Considering the CLEP exams for homeschoolersby Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger 14 Oct 2008 09:33 PM I have been pondering a different direction for my son's homeschool program. While my daughter is enjoying outside classes, my son is becoming bored and deciding they are a waste of time. For that reason, I have spent the day looking at online high schools that he could finish at his own pace. I figure he could still attend his monday fine arts and theater classes and do his own thing the rest of the week. In addition to finishing high school at his own pace, I am also exploring the possibility of his beginning to study for and take CLEP courses. CLEP exams are a lot like AP exams with the exception that CLEP exams do not normally have classes that you take before taking the exam. You just study for it and take it. Like the AP courses, if you pass a CLEP course, most colleges will accept that as credit for the course, saving you money and time. According to Homeschool.com, "The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) has not to date received as much attention in high-school circles as the AP. Originally designed for adults who wanted to "pass out of" courses that covered material they had learned through independent study or work experience, the 34 CLEP exams are less rigorous than the APs. Subjects covered are typical of what you'll find first- and second-year courses at most "general" colleges, including a suite of business subject exams not found in the APs.". The reason I am looking at CLEP options instead of AP is that after making several phone calls, I found out that the local colleges in my area are not very homeschool friendly. To have access to a college level course in high school, my kid would have to enroll in a public school at home program, finish high school first, or wait until his senior year in high school. Read : Homeschoolers at Harvard? Colleges Seek Homeschoolers Going to College When You Are In the Army College Classes and the Homeshooler: Advanced Placement Learn more about Andrea Hermitt  Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children. Relevanthomeschooling tags User Comments  Julie Gentry (5915) 14 Oct 2008 09:53 PMMy brother did most of his undergraduate degree via CLEP. He said the Sociology test was the easiest :-). He would typically spend a week of intensive study before the exam, then take it while everything was still fresh in his mind. Mine will be doing some of them. Another way is through summer field studies. Since they need a lab science anyway, this is a good opportunity to fulfill high school requirements while earning college credits. One of mine is considering an archaeological expedition through a local community college. 15 credits for an 8 week full-time course. The instructor will take 16-year olds. One son will also be taking FEMA courses. He started these for a Scout badge (emergency preparedness), and is going to have them converted to college credit (through the link on their page: http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp).  Valorie Delp (49340) 15 Oct 2008 02:18 AMOh older and wiser women. . .would you consider CLEP before AP?  Andrea Hermitt (5472) 15 Oct 2008 06:38 AMNormally, I am a big AP fan being from NY and having used it to get a much needed head start in college myself. However, the colleges in my area are not very homeschool friendly, and I would have to enroll my child in virtual public school to take advantage of it. For that reason, I am considering CLEP... the other plus is that he can do more CLEP in a year than he can do AP because it is at his own pace and not at the pace of a year's or semester's curriculum. I hope that helped... grasshopper. Valorie Delp (49340) 15 Oct 2008 09:42 AMInteresting. . .I have a few years. . .but I'm considering all AP science for ds for hs. Yale, which is near us, is homeschooling friendly from what I understand as are most Ivy Leagues. I'm not loving the other big state schools that are near here though so we may (gulp) insist on private. We'll see. Not that I need to decide anyone soon. . .right now he's working on becoming the drummer for his rock band that he's starting! LOL (We'll see about that one too.) Andrea Hermitt (5472) 15 Oct 2008 09:44 AMYeah... we only have state schools close by us, and I guess homeschooling is still an insult for them. Discuss this article
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