Approved Providers
Columbia Virtual Academy
We want to know what you think about this provider. Please submit comments using our Issues/Feedback Form.
Website: www.cva.org
Email: Keith.Lambert@cva.org
Phone: 509-937-2801
Fax: 509-937-2673
School District: Multiple Districts
Grades Served: K-12
OSPI Approval
Approved as an Online School Program from the 2011-12 through the 2014-15 school year.
Access
Student Enrollment Instructions:
Students interested in attending Columbia Virtual Academy can enroll directly from the CVA website at www.columbiavirtualacademy.org. Families may select either the Enroll Now button displayed on the Home Page, or select the enrollment tab under the Main Menu. Each option leads the student and parent or guardian to the enrollment application and provides additional links to program information to assist them in fully understanding the requirements and benefits of the CVA Alternative Learning Experience program and options.
Once a student is fully enrolled, an Advisory Teacher will partner with the student and parents or guardians to select instructional materials, online courses and/or supplementary learning options best suited to the student’s learning goals.
Parents or guardians and students may speak with an Inquiry Specialist, who will answer questions, share additional information and help guide the enrollment process: (Toll free 866-930-6282)
Overview
In response to increasing enrollment requests, the successful Valley HOME Program, established in 2003, grew to become Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA) in 2005 as a statewide K-12, public school Alternative Learning Experience program. CVA is a consortium of public school districts that work in partnership to offer an alternative approach to student learning. CVA’s philosophy of Family Choice Education™ supports a personalized focus on the learning needs of individual students, providing parents and guardians with an opportunity to be highly involved in their child’s learning experience within the values of personalization, flexibility, choice and control.
CVA upholds high standards of quality and accountability. A Washington State certified teacher partners with parents and guardians to help students achieve Essential Academic Learning Requirements for each grade level through graduation, utilizing a varied selection of curricular materials, online courses and resources in a setting and method conducive to individual success. Providing flexibility for any level of involvement the parent or guardian chooses, the CVA teacher monitors, guides and instructs students to ensure academic progress. This approach ensures a student’s unique needs and circumstances are addressed.
CVA partner school districts include: Cheney, Colville, Eastmont, Freeman, Inchelium, Kettle Falls, Naselle-Grays River Valley, Onalaska, Orient, Raymond, Stevenson-Carson, Sultan, and Summit Valley
Course Offerings
DLD-approved online course offerings include Apex, Calvert and GSN (Global Student Network)
Core courses:
• K – 8: Language arts, math, science, social studies, health and fitness, fine & performing arts
• 9 – 12:
I. Literature, English and writing
II. French, German, Japanese, Latin, Spanish and American Sign Language
III. Biology, chemistry, earth science, physical science, physics, science labs, pre-algebra, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, integrated math and pre-calculus
IV. Current world problems, U.S. history, Washington State history and world history
V. Physical education I and II Health
VI. Art history, dance, drama, music, music appreciation, photography, visual art
VII. Various career and technical education courses
VIII. Various electives
Students
From the highly-capable to those needing specialized academic assistance or guidance, CVA serves students at various academic levels in order to achieve individual success at the student’s pace. CVA serves students whose families desire a personalized, flexible approach to education that allows parental choice and involvement in implementing the student learning plan while adhering to Washington State standards. CVA offers educational options to benefit students who, for a variety of reasons, may not thrive in a traditional school program. CVA also serves students seeking credit retrieval or course enrichment; sick, home-bound or at-risk students; and students pursuing Olympic-level athletic competition or professional careers.
Instructional Model
CVA teachers work in tandem with parents to support and ensure achievement of student learning goals. Each week, teachers ask for specific evidence of learning progress through submission of learning portfolios, student narratives, online learning program progress reports and in-depth conversations with students and parents. CVA students participate in the state’s MSP/HSPE/EOC and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing in accordance with statute and regulation. CVA secondary students are required to meet all Washington State requirements and standards prior to graduating and receiving a high school diploma.
CVA teachers interact with their students in a variety of synchronous and asynchronous ways. Most often, they communicate one-on-one through telephone conversations as a part of "weekly check-in” and monthly progress reviews, and additional interactions may occur through other electronic means such as email, Skype and online forums. Teachers also connect with students and families in-person through field trips, pre-arranged visits and weekly on-campus enrichment classes.
Curriculum Alignments
CVA’s certified teachers monitor and determine academic progress according to state Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), meeting Washington State standards and ALE requirements.
Accreditation
The Columbia Virtual Academy program is fully accredited by Northwest Accreditation Commission.
Instructor Certification
All CVA teachers are certificated to teach in Washington and are Highly Qualified in their subject areas.
AP Audit
CVA only offers AP courses through Apex Learning (www.apexlearning.com).
Please refer to the DLD website for a list of Apex Learning’s approved AP courses: http://digitallearning.k12.wa.us/online_courses/courseListings.php?selections[providerID]=2&selections[levelID]=2
Courseware Platform
Columbia Virtual Academy (www.cva.org) uses WINGS (www.wingsnw.com) in conjunction with an internally-developed Student Records System as a learning management system. Online coursework is managed through each curriculum provider’s platform such as Calvert (www.calvertpartnerschools.org), Apex (www.apexlearning.com), GSN (www.globalstudentnetwork.com) and others.
Each CVA student and his/her parents or guardians are provided a CVA email address and access to the MyCVA.org portal to connect and support the Family Education Team (student, parent, teacher and principal) through use of the library management system, Constant Contact, _Community@CVA _and other social media sites such as _Facebook, Twitter _and YouTube.
Student Performance and Demographics
Teacher-to-student ratio: 1:35.5
Course completion rate: 64%
Course pass rate: 99%
Student Satisfaction Survey
Average Student Satisfaction:
4.6 (413 responses)
Sample Comments
(Somewhat Satisfied)
Parent of a 7th grade student enrolled full-time. (May 9, 2011)
I like the flexibility, however the frustration of trying to piece together what is needed to teach my child was a big challenge
(Unsatisfied)
6th grade student and parent. Student is enrolled full-time. (May 9, 2011)
There was a large communication gap between enrollment and the teaching and advisory staff. Several weeks into the school year, we still didn't have much of the basic information needed to get started, enroll in classes, manage progress, connect with resources, etc. We felt like we had to pry the information out of our advisory teacher bit by bit over time. All of our attempts to communicate these concerns with the principal were ignored.
2nd grade student and parent. Student is enrolled full-time. (May 6, 2011)