California Virtual Academies now available for students in grades K–8 who reside in Sacramento and nearby counties
SACRAMENTO- Families in Sacramento and nearby counties now have access to an innovative new public education option for their children beginning in September 2006.
The California Virtual Academies (CAVA), a network of public virtual charter schools throughout the state, announced today a new public virtual school program that will serve kids in the region.
The new school, called CAVA @ Sutter, was chartered through the Nuestro school district in Sutter County. According to state laws, students who are eligible to enroll include those who reside in the chartering district's county and the contiguous counties.
Families eligible for CAVA @ Sutter include those that live in Sutter, Sacramento, Butte, Colusa, Placer, Yolo, and Yuba counties. CAVA @ Sutter will serve kids in grades K–8. The California Virtual Academies began in 2002. Since then CAVA has grown to six schools across the state serving over 3,500 students.
In CAVA, students learn with assistance from a parent or other responsible adult.
Although students learn from via the Internet, CAVA is not a homeschool program. CAVA is a full-time public school. The students in CAVA must meet the state's academic and attendance requirements, just like all public school students in California. CAVA students are also required to participate in the STAR state tests.
Every student is assigned a certified public school teacher. The school teacher works remotely, providing instruction, guidance and support to the students. Teachers review work, help design the learning plans, and communicate with students through e-mail, phone conferences, and academic workshops. They also coordinate a variety of social and academic outings for their students. The close relationship between CAVA teachers and parents creates a strong partnership dedicated to the academic achievement of the student.
Students who enroll in CAVA receive a computer, monitor, printer, access to the On-Line School, lessons, assessments, books, materials, planning and progress tools, and much more.
As with all public schools in the state, there is no cost for parents to enroll their children in CAVA.
CAVA uses the nationally-acclaimed curriculum provided by the education company, K12 Inc. The curriculum is a comprehensive, researched-based curriculum covering the traditional, core subjects of English/Language Arts, Math, Science, History, Art, and Music.
Central to the K12 learning program is the Online School (OLS), which hosts over 11,000 interactive, engaging and comprehensive lessons presented in a mix of printed and multimedia forms.
In addition to the lessons, the K12 Online School also includes:
- Initial placement tests to examine and determine a student's competency level in each subject, which ensures the correct starting point for each student in the K12 learning program.
- Assessments at the end of lessons, units and semesters to measure the student's progress and knowledge of each subject.
- Planning tools that allow the CAVA teacher and parent to set up a schedule and lesson plan and view lesson lists.
- Attendance tracking system to determine each student's number of instructional hours for each lesson in each subject.
- Progress tools to determine the pace and level of the student in every subject to ensure every student is making quality progress. The progress tool provides information on what assessments have been taken, what needs to be accomplished and what percentage of the course has been completed.
“CAVA serves many children who need this individual and flexible approach for their education,” said Lisa Gillis, CAVA Administrator. “CAVA is not for every student in the state, but for many this is the option that best meets their needs and gives them the strongest opportunity to achieve academically.”
CAVA provides a unique education opportunity where parents play an active role in their child's education, and where each child receives the tools, attention, and resources to ensure they are receiving the highest quality education.
“We're very excited to serve kids in the Sacramento region” said Gillis.
CAVA @ Sutter will open in September and will begin to accept enrollments during the month of April from families across the region. Representatives from CAVA will be holding parent information sessions across the region through the spring and summer. To view a complete schedule of upcoming information sessions and events , parents can go to the school's website at www.caliva.org.