Are Apologia science textbooks rigorous enough for college-bound students? Sure, they are popular with homeschoolers, but how GOOD are they as science books?
Are Apologia science textbooks are fairly rigorous, for college-bound students? I’ve heard a few conflicting reports…
~Jill in Seattle
Apologia is a very rigorous college prep series. I don’t usually recommend specific curriculum, because I know it’s all about “fit” more than a textbook. When it comes to science, though, I had such success with the curriculum we used, that I really do recommend it – even to my clients that are not Christian.
I know it for a fact that Apologia is a great college preparation because Alex (my non-scientist son) was able to pass a CLEP in Biology 3 years after taking Apologia Biology at home. He earned a 4.0 in Engineering Physics in college after taking Apologia Physics. Remember, he is NOT my science major. I made him take that engineering physics at community college with his brother, because he was too young to take a class by himself. So he learned well from the books even though he didn’t “love” science. Apologia is GREAT stuff.
I know for a fact that Apologia is great college preparation because my son Kevin is an electrical engineering major in college. He still refers to his Apologia Physics book now and then. He used Apologia chemistry over the summer, to review for a class he was taking. He has reviewed his physics book frequently. It’s been one of my “best buys” for curriculum, because they have literally used them for 5 years. Kevin has a fabulous GPA in engineering, and I believe it is in part because he was so well prepared with Apologia Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
If you want to make Apologia even MORE rigorous, it is possible. You can go through a book in a semester instead of a year, and make it an AP course if you want, but it’s not necessary at all, just an option. I have heard of some “college prep” AP classes, like through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers for example, that actually take a child 5 hours a day to complete. That would be so frustrating to spend 5 hours a day on one class! One mother was letting core subjects in reading, writing and math slide, just so her child could get an AP Chemistry credit. That’s a lot of work for not a lot of benefit. It’s easier to keep your subjects at the level of your children when they do it at home with a homeschool curriculum.
Apologia is a self-teaching homeschool curriculum, so kids can learn it on their own, and moms don’t have to know what they are doing in order to be successful. That’s a big deal, because I didn’t have a clue about physics, and barely was able to keep up with the chemistry.
Yes, absolutely Apologia is college prep. It’s not perfect, because no curriculum is perfect. All textbooks have typos- ALL of them – and I’m sure someone could find a flaw in these books like you can find a flaw in every book. Still it’s great preparation, and I recommend it even for my clients that aren’t Christian.
Do you enjoy these daily doses of high school homeschool wisdom? Sign up to get them delivered viaemailorreader!
Here is an idea for teaching your homeschool children computer literacy! The Scratch Website from MIT may be a perfect fit! Read this article in Communications of the ACM, called Scratch: Programming for All.
The article says that “Digital fluency” should mean designing, creating, and remixing, not just browsing, chatting, and interacting. It says that just using a computer is like knowing how to read, but not write. They promote computer programming in a fun, non-threatening way for children 8 to adult.
A growing number of schools around the world use Scratch as a first step into programming. Scratch is used by K–12 schools, and universities like Harvard and University of California, Berkeley). “We wanted to make it easy for everyone, of all ages, backgrounds, and interests, to program their own interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations, and share their creations with one another.”
Thank you to my son Kevin, for pointing out this wonderful opportunity for homeschoolers!
Just two days until launch! Sign up for our free webinar tomorrow called, “Credits and Grades and Transcripts, Oh My!!” Here is the registration link: HomeScholar Webinar.
Why would anyone skip Biology Lab? What could possibly be more fun that dissection critters and peeping through a microscope? Sure Biology lab is a lot of fun, but it’s also pretty expensive, which is why I talk about it in my Special Report, “7 Secrets to Homeschooling Though a Financial Storm.” Holly read the report and had a follow up question.
Dear Lee,
I just read your special report and think it was very well done. Lots of great tips for saving money and giving parents confidence to strike out on their own a bit more. I was surprised to see that you suggested skipping Biology or doing it with media applications (online or video) instead of hands-on. In Arizona, the state universities are very particular about the high school sciences being first-hand LAB courses. This is something that I have stressed with my contacts and in my workshops–not just Biology, but any high school science needs to be documented actual lab work. Tell me what you have encountered that puts a lighter emphasis on the labs. Is this more a state-by-state emphasis or is there more of a trend toward “softer” science coursework? Keep up the good work. You are doing many of the things that I dream of doing and can’t make happen all by myself.
~Holly in Arizona
Dear Holly,
I was surprised to see my suggestion about dropping Biology lab too, because I’m a nurse! I loved biology – and especially the biology labs! I think it’s important to remember how financially desperate people can be in this economy. It’s better to drop a biology lab than not do biology at all – or stop homeschooling entirely because of concerns about science.
First, public universities sometimes have very different requirements than colleges as a whole. I have to gear my message to “general” college preparation. Some colleges requires that lab sciences be taught in a classroom with a certified teacher, for example, and I don’t mention that in my article. It’s a general college prep article.
There is a difference between a public school requirement for something, and what your state law requires from homeschoolers. I see that a lot as I work with homeschoolers nationwide. They think that because a class is required for high school graduation that they also need to meet the requirement, and that often is not true. I don’t think you were concerned about that in your question, but it’s worth throwing it out there.
There is no national definition about what a lab science really is. No definition. Here is a snippet from an upcoming article I’ve written about lab sciences:
The US House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology formed the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education issued a report about lab science, and it is remarkably clear in their conclusion.
Most colleges do not require documented lab sciences. Some colleges do. The most important thing for parents is to research the schools where they plan to apply. Usually a college that has specific science requirements will also provide a method for them to achieve success. Perhaps they will allow the ACT science portion to meet the requirement, or they will accept an SAT Subject Test or AP exam in a science area.
There are many colleges that don’t require excessive math or science. Perhaps their emphasis is music or art or a specific trade, and general sciences meet their admission requirements. There is a very wide variety of colleges that homeschool parents choose.
In general, when I look over the college preparation sites, they don’t mention taking a lab science every year. Even the college board doesn’t specifically mention a lab science. It mentions three years of science, but isn’t specific about the lab requirement.
Science
Science teaches students to think analytically and apply theories to reality. Laboratory classes let students test what they have learned through hands-on work. Six semesters are recommended.
Two semesters in biology
Two semesters in chemistry and/or physics
Two semesters in earth/space sciences, advanced biology, advanced chemistry, or physics
It’s a good idea to make parents aware that the public university in your area has a greater emphasis in lab science. But I think it’s good to remember that colleges are rarely specific about WHICH sciences, and it’s OK for parents to have some delight-directed science courses along with the more ordinary biology-chemistry-physics choices.
Vote for your favorite blog in the Homeschool Blog Awards. Thank you for nominating us for Best Business Blog and Best Encourager. Please stop by and vote for us!
Sometimes grades aren’t perfect, and sometimes learning math is just hard! What happens to the transcript grade when things don’t go well?
My daughter is working on Saxon Algebra 2 and says she understands it fine. However when she takes the tests and even on her daily assignments she is frequently getting the wrong answers because of what I will call Stupid mistakes (not copying the problem correctly, forgetting to put a negative where it belongs, adding instead of subtracting).
I have tried having her take 2 days to take the test but going slower doesn’t appear to make a difference in the number of errors. She is following the correct steps to get her answers but gets the wrong answer because of her mistakes. If I just give her the test scores as her grade she would be averaging about a “C” (about 75%). Should I just give her that Grade or give her credit for attendance, assignments completed and such. Any advice would be welcomed.
~Sandy in Utah
Hi Sandy,
Math doesn’t always come easily to kids, and not all homeschoolers will get a 4.0 in math, so don’t worry about that. I do want you to think about what a transcript grade is, however. A grade on a transcript is not the same thing as a grade on a test. The grade on a test only measures one thing; the test. A grade on the transcript reflects EVERY way you evaluate them. It includes doing their assignments, discussing it with you, doing all the work you ask, taking tests, and taking quizzes. So you do want to include other things besides her 75% on the test when you are considering her transcript grade. My Total Transcript Solution and my book on course descriptions both go into that in detail.
Math may be difficult because you are using a misfit curriculum. Perhaps Saxon isn’t right for your daughter for some reason. You may want to try another curriculum. You can see my blog post on choosing math for more ideas.
For “stupid mistakes” you can try my “tricky” strategy. Tell your daughter that she only needs to do 1/2 the problems. If she gets them 80% correct, then she doesn’t need to do the other problems. If she makes enough “stupid mistakes” she will have to do the other problems – OUCH! Sometimes that will be the motivation teens need to be more careful with her work.
Remember that with Saxon math, every test is cumulative. If she pulls her grade up toward the end of the year, it’s OK to drop her earlier, unsatisfactory tests. Saxon also has a LOT of tests, and you may not need so many tests for her. Perhaps by giving tests less often she may end up doing better on them.
Why would a math genius score poorly on the PSAT? After reading my blog post of choosing math, Natalie asked me this question:
Lee,
Excellent advice you’ve provided! My 15 year old son has excelled with Saxon and is currently enjoying their Advanced Math with Pre-Cal and Trig as a sophomore. One problem I hope you may be able to address…Although he has excelled in his co-op math classes and is far ahead of schedule, he performed very poorly recently on his at-home diagnostic practice for the PSAT this year as a sophomore. Any ideas why? Any ideas for a solution? I’m baffled as he LOVES math and Apologia Physics which are quite challenging! Thank you so very much for your mentorship! God bless you greatly!
~Natalie
Dear Natalie,
Thank you so much for your comments on the blog!
PSAT math scores have a lot to do with practicing math BASICS. Once children begin to excel in math, their basic skills become a little rusty and a bit slower, making the beginner-level math in the PSAT more difficult. For non-math-geniuses, this is the type of math they do everyday in school, so they are sometimes more familiar with the content. The PSAT also uses a similar format to the SAT, and so there is a certain amount of test-taking “skill” that can improve your score. For these reasons, it can really REALLY help the math-lovers to do some PSAT practice prior to the exam. It can be as simple as taking the Sample PSAT that you are given when you register for the test. If you have more time, then you may want to invest in a PSAT study guide by Princeton Review.
On the bright side, kids who like math can sometimes enjoy doing the math review sections of the PSAT, just because they think math is fun! Kids who like math will often have enough math to score very well on the PSAT, and can sometimes be candidates for the National Merit Scholarship – so it really can pay off to study for the test.
Remember, taking the PSAT as a sophomore is “just for fun.” You can use the PSAT score from sophomore year as a “starting point” where you begin your study. Then study for the test this year, practicing just a little bit at a time. Next year when he takes the PSAT “for real” you will be able to see his improvement.
Right now on the Gold Care Club, “In a theater near you!”:
Making a High School Transcript
Find the Perfect College
How to Create Course Descriptions
Gifted Education
Preparing to Homeschool High School(3rd hour)
Keys to High School Success
Anybody need help with high school? I’m here for you!
Homeschoolers can make accommodations for struggling learners, just like they do in other school situations. If your child needs extra help learning, then you can provide that help. The important thing is that they learn! Mary had a question about how to accommodate her daughter in biology, and still determine credit.
Good Morning Lee, Thanks for the information on credits that was helpful. My daughter did biology last year and struggled. She did the first part of the book with lab work dissecting and this year she will complete biology but using it as a health book as well to learn about the human body and diseases. We will dissect a pig to see how it compares to the human body. This book is very hard to follow for her. It’s called “Biology A Search For Order In Complexity.” I only have her read, answer question and do lab work and verbally test her because she a struggling learner. Do you have an opinion on that? Thanks Lee,
~ Mary in Washington
Hi Mary,
There are two schools of thought about credit value. For some parents, a completed book is a high school credit. No matter how long (or how short) it takes a student to get through the book, when they are done it’s a credit. For that reason, you could wait until she is finished with the book, and then give her the biology credit on her transcript, putting in a completion date for the month she finished the book. On my own transcript, there were some classes that we finished mid-year, and it’s really not uncommon.
For other parents, they want their child to receive credit for the hours the child has worked. So if you daughter worked a full hour a day or biology, for the entire school year, you might decide to put “Biology 1″ or “Biology 1A” on her transcript the first year and “Biology 1B” or “Biology 2″ the second year. That’s fine too, as long as you aren’t trying to convince anyone that she learned twice as much biology as was in the textbook.
In a public school setting, and even in college, kids are sometimes given the opportunity to verbally answer questions. In a classroom setting, some of the grade may be based on class participation, in which a teacher asks questions for the student to answer. That isn’t much different from what you are doing. I think it’s a great idea to teach her in a way that makes sense, at a rate that keeps her challenged but not overwhelmed, and assess her is a way that truly demonstrates what she has learned in the subject.
Part of me wonders if the textbook isn’t a good fit for your daughter. Have you considered that? I haven’t seen the book, it just seems like that may be part of the problem.
There was an article this morning in our paper about the new math curriculum being used in our area. I can’t believe they are choosing a single math curriculum that is supposed to fit an entire region. How many teachers are involved? How many different students? All those different individuals, and there will be only ONE BOOK??? Here is the article, if you want to read it.
I started getting concerned when they mentioned the book “Discovering” for algebra and geometry, and said “It’s also the series the Highline district has chosen.” First of all, any time the Highline district chooses anything, run the other way. They have a 46% graduation rate. That’s our local high school
“Some of the highest-paying and most competitive careers are in science, technology and medicine — all math-intensive fields. Meanwhile, more colleges and universities are requiring applicants to take up to four years of math in high school.”
That’s a very good reason to teach math, and a very good reason to be conscientious about it. I would also like to point out that it’s not all about PAY either. Nursing, for example, is a math-based careers that is more about mission than money.
But do you have to choose between math “investigations” vs. extensive explanations and practice? I love the fact that homeschoolers can have it both ways. You can take a traditional textbook and add supplements that encourage understanding. But you know, some kids need more practice, and some kids need more explanations. Some kids just flat out need more hands on activities! I’m not sure how one math book can serve the needs of every student. If you are looking into some supplements, here are some things we used:
I love the paragraph that describes how one reviewer says a book “helps students see” and the other calls the book “mathematically unsound.” I’m thinking “mathematically unsound” may be a bad thing, and something to stay away from.
This quote almost made me laugh: “The importance of the textbook can’t be discounted. It shores up a weak teacher’s instruction, he says, and assists parents helping their kids with homework because they can find explanations in the book for how the math should be done.”
I know that homeschoolers feel very concerned about upper level math. How much harder would it be if you were a NON homeschooling parent? Imagine trying to help your child with homework when you didn’t choose the book, haven’t seen it all year, don’t have a video or an 800 number to call. What a nightmare! My friend had a child who used the Discovery book in public school. The schools weren’t able to help her and so they hired a tutor. Even the tutor who had a math degree couldn’t figure out the Discovery book!
It was interesting to see them comparing these math books to the whole language vs. phonics debate. I remember thinking that different children learn to read in different ways, and that a mixture of the two can help. Math may be the same way.
No quagmire or restrictive bureaucracy in your homeschool! We have the advantage! For help with choosing math, you may want to see my previous blog post here.
You don’t need to behave like a brick and mortar school when you are homeschooling science and social studies.
Any articles/advice about teaching Science/Social….making sure they’re covering what they need, without falling back into the whole teacher/student mode?
If your child is planning to go into a hard science like biology, engineering, or medicine, then they will REALLY benefit from learning biology, chemistry and physics in high school. If they don’t seem interested in science, then sometimes it can help to give them biology and chemistry and physics just so you can make SURE they aren’t interested in science! But when colleges talk about what they want to see in students, they usually don’t get too specific. Most often they will say they want three years of science, and at least one of those years is a lab science. They often don’t get specific about which science they want, so you can branch out. They don’t get specific about what a “lab science” is, so you have some freedom there as well. For that reason, you may be able to encourage the love of learning if you provide a science that your child finds interesting. If they WANT to learn about astronomy, and they will be bored to tears with chemistry right now, then you have the freedom to follow their interests while still providing a college prep education.
For social studies, colleges are usually more specific. They like to see US History, World History, American Government, and Economics. Still, you can do a lot of different things within those subjects, and you can also branch out to include more than these areas. I have a list of other social studies options in this blog post, and maybe that will help you draw outside the box.
Whether it’s science or social studies, you can break out of the school mold by considering alternate methods of evaluating your students, rather than relying on tests. Here is an article I wrote about how to give grades without grading. Try to wrap your mind around the word “evaluating” instead of “testing” and that may help.
Check out my new profile on The Old Schoolhouse’s Speakers Bureau, and then ask you conference coordinator to invite me to come speak to your conference in 2010!
Colleges want to see three sciences and at least one science lab, but you still have a lot of freedom within those requirements.
My daughter has expressed interest in studying Botany for this year (she’s a freshman) instead of studying a traditional Biology course. I have found a great course for her as well as additional supplemental materials. I want to make sure before I purchase the materials that our course will be accepted by colleges/universities as a bonifide biological science credit. Thank you for any insight, advice, or suggestions you can share!
~ Anissa in North Carolina
Hi Anissa,
Every college will have different policies, so to get the “official” answer you would really have to ask the colleges you are considering. For example, some colleges will require some sort of documented, tested PROOF of sciences, in which case you’d need a test in biology or chemistry or physics in order to meet their admission standards. I have to say, though, that doesn’t happen too often. For most colleges, they accept a homeschool transcript as long as the standardized ACT or SAT tests scores look acceptable.
From a homeschool perspective, I have seen many successful homeschoolers include botany for their science courses, and they have not had a problem. Colleges in general like to see three sciences in high school, and in general they want at least one of those sciences to be a lab science. Beyond that, however, colleges don’t usually specify WHICH science you need to teach. Sometimes people assume that science has to be biology, chemistry and then physics, but that isn’t necessarily the case. If your child wants to go into a science career, then those “big three” might help in the long run. Other than that, you can branch out a bit. I usually suggest at least one year of science from biology, chemistry and physics, just to cover your bases.
So feel free to branch out! Botany seems fun, she is interested so she should do well with it, and I’ve seen homeschoolers be successful with botany on their transcript. Go for it!
Interested in learning what a successful book of course descriptions looks like. Check out mySample Comprehensive Recordhere.
Do homeschoolers really need algebra and geometry to graduate?
Dear Lee,
I am worried about math for my 10th grade son. He has struggled in math for years. Due to some research about dyslexia in my younger son, I stumbled upon something called dyscalculia. I am wondering if my 10th grader has this and how it will effect his chances at getting into a college. My question is, do they really need algebra and geometry to graduate?
Thank you for your help,
~ Michelle in Oregon
You may get some help with my blog post on choosing math.
There are “perfect fit” colleges that don’t require a lot of math. Teaching math is important, and teaching math at your son’s level is important. It can help to choose the curriculum carefully, which is why I included the blog post above. In teenagers, their learning style and your teaching style often takes a back seat to their personal preferences – which can be quite strong in teenagers.
As far as graduation requirements go, that varies state by state, and I don’t know what your state requires. I know that there are colleges that “recommend” a certain level of math, but there is a college for every student.
My advice is to choose curricula carefully, and continue to help him at his level without quitting in math. Pursue some extra help with dyscalculia if you can find it. Here is a dyscalculia starting point for you. But then move forward boldly, because there will be a college that’s right for him.
Filed under: 
Christianbook.com Curriculum Page
