Calvert School Review

by Marjie
(Pennsylvania)

Calvert School = Affordable Private Education

Daily guidance, comprehensive lessons and advisors on hand; Calvert home school curriculum provides relief for concerned parents who want to ensure educational success.

I've used the Calvert School curriculum for my two youngest sons from Kindergarten through 7th grade (we have not yet reached 8th grade). I started with my youngest, who was highly intelligent, but two months too young to be permitted to attend school, and then added his next older brother, who was then in third grade. I've used Calvert School for five school years, and find it to be a comprehensive course.

There are people who decry the "school in a box", however, I am relieved to know that with the Calvert course, I teach my boys everything they need to know. Obviously, I can choose to add more content, or expand what Calvert offers, as time permits.

Calvert provides a complete lesson manual, including a time schedule, broken down on a day by day basis. They also include suggested enrichment activities when appropriate, including, but not limited to: web sites to visit for more information, suggestions for small research projects and related art projects and related age appropriate reading material. As an example, my 7th grade son was reading about Peru in his Geography course yesterday, and the art enrichment suggestion was to design a travel brochure for Peru, after looking at travel brochures which the parents might have around.

There are a lot of people who consider Calvert's curriculum quite expensive. However, I feel that under $1000 for all of the subject material, including lesson plans, is a very good value. I also spend the extra $300 per year per child for their Advisory Teaching Service. This enables me to send tests and specific papers to Calvert once a month for grading and feedback. Calvert also has education counselors available to help the parents, should we have any questions. I don't believe education is a place where any skimping on cost should occur - spend less money on frills like soda instead - because this is the basis for the rest of my child's life's successes.

I would urge anyone interested in a well designed, comprehensive curriculum to further investigate Calvert School's homeschool options.

Well said, Marjie. I agree, the first cost-cutting we should do is on other frivolous pleasures and unnecessary things, to allow sufficient funds for our child/ren's education.

Also, $1000-$1300 – a very cheap private education, if you compare it to the thousands that some parents pay to send their kids to a private school! Blessings, Heather :)

Comments for Calvert School Review

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May 29, 2011

Daily schedule
by: Anonymous

Hello,

Just wondering how does the daily schedule look like? how much time does it take to do the daily lesson plan (all subjects)? How much involvement of a parent is needed?

Thank you

Jun 10, 2011

Time Required
by: Marjie

I never found that I needed more than 4 hours per day for Calvert, all subjects included. There is a lot of independent work at the 6th grade level, so the parent can choose to read the information from the lesson manual to the student, or let him read it himself and simply review the questions with him. I have just finished 6th grade Calvert the second time around, and found it quite enjoyable; they've changed the Science books, and I think my son enjoyed it more than he would have otherwise.

Nov 21, 2013

A difficient curriculum in several aspects
by: Anonymous

The lessons are inconsistent. One day there is way to much covering 8 different topic areas: geog, math, computer, etc. taking way too long. Another day there is way to little; 4 lessons vs 8. Math has been rated as deficient by cooperating public schools and it has been necessary to compliment the Calvert math with additional assignments from the public school. This creates a significant burden for the student as the school is attempting to pass state requirements which Calvert is remiss at the same time as conducting the Calvert math program. The support is surprising completely political at the Admin level and of little help. The teachers and response to questions are very good. Science is rather poor and the experiments are nonsensical. The stress is a religious orientation with words like accommodation, adaption and NEVER evolution, because Calvert according to their main spokeswoman has many 'devout' parents--(that has nothing to do with education but with mythology). Animals do not accommodate-they do not put a coat on when it is cold. Insects do not adapt, but die when it gets too cold. Spelling is good along with compositional aspects. Grammar and phonics are good. A rather very poorly balanced curriculum and program. Many lessons in math are poorly constructed. Use of stupid items likes stem and leaves add nothing, but force the student to learn a technique vs. the content. Reading questions need to be redone to stress comprehension rather than memory of items. Comprehensions is the focus of state testing. Look around before signing up for Calvert.

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