After completing an entire online course for AP U.S. History, my teens boys were still not quite ready to go take the U.S. History 1 CLEP test. The score on their practice test was a little too low for comfort. They might have passed, or they might not. But I wanted to be sure. I wanted them to walk into the test calm and confident, knowing they would come out with college credits.
Of course, after going through an entire course they were a getting a bit burned out on early U.S. History. Many topics that were covered were things they had known for several years. Only occasionally was their curiosity engaged by learning something new.
I did not want to drag them all the through another course. I wanted to figure out what details they needed to know and skip the content they already had down. That’s when I decided to give Study.com a try. I signed up and had both boys take practice test questions. The smart system quickly told them what they needed to review, listing links to each lesson that covered content they had missed. Then we took the quiz again, to pull up another set of material. Just a few weeks later we hit the score that Study.com recommends before you go take the CLEP.
We took our test and both boys passed with flying colors. I decided then and there that the free online programs I had been trying to use just were not worth the cost.
Problems I had with free study programs
- They did not cover all the material needed.
- Too much repetition of elementary U.S. History
- They are take too much time. I don’t rush learning, but the truth is, if kids have to spend a lot of time on a subject and they are not learning new material they will get bored. Being bored doesn’t mix with learning. It was a waste of time because of the lack of new material.
How Study.com solved our CLEP study Blues
- Practice tests pinpoint which areas need to be studied.
- Videos and text clearly state what you need to know for each section.
- The content is presented in an interesting way.
- Short quizzes after lessons help students retain what they learned.
- They system is designed for personalized learning.
I plan to cover at least a year of college level courses with CLEP tests while my kids are in high school and relieved to know I can count on Study.com to help us through the process.
Study.com is a great resource for personalized learning
Study.com continues to expand the number of courses they offer. There are many options for high schoolers, but they are also now adding many courses for middle and elementary kids.
I found an excellent course titled Plants and Animals for Kids. My 9-year-old is a natural nature lover and can never get enough of studying those topics. I was happy to find that these lessons went into more detail than many other elementary sources I have seen. It is a large course and will keep him busy for some time. Each lesson has text to read and many also have a companion video available. He loves taking the quizzes after each lesson to see if he can remember all the details he learned.
If there is not a video companion for the lesson, I will read it aloud to him. Although he is capable of reading it himself, I think he likes to be able to just concentrate of what he is hearing without the distraction of decoding any new or unusual words.
Study.com is a high quality option for online homeschool curriculum
Study.com has too many resources and options to list here. I encourage you to head on over to their site and browse their catalog of courses. You will find courses from 3rd grade through 12th grade. With many electives available for high school in addition to helpful information to guide you through planning for the high school years.
The search engine on Study.com is very professional. If completing courses is not your style and you just want high quality results and a large database of topics for your kids to explore, Study.com is a great choice. I have a child who is fascinated by jellyfish. We typed in the term and had more than a page of results with internal Study.com links to follow.
This makes Study.com a great fit for a large range of homeschool styles.
You can also get a good feel for what their videos are like by watching free videos on their YouTube channel and subscribing.
