There are so many options out there for online classes. We have loved doing high school foreign language online, because it allows my student the opportunity to interact and speak with other students learning the same language. There are things I look for in an online program--is it a real time class? Is there a teacher available to ask questions and grade? What level of work is required and how is that work evaluated?
The 2 programs we have used are Memoria Press Online Academy for Latin and The Potter's School for French. Memoria Press is a very straightforward, easy to use online class. The student attends a real time class taught by a live teacher. She will lecture, and the students participate via a headset. They can see her, her board, and notes she pins to the screen, and they speak and interact by typing and voice. They occasionally have individual and group work during class time as well. If your student is very independent, Memoria Press is great. Homework is assigned but not graded. Quizzes are graded weekly relating to the work you complete. Teachers are readily available to answer questions.
The Potter's School was a wonderful experience this year. I was blown away by the wide range in variety and level classes they offer. They have a lot of AP-approved level classes. My oldest took French through the Potter's School this year, and it was similar to Memoria Press in that it was a live class, interactive, and used text and headset. The major difference I saw was that homework was turned in and graded weekly for The Potter's School. The teacher gave feedback on all work, not just quizzes. He was also required to turn in monthly project. I loved the thoroughness and feedback of the program. He also took the optional conversation class that went along with French, and I was super impressed by how much his skills progressed in the combination of the two classes--writing, speaking, reading, etc. We were very pleased with our experience.
Other online, live class programs I know of include Landry Academy and Currclick.com. Landry also offers science lab intensives that will travel to your area for a day or 2 of hands-on labs, which are a great supplement to science programs. Math-U-See also offers a co-op program with live classes through their website. Online classes tend to be pricey, but are a great option especially with foreign language classes or classes that are harder to find resources and support for such as calculus. If you know of other programs, please feel free to tell me about them in the comments.
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