NOT considered homeschooling.. PA Leadership charter school is a free PUBLIC online school.. the credits are transferrable to other schools, colleges...  We love it.. freedom to work at our schedule,  field trips, proms, graduation ceremonies.. No bullies, no cliques, no catching every cold, flu or worse that comes down the pike....Go for it!

Answer 2

DONT DO IT. I ended up having to go back to school and then since its considered a homeschool , the credits didnt count. so i had to go to school an extra year .

Answer 3

I work for a virtual charter school, and obviously it is not the right school choice for everybody.  If your child does not have much self-motivation, it will be very difficult for him/her to be successful in a vcs, I promise!

Pros and Cons are pretty much what everyone else has already said.  Again, it depends on your situation.  I get a lot of teen parents, kids who need to work, athletes, kids with medical problems, and kids who are just afraid to go to their local school.  VCS is wonderful for them!  Often, though, kids think that going to a VCS will be an "easy out," and then are in for a rude awakening.

Answer 4

My son briefly attended a "virtual charter school" which is technically "public school at home"--not homeschool--before I began homeschooling him.

PROS

Loaner computer (usually)

Tutoring (if your child needs it)

Free loaner books

Clubs/Activities that the virtual school creates/sponsors

Help/assurance from a "certified" teacher if you are not confident in your teaching ability

CONS

Having to teach your child according to public school standards

Your child will probably have to take standardized tests

You will have to teach your child for the public school mandate concerning a certain # of hours per day

If you stop, you will have to return the loaner computer

If you stop, you will have to return the books

You will have to adhere to the school's academic year and cannot create your own time frame

The virtual school my son was enrolled in used K12, Inc. curriculum.  He was at the beginning of his 1st grade year, and the curriculum did not work for him.  He considered it to be "dry, dull, and boring," and so did I.  However, some people love it.  

Therefore, I pulled him out and began homeschooling him with the curriculum of my choice and have never looked back.

I hope this is helpful.

Answer 5

I've worked for a few VCS's.  I've always HS'ed independently and never used one, though.  I prefer the freedom of HS'ing and we have room in our budget to pay for our son's education.

My answer really hinges on if you've ever HS'ed or not.  Perhaps you can update your Q.

The pros are:  free curriculum, teacher support, "PTA" groups, online forums for parent & student, loan of a computer and printer, [sometimes] Internet access reimbursement, and normal public school standardized testing (last one may be a con for some).

The cons are:  you're still linked to the public school, much more restrictive than HS'ing on your own, you must adhere to their curriculum, you must follow their progress goals, you have to abide by their school calendar, and some local HS'ing groups may shun you if they are against VCS's (it happens A LOT!).  HSLDA will not let you join them, either.

They can be a great bridge between HS'ing and public schooling.  This can be helpful for a spouse or other family member who is against "HS'ing" but is okay with "public school at home".

That's the basics!

If you're looking at a VCS that uses the K12 curriculum, I can also help you w/ any questions.

===========

EDIT after reading Lyndzee's answer.  A virtual charter school is *NOT* homeschooling.  You get credits just like if you'd go to your neighborhood high school in your district.  It sounds like her high school may have been picky about where credits came from, OR she didn't perform well enough in the VCS to earn credits.