Why do FLVS Evaluations Cost More?
Basically, I do not like to do them! Here are just some of the reasons...
~They are very tedious and boring. I often have to review pages of multiple choice items. (Clue: This is a very boring form of schooling for your children.) I don't just look at the transcript to view the grades the student made. I actually want to see the work and do my own assessment- not take the word of someone else.
~Most of the written work, if I DO get any to look assess at all, is ungraded (and usually full of errors that the teachers did not correct. I have to spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out how the student did on the particular assignment. This is very difficult when I didn't teach that lesson and I don't necessarily have the correct answers for less obvious or more specified subject matter.
~Submitted work is often missing dates, which makes it difficult to assess progress. I need to see work from the beginning, middle, and end of your school year in order to determine if the student has made progress.
~It is sometimes pretty near impossible to determine exactly which subject a particular submission would fall under. Is this history or part of a language arts assignment?
~Often, the work submitted is so small, I have to engage the use of a magnifying glass to view it... even after enlarging it to the max on my computer. (And yes, my eyes can see just fine, thanks!) This is a headache in more ways than one.
~These evals are often a hodge-podge mess with an inadequate amount of student work submitted. This is due to the fact that FLVS refuses to inform homeschoolers that they will need to download and save some of the work for their portfolios before it is wiped from their system. I have petitioned them several times to improve this, but they don't feel it is necessary.
~I have to spend extra time with these clients during the interview sessions in order to inform them of other curriculum options. Most people use FLVS because they are new to homeschooling and don't have a clue that there is a world of really super curriculum out there which is easy to use, may more closely match your values, and is specifically designed for homeschool use. FLVS is the first thing that is suggested by the county simply because it is their product AND they are NOT homeschoolers, therefore, they have no idea what else to suggest to you when you sign up for homeschooling. They assume you want your child to continue doing what you just pulled them out of! As far as I am concerned, FLVS is not homeschooling. It is public school in your home. I am almost insulted that they would use the term, "Homeschooling" to describe it. REAL homeschooling, even if you NEED to rely on a mostly computer based system, is so much more!
~A lot of students waste time doing FLVS when they could be dual enrolled and working towards their AA degree-achieving this simultaneously with high school graduation. Dual enrollment does not mean double classes! Much of it can also be online, if you prefer that option. Go to my page on this site about Dual Enrollment and read all about this excellent option for those who have completed 9th grade.
Well, those are just a few of my reasons for not wanting to evaluate FLVS portfolios. I will certainly do it, but getting paid more makes it hurt less! If you want a discount next time... get out of FLVS and let's do some REAL homeschooling. You will be SO glad you did, and I will have a LOT more fun evaluating your portfolio! You can head over to my Links and Resources page right now and check out just some of the outstanding curriculum which is available to homeschooling families. I will be happy to discuss these options with you- at no charge.