What are non-Kolbe curriculum options? 

 

Non-Kolbe courses are courses that are not provided by Kolbe Academy.  Most PE, Fine Arts and other non-academic courses are also considered non-Kolbe courses and would be added to the course registration as such.   

 

What types of non-Kolbe courses does Kolbe accept? 

 

Kolbe accepts courses from many other curriculum providers for grade and credit (high school).  Courses at or above your child's grade level from major publishers should not present a problem; however, you should always include any non-Kolbe courses on your student's course registration form or add them later using the Course Change Request Form to be certain. Parents may also piece together their own course from materials, but the course should also be approved by your Family Advisor ahead of time to be sure what you have planned will work for reporting to Kolbe.

 

What are the requirements for high school credit?
 

High school courses can earn 1 credit for a full year and .5 credit per semester. For a course to be eligible for high school academic credit, the following criteria must be met:

 

• The course texts must be high school level.
• The course must include high school-level written assignments.
• The course must include written evaluations (quizzes, tests, etc.).
• The student must be “in class” for a minimum of 60 hours for one semester of credit and 120 hours for one year of credit.

For students studying independently, “class” time represents the time that they are engaged with the course texts and completing “in class” assignments. Some portion of time spent on larger written assignments or projects should be considered homework rather than class work.

 

High school non-academic credit also requires a minimum of 60 hours for one semester of credit and 120 hours for one year of credit.

 

How does my student earn the "with Lab" notation on their transcript for high school lab sciences?

For Kolbe courses, please see the course plan for details. For non-Kolbe courses please see the Non-Kolbe Curriculum Providers article in our Help Center.

 

A separate grade should NOT be given for the lab work but should be incorporated into the overall grade given for the course. Parents may determine the lab component's weight on the final grade, but typical values range from 15-25% of the total grade. Two written lab samples are needed per semester for lab credit on the transcript. These lab samples may be informal or formal lab reports. On the Grade Submission Form, you will use an "X" to indicate that your student is seeking the "with Lab" designation.
 

 

 

How do I let Kolbe know that I want to substitute a non-Kolbe course for Kolbe course?

 

You will let your Family Advisor know you want to use non-Kolbe curriculum on your course registration or course change request form. You will use the course change request form for changes after your child's course registration has already been approved. The course registration and course change forms are sent directly to your Family Advisor for review and approval. 

 

What information does Kolbe Academy need to approve a non-Kolbe course?  

 

On the course registration or course change request form, please provide your Family Advisor with the following information: 

 

• Course Title 

• Course Text(s) 

• Course Description 

• If not using a grade-level textbook, please be sure to confirm the hours of coursework involved and the materials that will be used.  

• If using a provider not listed below, please provide a link to the curriculum provider/material  

• If the provider you’re using (such as Homeschool Connections) offers many different courses, please provide a link to the course your child will be taking to help your Family Advisor determine course length, subject area, and grade level. 

For K-8, parents may substitute Kolbe curriculum or add additional courses. You can do this in the student’s course registration or by submitting a Course Change Request Form (CCRF). These will go to your Family Advisor to review.  For non-Kolbe academic courses receiving a letter grade, there must be some graded material to gauge student progression, which will be submitted in the grade report.  If a course is simply pass/fail, the graded material need not be submitted in a grade report.  Instead, the course can be listed on the Grade Submission Form under Other. Further information can be found in the High School Credit section of the Student Handbook.

 

How will I know if my course is approved?

 

Your Family Advisor can determine if the course will be approved to report to Kolbe Academy. When your course change request form is approved, you will receive e-mail confirmation.  After a few days, PowerSchool should reflect the changes made.  

 

What type of support does Kolbe offer with non-Kolbe courses?

 

Kolbe Advisors cannot offer the same level of support we do with Kolbe courses.  Advisors are able to approve non-Kolbe courses and accept the grade submissions for those courses. 

 

Approved Non-Kolbe Providers 

 

Below is a list of some of the providers Kolbe has approved curriculum from in the past. The list is not exhaustive. If you have a question, please contact your Family Advisor for more information. Please be sure to include the exact textbooks/materials you plan to use, even when using the providers below, so your Family Advisor can confirm whether it will work as you plan.

Note: These providers are listed for your convenience. Inclusion on this list does not indicate endorsement by Kolbe Academy, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, by these other providers.

 

Grades K-5 

 

Religion	Ascension Press
Math	Beast Academy
	Math U See
	Life of Fred
	Seton
Science	Classical Academic Press
	Kahn Academy
	Schole Academy
	BJU Press
Language Arts	IEW
	Shurley English
	Logic of English
	Write Shop
History	BJU Press
	RC History
Foreign Language	Visual Latin
	Memoria Press
	Lingua Latina

 

Grades 6-8 

 

Theology	Ascension Press
	Bellarmine
	Tan
	St. Michael’s Abbey
	Mother of Divine Grace
Math	Beast Academy
	CTC
	Life of Fred
	Dimensions (Singapore)
	Teaching Textbooks
	Math U See
Science	Apologia
	Classical Academic Press
	Kahn Academy
	Novare
	Schole Academy
Language Arts	Acquinas Writing Advantage
	IEW
	Shurley
	Well-Trained Mind
	Logic of English
History	Bellarmine
	Catholic Textbook Project
	RC History
Foreign Language	Bellarmine
	Visual Latin
	Memoria Press
	Lingua Latina

 

Note: For courses taken in 8th grade, all non-Kolbe courses taken for credit in Math, Science or Foreign Language must be approved ahead of time and transferred in on a homeschool transcript or a transcript from the school they were taken. 

 

Grades 9-12 

 

Theology	Bellarmine
	My Catholic Faith Delivered
	Midwest Theological Forum
	Mother of Divine Grace
Math	Beast Academy
	Life of Fred
	Jacobs Elementary Algebra
	Teaching Textbooks
	Math U See
Science	Apologia
	Classical Academic Press
	Kahn Academy
	Novare
	Schole Academy
Language Arts	Acquinas Writing Advantage
	IEW
	Shurley
	BJU Press
	Warriner’s English Grammar & Composition
History	Bellarmine
	Catholic Textbook Project
	RC History
Foreign Language	Bellarmine
	Visual Latin
	Memoria Press
	Lingua Latina
	Southeast Japanese School
	Menschen A1/Menschen A2
	Power-Glide Ultimate Year ½
Electives	Professor Carol (Music)

 

Note: Please remember, Kolbe will only report 8 academic courses on a high school transcript per semester.