Many international schools around the world are as rigorous
as the best U.S. schools. In general, Foreign Service youth
return to the U.S. prepared to continue their education
without significant knowledge gaps. One exception is U.S.
History and Government, which is often missing from
international school curriculums. Fortunately, it is
possible to plug the holes in a variety of ways. (Note:
While all of these options will help FS youth stay on par
with their U.S. peers, some of these options may not result
in transferable credits. This is an important consideration
for teenagers who may return to the U.S. toward the end of
their academic careers and graduate from a U.S. high
school.)
• Enroll students in online U.S. History classes.
• Research the grade level U.S. History
curriculum in your home state and purchase the appropriate
textbook(s)
for self study.
• Pool resources with other Foreign Service
families at post and hire a qualified individual to design
and teach a
U.S. History class outside of regular school hours.
• Spend a few moments each day learning about
U.S. History by reading books, playing games,
watching
television, or exploring the internet.
Supplemental Education Allowance
If the "base school at post" (usually the least expensive
“adequate” school as determined by the Department of State
Office of Overseas Schools) does not provide instruction in
academic subjects generally offered by public schools in the
United States (such as United States history or government),
the authorizing officer may authorize an amount up to $3,000
per child per school year for supplementary instruction.
For more information, click here to read Department of State
Standardized Regulation 270—Education Allowance, sections
274.12 and 276.9. (http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=249&menu_id=81).
Distance Learning
High school students who are self-motivated and
have reliable internet connections may find it convenient to
supplement their international school educations with online
classes. Those who plan to attend school in Virginia upon
returning to the U.S. may wish take advantage of Virtual
Virginia, a state-run program that offers online AP and
foreign language courses. Other students may prefer to take
one or more classes from a University-affiliated or private
online high school.
Virtual Virginia
The Virginia Virtual Advanced Placement School
(VVAPS) offers online AP and foreign language courses to
students across the commonwealth and the nation. The courses
utilize the Desire2Learn course management software to
maximize the interactivity of each class. Each course
contains video segments, audio clips, whiteboard and online
discussions as well as text. E-Teachers are available for
telephone conversations with students throughout the school
day. VVAPS classes offer a rich multimedia learning
environment that appeals to a variety of learning styles.
They can be scheduled flexibly throughout the day, as
courses do not have to be taken in 'real' time. The cost is
$650 per class, excluding the cost of required textbooks,
plus an additional $75 communication fee for international
students.
In 2009 the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 2619
(http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?091+ful+HB2619ER+pdf),
which ensures that “course credits earned for online courses
taken in the Department of Education's Virtual Virginia
program will transfer to Virginia public schools.” That’s
great news for Foreign Service youth who plan to graduate
from Virginia high schools! However, it’s important to
remember that Virtual Virginia does not award credit for the
classes or provide a transcript. While they do award numeric
grades, they do not award letter grades since different
Virginia school districts have different grading scales.
Ideally, an overseas international school will agree to put
the Virtual Virginia course on a student’s transcript and
award an appropriate letter grade based on the Virtual
Virginia numeric grade. If an international school does not
agree to these terms, Foreign Service youth should consider
enrolling in Virtual Virginia as a homeschooled student (even
if they attend school). In theory, this will allow Virginia
schools to account for the transfer credits when a student
returns to Virginia from overseas and enrolls in a local
public school.
For more information about Virtual Virginia, contact Dr.
Erin Berry at 1-866-650-0026 or
erin.berry@virtualvirginia.org. You should also have a
conversation with your anticipated Virginia public school
before enrolling in Virtual Virginia courses. Note that the
registration deadline is the end of the first week of school
for your Virginia district. The deadline for spring semester
4X4 block courses is the first week of the spring semester.
IMPORTANT: While Maryland has a similar program—the Maryland
Virtual Learning Opportunities Program—it is only for the
benefit of students who are enrolled in a Maryland public
school and have school approval to take online courses.
Public and Private Online Schools
There are hundreds of online high schools but quality, cost
and accreditation varies, so do some research before
enrolling. The following University-affiliated online high
schools are among those that offer regular and AP classes,
including U.S. History and Government.
IMPORTANT: Do not automatically assume that your local U.S.
school district will accept transfer credits from the
following institutions. Contact your state Department of
Education AND local school district in advance. (Note that
the decision is often left to the local school district.)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Independent Study High
School (FSYF Sponsor)
highschool.unl.edu/
Stanford University EPGY (Education Program for Gifted
Youth) Online Middle & High School
http://epgy.stanford.edu/ohs/index.html
Indiana University High School
http://iuhighschool.iu.edu/
University of Oklahoma High School
http://ouilhs.ou.edu/
University of Missouri, Center for Distance & Independent
Study
http://cdis.missouri.edu/high-school.aspx
University of California College Prep—Open Access
http://www.ucopenaccess.org/
K12 International Academy (accredited online, private
school)
http://www.k12.com/int/
Graduation and Standardized Testing Requirements
Graduation and standardized testing requirements
vary by state. Don’t automatically assume that an overseas
international school education will fulfill all the
requirements for a diploma from your home state! If you plan
to return to the United States while your child is in high
school, contact your state Department of Education AND local
school district in advance to verify that all credits from
overseas and/or online schools will transfer, and confirm
that your child is on track for graduation.
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: 800-292-3820
www.doe.virginia.gov
Arlington County Public Schools: 703-228-6000
http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/aps/site/default.asp
Fairfax County Public Schools: 571-423-1000
http://www.fcps.edu/index.shtml
Prince William County Public Schools: 703-791-7200
http://pwcs.edu/
Loudon County Public Schools: 571-252-1000
http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/loudoun/pages/static_district_homepage.asp
History and Social Sciences Specialist for VA Middle and
High Schools
Dr. Beverly Thurston: 804-225-2893
Virginia Graduation Requirements
http://www.virtualvirginia.org/studentsparents/grad_requirements.shtml
Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) by grade and subject:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/go/Sols/home.shtml
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: 410-767-0100
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE
Montgomery County Public Schools: 301-309-6277
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/
Prince George’s County Public Schools: 301-952-6000
http://www1.pgcps.org/
Maryland Graduation and Testing Requirements
See the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) Title 13A
Subtitle 03
http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/subtitle_chapters/13A_Chapters.htm
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: 202-442-5885
http://www.k12.dc.us/
U.S. History Links
If your kids are too young to worry about high school
credits, but they are missing out on U.S. history
instruction at school, consider spending a few minutes every
day going back in history courtesy of the internet. A number
of outstanding “Today in History” sites offer short
descriptions of important historical events that occurred on
the current day in years past. They can expose your kids to a broad
range of topics or serve as a starting point for more
in-depth internet research on specific topics. Know of other
good links that might interest Foreign Service families?
Bring them to our attention at
fsyf@fsyf.org.
Library of Congress—American Memory Collection—Today in
History
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/
New York Times Learning Network—On This Day
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/index.html
The History Channel—This Day in History
http://www.history.com/
The People History—This Day in History
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/this-day-in-history.html
PBS Freedom: A History of American
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/index.html
Includes a series of 16 webisodes to watch as well as tools
and games to test your knowledge
Best of History Websites
http://www.besthistorysites.net/
Best of History Web Sites is an award-winning portal that
contains annotated links to over 1000 history web sites as
well as links to hundreds of quality K-12 history lesson
plans, history teacher guides, history activities, history
games, history quizzes, and more.
Virginia Center for Digital History at the University of
Virginia
http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/index.php?page=VCDH
U.S. History Games
By no means an exhaustive list, here are some American
history games to play alone on the computer or as a family
at the kitchen table. Know of another good game that we
should include? Send us the information at
fsyf@fsyf.org.
Online
http://www.gamequarium.com/americanhistory.html
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm
Board Games and Card Games
Made for Trade: A Game of Early American Life (TaliCor)—ages
8+
Hail to the Chief (TaliCor)—ages 10+
American Trivia: Junior Edition Board Game (Outset
Media)—ages 9+
The People's Choice Presidential Card Game (U.S. Games
Systems)—ages 10+
Lewis and Clark Adventure Game (Educational Insights)—ages
6+
U.S. History Books
There is no shortage of interesting books for kids
about important events and famous people in America’s
history. If you need a place to start, check out the
standards of learning (SOL) or curriculum for your home
state by grade level. For example, all 2nd grade students in
Virginia study American Indians with a focus on the
Powhatan, the Sioux, and the Pueblo. In 5th grade, they
study the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, George
Washington and James Madison. Of course, one benefit of
living overseas is that your kids are not held hostage by
the SOLs and are free to explore whatever part of history
interests them right now! Share your own favorite American
History books with us at
fsyf@fsyf.org and we’ll add them to the list.
The American Kids in History series for ages 9-12 brings
history to life with text, games, recipes, and activities.
Colonial Days
Revolutionary Wary Days
Pioneer Days
And more…
Scholastic’s If You series includes 24 titles for ages 9-12
that explore the life of American kids during various periods in
history.
If You Lived in Colonial Times
If You Lived at the Time of the American
Revolution
If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Lived When There Was Slavery in America
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
And more…
Time for Kids biography series for ages 9-12 includes:
Benjamin Franklin
Alexander Graham Bell
Harriet Tubman
Theodore Roosevelt
And more…
The first historical series, Random House Landmark Books
continues to fascinate kids after more than 50 years.
Meet Thomas Jefferson
The American Revolution
The Landing of the Pilgrims
The Witchcraft of Salem Village
And more…
Scholastic’s In Their Own Words series features biographies
of famous Americans for ages 9-12:
Paul Revere
Pocahontas
Sitting Bull
And more…
U.S. History Videos
A comprehensive list would require a website all
its own. But if you watch a show about American history that
you think we should know about, send us the title at
fsyf@fsyf.org and we’ll add it below.
Liberty's Kids: Complete
Series—ages 7+
Liberty Kids is an acclaimed 40-episode, animated series
about the experiences of two young teens during the American
Revolution. It formerly aired on PBS Kids.
Getting Ahead: U.S. History
From Colonial America to the Horror of 9/11, this four-DVD set chronicles the compelling stories of America's presidents and the eras in which they served.
The History Channel Presents The
Presidents
An eight-part survey of the personal lives and legacies of
the remarkable men who have presided over the Oval Office
The History Channel Presents The
Revolution
Liberty! The American Revolution (PBS)
The War That Made America: The Story of
the French and Indian War (PBS 2006)
Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the
Corps of Discovery (PBS 1997)
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
(PBS 1990)
Ken Burns Presents: The West (PBS)
