Review of Calvert School Homeschooling Curriculum

Calvert School homeschooling curriculum was such a surprise for our family. Homeschooling in a box? How could that be? I'd read about Calvert briefly when we first began homeschooling, in 2005. I rejected the whole "boxed curriculum" idea then, because I was determined to forge my own homeschooling path with my then-six year old. We were going to go where no homeschooling family had gone before! I was going to do it on my own, and better, faster, more thoroughly, and with great precision!

And then we both, my son and I--burned out. We grew tired of the endless arguments over how much homeschooling to do each day. Which subjects. How much writing. And so, one day, I went in search of a curriculum that would be more structured, and give us back the fun of homeschooling.

Calvert beckoned. I bought a fourth grade kit, and loved what I saw. The kit contained teacher lesson manuals, workbooks for language arts, science, and social studies. It included reading books, math textbooks, science textbooks, and wonderful literature books.

The teacher manual breaks down in 162 days of homeschooling. A standard school year includes 180 days, so this leaves nine days for testing, and nine days for review. In other words, homeschoolers do eighteen days of lessons, one day of review, and one day of tests. Lather, rinse, repeat nine times, and the school year is complete.

Some families find that they use the entire calendar year and spread the days out. Other families are able to complete the year's curriculum in less than 180 days, and use the free time for fun. Other families choose to "school at home" and replicate the school environment, teaching from September to June, following the standard school year, and teaching one day's lessons per lesson day. Homeschooling gives families the flexibility to choose any of these paths.

Calvert gives homeschooling parents and children the textbooks, workbooks, lesson manuals, and tests needed to complete an entire year, accredited by school officials, and with materials covered well so that students can take any required standardized tests with confidence. Calvert School offered a "Teacher Advisory" option, where a certified teacher grades student tests; parents can do this as well for free. In addition, starting with grade six, Calvert School offers an online academy. While a standard homeschooling curriculum kit runs $695 to $825 per grade, the online options costs approximately $3,500 per grade. For some families, who need more intervention for their children, the virtual option is a great choice.

Because Calvert's curriculum is accredited, many homeschooling families find that they are left alone by school officials who know they are using Calvert. For our family, Calvert gave me the peace of mind to know that I was covering al the information I needed to cover for standardized testing. In the end, while Calvert's curriculum might not fit every family, it's a wonderful homeschooling tool.