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If you’re looking for an online public school where teachers are trained specifically in online teaching, then Connections Academy might be for you. It offers a mix of both live lessons and self-paced assignments for students in grades K through 12. However, both parents and students have complained of intense workloads and confusing portfolios in online reviews of the school. You also need to be prepared to devote around five hours daily to oversee and support your younger children in elementary school.
Product Name | Connections Academy |
---|---|
Type of school | Online public school |
Grade levels | K–12 |
Accredited | Yes |
Open enrollment | Varies |
Tuition and fees | Free |
Connections Academy is a part of the public school system and available in the following states:
Connections Academy uses certified teachers specially trained in online teaching. Your child will meet with teachers and classmates in their virtual classroom and complete assignments and activities independently from home. Teachers regularly check in by phone and email to offer assistance when needed.
Children have live learning sessions with teachers at specific times during the day. Although there are due dates, the independent assignments are self-paced, giving families a more flexible schedule.
Parents report the number of learning hours a student completes each day. The school also verifies attendance by touching base with the student through phone calls and viewing the student’s completed assignments and assessments.
Teachers monitor student progress through regular benchmark evaluations, quizzes, exams and annual report cards. Parents keep in close contact with teachers and have parent-teacher conferences twice a month or as often as needed.
Connections Academy has a few upsides for elementary through high school students:
Before enrolling your child, you might want to consider the following drawbacks:
You’ll play a critical role in supporting your child’s online education. The parent, or another designated adult, is the student’s designated learning coach. The learning coach manages the structure of the school day and keeps the student on track with assignments.
Learning coaches also assist with assignments, help students connect to teachers for extra help and clock in daily learning hours to fulfill state requirements.
Younger students generally spend less time on the computer than middle and high school students. Elementary children may spend 15% to 30% of the school day in front of a screen, whereas high school students spend up to 90% of their school day working on the computer. Computer time may also vary depending on whether the state supplies online or print textbooks.
Connections Academy supplies all textbooks and curriculum for online learning. You’ll need to provide a Windows or Mac desktop or laptop computer with Internet access and a compatible browser, such as Google Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer.
Depending on the state and school, low-income families may receive a computer and subsidy for Internet access.
During the live virtual lessons, your child joins a virtual classroom with other students. Connections Academy also organizes optional in-person field trips for students and families in your area. And many states allow online public school students to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities in their local school district.
Every grade has classes in math, science, language arts and social studies. A few electives include subjects like world languages, American
Sign Language (ASL), digital arts, music and game design. And many schools also offer honors classes and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Connections Academy has specially trained teachers and staff to support children with special needs, including those with individual education plans (IEPs) and 504 plans.
Yes, online public schools participate in state-standardized testing. Your school will arrange testing locations and inform you of testing dates.
Online reviews for Connections Academy from parents and students are mostly negative. While they appreciate the regular communication with teachers through phone and email, many complain about the heavy workload and teachers getting upset over missing or late assignments.
Follow these steps to start the enrollment process:
Connections Academy follows public school open enrollment periods. Check with the Department of Education in your state for enrollment deadlines where you live.
Yes, Connections Academy has summer and holiday breaks, as well as professional development days for teachers with no classes for students.
Connections Academy is a virtual option for public schooling that offers more flexibility than a traditional school day. But families complain that students are buried in assignments. If you’re not able to devote hours a day tackling this rigorous curriculum, you might want to keep looking at other online public schools.
You can explore even more options available with our guide to K–12 online school.