AP online courses (Penn Homeschooler or Scholars Online), History

[Sharon in SC]

I'm investigating AP history online course options for dd who will be a junior next year. It appears that Scholars Online is less expensive than Penn Homeschooler. Are they comparable in quality of education? Also, dd is completing her study of Am Gov't/Econ this year. She'll be studying American Literature next year. Could she take AP US History first then World History her senior year or should she do World History first?

We're new to the AP/CC world. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Gwen in VA]

My kids have taken AP courses through both Scholars Online and PAH. Both have been excellent.

Probably the major difference between the two is the focus. The PAH courses are first and foremost geared to the AP exam. If you are happy with the focus of the AP material, your child will have an excellent experience through PAH. AP review and discussion of the exam and how to approach it was an integral part of the course in all the courses my kids have taken.

The SO courses my kids took were much less geared towards the AP exam and were more in-depth courses in their own right. The SO courses required much more preparation for the AP exam on the part of the student. For example, the SO AP physics covered all the AP material and then kept on moving, so when dd took a few weeks off to focus on her AP studying, she ended up seriously behind in her coursework and ended up having a tough June as a result. (The AP physics exam does not cover anywhere near the entire textbook; the course did!) My dd didn't realize until a few weeks before the AP Latin exam that the exam involved a certain kind of essay, and she found that piece of information out on her own.

Since the SO courses are broader and less specifically geared for the AP exam, the course will probably cover a greater variety of material but will not have the focus on how to approach a particular section of the AP exam.

You can't go wrong with either SO or PAH.

[Fifiruth]

Is the Penn Homeschooler course you're referring to from Penn Foster? If not, do you have a web address? Thanks.

[Blue Hen]

Pennsylvania Homeschoolers AP online courses:
http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/courses/index.html

Carole