Which Curriculum is Best

One of the questions I hear often is, Which curriculum is best to prepare for a CLEP exam?

The short answer is that there is no one right or best curriculum. Preparing for a CLEP or DSST is never about finding the one curriculum that serves the test.

In middle and high school, textbook authors write tests that align to the content of each unit in their textbook. But with CLEP and DSST, there is no one curriculum or book upon which each CLEP or DSST exam is based.

This means students will need to engage with the material they are learning. For some, a fact-based text book is best. Others might prefer learning content that is filled with color, charts, audio, or activities. Some students prefer to learn by making flashcards and memory tools. Others learn best with oral discussion. What is consistent is that adding CLEP or DSST as a final exam to your student’s studies teaches them study-skills that will help them during their college studies. Remember that CLEP and DSST exams allow students to skip over introductory-level college courses that essentially repeat content that a student has already studied. So while those introductory college courses can be fast-tracked, middle and high school is still taught to the highest level attainable, as determined by your student’s ability.

Study it once, Study it well, and move on!

Tips to help you determine the best curriculum and resources for your student.

Review the content of each exam.

I like to have a copy of the Official CLEP Study Guide on hand for this purpose. Since DSST does not have an official printed guide, you can find this information on their website. Note the specific time periods included, topics, and percentage of the test dedicated to each category. Another great resource to review is the Free-Clep-Prep website.

Choose a high-school-level curriculum/textbook that serves your student first.

Always consider your student’s learning style. If he/she is not engaged, learning is a chore and your role now includes nagging. For example, if your student is studying US History:  There are a variety of approaches and texts and all have been used successfully to teach students and prepare them for the US History CLEP exam.

• Does he like the solid textbook approach? Then something like Abeka may serve him well.
• Does he prefer a more conversational tone in his reading? Then take a look at Notgrass’ curriculum.
• Does he prefer to know the stories behind the facts? Then he might be engaged in reading A History of US by Hakim.
• Does he enjoy the material more if he can watch or listen to it? Then the Great Courses that coordinate with US History might be valuable resources. One family shared with me that their young students learned quite a bit of history watching the Liberty Kids videos (check YouTube).
• Does he do best with a minimal amount of reading? Consider the PASS curriculum developed by the Florida Dept. of Education. This curriculum is now free and available for download on my website. From the teacher’s guide, choose projects that reinforce CLEP must-knows like memorizing the amendments (which you gleaned from reviewing the practice exams).

TIP: Since there is so much overlap between the study of US History and American Government, consider studying both subjects the same year.

Include test-specific-prep

When planning out your student’s studies, consider pairing your curriculum choice with an REA CLEP Study Guide. Match the table of contents in the REA book with your curriculum’s table of contents and create an syllabus for your student to follow. Have him read select pages in the REA book, perhaps outlining what he reads (teach that study skill), before diving into the subject matter in detail with the curriculum you chose. CLEP-Prep does not always have to be incorporated within the study of a subject, but it helps. A great flashcard site for end-of-the-course CLEP-specific-test-prep is Instantcert.com. (InstantCert Online Flashcards – Enter Code 85513 for $5 discount) Note: REA publishes study guides for CLEP, not DSST exams.

Teach study skills

Once your “spine” or curriculum is chosen, consider adding learning opportunities based on the skills you want your student to develop, such as test-taking skills (how to read multiple choice questions), note-taking skills, researching and summarizing, critical thinking, and building vocabulary. These skills can sometimes be just as important as studying the content of the subject.

Engage your student

An engaged student doesn’t stop learning when his assignment is completed. Foster his desire to be a life-long learner. Your student might enjoy creating his own study flashcards on Quizlet.com, or participating in National History Day, or including regular trips to the library to pick up quality literature that is always more engaging than any text, or having family movie nights that support his studies. Certainly not every student will want to dive deep into every subject, and that is okay.

What about using an older text?

Sometimes older is better. For example, what has changed about US History? or World Religions? The publisher’s perspective may have changed, but the subject matter is often the same. I have reviewed texts from 5-20 years ago and sometimes prefer the content and writing style to the newer edition of the same text. Since CLEP and DSST exams are fact-based exams and are not tied to a specific curriculum or text, older texts sufficient.

Credits Before College Curriculum

I have done the work for you! If you are looking for curriculum for World Religions, Environmental Science, or Psychology, please check out these CBC course guides. They are written from a Biblical worldview, are age-appropriate, and each lesson contains test-specific review.

Please share this article with friends and introduce them to Credits Before College.

Copyright©2022 Cheri Frame – All Rights Reserved

Tags: clep, curriculum, homeschool

Category: Teaching/CLEP-Prep