Homeschool High School Online

The Ogburn Online School is a fully accredited Homeschool High School Online in the United States that allows students to complete their coursework at their own pace and place. The school provides our students with a supportive, challenging and alternative learning environment to earn a high school education.

Get Better ONLINE High School Results by Following 5 Simple Steps

Here is a list of the top simple steps to get better online high school results:

• Do socialize effectively

Socialization is not given that much importance. However, it does play a vital role in an online student’s life. Socialization keeps the mind active and healthy. This, in turn, helps in success. Most of the genuine online high schools make sure to provide ample ways to kids for effective socialization. It pretty much helps online students to take genuine interest in their education. Isolation is a sure enemy of success, even in an online learning environment. So, be sure not to isolate yourself at the time of pursuing your high school degree online. You must stay social in every possible way. Good and genuine bonds help you to keep away from stress. Make sure to incorporate these management techniques into your day.

• Get good sleep

Try to teach yourself how to manage stress. For this, you need to start with fixing your sleeping patterns. In short, get enough sleep. A good night’s sleep is vital for any online high school student.It is more than important for online learning success. It is the simplest and most effective way to keep your stress levels manageable. Try to find the right amount of sleep that your body and mind requires. Prepare a schedule accordingly.

• Get organized

You are likely to have a lot of daily commitments. So, you need to plan and organize well. Only then will you be able to juggle properly.You must prioritize your online course work, without a doubt.Get organized right on the first day. Start with keeping your desk and the rest of the study space neat. Go for a prim and proper look. This will help you take genuine interest in your online course as well.

You can create folders on your computer. Try to map out your semester. You can set reminders and personal deadlines for certain vital dates. When you get organized, your stress levels are likely to go down. This will increase your focus on learning as well.

• Manage your time wisely

Make sure to get up early. Make sure to prioritize tasks. This will help you avoid distractions and set goals. This will also help you manage your time smartly. This will give you the structure you need in order to deal with both your academic and non-academic to-do list. It will also help you manage your study-related stress.You might not be an expert at it, right from day one. However, practice is sure to make you perfect over time! So, be patient.

• Get help if you need it

Being an online student, you are likely to feel stressed many a times. This happens when you take the ownership of something!Make sure to get help in such cases. Do not keep your issues and concerns bottled up! Speak out. Your online teachers are highly trained and have the right amount of experience in providing solutions.They know how to keep you fit, mentally and physically.

Online high schools usually make sure to hire advisors who help students deal with the pressures of learning online. So, seek help from a counselor. This is bound to help you. The right experts are bound to equip you with the tools that will help you manage stress.

What are some of the effective ways to reduce learning stress?

• Do regular exercise

Exercise is often overlooked. It is not important to keep you fit physically. It also improves your mental health overall. So, make sure to fit it into your schedule. It works for every student. No matter how hectic your daily schedule is, do exercise regularly. You can just go for a simple 10-minute walk. This is sure to boost endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good neurotransmitters. When these are strengthened, your mood gets uplifted.It refreshes your body and mind. And, when you have a healthy body and mind, you can exercise more focus on learning.

• Eat healthy

Eating healthy is not just important for your body, but also for your mind. This is a fabulous stress management tip!Try not to go for high-fat, sugary foods that only taste good. Usually, these foods decrease your energy. Thus, it indirectly affects your academic performance. Try to go for healthy high-fiber foods on a regular basis. These healthy high-fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains. Your overall GPA is bound to increase, without a doubt.

• Take short breaks

Taking a break sounds pretty common. However, many of you do not take short breaks though you feel like taking one. This usually adds up to your stress factor. Keep in mind that managing stress can be as simple as taking a break. This is more so, when you are an online student. There is no point in learning when your mind simply refuses to retain what you learn!While taking breaks, you can just stand up and stretch. You can go for a walk as well. Try to call a friend and meet for coffee or some snacks. Thus, taking a short break is an effective way to manage stress. It is bound to give your mood a great boost.

• Monitor your own progress

The stress you can feel when pursuing any kind of higher education, online or off, can creep up on you. Trouble sleeping, a rapid heartbeat, depression, poor concentration, and many symptoms of stress can all increase. Take a moment to regularly check in with yourself to gauge how you’re feeling, physically and mentally, then incorporate the stress management techniques that work best for you.

• Make sure that the internet access is reliable

When you do not have the support of a reliable internet access, you are sure to get stressed. Most importantly, you will end up wasting your time and resources. So, make sure to find good WiFi. You must make arrangements to make sure that you do not get disconnected.

Why Consider an Online High School Diploma Over a ‘GED’?

What is a high school diploma?

A high school diploma is simply a piece of paper you get declaring that you have finished high school. It is a clear indication that you have passed all of your required high-school classes.

On technical terms, GED can be defined as General Educational Development. Some even say that it means Graduate Equivalency Degree. In more details, a GED is a series of tests used to show if you have a high school level education or not. Usually, there are five areas you’re tested in including Language Arts Writing, Language Arts Reading, Social Studies, Science, and Math.

To take the GED test, you need to be at least 16 years old. Also, you cannot be enrolled in high school. You need to take the actual GED test at a physical, certified location. It cannot be taken online. Also, keep in mind that anyone who tells you it can is part of an online GED scam.

Usually, community colleges accept GEDs without any hassle. Some universities take a GED if you have good SAT/ACT scores. Else, you might be required to attend a community college for a year to earn some good grades.

Passing the General Education Development (GED) exam and earning a high school diploma is certainly not the same thing. On an average, a GED-holder earns only $18,776 a year, and 95 percent of them are likely to drop out of four-year College programs. Three-quarters of GED holders usually do not make it through a career training program. Many of the employers and the military prefer applicants with an actual high school diploma, whether from a conventional high school or from an accredited online school. Clearly, GEDs aren’t enough! Earning a GED is almost the same as dropping out of high school!

If you have a legitimate high school diploma, you are likely to be chosen for jobs over those with GEDs. Also, the military will readily accept students with high school diplomas over GED holders. The irony here is that the U.S. military is the organization that developed the GED program during World War II. It can be stated that there are plenty of negative perceptions that come attached to GEDs.

The truth is that nothing can replace high-school classes, not even an equivalency exam. Getting a GED might provide the prerequisite for certain colleges and training programs. But, surely it won’t provide the learning needed to succeed in those programs. Neither will it provide students with the discipline that comes from taking courses to meet requirements.

It can be said that a GED is almost as bad as dropping out. So, you are almost predisposed to fail if you are planning to take GED!

Earning an online high school diploma is a way more feasible and productive option to go for. The best part is that there are many fully accredited online high schools today, such as the Ogburn High School. This pretty much enables adults who want to finish high school.

You must keep in mind that it is always a smart decision to go for a high school diploma online. You must show employers self-discipline. This way you can lay the foundation to succeed in a college degree or training program. When you do the work toward the diploma, you are bound to gain knowledge that helps you in your next programs. It also prepares you to handle the demands of your next level of education. You can also gain a sense of true achievement here.

GED is not as good as an online diploma, mainly an accredited one.You must check all of the facts before deciding how to complete your high school education.

What to know about GED?

Depending on the state where the test is taken, students might need to meet other requirements. The GED is awarded after a student passes a series of tests in five academic subjects. To pass each test, the student needs to score higher than 60% of the sample set of graduating seniors. Usually, students need to spend a good amount of time studying for the exams.

Duration of study

It is not required for students to take traditional courses in order to earn their GED. The examinations usually take seven hours and five minutes to complete. Students might need to take preparation courses in order to get ready for the exams. You must keep in mind that these preparation courses are not mandatory.

Reputation of GED

Most of the employers who are hiring for entry-level positions might consider a GED score as comparable to an actual diploma. However, only a large bunch of employers will consider the GED inferior to a diploma.

When it comes to individual universities, they usually have their own policies. Some might accept students with a GED. However, many will not view the credential in the same way as a diploma. This is more so if the school requires specialized courses of study for admittance. In most cases, a legitimate high school diploma will be regarded as superior.

What to know about a High School Diploma?

Ogburn high school allows older students to complete their graduation requirements with the ease of flexibility and customizability. Usually, school diplomas do not have minimum age requirements.

Requirements in general

To receive a diploma, students need to complete coursework as dictated by their school district. Curriculum usually varies from school to school.

Duration of study

Students usually take four years to complete their high school diploma. However, Ogburn online high school allows students to graduate early on by providing specialized courses.

Reputation of a diploma

A high school diploma allows students to meet the education requirements for many entry-level positions. Usually, employees with diplomas earn way more than those without. Students who wish to advance in their careers might need to attend college for some form of additional training.

An accredited Ogburn high school diploma guarantees acceptance. After all, Ogburn is fully accredited and facilitates children and adults by providing a wide range of customizable curriculum as well as a wide array of advanced courses.

5 Reasons to Enroll in AP Classes at an Online High School

An online AP class is one that involves the material and workload of an in-person AP course. Thus, you will have the same readings, lectures, quizzes, and exams like in regular school. The only difference is that all of your communication with your teacher will take place through your computer. The communication, in this case, shall mostly take place through e-mail and IM. Video-chatting with the online instructors or virtual lecture sessions might also be used in some of the online courses.

In reality, every AP class you could take online is going to be a little different. This is why if you ever decide to take one, it is crucial to do research on which course to enroll. There are a certain number of courses that are accredited by the College Board, while some are not. Some courses might be free, some might cost a considerable amount. There are some that are graded independent study while others have scheduled virtual “class” meeting times.

Taking AP courses online have their own share of pros and cons. So, you need to be aware of these.

When you are determined to take an online education, you should consider enrolling in an online high school with Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

It is still debatable whether enrolling in AP courses should be the route to earning college credit. Based on which colleges you apply to, there is a chance some may not exchange college credit for all of your AP courses. It is the same even if you passed them with decent scores.

When you are intent on earning college credit through AP courses, make sure to study so that you can earn a score of 4 or higher. Usually, 4 is the minimum required to qualify.

When you are genuinely interested in attending college, taking introductory college-level courses can help you prepare whether or not you earn those college credits. It helps you to get that much-needed jump start. You can contact the Admissions Officer or Representative of Ogburn Online School to discuss your AP options.

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should enroll in AP classes in an online high school:

• Heighten your college admission rates

Most of the college admissions counselors take into account as to which type of courses a student takes during high school. In fact, most times, it forms one of the top factors they consider while reviewing a student’s application. Keep in mind that college admissions are not solely based on GPA and SAT scores.

• Get groomed for college-level courses

Apart from boosting your ability and potential to get into the college of your choice, taking AP classes also can help you to succeed in the long run, whether at your workplace or your college, once you get there. It automatically gets easier for you to cope up once you step into the next level. You find no difficulties while taking introductory college courses. Most of the times, this leads to a smooth and seamless college life or job life. After all, even a bit of experience can work wonders by the time you get to college.

• Increase the weight of your GPA

In most of the high schools, including online schools, advanced placement courses are used to boost the weight of your GPA in totality. So, on the integration of AP grades, a 3.5 out of 4.0 GPA may have the equivalent of a 4.7 GPA.

• Understand where you really stand

If you want to experience a true course of wholesome learning, simply get enrolled in AP courses. This is really for those who enjoy in-depth learning. With AP courses, you can expand your knowledge and skills in a specific subject or a set of subjects that you genuinely enjoy. These subjects surely include Chemistry, English and Biology and many more.

• Secure college credit

There is a high chance for you to earn college credit when you take AP courses. It could help you graduate early as well as save you some funds in tuition expenses.

Thus, in order to stay competitive in the college admissions process, you need to have AP Courses under your belt. Also, it helps in your overall grades inflation. Most of the regular high school classes are weighed on a 4.0 GPA scale, AP Courses are graded on a 5.0 scale. Thus, when you get an A in a regular high school Biology class, this counts as a 4 towards your GPA whereas receiving an A in an AP Biology course counts as a 5. This highly improves your GPA as well as class ranking. When you take AP courses, most of the admissions officers of the topmost colleges and universities get convinced that you are serious about school and your studies.

As mentioned earlier, AP Courses count as college credits as well. A majority of the colleges you plan on applying to accept AP Courses as college credits. This makes it possible for you to skip introductory college courses and jump right into the more vital courses where you can make friends with older, or the senior classmates. Also, managing to skip introductory courses gives you a lot of free time to explore other classes outside of the subject of your major interest.

You can take a lot of AP Courses in order to challenge yourself. However, do so only if you have enough time to manage all these courses together. An AP course is certainly no child’s play! So, be certain.

Online high schools usually offer plenty of different AP Courses. So, you have many options to choose from. Do not restrict yourself by taking AP Courses only in subjects that come naturally to you. Get ready to challenge yourself. Show your admissions officers that you are someone who can make the most out of the college academic experience. Admissions officers always get inclines towards well-rounded students. You need to sell yourself by proving that you can be an all-rounder in your campus.

Surprising Benefits of Online Middle School

In general, virtual schools offer multiple benefits. And so do online middle schools.

Here are the top 3 great reasons as to why your child would benefit from taking online middle school courses:

• Exposure to the world of technology at an early age

When the student is exposed to the virtual world, he tends to take special interest in the technological aspects. In fact, he has to in order to succeed. Thus, when you enroll your child in an online middle school, he tends to learn technology in a fun way!

Technical skills often come in handy when the child moves on to the high-school phase and college-level phase. For any work-field or study area, a certain level of technological understanding is certainly required.

Online middle school students are supported by the open source and the web-based course management systems. These allow students to communicate with each other and their teachers. Online students get a proper head start in developing their technological competencies. This certainly helps them in the long run.

• Introduces the child to the world of Independent Learning

Online learning tends to instill life values in the child that often helps the child grow personally. After all, it is important for students to learn life-skills in order to maintain a proper work-life balance in their lives. Online learning helps a student to develop the skills needed to be an independent learner. This goes a long way in preparing them for their experience in high school online and college.

Online learning also teaches essential lessons related to time management. It involves learnings as to how to budget time for studying and completing assignments around a busy schedule. All the same, middle school children learn how to communicate well right from an early age. Virtual learning is highly dependent on virtual communication. Thus, students are bound to express their queries or worries to their online teachers. Most times, they need to initiate conversations with their teachers. This helps them to keep in contact with their instructors and occasionally interact with fellow students as well.

Online students also learn the skill of self-advocacy. It implies that the student identifies with their strengths, needs and personal goals.

• Provides customizability to the child to suit the child’s individual learning style

With time, every student develops their own personalized approach to learning. This approach is usually cultivated without them even knowing it. Middle school-aged students begin to recognize that they have full control over how they learn. Online schooling can be personalized to fit individual academic needs. After all, the one size fits all approach is not counted here.

 Thus, an online educational program can be of massive benefit to middle school students who are eager to learn and put forward the effort necessary to excel academically. The online students can build their own schedules and manage their own education. After all, there are some students who thrive in a more flexible environment while some may struggle. The self-discipline and time management skills are not easy to develop in general. Online middle school courses tend to make students develop these skills on their own.

Online middle school can be of a great relief for parents who are looking to ease their child into self-driven studies. Many online schools provide part-time enrollment options as well. These classes are almost necessary for developing the necessary traits of online learning.

Here are some common benefits of online learning mode:

• One-on-one focus

Online schools follow the concept of one-to-one attention. This facilitates the online students. They need this kind of attention, especially in their growing years. Children who are in smaller classes from grades K-3 usually perform better in reading and mathematics than students in larger classes. The children in smaller classes have been seen to perform better because they had teachers who were able to devote more time to each individual student in their class. In the present times, educators are starting to see the positive link between individual attention from teachers and the success of students.

Online schooling lets your children have the attention and focus they need from their teachers. This attention is very much required in order to succeed. Online middle school students get personalized assignments and lesson plans based on their teacher’s evaluation of their skills. The online students receive an education that is specifically designed to teach the individual. This is not the case for traditional middle schools where every schedule is designed keeping the entire bulk of students in mind. Due to the lack of personalization of curriculum in traditional middle schools, students seem to be disappointed in the system most times.

• Providing an open environment to bring out the creativity

There are some parents who wrongly believe that online schools don’t offer their students a chance to participate in classroom discussions. However, just the opposite happens in brick-and-mortar schools. In online schools students participate in meaningful discussions with their teachers and fellow students in classroom discussion boards. These boards give students an open environment to express their ideas. At the same time, they do not have to get under any sort of added pressure of having to speak and stand in front of their students. After all, there are a good number of reticent kids who need the online platform to blossom socially. These students are the ones who are unable to interact and speak with others in a safe environment. Students are able to work on their interpersonal communication skills this way.

• Provides self-paced learning

There is no personal learning speed in brick-and-mortar middle schools. Teachers are forced to move onto different subjects in order to meet the district’s curriculum standards. Online education lets students to learn at their own pace. They can regulate their learning tempo as per their convenience. Students do not have to wait for after school hours or review sessions to learn more about specific subjects.

Thus, online learning is a blessing to students of all age groups. The middle-school students can gain more than expected by taking their middle school courses online.

5 Important Ways to Adapt to an Online High School Routine

Online high school's environment is pretty different from the traditional school's environment.

Great study habits are requisites for gaining success in online school course. You need to be consistent, disciplined, self-driven and balanced throughout the course. Same goes for traditional school routine as well. You need these basic habits to pass your course with good scores. However, when you are making your transition from a traditional school to an online school, you need to keep in mind that you are stepping into a much more flexible learning environment. So, you need to shape yourself up as per the new online learning environment.

Here are the top 5 important ways to adapt to an online high school routine:

Getting used to the ideal environment required for online schooling
You shall be provided with plenty of guidance from your respective online school about what you need to get started for your school year. The common pre-requisites include computer equipment, high-speed internet connection, books, and other materials. Make some arrangements to prepare the environment that you require to peacefully carry out your coursework. Designate a suitable area that will be your study/classroom. This space should have least or no distractions. It should have proper lighting arrangements as well. Furthermore, keep this place highly organized and clean on a regular basis. Practice doing all of your study-related work here. This shall help you to get mentally programmed to do your study-related work in this place.

Talk to your family members
It is essential to talk to your family members beforehand regarding the importance of high school courses and the concentration required. While your mother and father shall understand you well, but your younger siblings might not. So, speak to them directly about your need for structure and quiet peaceful time. Be gentle and explain to them about the crucial high school stage. Tell them that they would also face the same stage some day; so they ought to maintain peace whenever around him or his room. Take help from your parents to keep them aware of your crucial stage in case they are too rowdy! Rather than having an argument later, have an open discussion about your requirements with all of your family members.

Practice self-control
You need to control your temptation when it comes to maintaining your seamless course flow. As you know, online schools provide you with a high level of flexibility. If you take it too easy and get swayed away by the trending topic on Twitter or the notifications on Instagram, then you shall be at a major loss later on. After all, the key is to remain ahead of your schedule when it comes to taking an online course. Do not let the comfort of your home take it too easy. It is true that being a human, you might have to literally struggle with discipline! But when you have a strong will-power you can overcome all of these temptations. This strong willpower can build up when you have a very strong purpose of taking online courses. If you are a person who gets out of control most times, then practice maintaining control little by little so that when the course starts, you get good at self-control!

Get into the habit of self-initiating
When you are in an online school, you need to be the initiator in most of the cases. You cannot remain passive! Remember an online high school does not have “live” teachers or students. You literally need to initiate conversing with your online teachers and even peers. You need to develop a great relationship with them so that feel a level of comfort with them to discuss your issues. When you genuinely have a good rapport with your online teachers, you shall not shy away from asking any query that might be disrupting your course flow. You can ask your queries either during class or via email or phone calls.

Enhance your time-management skills
Make the schedule such that you allocate some time for sleeping or a specific activity along with making time for your studies. This way you shall be able to avail the actual benefits of taking an online course. Leave out some time only for research work! You might research on a topic of your own interest or research or a topic that you find difficult to grasp. In-depth knowledge shall help you take a genuine interest in your subjects. This shall help you to go a through a wholesome learning experience.

Make sure to read the syllabus before starting with all the preparations. The syllabus is a critical resource for any course, especially when it is online. It shall serve you as the roadmap for the entire course. Make sure to print a copy on the first day of class. Then, do not forget to read through it twice. You can highlight the due dates and then record them for assignments and threaded discussions in your personal calendar. Furthermore, you can add reminders too. Review all the assignment related instructions, discussion topics, etc. at the starting of each week. You can consult grading guidelines and check dues dates. Once you are familiar with the instructions, you can complete assignments much faster and with a great deal of confidence too.

In certain cases, it might be that it is not possible for you to submit an assignment by the due date due to an urgent situation like illness, work etc. In that case, get in touch with your instructor as early as possible before the deadline for the assignment comes. This way your case might be considered by the instructor.

Log onto your online course at least three to four times every week. Get into the habit of refreshing checking your course consistently. If possible, do it daily.  This way you can remain up-to-date with the several discussion posts, check for instructor announcements or review course materials.  When you are logged on, participate in the online activities and discussions to voice your opinion.

What Online High School Can Offer You

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