If a student is quite advanced and considerably younger than the traditional age/grade for our science or math classes (prior to AP Calculus), instructors may request a diagnostic test and may ask to Zoom briefly with the student and parent to help ensure that the class will be a good fit. Diagnostic tests for these classes will be requested from students: AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC Instructors will be in touch with families after registration.

IN GENERAL Classes taught at an honors level proceed at a faster pace and cover more material than regular classes. Honors-level students should be independent-minded with an intrinsic desire to learn and explore. ENGLISH In honors-level English classes, students will be asked to do more critical thinking. They should be willing to stretch and be comfortable trying. Honors classes will include discussion forums that will ask for more than single responses. Students will reflectively consider their classmates' thinking and actively engage with disparate ideas. MATH Students in an honors math class should expect to see questions that are different from assigned practice problems, but ones they have the necessary knowledge and understanding to figure out. Honors math students will typically work with fewer examples to achieve mastery. Some honors math classes will include discussion forums designed to apply math concepts to the real world so students can see the relevancy of learned concepts to their lives and future careers. Regular and honors math classes will both include word problems, but word problems will be much more common and more frequent in honors classes. Regular and honors-level classes rarely cover every lesson in every chapter of a textbook, but honors classes will cover more of the text than the non-honors classes. In the Honors Algebra classes, for example, no entire chapters are skipped, but some lessons within them will be. Instructors teaching honors-level classes will supplement material in their textbooks when they see new concepts and approaches finding their way into the SAT and ACT.

General Biology Class Description Honors Biology Class Description AP Biology Class Description Blue Tent OnLoan Information

Setting students up for success is always a priority at Blue Tent! We've found that younger students are still learning the organizational skills needed to be successful in an online class. When they struggle, it is rarely with the material itself, but with the independence and discipline it takes to keep up with the assignments and complete them by a deadline. While this is a generalization and we are happy to consider advanced students at any age, our recommended minimum ages and grades are: Algebra 1 | 13 years old or 8th grade | Successful completion of Pre-Algebra Geometry | 14 years old or 9th grade | Successful completion of Algebra 1 or Integrated Math 1 Algebra 2 | 15 years old or 9th grade | Successful completion of Algebra 1 or Integrated Math 1 Precalculus | 16 years old or 10th grade | Successful completion of Geometry & Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 1 and 2 AP Statistics | 16 years old or 10th grade | Successful completion of Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 1 and 2 AP Calculus AB | 16 years old or 10th grade | Successful completion of Precalculus AP Calculus BC | 15 years old or 10th grade | Successful completion of AP Calculus AB We welcome parent questions. Please reach out to us at bluetentclasses@gmail.com. Our instructors will be happy to talk with you. If students. are younger than these recommend guidelines and we haven't heard from you in advance, instructors may request a brief get-to-know-you Zoom meeting with students and their parents before registration is confirmed.

Blue Tent does not recommend or require students to complete Geometry and Algebra 2 in a particular order. We have found there to be no significant difference in the performance or preparedness of students who take Algebra 1/Geometry/Algebra 2 versus Algebra 1/Algebra 2/Geometry. Some points you may wish to consider: Geometry uses a lot of Algebra I skills, applying them to concepts with figures and shapes, so it might be beneficial for a student to practice and reinforce foundational Algebra 1 skills before diving into Algebra 2. Precalculus depends quite a bit on skills learned in Algebra 2, so by taking Algebra 2 immediately prior to Precalculus, students may benefit from having those skills fresh in their minds. A student's SAT plans may be a factor in choosing the sequence. Students will need to have completed Algebra 1 and Geometry before taking the SAT in math. There are pros and cons to either sequence. There is no single "best" sequence, and a committed student will enjoy success taking Geometry and Algebra 2 in either order.

This page will be updated as vendor agreements are completed and approved during the summer. Send us an email if you would like us to apply/reapply to be a vendor at your charter: bluetentclasses@gmail.com. Some charters require demonstrated family interest before accepting new vendor applications. 2024-25 RENEWED/APPROVED Blue Tent is an approved vendor in 2024-25 for the following California homeschool charters: Blue Ridge Academy Cabrillo Point Academy Compass Cottonwood School Excel Granite Mountain Heartland Heartwood IEM Ocean Grove Sky Mountain South Sutter iLEAD Pacific Charter Institute (renewal app submitted) Heritage Peak Charter School Rio Valley Charter School Sutter Peak Charter Academy Valley View Charter Prep Sage Oak Sequoia Clarksville Feather River Lakeview Suncoast Prep Some charters have designated some of our math, science, and English classes as a-g. There is a separate FAQ question with more information.

This information changes regularly and is kept up to date to the best of our ability. Please check with your charter teacher to confirm the a-g approvals listed here. MATH Clarksville | Cottonwood | Feather River | Heartland | Lake View | Monarch River | Yosemite Valley Regular and honors Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Precalculus are a-g approved as regular math classes. Blue Ridge Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry are a-g approved as regular or honors classes. Precalculus and Honors Precalculus are a-g approved as a regular class. Ocean Grove | Sky Mountain | South Sutter | iLEAD All math classes are a-g approved as regular or honors classes. SCIENCE Clarksville | Cottonwood | Feather River | Heartland | Lake View | Monarch River | Yosemite Valley General Biology, Honors Biology, General Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, and Human Anatomy are a-g approved as regular classes. Blue Ridge Academy General Biology, General Chemistry, and Anatomy & Physiology are a-g approved as regular classes. Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry are a-g approved as honors classes. iLEAD Science classes are a-g approved as regular or honors. Ocean Grove, Sky Mountain, and South Sutter General Biology and General Chemistry are a-g approved as a regular class. Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry are a-g approved as honors classes. Anatomy & Physiology is a-g approved. ENGLISH Clarksville | Cottonwood | Feather River | Heartland | Lake View | Monarch River | Yosemite Valley Honors English Literature & Composition 1 and Honors English Literature & Composition 2 are a-g approved as regular classes. Blue Ridge Academy Honors English Literature & Composition 1 and Self-Paced English Literature & Composition 1 are a-g approved as regular classes. Self-Paced English Literature & Composition 2 is a-g approved as a regular class. Honors English Literature & Composition 2 is a-g approved as an honors class. Ocean Grove | Sky Mountain | South Sutter | iLEAD English classes are a-g approved as regular or honors classes.

Yes, we understand the charter funding and PO process, and no tuition is due from you, personally. If you are with a charter, go ahead and register, sending us your registration form and fee. There will be a place on the registration form where you can indicate you will be paying with charter funds. We will assume that you will talk with your charter education specialist and arrange for a PO to come our way in July or August.

If you are with a CA charter and would like to split up your purchase orders into monthly or semester payments, that's perfectly fine. For full-year classes POs can be set up monthly or by semester if you wish. Monthly: 10 payments, August-May You can use a different number, but 10 (Aug-May) makes our bookkeeping a lot easier. Breaking a course into 10 payments provides an even balance of 5 payments per semester. Semester: 2 POs for half of the tuition in Aug-Dec and half in Jan-May.

We offer a low-cost option to students who wish to use a hard-copy textbook in addition to the required eBooks issued in our math and science classes. We don't have hard-copy texts for every class, but we do for a lot of them. The cost to borrow our texts helps us cover postage, packaging, and storage. For more information and ordering, please see Blue Tent OnLoan.

Which calculator to purchase is not an easy question to answer since there are so many options out there with dizzying functionalities and a wide range of price points. There are many calculator reviews online, but here are some considerations for you to consider in order to make the decision that is best for you. TI-Nspire CX and TI-Nspire CX CAS Calculators: The most powerful calculator allowed on the AP and SAT tests right now is the TI-Nspire CX CAS. "CAS" stands for Computer Algebraic System. This means that the TI-Nspire CAS can perform algebra operations such as factoring, expanding, or solving algebraic equations, which can be very helpful on the SAT. This calculator is NOT allowed on the ACT exam, whereas the TI-Nspire CX, which does not have the CAS capabilities, is allowed. Therefore, if you think you might take the ACT at some point. You might want to give up the CAS capability (which helps on the SAT test) and purchase the TI-Nspire CX, which is still a very powerful calculator and is allowed on all standardized tests. Comparison of TI-Nspire CX vs. TI-Nspire CS CAS https://mathclasscalculator.com/index.php/blog/ti-nspire-cx-vs-ti-nspire-cx-cas/ The TI-84 family: These calculators are also excellent calculators. They will serve you very well through all high school math, but they lack the functionality and ease of use of the TI-Nspire for college level classes such as AP Calculus AB, BC or AP Stats. Calculator Policies: SAT: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/taking-the-test/calculator-policy ACT: http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-calculator-policy.pdf AP: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/ap-coordinators/on-exam-day/calculator-policy

Not all science classes will need microscopes. Check the resources list that is linked on each class description page or contact us if you're not sure. Our science teachers have some suggestions HERE to help you choose a microscope. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact us at bluetentclasses@gmail.com.

Yes, all our AP courses are approved by the College Board and re-authorized every year through the course audit process. We've been teaching AP courses since 2010. Our current AP courses: AP English Language & Composition AP English Literature & Composition AP Biology AP Precalculus AP Psychology AP Statistics AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC

No, online providers won't be able to do that for you. You will need to contact local schools in the early fall to ask if your student can test there. We have information about this process and suggestions for doing this that we share with our students once classes begin. If you would like those suggestions, just send us a note at bluetentclasses@gmail.com.

Yes, our core courses--both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (text-based)--are approved by the NCAA. Our NCAA high school code is 850907.

You can find teacher bios linked to their names under "Class Details" in each of the course descriptions. You can also find them HERE. Just click on the teacher's name or image to learn more about each teacher's educational background and experience--as well as a little bit about them personally.

Yes! You can find links to parent and student feedback for each of our teachers and their classes HERE.

​2024-25 BLUE TENT BREAKS Fall Break | Oct 7-13 Thanksgiving | A light week Winter Break | Dec 16-Jan 5 Spring Break | Mar 3-9 CLASS FORMATS Synchronous = Weekly or bi-weekly live classes Active online classroom with weekly deadlines Active live and online teacher and student interaction Teacher led and graded | No parent grading Student discussion & collaboration Asynchronous = No live classes but active engagement Active online classroom with weekly deadlines Active online teacher and student interaction Teacher led and graded | No parent grading Student discussion & collaboration Self-Paced = No live classes Online classroom | all weeks open Active teacher as needed Assignment and test submission timing is student choice Teacher led and graded | No parent grading Structured as 9-month schedule to help students plan, but pacing up to student 11-12 months to complete | Varies by class BLUE TENT ORIENTATION Opens August 1 All online with text/videos | Self-paced Please review before start of first class ALL TIMES BELOW ARE EASTERN ENGLISH Electives Creative Writing | Fall Aug 26-Dec 8, 2024 Live Class | Cradle to Crypt | Every other F | 2-3 p.m. Eastern Live Class | Fantasy to Farce | Every other F | 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern Creative Writing | Spring Jan 6-April 27, 2025 Live Class | Short Stories to Tall Tales | Every other F | 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern The Page-a-Day Aspiring Authors Club | Every other F | 2-3 p.m. Eastern Live | Summer Intensive | June 3-Aug 2, 2024 Live | Fall Session | Sept 2-Dec 6, 2024 Live | Spring Session | Jan 13-Apr 18, 2025 Core Classes Intro to Lit & Comp | Aug 19-May 4 | Asynchronous English Lit & Comp 1 | Self-Paced | Available to start from Aug 19 to Dec 15, 2024 | Must be completed by July 19, 2025 English Lit & Comp 1 | Self-Paced | Available to start from Aug 19 to Dec 15, 2024 | Must be completed by July 19, 2025 Honors English Lit & Comp 1 | Aug 19-May 4 Live optional weekly check in W 12-1 p.m. Eastern Honors English Lit & Comp 2 | Aug 19-May 4 Live optional weekly check in W 1:30-2:30 p.m. Eastern AP Lang & Comp | Aug 19-May 14 (AP exam) | Asynchronous AP Lit & Comp | Aug 19-May 7 (AP exam) | Asynchronous Advanced Senior English | Aug 26-May 4 | Asynchronous MATH Core Classes Algebra 1 | Honors Option | Aug 19-May 11 Live Class | W 3-4:15 p.m. Eastern Self-Paced | Available to start from Aug 19 to Dec 15, 2024 | Must be completed by July 19, 2025 Optional Live Study Hall (live or self-paced) | Th 6-8:00 p.m. Eastern Geometry | Honors Option | Aug 19-May 11 Live Class | W 1:30-2:45 p.m. Eastern Self-Paced | Available to start from Aug 19 to Dec 15, 2024 | Must be completed by July 19, 2025 Optional Live Study Hall (live or self-paced) | Th 6-8:00 p.m. Eastern Algebra 2 | Honors Option | Aug 19-May 11 Live Class | Section 1 | W 12-1:15 p.m. Eastern Live Class | Section 2 | Th 1:30-2:45 p.m. Eastern NO Self-Paced Class Optional Live Study Hall | Th 6-8:00 p.m. Eastern Precalculus | Honors Option | Aug 19-May 11 Live Honors Precalculus Class | T 3-4:15 p.m. Eastern Self-Paced | Precalculus or Honors Precalculus Class | Available to start from Aug 19 to Dec 15, 2024 | Must be completed by July 19, 2025 Optional Live Study Hall (live or self-paced) | Th 6-8:00 p.m. Eastern AP Precalculus | Aug 19-May 13 (AP exam) Live Class | F 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Eastern AP Statistics & Non-AP Statistics | Aug 19-May 8 (AP exam) Live AP Statistics Class | Th 3-4:15 p.m. Eastern every other week Self-Paced AP Statistics or Self-Paced NON-AP Statistics | Available to start from Aug 19 to Dec 15, 2024 | Must be completed by July 19, 2025 Optional Live Study Hall (live or self-paced) | Th 6-8:00 p.m. Eastern AP Calculus AB | Aug 19-May 12 (AP exam) Live Class | F 2-3 p.m. Eastern Optional Live Study Hall | Th 12-2 p.m. Eastern AP Calculus BC | Aug 19-May 12 (AP exam) Live Class | F 12-1 p.m. Eastern SCIENCE Core Classes General Biology | Aug 19-May 4 Live Class | T 1-2-15 p.m. Eastern Optional Live Study Hall | Th 1-3 p.m. Eastern Honors Biology | Aug 19-May 4 Live Class | T 3-4:30 p.m. Eastern Optional Live Study Hall | Th 1-3 p.m. Eastern Honors Chemistry | Aug 26-May 4 Live Class | W 12-1:30 p.m. Eastern Marine Biology & Oceanography | Aug 26-May 4 Live Class | M 12-1 p.m. Eastern Human Anatomy & Physiology | Aug 19-May 4 Asynchronous Optional Live Study Hall | Th 1-3 p.m. Eastern AP Biology | Aug 19-May 5 (AP exam) Live Class | T 5-6:30 p.m. Eastern Also Asynchronous Option Optional Live Study Hall | Th 1-3 p.m. Eastern SOCIAL SCIENCE Core Classes AP Psychology | Aug 1-May 16 (AP exam) Live Class | M 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Eastern

​​​​​​​2023-2024 BLUE TENT SCHEDULE ​​​​​​​ BLUE TENT BREAKS Fall Break | Oct 2-8 Thanksgiving | A light week Winter Break | Dec 11-Jan 1 Spring Break | Mar 4-10 CLASS FORMATS Synchronous = Live classes | Teacher led and graded Asynchronous = NO regular live classes | Teacher led and graded | Weekly teacher interaction & involvement with students | Weekly text-based forums for student discussion & collaboration Self-Paced = NO regular live classes | Teacher graded | Structured with weekly pacing but assignment completion timing is student-choice | Must be completed within 12 months of start BLUE TENT ORIENTATION Opens August 1 Self-Paced To be completed before start of first class ALL TIMES BELOW ARE EASTERN ENGLISH Electives Dystopian Fiction | Fall 2023 Only | Sept 5-Dec 8 | T 12-1 p.m. Eastern Science Fiction: How Science Shapes Literature & Film | Spring 2024 Only | Jan 9-Apr 16 | T 12-1 p.m. Eastern New to the Shelf: A YA Book Club | Aug 2023-Apr 2024 | Monthly | 8-9 P.M. Eastern (**evening) Tuesdays | Aug 29/Sept 26/Oct 24/Nov 28/Jan 9/Feb 6/Mar 12/Apr 16 The Page-a-Day Aspiring Authors Club | Every other F | 2-3 p.m. Eastern Summer Intensive | June 5-Aug 4 Fall 2023 Session | Sept 5-Dec 8 Spring 2024 Session | Jan 15-Apr 19 Creative Writing | Fall 2023 | Aug 28-Dec 10 Section 1 | Fantasy to Farce | Every other F | 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Cradle to Crypt | Every other F | 2-3 p.m. Eastern (fall only) Creative Writing | Spring 2024 | Jan 8-April 28 Section 1 | Fantasy to Farce | Every other F | 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Short Stories to Tall Tales | Every other F | 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern (spring only) Core Classes Intro to Lit & Comp | Aug 21-May 5 | Asynchronous English Lit & Comp 1 | Self-Paced | Available any time after Aug 1 Honors English Lit & Comp 1 | Aug 21-May 5 | Optional weekly check in W 12-1 p.m. Eastern Honors English Lit & Comp 2 | Aug 21-May 5 | Optional weekly check in W 1:30-2:30 p.m. Eastern AP Lang & Comp | Aug 14-May 14 (AP exam) | Asynchronous AP Lit & Comp | Aug 14-May 8 (AP exam) | Asynchronous Advanced Senior English | Aug 21-May 5 | Asynchronous MATH Electives Trigonometry Workshop | Self-Paced | Available any time Core Classes Algebra 1 | Aug 14-May 12 Section 1 | T 3-4:15 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Self-Paced | Available any time Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | T 4:30-6 p.m. and Th 6-8 p.m. Eastern Honors Algebra 1 | Aug 17-May 12 Section 1 | T and Th 3:15-4:15 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Self-Paced | Available after Sept 1 Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | W 1-3 p.m. and F 1-3 p.m. Eastern Geometry | Honors Option | Aug 14-May 12 Section 1 | W 1:30-2:45 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Th 4:30-5:45 p.m. Eastern Section 3 | Self-Paced | Available any time Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | T 4:30-6 p.m. and Th 6-8 p.m. Eastern Algebra 2 | Aug 14-May 12 Section 1 | Th 1:45-3 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Self-Paced | Available after Sept 1 Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | W 1-3 p.m. and F 1-3 p.m. Eastern Honors Algebra 2 | Aug 17-May 12 Section 1 | Th 12-1:30 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Self-Paced | Available after Sept 1 Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | W 1-3 p.m. and F 1-3 p.m. Eastern Regular & Honors Precalculus | Aug 14-May 12 Section 1 | Precalculus | W 3-4:15 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Honors Precalculus | W 3-4:15 p.m. Eastern Section 3 | Self-Paced Precalculus | Available any time Section 4 | Self-Paced Honors Precalculus | Self-Paced | Available after Sept 1 Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | T 4:30-6 p.m. and Th 6-8 p.m. Eastern AP & Non-AP Statistics | Aug 14-May 7 Section 1 | AP Statistics | 2-3:15 p.m. Eastern Section 2 | Self-Paced AP Statistics | Available any time for 2024 AP exam target Section 3 | Self-Paced Non-AP Statistics | Available any time Optional Live Study Halls (live or self-paced) | T 4:30-6 p.m. and Th 6-8 p.m. Eastern AP Calculus AB | Aug 14-May 13 (AP exam) | F 2-3 p.m. Eastern AP Calculus BC | Aug 14-May 13 (AP exam) | F 12-1 p.m. Eastern SCIENCE Core Classes General Biology | Aug 21-May 5 | W 4-5:30 p.m. Eastern Honors Biology | Aug 21-May 5 | Th 1:30-3 p.m. Eastern Optional Live Study Hall | F 1-4 p.m. Eastern AP Biology | August 14-May 16 (AP exam) | W 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern Honors Chemistry | Aug 21-May 5 | T 1:30-3 p.m. Eastern Optional Live Study Hall | F 1-4 p.m. Eastern Marine Biology & Oceanography | Aug 28-May 3 | M 12-1 p.m. Eastern Human Anatomy & Physiology | Aug 21-May 5 | Asynchronous Optional Live Study Hall | F 1-4 p.m. Eastern

Where are Blue Tent classes held? Blue Tent instructors live in California, North Carolina, and Ohio, but we teach 100% online--so our classes are held everywhere. We use the Moodle learning management system (LMS) on our own dedicated server, and we use ZOOM for live instruction and discussion. Students access their web classrooms at our password-protected class site--www.bluetentclasses.com--for instruction, assignments, quizzes, and peer interaction.

You can find a link to the reading list and resources for each class under "Class Details" in the course descriptions.

Yes! Many Blue Tent teachers offer TA roles to their most outstanding past students. We pay our student TAs and we clearly establish what is needed and when upfront. TAs add a been-there-done-that component that current students value. They grade some assignments, offer feedback some of the time, and answer questions. TAs never take the place of our teachers. Blue Tent teachers supervise our TAs and only ask them to do things that are well within their level of expertise. Including TAs in our teaching is a great way for us to extend instruction and help while offering the opportunity to outstanding students to solidify their academic and professional skills.

We welcome in a diverse student body with widely varying views on religion and politics. All our classes are secular. We take no position on religion or politics. Our curriculum, courses, and teaching practices are secular. Our teaching does not espouse any particular political point of view--liberal to conservative.

Yes! Blue Tent focuses on science, math, and English classes, but we can recommend Courtney Sanford's art classes. *Please know that some of her classes are not secular. The Delightful Art Company