• Clear and simple layout
• Very accessible reading level
• Can be easily completed independently
• Good for quick credit recovery

• Lower rigor, lacking challenge or depth
• Extra project required to earn "A" 
• Easy for students to copy answers

• Clearly scripted for teacher
• Free online resource materials and readers - newsletter, Facebook, and blog - to support the teacher. 
• Orton Gillingham methodology (intense phonics)

• Not a nationally recognized publishing company. 
• Readers are not always colorful.

• Orton Gillingham methodology (intense phonics)
• Colorful cards and tiles to use
• Touches on several learning styles: visual, auditory, & kinesthetic
• Clear layout and easy for teacher/parent to follow

• There are a lot of loose materials to keep track of
• Requires high parent input

• Students can enroll anytime
• Instructors provide great feedback and regular check-ins with students
• Advisors can login and see the grades and progress of the students
• College classes/credits available in the same format as MS/HS 
• Can be worked through fairly quickly 
• English curriculum is portfolio-style

• Final usually taken on site
• Easy to fall behind
• Classes are not currently NCAA approved
• Cost varies depending on what style of course is taken

• Works well for individuals with dyslexia. 
• Definitely helps students learn to read and build confidence
• Affordable through our curriculum resource center
• Orton-Gillingham curriculum, multi-sensory, direct, explicit, structured, and sequential 
• Same curriculum used at Read Write Alaska

• Needs to be taught consistently and in order. 
• Need to be used as a stand alone curriculum since supplements may be too confusing for students.
• Mastery of level before advancement (some may consider a disadvantage)

• Theme-based, so the literature you are reading for LA is what you are learning in Social Studies. 
• Uses a rich variety of literature rather than one textbook.
• Instructors provide great feedback and regular check-ins with students
• Uses levels based on age range instead of a grade, so siblings within three years of age may be able to use one program. 
• Math and Language Arts can be customized based on ability level. 

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• Very hands-on for the parent educator. 
• Takes some initial time and effort for the parent educator to learn about the implementation of the program and organize the materials. 

• Scoped and sequenced across grades 3 through 6
• Additional workbook for MS to HS
• Reproducibles
• Affordable  

• Can be overly repetitive
• Grammar is taken out of context, so the rules don't always transfer to writing

• Video lectures given by licensed educator
• Nicely organized with daily assignments
• Slows learners down by removing the option for skipping ahead
• Good internal options available for note-taking, closed captions, etc.

• Takes some initial effort to learn how to navigate
• Student can't skip ahead through videos or course sections

• Progresses in increments that are manageable for children to handle, walking them through the steps of the writing process and modeling the type of writing that is expected. 
• Builds writing skills in a logical way.     
• Topics are provided and students are led through all the steps of creating an essay.

• While most of the teaching is done for you via the videos, some parent interaction will be necessary, especially for younger children. 
• If parent is not providing regular grading and feedback, a student can get very far doing incorrect work.
• Presentation is on CD-rom. 

• Gives students a hands-on experience
• All materials needed are included in the box, so no need to track down anything else
• Organized across multiple grades so siblings can share if desired

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• Experiments seem quite basic at times
• The timeline for completion isn't very clear

• Colorful, visually appealing to children
• Common core standards align to state testing
• Progression of 'I do, we do, you do'
• Extension problems and reading/writing emphasis good for high-level readers

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• Lack of spiral review
• Unconventional teaching methods, which can be confusing for parents
• Often spends too much time on quickly mastered content
• Can be tough for struggling readers/writers
• Lacks the online component usually available
• Certain skills may need to be supplemented with additional learning activities.

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• Does not require high levels of home educator supervision.
• Offers multiple opportunities for practice and repetition. 
• Numerous multi-sensory resources to support the program: music, hands-on materials, online support, and exceptional teacher's guide. 

• There is no instructional component 
• Up through first grade, students learn to print on double-line pages. This approach differs from the traditional triple-line format normally used. 

• A traditional Math Curriculum (not common core) that comes with lots of hands-on materials
• All instruction is provided through one-on-one teacher instruction, demonstrations, and hands-on activities
• Applies the philosophies of repetition and review until mastery
• Designed specifically for home educators

• Students can become overly reliant on workbook assistance.
• Parents may need to use discretion to "skip" some practice and review if a student already knows it 

• Comprehensive and engaging video instruction provided by a highly-qualified writing teacher.  
• Lessons incrementally build language skills so that students will have learned to write compositions of many different styles and lengths by the end of the 24 week course.
• Lesson plans are easy to follow and implement.
• Multiple ages can share one program (i.e. 3rd-5th grade, 6th-8th grade, 9th-12th grade).

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• While most of the teaching is done for you via the videos, some parent interaction will be necessary, especially for younger children.

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• Highly structured and well organized with lesson plans and matching syllabus.
• Comes with a daily assignment and clear expectations, that make it easy to follow for students and parents. 
• Encompasses traditional types of reading/writing similar to what you would find in a traditional classroom setting.  
• Students answer open-ended questions, so there is no guessing when it comes to daily work.  

• Can be a large amount of work
• Typically requires more parent oversight
• Instruction in various forms of writing is lacking.

• Clear and explicit instructions for both student and parent educator. There is a well-organized 36 week pacing guide. 
• Great literary selections carefully chosen to provide exposure to a number of genres
• The curriculum author did a good job of building composition skills using literature as a springboard
• Some choice in novels and writing assignments, so students have a greater feeling of creativity and control. 

• There are writing assignments with some instruction, but it does not provide the highest level of explicit instruction in the writing process if a student requires this guidance. 
• This might not be the right choice for someone who feels intimidated by reading. 

• Focuses on one math concept at a time
• Easy for parents to use
• Hands on, manipulatives-based curriculum

• Expensive
• A student almost needs to use this from K-8 in order to be successful as it is tough to jump into part way. 

• Highly structured
• Gives regular progress updates and specific feedback
• Follows semester schedule of 18 weeks but students can begin anytime
• College prep rigor

• Requires password and proctoring for exams 
• Expensive
• Student must be motivated to complete in the available time period. 
• May be too rigorous for some students

• Literature (reading) focused approach to English
• Engaging and culturally classic book titles. 
• Student/Parent choice of book.      
• Study guide is easy to follow and covers the main concepts of literature.            
• Some creative projects within the guide.

• Requires further components to meet English requirements since the focus is literature (reading) 
• There are some "discussion" questions that can be difficult if the parent is not familiar with the novel.

• Clearly organized
• Can bridge MAP scores to personalized coursework
• Can be worked through independently for a motivated student
• Middle School parents have grading autonomy

• Reading heavy
• Projects can be overbearing at times

• Used to catch students up at an accelerated pace who are behind in reading.  
• Level A sets a strong foundation for Kindergarten readers and Level B for 1st grade, but after that it should be used in conjunction with another curriculum. 

• Made for classrooms instead of Homeschooling, so the initial cost can be higher

• Short video lectures by different teachers
• Parents can easily monitor student progress
• Students must earn 70% to proceed - remedial videos are offered if student does not earn passing score

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• Not many questions to answer at the end of each section, so it is possible for students to guess and still get a passing score
• Not enough review, so students may forget concepts

• Well organized into weekly, easy to follow lessons. 
• Visual and engaging for the learner, and the reading content appears less intimidating for struggling readers.
• Fairly comprehensive in skills for both reading and writing. 
• Many opportunities for practice and spiral review. 

• The amount of paper packets and worksheets can be overwhelming 
• Lacking solid phonics and phonemic awareness practice. 
• Missing a kindergarten component. 

• Designed for deep understanding of concepts
• Lesson plan and pacing guide is well designed and easy to follow
• Each lesson builds on previous taught skills and strategies
• Lessons provide learning tasks that put math "into action"
• Think-Share-Compare routine
• Digital Toolbox offers Interactive Learning Tutorials and videos, tests, quizzes, and extension lessons for remediation and/ or enrichment

• Think-Share-Compare structure is heavily focused on math conversations (typically found within larger classroom environment)
• The digital Teacher Toolbox (i-Ready) is a separate and necessary online subscription
• Tests and quizzes need to be printed from the Teacher Toolbox

• Tried-and-true familiar approach to math for many parents, often making it easier for parental guidance.
• Incorporates exact discussion for each new concept and scaffolds lessons. 
• Includes hands-on materials (math manipulatives) than can be used from kindergarten to third grade. 
• Worksheets for each lesson have both a side A and B for immediate remediation, with assessments every 5 lessons.
• Students practice skills daily, and concepts are revisited routinely with incremental complexity added each time.
• Adequate examples and explanations provided. 

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• Not as engaging or colorful as some other options 

• Easy to use.
• The sequence is exceptionally well crafted, based on Orton-Gillingham.
• Mastery checks before moving on.
• Systematically teaches both reading and spelling.

• Leveled readers are extra, little guidance is given for choosing books on your own.
• Profoundly dyslexic or dysgraphic children might be better served by Barton or Lindamood-Bell.

• A Math curriculum that will not feel foreign to parents 
• Lessons are presented with audio and visual input. 
• The curriculum and expectations are easy to follow. 
• Automatic grading
• Parents can reset lessons and quizzes for students. 
• Easy-to-understand instructional videos are included. 
• Affordable.
• Fully online options available

• The titled grade level can lag behind the actual grade (i.e. Math 7 is more accurately at a 5/6th grade level) 
• Easy for students to cheat
• Algebra and higher covers concepts similar to a typical math class, but it is a bit light on the topics and rigor. 
• There are no scheduled due dates, and overall grade is not calculated by the program.  

• Engaging video presentations, term definitions, and whiteboards to to show what the speaker is talking about 
• Easy to follow for parents and students with automatic grading
• Includes additional resources such as printable practice worksheets and notes. 
• Students can redo lessons and practice quizzes as many times as needed without the need for an advisor or teacher to reset.  
• Practice activities are not overwhelming; most lessons have 12-15 questions.

• All online; no teacher to ask to clarification
• The program is a little clunky to navigate; students must go to different areas for lessons, tests, and grades.  
• There are no scheduled due dates, but there is a printable lesson guide to help parents assign due dates.  
• Overall grade is not calculated by the program and must be calculated by parent or advisor.

• A lesson plan can be created with due dates for assignments.
• There is a small bank of questions for quizzes/tests, so new questions are used on second attempt.
• Easy for a parent to follow

• Not very rigorous 
• It uses Compass Learning/Odyssey, so a student can receive the same course without cost from MSCS (if he is using it for intervention).
• It might not be possible to return to lessons if "sequential" is selected.
• Can't bridge in MAP results.

• Students have a writing coach that provides personalized feedback and guidance on writing.  
• The writing assignments are high-interest and allow for student choice.  
• Feedback from coaches is positive, constructive, and encouraging.   

• Not a stand-alone curriculum for English unless students use the Writing & Lit. combo course.  The writing courses need to be paired with a literature source. 
• It is responsive to student needs rather than proactive about what they should learn.
• It is expensive.  

Our philosphy is relaxed, with lots of nature. Our children have always followed their own interests in learning about the world. Sometimes our days are lazy, snuggled up reading books; sometimes our days are busy, filled with lots of lessons, heading to museums, hiking in local parks, or exploring our city.

Unlikely sufficient as a stand-alone course. You will likely want to buy or DIY specific materials to go along with this course, as Montessori is a hands-on approach to learning. Most homeschoolers also use a variety of resources, most of which can be found online or at your local library. If you prefer a little more explicit direction, consider joining us in Constellation for monthly themes, where we provide full lesson plans and printable materials.

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• 1 year access to videos and solution bank
• Videos are 15-20 min long.  The teacher is a little goofy in a good way, and very good at explaining (and re-explaining) slowly.
• Every practice and test problem is worked out on video so students can see process
• comes with 
  • consumable textbook that has notes page and assignment page
  • solutions manual with problems worked out step by step
  • Parent guide with pacing guide, grading suggestions and grade recording pages
• Chapter tests have form A and B 

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• Extremely rigorous

• Extremely rigorous 

• Very well organized and clear, with proven results 
• Certain courses (e.g. Civics) could potentially work as a complete high school credit with advisor-approval. 

• Created intentionally as a supplement to core classes and not a replacement.

From Mr. D // 

Mr. D Math has recently achieved accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a prestigious recognition in the world of education. This accreditation reaffirms our commitment to maintaining high educational standards and continuously improving our programs to provide the best learning experience for our students. WASC accreditation is a big deal because it means that our courses and programs meet rigorous academic criteria set by national standards. This isn't just a pat on the back for us; it's a stamp of approval that assures you, as students and parents, that you're receiving top-notch education.