LAKE COUNTY >> An accredited public school serving students in kindergarten through twelfth-grade is a description that is not out of the ordinary for a typical school. But put that school online with live classrooms, student group sessions and tutoring hours and you”ve a got a state-funded and regulated education with some virtual flexibility.
The California Connections Academy @ North Bay is bringing a newer style of education to students of Lake, Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo counties this year. It is under the authority of Middletown Unified School District. For students ahead, behind or in need of a different schedule, the online school began classes Sept. 2. Leslie Dombek, the school”s site administrator, said the school is anticipating serving 150 students throughout the North Bay counties with seven certified teachers this year; 13 of those students are Lake County residents.
California Connections Academy has three other schools in the state, and Connections Academy, based in Baltimore, has developed 26 other schools throughout the rest of the country in the past 12 years.
Virtual schooling was first introduced in the mid-1990s and the teaching method is well on its way to becoming a trend; the number of enrolled students in such programs has gone up 50 percent within the last five years, according to Evergreen Education Group. Research on the schools” success is limited and it appears can depend on the student.
“As more families become familiar with the virtual schooling option, I believe more families will become involved,” Dombek said. “However virtual schooling is not for every student or family and should be looked at as another option that they need to research to find the school that will work best and fit best with their child.”
Wally Holbrook, Lake County superintendent of schools, agrees that the virtual education California Connections Academy provides “may not be an option for every student, but it does create a variety of educational opportunities, which is always a good thing for our students.”
For its credentials, California Connections Academy has a list of leading colleges and universities its students have graduated to and the program gets an ”A” for a grade from parent satisfaction surveys, according to the academy”s site.
Although online classes may sound like a more impersonal method of education, California Connections Academy”s program is centered on using technology to enhance communication between a student, his or her parents and his or her teachers.
It also allows flexibility in education styles, as teachers have options to provide lessons through full, virtual classrooms or break students into smaller groups, Dombek said.
“It”s a very structured approach to teaching … and a rigorous curriculum,” Dombek said. “We”re following Common Core and state education standards, but also opening the door for higher-level thinking and allowing students to expand into different areas of study.”
Additionally, the virtual school allows for teachers to provide individual attention and personalized learning that can tailor instruction to a student”s strengths and weaknesses. Customized study plans allow students to spend extra time on subjects they”re struggling with or move ahead in subjects they excelling in. Courses specifically for gifted and talented students are also offered.
“There”s not one best student model we”re able to best serve,” Dombek said. “We have such a variety of students; students who are ahead and need more of a challenge, students who are right on target but need more flexibility in their schedules and students that need to catch up. The school adapts very nicely to all students across the board.”
Dombek says the program isn”t necessarily a supplement to homeschooling, as the academy reports to the state and the curriculum is fully provided to the students. However, parents serve as an important role in their children”s education at home as “learning coaches” and gain greater control of their child”s education with the program”s format, according to Dombek. The learning coach”s responsibilities include maintaining communication with teachers, reporting their student”s attendance, supervising their student throughout their studies and providing a level of oversight that varies as the student advances in grade levels.
To provide the social element of a brick-and-mortar school, online activities, clubs and electives are made available and students can participate in virtual sessions together. Robotics, chess, literary and arts and volunteer and service clubs are offered, as well as new eLearning music classes designed by The Julliard School, which cover classes for introduction- through advanced-level music students.
Participation in face-to-face activities or events is not required, (with the exception of when students take state-mandated standardized tests), but optional field trips for the school are organized on a regular basis. North Bay is budgeting time to hold a minimum of two field trips every month for its students and costs to attend are kept as low as possible, Dombek said.
The academy provides some assistance for families without the necessary technology. Families are recommended to own a computer and have high-speed internet connection and may request one desktop computer and monitor per household, as well as a subsidy for internet service if needed, Dombek stated.
Students can enroll in the school through mid-February and parents who are interested in learning more can visit www.connectionsacademy.com/california-online-north-bay/home.aspx. The academy also holds information sessions, which can be found on the site”s events page.
