FSM 312 DO/TS

—More News on the CLE Program

Compiled by our Family CLE distributors — May 1997

Copyright © 1997 by The Family

Enclosed with this mailing: Application for High School Credit form, CLE's Ordering Instructions for The Family and Sales Terms and Policies (updated May '97), The Family's CLE Order Summary (updated May '97). (Please keep these as your Home's master copies, and file in a secure place.)

NEW DISCOUNT!2

PREVIOUS PUBS ABOUT CLE2

ORDERING AND SHIPPING2

Orders, Letters and Phone Calls2

Updated Catalog, Order Form Booklets and Price Changes3

Returns3

Returned Shipments3

A Reminder about Lost or Damaged Shipments5

Rush Orders5

Air Mail and Credit Cards5

Minimum Shipping Charge6

Quick Correction Form6

PAYMENT6

Bank Checks and Money Orders6

Payment Adjustments7

Credit Card Payments as an Alternative to Checks7

UPDATES ON CURRICULUM AND HOMESTUDY RESOURCES7

Yearly Updates7

CLE Newsletter — "LightLines"8

Scope and Sequence8

Teacher's Handbooks8

Grade 1 Language Arts and Reading Program8

Grade 1 Science and Social Studies8

Grade 3 Social Studies9

Grade 4 Social Studies textbook, Into All the World9

Grade 5 Science textbook, God's Marvelous Gifts9

Grade 6 Social Studies textbook, God's World9

Science Kits9

Math 900 Solution Keys10

High School Language Arts Grades 9-1210

CLE HIGH SCHOOL ELECTIVES10

"Basic Automotive System and Services"11

"Practical Math"11

"Keyboarding" (Typing)11

"Accounting I"11

"Computer Literacy"11

CLE'S FULL PROGRAM OPTION11

Explanation of "Full Program"11

Supervising Full Program Families13

Full Program Parent Training13

Training Without Services14

Full Program Phone/Letter Assistance14

Full Program Overseas14

Enrollment of Students Other than U.S. Citizens15

Diplomas and Documentation for Entering College15

Full Program High School Diploma15

California Achievement Tests16

High School Academic Projections16

Filling Out CLE's High School Forms17

Sample Application for High School Credit Form18

Conclusion20

Dear Family,

God bless you! We have some wonderful news and exciting stats that we pray will be an encouragement to you! From the responses and letters were received, it seems that the CLE curriculum is continuing to be a blessing to many of you, and each month the number of orders coming in continues to climb. We thought it would be interesting for you to know that CLE has now shipped their materials to our Family in 54 different countries, and in the United States to 31 states! As you can imagine, it is also becoming a bigger job to process these orders and answer your questions. So we are sending this notice with important reminders and additional instructions and information.

1997 DISCOUNT!

As mentioned in Grapevice #10, as of January, 1997, all Family orders will receive a 20% discount on Lightunits and Answer Keys! Due to the total sales CLE has received from our Family purchases for 1996, they have now increased our discount from 15% to 20%, PTL! This means that beginning January 1st, Lightunits and Answer Keys will be $1.80 each. CLE has also extended this 20% discount to all year round, but they again strongly discourage ordering during their high season. They are already overloaded at that time of year, so your orders will be delayed. If too many orders are placed between July 15th and September 15th, CLE will consider going back to the original agreement of only giving a 10% discount on all materials during this high season. So, it's best to try to do your ordering before July 15th or after September 15th. The supplementary materials will stay at the same discounted rate of 10% all year round.

PREVIOUS PUBS ABOUT CLE

For quick reference, following are the publications you've received containing information about CLE:

· FUN 30 (plus a small color brochure entitled Christian Light Education, the 8-page Home Study Options, as well as an order form for the diagnostic tests)

· FSM 277 (plus CLE's Ordering Instructions for The Family, Sales Terms and Policies and The Family's CLE Order Summary)

· FUN 37

Remember to keep all CLE-related materials in one folder or envelope for quick, easy reference, as there are details that we all forget so easily. The majority of questions we have received and mistakes made when placing orders are a result of not knowing what has already been written, especially the ordering procedures and CLE's Sales Terms and Policies. Following these instructions will not only lessen the work on our end, but can save you delays in getting your materials, or even extra expenses. We realize you are still learning, and in time the procedures will become more routine. Until then, when filling out an order or before writing to ask a question, please review the CLE advisories and Sales Terms and Policies. Thank you!

ORDERING AND SHIPPING

Orders, Letters and Phone Calls

Family orders, letters and phone calls must be via the Family distributor. Please do not send orders, letters, Quick Correction Forms, or make phone calls directly to CLE (except those on Full Program who are calling for scholastic assistance; see "Full Program Phone/Letter Assistance," page 14). If you want to receive the 10%-20% discount which CLE offers the Family, you need to send your orders through our Family CLE address and not directly to CLE. This also includes your questions about orders, previous shipments, returns, exchanges, etc. If CLE receives an order, or letter or phone call directly from someone in the Family, they will forward it to us. Communicating directly with CLE will not speed up your order, but instead will only cause delays and extra work.

If you wish to order directly through CLE, as an ordinary customer, this is of course your prerogative. You can do so by using the normal CLE Order Forms booklet (without The Family's CLE Order Summary) and mailing it directly to CLE. Just keep in mind two things: First, you will lose the Family discount on the purchase of materials by ordering directly. Second, you should use a different name than you have before on your shipping address, even if the address is the same. This way you will get a new account number that is handled directly by CLE for any future orders.

Updated Catalog, Order Form Booklets and Price Changes

From now on CLE will revise and send out their new catalog and order forms in February each year, instead of June. These stay valid through January of the next year. This February, 1997, there are only some minor price changes, although there are a number of curriculum changes. CLE has given us this information, and we have included it on the next page.

Although free, CLE will not automatically send you their new yearly catalog. You must request it on your order form. However, their new order forms will be automatically enclosed with any orders shipped out.

We will try to notify you of price changes ahead of time, or as soon as CLE is able to inform us. But even with this, some folks may have a time when they will be ordering using the old order form and old prices, which may result in our having to make adjustments to your orders due to lack of funds. To avoid this problem, we would like to suggest that you either send extra funds, or make a note of which items you would want dropped from your order in case the funds sent are insufficient. CLE will send you a refund check if you send more than is needed and have more than $2.00 left over, which you can either cash or send back with your next order as credit towards that purchase. (See also "Payment Adjustments," page 7.)

Returns

Important: Do not return any material to us or CLE under $100 value. Please read CLE's Sales Terms and Policies agreement with the Family, where their return policy is fully explained, including shipments returned to them by the postal system.

Returned Shipments

On some occasions a shipment is not claimed by the purchaser, or the address is wrong or incomplete, or the purchaser has moved and left no forwarding address, and the package is returned to CLE and they pay the expense of this returned shipment. CLE has an additional agreement with us concerning this that is also fully explained in CLE's Sales Terms and Policies sent to you previously. (This has now been updated, and the newly-revised version is being sent out along with this advisory. We suggest that the old version be destroyed.) It's important that the person ordering CLE materials in your Home be knowledgeable of the details of CLE's sales terms and policies with the Family.

This agreement states that a returned shipment received by CLE will be held for only six to eight weeks to give time for the Family distributor to find the Family purchaser. If the purchaser cannot be found, the shipment becomes what they call a "dead order." If the purchaser is found, then the cost for the return shipment to CLE and/or re-shipment to the purchaser should be paid by the party at fault.

In other words, if the materials were returned due to some fault of CLE (such as an incorrect shipping address), then CLE will pay the cost of the return shipment and will reship the order to the purchaser. If the fault was on the part of our Family CLE distributor's office, then we will need to cover these costs. However, if the fault was with the purchaser (such as an incorrect shipping address given to CLE, or no forwarding address when the Family member was moving to a new location), then the purchaser can choose either to send additional funds to pay for the return shipping back to CLE plus the shipping to their correct address, or the purchaser can choose to make such returned materials a dead order.

With a dead order, the purchaser gets 80% credit for the materials, minus the original shipping and return shipping costs. (Note: This is something new, because now they are charging a 20% restocking fee that they ask of other customers, but haven't asked of us previously. Before, the purchaser got 100% minus the shipping costs.) A new order could be made from the remaining funds, or you may choose to have your funds returned to you. If for some reason the purchaser is not found after six to eight weeks, the materials are returned to CLE stock and the value of the shipment is credited to the Family account under the purchaser's name. These funds will be held for a period of six months, after which the funds would go to help cover some of the expenses of the Family distributor's office.

A Reminder about Lost or Damaged Shipments

In Sales Terms and Policies in the section "Lost or Damaged Shipments" it states: "CLE warrants that all orders will be in good condition when shipped, and that they will be packaged according to normal U.S. Postal Service and United Parcel shipping standards. In the event that merchandise arrives in a damaged condition, it is the recipient's responsibility to file a claim with the postal service or shipping company for all lost or damaged orders. CLE will not send a second shipment free if the shipment is lost or damaged. CLE's responsibility will be limited to providing proof of shipment and substantiating the value of the shipment. Claims must be filed within 30 days of receiving your package."

Rush Orders

In our agreement with CLE, we do not qualify for their normal rush order service. For customers paying full price within the U.S., a rush order costs 20% above the cost of the total order. With this service your order is completed within two business days after it is received and should arrive at the U.S. address (except Alaska and Hawaii) within 3 business days after shipping. Remember, you may take advantage of this only if you order directly as a full paying customer receiving no Family discount. This service is only available to customers located within the U.S.

"Rush Order" service for Family members receiving our discount does not mean a rush shipping! It only means that you are paying for your order to be processed ahead of any others, within 2 days. This could save you only a few days' time. If you wish to have such a rush order you would only receive a 10% discount on Lightunits & Answer Keys, instead of the normal discount of 20%. Shipping costs and the 10% discount on supplementary items remain the same.

Airmail and Credit Cards

Another new development with CLE is that they will now ship via airmail overseas if payment is made by credit card. (See more details on credit cards below.) Airmail overseas is very costly, but there may be times that some materials are needed quickly. CLE has agreed to begin airmail shipping overseas only if the payment is made by credit card. It would be impossible for us or CLE to inform you of the airmail rates, but CLE gave us "the rule of thumb" that could help to estimate such airmail shipping costs. You take the total cost of your order (total purchase cost and total shipping cost) and double it! This new total would be the estimated cost of receiving your materials airmail, give or take a little. With payments made by credit card, CLE would be able to have immediate payment in US dollars, no matter what the final cost. The purchaser would have to pay their credit card company this final total, or the equivalent in your local currency. This cost is added to your credit card bill at the exchange rate the day the transaction is made.

Minimum Shipping Charge

There is no longer a $2.50 minimum shipping charge for supplementary items. Instead it is just the 10% charge for U.S. and 15% charge for foreign supplementary items on the discounted total. In other words, just continue to figure your shipping and handling using "Chart 4b" on The Family's CLE Order Summary without calculating the former $2.50 minimum shipping charge. The minimum shipping for Lightunits and Answer Keys is noted in "Chart 4a" on The Family's CLE Order Summary, which is $3.70 for 1-10 Lightunits in the U.S. and $5.15 for foreign orders. CLE has structured the shipping rates to the Family to favor bulk orders. Therefore, when you order just one Lightunit, the postage is expensive, whereas their Family shipping rates for large orders are discounted.

Quick Correction Form

Take note of CLE's packing list and Quick Correction Form enclosed in each shipment: It is to your benefit that immediately upon receipt of your shipment, you carefully compare the contents of your shipment to the packing list. CLE has a triple check system to help eliminate errors in their order and packing department. However, if there seems to be a discrepancy in your order, then please fill out the Quick Correction Form and mail it back to our office as soon as possible. Do not send the Quick Correction Form directly to CLE. The Quick Correction Form is only to report a discrepancy you feel is CLE's mistake, but do not send back any materials with the completed form. You will need to wait to hear back from CLE. Please note, this is not a form to return an item you decided you no longer need or that you have changed your mind about purchasing. It is not to correct what you ordered, but only to report if there was a discrepancy in the materials you received versus those that were ordered by you. Before sending this form, please remember to double check the photocopy of your original order (which you should have made before sending in the order), in case you mistakenly checked the wrong box when filling in your order.

PAYMENT

Bank Checks and Money Orders

Many folks are still making mistakes with their payments. It is important to remember to make your bank checks or postal money orders payable to "Christian Light Publications." do not make payments to G.T., as if you do so, your payment will have a lengthy delay or may even have to be returned to you. Please make sure that your check is in U.S. dollars and is drawn on a US bank. Any bank check or bank draft that is drawn on a U.S. bank will have the name and address of the U.S. bank on the check. If it doesn't have this information, then CLE will not accept it.

Payment Adjustments

With the orders we receive, we often find that the prices of orders are not calculated properly. Because of this, we need to make adjustments on the majority of orders received due to lack of funds received. When this happens, you will not receive all the materials ordered. We also have to spend extra time making adjustments, and a letter to notify you has to be written. The postage costs of such letters mount up on this end, since most are for overseas customers. For these reasons, we would like to encourage you when sending in your payments to "round up" your totals, and to add a margin of funds to your total costs. Whenever possible, could you please round the funds you send up to the nearest $5.00 above the total cost? In many cases, most if not all will be used on your order, and you will have more of a guarantee that you will receive all the materials you order. Thanks!

On any purchase, if your payment is more than the total amount of your order, CLE will send you a refund check for the remaining funds when it is over $2.00. The check will be made out to the name of the "Person Ordering" listed in the Account section of The Family's CLE Order Summary. If you have a hard time cashing a CLE refund check, you may send it as part of your payment with your next order. If the remaining funds are under $2.00, it costs more than it is worth for CLE to issue you a refund check. These remaining funds are instead put into the Family account and are used on the orders received that are just a little short.

Credit Card Payments as an Alternative to Checks

Please do not send personal checks! Unfortunately, as previously explained in FUN 30 and FSM 277, pg.4, Christian Light Publications will not accept personal checks from you or your relatives. Such payments will be returned. CLE has informed us they will accept payment by credit card, although CLE does not accept all credit card companies. They will accept payment from Visa, MasterCard, Discover and Novus. To pay by credit card you must give the card holder's full name, the card number and the date it expires. They are not set up to accept payment via American Express or other credit cards.

Editor's note: A REMINDER ABOUT CREDIT CARDS - By providing this information about credit card payments, we are not endorsing that Family members obtain or use credit cards. Please prayerfully consider the pros and cons before taking the credit card route.

UPDATES ON CURRICULUM AND HOMESTUDY RESOURCES

Yearly Updates

CLE continues to update their materials and curriculum, but up until now, only those in the U.S. on Full Program have received their newsletter which informs them of such changes and updates ahead of time. We have discussed with CLE how their curriculum changes affect us. They will be working to keep us better informed of not only immediate changes, but whenever possible, longer-term curriculum plans.

Please continue to keep CLE in your prayers as they have had some major personnel changes, which of course affects their work.

CLE Newsletter —LightLines

You can order CLE newsletters, titled CLE Homeschool LightLines, on page 12 of the CLE Order Forms booklet for $10 per year. The LightLines give curriculum updates. In the future, CLE plans to give us these updates before the LightLines are published, so, DV, we hope to be able to let you know about them. In the LightLines they give you some teaching tips, certain Scripture passages, Christian parenting, news of events, and what people say about their publications.

Scope and Sequence

This is now in two volumes, with the first book covering grades 1-8 and the second book covering grades 7-12 (there is an overlap of grades 7 and 8).

CLE will send you the Christian Homeschool Curriculum booklet for free, which is helpful. You have to request this specifically as it's not on the order form.

Teacher's Handbooks

As of June 1, 1996, CLE discontinued all teacher's handbooks, except for those in grade one, Language Arts Grades 10 and 12, and those used with electives. The ones offered previously were left over from the Alpha and Omega curriculum on which CLE based their present curriculum. One of the major revisions they made to the Alpha and Omega curriculum was to make the Lightunits self-contained, except for textbooks for Social Studies and Science. All supplementary materials necessary to the Lightunits are annotated in the CLE Order Forms booklet with an asterisk (*).

Grade 1 Language Arts and Reading Program

Additions have been made to CLE's present materials. A first grade reader, I Wonder, along with Learning Sheets and a Teacher's Guidebook, is now available. This reader is used when a child has completed CLE's "Learning to Read" program, or if the child has already begun reading on a first grade level. I Wonder is a collection of 24 stories and 18 poems. The accompanying Learning Sheets give practice in and reinforce reading skills. The Teacher's Guidebook includes a wealth of detailed instructions and teaching how-to's.

I Wonder is the first in a new series of readers being developed as part of CLE's "Reading to Learn" program. The new Language Arts 100, rewritten to correspond with the new "Reading to Learn" program, is scheduled to be available June 1, l998. (A reader for the first half of second grade is projected to be available for the fall of 1998. )

Grade 1 Science and Social Studies

Previously in grade one, Science and Social Studies had been combined into one set of 10 Lightunits (LUs). Now they have been reorganized into Science 101-105 and Social Studies 101-105, each being studied separately, but each only being a half-year program. Previously, Full Program students were required to study through the combined Science and Social Studies course of 10 LUs, but now in order to leave more time for the required new first grade reader, I Wonder, they are making Science and Social Studies optional.

Even though the LUs have been reorganized, a purchase of new materials will not be needed and non Full Program students can choose to continue studying the combined Science and Social Studies LUs as a one-year program. If you do wish to study them in this new arrangement and as half-year programs, this is now how the LUs are organized. You can re-number your Lightunits and Answer Keys accordingly: Old Science and Social Studies LUs 101, 103, 105, 107, and 109 (all the odd numbers) have become the new grade one Science 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 respectively. Old Science and Social Studies LUs 102, 104, 106, 108, and 110 (all the even numbers) have become the new grade one Social Studies. Re-number the Answer Keys in the same way as you do the LUs.

Grade 3 Social Studies

Social Studies Grade 3 Lightunits and Answer Keys were rewritten, as well as the corresponding textbook Living Together. We are sorry if this has caused some of you concern when, unknown to you, Lightunits ordered this year haven't matched up to last year's textbook. What does this mean? All Lightunits and Answer Keys ordered for Social Studies Grade 3 will be the revised editions, so that you will need to order the new textbook to correspond to the new Lightunits. Sorry for this extra expense, but the encouraging side of it is that it will be a bit cheaper than your original purchase, because the previous 10 Lightunits for this subject have been combined into only 5 Lightunits and the Answer Keys are also combined into just 4 Lightunits.

Grade 4 Social Studies textbook, Into All the World

This has an added supplement of a Map Packet consisting of 58 detailed and current maps that correspond to the geographic areas studied. The packet's price is $5.00 and is found on page 11 of the Order Forms booklet.

Grade 5 Science textbook, God's Marvelous Gifts

This textbook is listed in two places in the Order Forms booklet, first as a textbook ($10.35) with corresponding Lightunits and Answer Keys for Grade 5 science on page 4. Then on page 11 on the Order Forms booklet under the section "Textbooks without Lightunits" it is listed as a 4th grade science textbook ($12.95). The reason for this is CLE feels if the text is taught with enough explanation it can be used as a grade 4 or 5 science text. Textbooks bought along with the Lightunits have a lower price.

Grade 6 Social Studies textbook, God's World

This had a few revisions, but it's not like the grade 4 Social Studies where you need to repurchase materials. All grade 6 Social Studies Lightunits, Answer Keys and textbook can still be used.

Science Kits

Due to foreign regulations, there are limitations to the chemicals CLE can ship overseas. The "Core Unit" Science kit contains two such chemicals: phenolphthalein and iodine solutions. These items are removed before shipping and the total cost of the kit reduced.

Math 900 Solution Keys

These are no longer available in the same format, but are offered as one handbook for $13.95. If you order Math Solution Keys you would still want to order the Answer Keys for the answers to all the tests. Solution Keys teach you how to solve the problems step-by-step, which can be a big help for parents or teachers whose math skills are not what they used to be!

High School Language Arts Grades 9-12

The materials now offered are considerably different than last year, except for grade 11, which remains the same. Language Arts 900 and 1200 are no longer being printed and copies will be available only as long as their limited supply lasts. Grade 10 Language Arts course, "Perspectives of Truth in Literature" has been moved to replace Grade 12. A new literature course titled "Perspectives of Life in Literature" is replacing grades 9 and 10 by dividing the literature study between the two grades. This literature course covers short stories, poetry, biographies, reflections and allegories.

To teach grammar in each of these grades, CLE took their basic grammar courses "English 2600" and "English 3200" out of their electives and instead made them part of their high school Language Arts program for grades 9 and 10. These two courses teach basic grammar with some emphasis on writing skills, and some pronunciation. Each consists of five study units which earn 0.5 scholastic credits upon completion.

It is not required to take the literature part of the course, "Perspectives of Life in Literature" or "Perspectives of Truth in Literature" for grades 9 and 10, unless you are enrolled with CLE's Full Program to earn a diploma, and even then what is required may vary from student to student depending on what type of diploma you are working toward and what Language Arts course was previously completed before entering CLE. In other words, if you are not a Full Program high school student you do not need to order everything listed for Language Arts in each grade. (Look in Scope and Sequence to find out the contents of the different courses, and to decide what you will order. You may wish to order just the grammar part of Language Arts from CLE, and for a literature study instead use Family material.)

English 2200 is still available as an elective and is a basic grammar course on a 7th to 8th grade level. It is a five Lightunit course earning 0.5 scholastic credits if taken as a high school elective in grade 9 or later.

CLE HIGH SCHOOL ELECTIVES

If you are interested in taking some of CLE's electives, we strongly suggest you order their Scope and Sequence, which gives a very detailed account of each elective. Below is an explanation of two new electives, as well as a few comments and explanations on their older courses including how they compare with our Family CVC courses.

"Basic Automotive System and Services"

This one-credit course is a new course that replaces the old automotive course. It covers automotive safety, tools, measuring, fasteners, under hood, under vehicle, exterior maintenance, and systems overview. The course is $88.40 ($22.50 student materials, $57.95 classroom and shop manuals, $7.95 teacher's materials).

"Practical Math"

This new course is a comprehensive review of basic math concepts, e.g., whole numbers, factors and cancellations, fractions, decimals, percentages, measurements, powers and roots, ratios and proportions, plane figures, solid figures and graphs, which can also be learned by taking Grades 7 and 8 Math. In "Practical Math" a student gets a review of his basic math, whereas in their other math elective, "Consumer Math" a student learns how to apply his knowledge to family finances, record keeping, budgets, banking, purchasing and operating an automobile, trades and services, etc.

"Keyboarding" (Typing)

All materials needed for this course cost over $100. It is generally a typing course beginning with a placement test to begin the student at their skill level, which can be attained through most computer typing tutor courses. Although it is not a grammar course, it does include some applied language skills such as capitalization, spelling and punctuation. One also learns about business letters, how to address envelopes correctly and do proofreading. The spelling is taken from a "600 most used words" list that they say makes up 40% of most documents. (Most of this could be studied from our How to Get Things Done book, and especially in the CVC courses. The typing is taught as if one was working on a typewriter, with only a supplement that teaches basic personal computer typing. Computer based typing tutor programs also do a very good job of teaching typing.)

"Accounting I"

This is a very extensive and expensive course for those wanting to study to be a public accountant or do bookkeeping for a business. This course and "Practical Record Keeping" do not teach the type of accounting or bookkeeping generally used in our Home business life. Our CVC business courses are more geared to what we use and will need. (Note: A very good computer accounting program for most Home use is Quicken for Windows 95, which comes with a useful manual.)

"Computer Literacy"

This course is mostly theory and history and doesn't teach actual computer skills. It covers applications, the binary system, computer language, programming structures, considerations when choosing software, some word processing, spreadsheets, electronic database and its management, computer security and operating systems (specifically the DOS operating system). In 1997 CLE plans to complete a "Computer Applications" course which is based on Microsoft Works 3.0. It will be an integrated software package that includes word processing, database, and spreadsheet programs. The student will learn the special features of Microsoft Works, how to operate each program, and how to transfer information between programs. (Note: There are also many good Windows 95, tutorial-type materials available on the market.)

CLE'S FULL PROGRAM OPTION

Explanation of "Full Program"

We have received a number of questions about CLE's "Full Program." For free information from CLE about the "Full Program," request the Christian Homeschool Curriculum booklet. You will need to ask for it (item # 219990) since it is not on the CLE order forms. A form for enrolling in the "Full Program" is included with this booklet. The enrollment form requests the mailing address the Home Study Department will use for their communications with you, and the full name of each student, their birth date, and the grade they will be beginning in.

Full Program is one of the three options that CLE offers to homeschoolers. If you enroll in the Full Program, CLE will send you a box of materials that contains your Home Study Manual, the Teacher's Training Course, monthly report forms, etc. Although CLE provides five subjects in their Home Study program, Bible is not required, except for those in high school, but even then you may replace CLE's Bible course with a CVC Bible course, if approved by CLE ahead of time.

When a student who is studying under the Full Program completes the required subjects, earns the required credits, and passes the tests, he or she can receive a CLE High School diploma.

Full Program is not a correspondence course where you send the student's work into CLE. Instead, the parent is trained in the use of the CLE curriculum, in how to test and place students, how to help the student progress through their materials, and how to grade and correct their work. Once parents are trained in how to use the CLE curriculum, CLE feels confident that the monthly academic and attendance reports the parent sends in are correct and are in keeping with their training and academic standards. This monthly report is then used to maintain a legal cumulative scholastic and attendance record of the student. If requested, this cumulative record could also include a transcript of work in previous schools or home study courses, if parents arrange to have these records sent to CLE, or request CLE to write the former school.

So, in essence, the parent working with CLE takes the place of what you would expect a correspondence school to do for you. With these records, CLE can provide feedback to assist you in your program, verify the progress of your homeschool if questioned by school officials, and send transcripts and/or recommendations for transfer or application for additional education.

The $100 Full Program fee is only for one individual (biological) family. (Effective immediately is a new foreign rate of $115 for anyone living outside of the U.S.A.) It does not include all the students living at one address, even though you may be helping to teach them. There is no discount on the fee for Full Program or on diplomas for Family members. The Family discount is on the materials ordered, not the actual program fee. This $100 ($115 foreign) does not include the student's materials (which can be purchased through the Family distributor, thus taking advantage of the Family discounts). However, it pays for the Teacher's Training Course for one parent, and for the first year of Full Program services which includes the scholastic record keeping.

Each year thereafter, a "renewal of services fee" is paid to continue on Full Program. For the school year 1997-1998 the renewal of services fee for all the Full Program services will be $50 per family ($60 foreign), if you pay on time by the first of July, 1997. There is another $15 charge for late payments. If you enrolled in the Full Program between January 1 and April 30, or for only a half-year service, the enrollment cost is still the same ($100/$115). However, when you renew, your "renewal services fee" will only be $25 ($30 foreign) instead of $50. Prices may change for school year 1998-1999.

Supervising Full Program Families

CLE has set up a program whereby a "Supervising Full Program Family" can be responsible for another family's children's scholastic training and reporting to CLE as they do for their own. There are times for various reasons when the parent of the second family can't take the teacher's training or is in full-time mission work, so the "Supervising Full Program Family," having had the Teacher's Training, can take the place of the parent of the second family who doesn't take the training. In this setup, the cost for the second family for Full Program services and record keeping is $80 (same for foreign countries) and the yearly renewal of services fee would be $50 ($60 foreign). The only drawback we can see in such a plan is that if the second family transfers to another location, that parent(s) would have to take the teacher's training, or once again find another Supervising Full Program Family.

Full Program Parent Training

A Full Program parent will need to take the Teacher's Training Course. After completion of the Teacher's Training Course, CLE will send the parent a certificate. CLE recommends that a home entering the Full Program any time before March 1 of a given calendar year should have the training done by July 1 of that calendar year. For example, if you begin the Teacher's Training in August of 1997, then by July 1, 1998, you would be expected to have finished your course and to have sent your tests in to CLE, unless you actually attend one of their Teacher's Training seminars. You won't be able to renew your Full Program until you complete your Teacher's Training. — If that is after July 1st, then you will need to pay the US $15.00 late fee. You do not have to complete your teacher's training before beginning your children in the CLE program; however, CLE will not renew your Full Program the following year if you have not completed it by your renewal date.

Training for the second parent of Full Program Families is available for $35. The first parent will already have all the materials, except for the tests, which CLE will send to them when they receive the payment. As the second parent finishes each Teacher's Training Lightunit and takes the test, they should send their test directly to CLE for correction and scoring. Upon completion of all the Teacher's Training Lightunits and having all your tests corrected, CLE will also issue the second parent a certificate. This certificate reflects your scores and training Lightunits completed.

Good news is that CLE is opening up the option so this $35.00 fee for a second parent's Teacher's Training can also include anyone in their biological family, or someone living in their household working as a tutor along with the trained parent. This trained tutor with their diploma and training would be able to work in the same way with any other Full Program family if they transferred. If this trained tutor later enrolls his/her own family in the Full Program, only the current "renewal of services fee" would be charged.

Training Without Services

Anyone can order the Teacher's Training Course as well as a Teacher's Training certificate from the Order Forms booklet. You do not have to be on Full Program to do so. But if you order this way, your certificate will not be the same as if CLE were grading and monitoring your teacher training. CLE will not have a record of your completing the Teacher's Training Course, and thus will not be able to vouch for your training if that becomes necessary for any reason. If you want the same kind of certificate as teachers on Full Program receive, the alternative is to take CLE's second Home Study option of "Training Without Services" for $75. This is only the Teacher's Training Course, without student scholastic record keeping or CLE counsel through phone or letter on scholastic matters. If at a later date you decide that you want to go on the Full Program, you just pay the yearly renewal fee of $50 ($60 foreign) for the Full Program. Those choosing the "Training Without Services" option may later have a second parent, or someone in your biological family or living in your household, take the training without services for $35.

Full Program Phone/Letter Assistance

Families on Full Program are offered phone and fax assistance from CLE's Home Study Department, for curriculum questions and problems, help understanding and teaching the courses, and suggestions on how to operate your home study program. This is especially helpful for high school students needing to know what subjects are required for earning their CLE diploma.

(Important note: In our Family agreement with CLE, it is only Full Program parents who are supposed to communicate directly with CLE, and that is only regarding their scholastic questions. Any questions about your order or shipping must come through our Family CLE distributor's office, just as any other Family members who want the Family discount on their CLE materials.)

Full Program Overseas

CLE's Full Program Option works for our families overseas as well as those living in the U.S. Previously, the only difference in the U.S. and overseas Full Program Option was that those overseas were not able to have the same direct counsel or phone assistance for scholastic or curriculum questions since overseas calls are very costly.

However, due to the increasing number of students enrolling overseas, beginning in February 1997 CLE will provide communications via fax to overseas Full Program parents. CLE's fax number is (540) 433-8896 and their Home Study Department phone number is (540) 434-0750. (At present, CLE does not have e-mail or modem service.)

So, if you are on Full Program and have a timely question or need to communicate with the Home Study Department, you can phone or fax them your questions. In the U.S. and Canada, CLE can return a response by phone at their expense if you request a return call at the time you call. Overseas calls would be at your expense. If you need a quick response to a letter or fax you send to CLE, be sure to include a return fax number. Their answer to you will then be returned by fax also, TYJ! This does not include ordering materials, which still has to go through our Family distributor's office if you want the discount.

CLE will now begin sending overseas Full Program parents a copy of their newsletter, CLE LightLines six times each year.

Enrollment of Students Other than U.S. Citizens

Some have wondered if students of different nationalities can qualify for the same certification as U.S. citizens. CLE, as do many other schools in the U.S., awards academic credits according to the scholastic work completed and tests passed, and not according to a student's nationality. Students of any nationality can enroll in the CLE program and they will receive the same academic credits as a U.S. student meeting the same requirements.

Diplomas and Documentation for Entering College

To enter college in the U.S., the results of the student's achievement and other recognized tests (SAT, ACT, GED) are the deciding factor—not where they obtained their diploma, or their high school grades or ranking. Homeschool laws for each state in the U.S. differ as to what subjects must be taught, and what documentation is required. This is true also in many other countries. It is the responsibility of the parents to research whether CLE's homeschool program is suitable and fulfills the legal requirements for their situation.

If some kind of documentation or records are needed in your foreign country for whatever reason, the first step would be for the parent to research the local laws and requirements. If you are a Full Program family, you can then write and explain your need to CLE. CLE will not be able to tell you if their program will be recognized by the local laws of your country. However, CLE will provide Full Program students, their parents, college, or any office, a copy of the student's diploma and a complete and precise academic transcript.

In these academic transcripts, CLE will document all the subjects taken with them, along with the credits earned and the grade average per subject. This transcript will also document any previous academic work completed before enrollment with CLE, if you provide them with such. In other words, if you wish or need to have your student's previous homeschooling academic work (elementary or secondary) more formally documented and recorded, CLE will do this, if you provide the records.

Full Program High School Diploma

If a student is interested in obtaining their high school diploma through CLE's Home Study Program, they first need to enroll in CLE's Full Program and decide which of their three types of diplomas they wish to earn—Vocational, General, or Academic. Each type of diploma has different academic requirements, all of which are shown in a chart in the Home Study Manual, page 88. Although each of the three types of diplomas requires the same number of academic credits (18), the credits earned in each subject vary. For example, for an Academic diploma you need to earn more credits in Language Arts and the academic subjects, compared to the Vocational diploma, where you need only to have finished these subjects through grade 8. CLE explains that their "diploma provides a tangible and recognized verification that the student has successfully completed a prescribed program of studies." The type of diploma desired, and what high school subjects a student has already completed will determine which academic courses will be required by CLE.

When enrolling a Full Program high school student, CLE requires the parents to complete forms that gives CLE the student's previous high school work. (Elementary records are not asked for, but they will be added to their records if you request it.) Then CLE will approve a certain amount of academic credit from previous high school studies which will go toward earning the high school diploma.

It is important to know that after completing the required courses, all Full Program high school students will be given a type of SAT test by CLE, or someone appointed by them, and upon passing such a test will then be given their high school diploma. It may be wise, if a student has been away from his or her studies for a year or so due to moving, etc., to do some extra study as review, so that they not only earn the required credits through completion of the Lightunits, but will also know the information in order to pass their test.

California Achievement Tests

CLE strongly recommends that the students on Full Program take California Achievement Tests (CAT) as part of their enrollment, and then again each spring, or at least every other year to assess the student's progress. However, this is not a requirement. The CLE diagnostic tests are all you really need in order to place your students in their CLE subjects. If the results from the CAT tests are significantly different than the students' results from the CLE diagnostic tests, CLE's Home Study Department will counsel with you if they feel more study is necessary to fill their gaps in learning.

Diagnostic tests in Language Arts and Math are generally taken by Full Program students entering CLE in grades 2-12 for placement in those subjects. The reading grade level on the CAT (or other recent achievement tests) is generally used for proper placement in Bible, Science, and Social Studies. Students who are not tested and placed in this manner may find they are not started at the level in each subject where they can begin most successfully. Contact CLE if you need assistance or have questions regarding beginning testing and placement.

Remember, if you do order the CAT, study the ordering instructions carefully to know which set is correct for your student, and be sure to sign for them on the top of the page 8 of the CLE Order Forms booklet. CLE will not send the CAT without this authorization signature on the order form. If your signature is missing, our Family distributors will put this part of your order on hold and return the order form to obtain your signature.

High School Academic Projections

There have also been quite a number of letters requesting help on how to get back scholastic credit from CLE for your high school students, as well as how to do CLE's academic projections. The following instructions are for students entering grade 9 or above. Each student would have to complete a set of forms, and not just one set of forms per family.

For students entering CLE in grade 9, the steps are straightforward. Complete the "Academic Projections Planning Worksheet" on page 79 of the Home Study Manual, referring to the sample completed on page 25 of the Home Study Manual entitled "High School Academic Projection."

Filling Out CLE's High School Forms

For students entering CLE in grades 10-12 and wanting to receive high school credit for past work, the process is more involved. For students entering 10th grade or above, please follow the steps below, using the correct CLE forms. Before beginning, the student should first, in counsel with his or her parents, decide which diploma they want to work toward.

STEP 1

Having already registered in CLE's Full Program, the next step is to evaluate previous high school level academic studies completed, if any. Complete the Application for High School Credit form (included in this mailing.) and send it directly to CLE's Home Study Department. Please be sure to put both the student's and the parent's full legal names.

We have been working with CLE using some Family students as a sample, so CLE can understand our home study program. We have given them samples of Uncle Dan's Math, ESP catalogs showing their curriculum, a print-out of all the lessons in the Home Tutor Skills Bank computer program, Memory Book, Good Thots, Treasures, etc. Because of this, CLE is acquainted with our Family materials, so if you give a brief description of what Family materials you have used when filling out the Application for High School Credit form, this should be sufficient. (See sample completed form on page 18 of this advisory.)

CLE has a listing of the CVC program courses, so when completing CLE forms, you could possibly just list the CVC course number given to that course, and the course name as the description for previous courses completed. For scholastics that haven't been as structured or that don't quite meet up to finishing a CVC course, you will need to list each of the Family schooling materials used and the hours studied in each. However, rather than listing individual GNs, WNDs, etc., it would be best to list the CVC courses that include those studies. Such as SCI SC-02HS (Creation Science), or SOC CE-01HS (Current Events), which lists World Currents GNs (CVC manual, page 1.ACD.13 and 15). Students do not need to have read the entire reading list for each course; as long as a student has completed 120 hours of study per subject, CLE will usually approve one academic credit for their previous academic studies.

CLE uses an internationally accepted standard called the Carnegie academic credit, in which 120 hours of studies equals one academic credit. Or, for Life Skills studies, which require not only book study, but also apprenticeship training, 240 hours are required in order to receive one academic credit. Even if your student did not study a total of 120 hours in a subject, but put a lot into it, you should still list it, because the number of hours they did study will still receive a portion of an academic credit according to the hours studied. For example, for 60 hours studied they will receive .5, or even .1 will be given for each learning gap Lightunit they complete. (Note: CVC credits are also based on the Carnegie credit system, but 4 credits, instead of one, are given for 120 hours of study. And 80 credits are required for a CVC diploma, rather than the 18 for a CLE diploma. So, to get an idea how much CLE might award for one of your CVC courses, simply divide the number of credits assigned to the CVC course by 4.)

For those students who are completing Lightunits for learning gaps, these can also be used to earn academic credits. Please list them also. To obtain past credit for electives already completed, although not shown in our sample, you should list these elective studies or Life Skills in this form also. If you have put together your own electives or Life Skills, just state this and then explain it the best you can on the form. If you need more room on your form you can just duplicate the table.

It is common for some students to be taking remedial courses that are below the accepted age-appropriate levels, so it's okay if your student happens to be working below grade level in a subject. Each student is different and has different talents and aptitudes, and CLE recognizes this. So don't feel you can't list materials your student studied that is (or was) in a grade lower. The bottom line is not only what subjects a student studies and the credits earned, but what he or she will need to pass the test at the completion of studies.

You will note in the sample chart (page 18), the last column which is normally completed by CLE (and not you) has been filled in as a sample to show you how many credits may be given. If you total all the credits given for each subject in the sample, you will see that this sample student has already earned quite a number of scholastic credits. By applying for past scholastic credit, your student will not need to restudy courses he or she has already completed, but only the subjects he or she needs in order to earn the remaining credits.

Send this form off as soon as possible, as you will need the credit information from CLE to complete Step 2.

STEP 2

Compare what credits are needed for the desired diploma and what credits the student has already earned, if any. Complete the CLE High School Academic Projection Planning Worksheet form on page 79 of the Home Study Manual.

In the first three columns you will be giving the same information asked for in Step 1. But to complete the last three columns you will have to compare what your student has already completed with what he or she still needs to complete, according to the type of diploma he or she is working toward.

You will need to study the chart "High School Graduation Requirements" (page 88 of the Home Study Manual) to make the comparison and to find out not only how many more credits are needed, but in which subjects these credits must be earned. (For example, although my daughter had received 3.29 credits in Social Studies, the courses she took did not include U.S. History. So, although only 3 credits are required for Social Studies for a General Diploma, she is still having to take CLE's U.S. History course from their 1101-1110 Social Studies.)

Send this form, at the same time as the form in Step 3, directly to CLE.

STEP 3

Refer to the sample High School Academic Projection form on page 27 of the Home Study Manual. Comparing the students' completed high school work and the number of credits to still earn, the student needs to decide which courses in each subject they wish to study. You will then need to fill in the blank High School Academic Projection form on page 87.

With students working toward a general or vocational diploma, the required Lightunits are not specified. Using Language Arts as an example and referring to the chart giving the high school graduation requirements, you will note that it says "40 or more Lightunits as per T and P" (testing and placement). For a general diploma, it requires study through Lightunit 1110 in Language Arts, but for the vocational diploma the minimum requirement is only through 810 or to the end of 8th grade. However, a student must earn four Language Arts credits in high school. So unless the student begins working at a rather low level, he will likely work past 810 in acquiring four credits.

To give you an example of how this would apply to a some of our Family high school students, we will use what was done with one of our teens. When tested and placed by CLE's diagnostic tests, she was placed on the 10th grade level of Language Arts, but also had 11 learning gaps to complete beginning in the 7th grade level. She earned a little over one academic credit from our Family Home Study Program as shown by the completed chart below, plus another academic credit by completing all the learning gap Lightunits. She then began CLE on the 10th grade level and will also complete the 11th grade level, since she is working toward the general diploma.

If your student is working toward a vocational diploma, he or she will first need to take the Language Arts and Math diagnostic tests to see if there are any gaps below the 900 level. Second, continuing to use the example of the Language Arts as above, because they need to earn four academic credits in Language Arts, they will want to complete the "Application for High School Credit" to receive credit for any previous Language Arts courses taken while in high school. Third, if for example they have 5 learning gaps to complete (receiving .5 credit), and then complete CLE's English 2600 (receiving .5 credit), they would earn another academic credit in Language Arts. If they still do not have four credits of Language Arts , they would need to complete enough additional work to make up the four Language Arts credits.

The student will also need to decide what electives to take. If your student would like to substitute one of CLE's electives for a different one not provided by CLE, you can do so if you work it out with CLE ahead of time and have it approved. If the student is undecided, he can just fill in "undecided" for now and, as soon as possible, let CLE know your final choice. In planning any substitute courses, keep in mind that CLE has a minimum number of its own courses that need to be taken for the CLE diploma, but some substitutions are permissible.

Your electives may include courses from the Family's CVC. If you want to use CVC courses for CLE credit, please complete CLE's Special Studies form (Home Study Manual, page 30-31) and send it in to CLE for confirmation that they will give you CLE credits for the courses. This would especially apply for our students who wish to study more in the field of childcare, secretarial, journalism, photography, video production, sign language, survival skills, or the creative and performing arts.

Send the completed High School Academic Projection form at the same time as the completed form from Step 2 directly to CLE.

Conclusion

In previous years we have not had to define our students' work as is required with CLE, or as we will now begin to do with the CVC. Now through CLE's "Full Program" Home Study, we will have the benefit of establishing credit for past work which will now become part of the CLE transcript. The CLE Home Study Office staff will be glad to assist with questions.

Although reading these details may seem overwhelming, we pray it will be a help to those of you using the CLE program. Please keep this advisory together with your other CLE materials, so you can refer back to this counsel when needed.

God bless you all!

Your Family CLE Distributors

(Undiscounted) Price Changes (as of February 1997)

Old Price $New Price $Item

14.6016.50ABC Readiness Series

12.9513.95Accounting Business Simulations

245.00260.00Accounting Teacher Materials

38.2545.50Accounting Textbook, Century 21

2.102.30Adventures with Books

57.9559.95Basic Auto Service and Sys Class and Shop

2.102.30Bible Pictures to Color

4.254.75Bible Stories to Read

2.603.50But Not forsaken Textbook

25.5028.95Carpentry Textbook

2.102.30Counting with Numbers

2.102.30Do It Carefully

29.9533.95Electricity Teacher's Material

69.5079.95Electricity Textbooks

13.4513.95Elementary Dictionary

.15.25Elementary Report Card

2.102.30Everywhere We Go

4.456.95Excellence in Teaching with the 7 Laws

2.102.30Finding the Answers

4.255.25FT 100 Student Attendance Report Form

.15.25High School Report Card

35.5039.95Keyboarding Textbook

12.5012.95Keyboarding WP App Guide

59.9567.50Kin Tac Cards—Manuscript

9.9513.95Math 900 Solution Key Handbook

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