eTAP – Teaching Assistance Program

2260 Park Ave, Laguna Beach, CA.  92651
Available at www.etap.org

By Linda Foster

eTAP is a one-stop shopping resource for affordable high quality educational materials.  Currently in wide use by Homeschoolers, the eTAP program is also being useful in traditional classroom settings. In a recent interview, eTAP President, Blaise J. Subbiondo described three basic categories of homeschool students: underachievers, students who don’t function well in traditional classroom settings and overachievers or those who are simply bored with traditional teaching methods.  eTAP offers a program with a proven track record of success for each category of homeschool student.

Click to visit e-TAP's web site

Patterned along the lines of a correspondence course, eTAP provides a web-based K-12 curriculum for the core subjects of Mathematics, English, Science and History as well intensive preparation for SAT, GED and High School Exit Exams. However, unlike a correspondence course, eTAP does not grade papers or issue diplomas. The GED is recommended for those desiring a national recognized High School Diploma.  

Students work at their own pace using the built-in tools for progress assessment. According to Mr. Subbiondo, students who have completed the eTAP program cite the self-administered aspect of the program as its primary benefit.  They also give high marks to the practice exercises available at frequent intervals throughout each lesson.   Students of all proficiency levels need confirmation of their progress. Unfortunately, the only assessment tools offered by many online educational programs come in the form of tests administered at the end of each lesson.  eTAP offers practice exercises at the intervals of approximately every 3 to 4 pages of material providing both students and their parents with an immediate assessment of the student’s level of understanding of the subject matter.

The eTAP curriculum is divided into lessons grouped by subject and grade level.  Each lesson includes Lesson Previews (Plan), Instruction, Practice Exercises, Problems, and Tests.  Lessons provide quality content material with coordinating website resources.  For instance, a lesson in Earth Science might include an internal link to live pictures of Mars or a lesson in History may include links to various PBS or History Channel sites.  All lessons include thoroughly researched, age-appropriate interactive external links embedded within the lessons and all of the links have a direct correlation to the lesson. Statistics have shown that students respond extremely well to visual stimuli and eTAP does an excellent job of combining written and visual material designed to engage the student in his/her own learning experience.

The eTAP site is extremely user-friendly.  Anyone who can use a computer mouse can navigate this site through its simple point and click format.  The site itself is logically organized with each individual section organized in the same manner making it easy for students to move from one subject to the next without having to learn a new learning pattern.  To gain the most from the website, it is suggested that students spend the first 15 to30 minutes online simply browsing the site and familiarizing themselves with the format.  Once that is accomplished, students should easily be able to maneuver from one section to the next without complication.

eTAP is a cost-effective program designed to educate an entire family for less than $15 per month.  Unlike other programs requiring purchase grade specific programs, eTAP includes all grades and all subjects. It is a comprehensive program that was developed in compliance with the California Department of Education standards.  It has been successfully reviewed by the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) and is approved for Public School use.

eTAP has proven useful for grade level, below grade level, advanced and Special Education students and has exceeded its goal of giving all students individual assistance to meet their full potential achievement.  Students, parents and educators alike attest to the success of this program and homeschool parents, whether novice or seasoned, are encouraged to consider it is a viable addition to any homeschool curriculum.