Approved Providers

Columbia Virtual Academy

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Website: www.cva.org
Email: info@cva.org
Phone: (855) 525-2270
Fax: (509) 937-2183

School District: Multiple Districts

Grades Served: K-12

OSPI Approval

Approved as a Multidistrict Online School Program from the 2011-12 through the 2014-15 school year.

Access

Student Enrollment Instructions:

Students can learn about applying for enrollment in Columbia Virtual Academy at www.cva.org.

Overview

In order to better serve all families in the district, the Valley School Board established a program in 2003 to meet the learning needs of families who, for various reasons, chose not to have their students attend a traditional brick and mortar school. In 2006, CVA began the partnership model, opening this unique opportunity to other districts in order to more fully serve all students.

Through the guidance of a Washington State Certified CVA teacher, each student is able to experience an educational program that is tailored as much as possible to his or her unique learning style and needs.

The CVA Course Catalog offers a wide selection of quality curriculum options from which each student’s Written Student Learning Plan is built. CVA’s personalized approach provides the flexibility to accommodate diverse family circumstances, while meeting state educational and quality standards.

CVA operates under Washington State Law governing Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) programs. CVA is an approved online school program by the Digital Learning Department of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and is accredited through the Northwest Accreditation Commission.

CVA partner school districts include: Cascade, Cheney, Eastmont, Freeman, Inchelium, Kettle Falls, Lopez Island, Naselle-Grays River Valley, Onalaska, Orient, Raymond, Stevenson-Carson, Sultan, and Valley.

Course Offerings

DLD-approved online course offerings include Apex, Calvert.
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 II, Pre-algebra, algebra I, algebra, 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 and Health
    VI. Art history, dance, drama, music, music appreciation, photography, visual arts
    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, 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 with students and parents to ensure student achievement of learning goals. Each week, students are required to provide specific evidence of learning progress through learning portfolios, student narratives, online learning program progress reports and in-depth conversations. 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 in conversations using a variety of technologies as a part of weekly check-ins and monthly progress reviews. Teachers also connect with students and families in person through field trips, pre-arranged visits and in some cases, weekly on-campus enrichment classes.

Curriculum Alignments

CVA’s certified teachers monitor and determine academic progress according to state Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), Washington State standards and ALE requirements.

Accreditation

The Columbia Virtual Academy program is fully accredited by the 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 an internally-developed Student Records System. Online coursework is managed through each curriculum provider’s platform such as Calvert (www.calvertpartnerschools.org), Apex (www.apexlearning.com), and others.

Each CVA student is provided with an account to access online tools and resources. Family accounts are also created upon enrollment and provide access to student learning plans and related educational content. Family communications are also facilitated through Constant Contact, Community@CVA and, on the public side, through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Student Performance and Demographics

Teacher-to-student ratio: 1:49.8

Course completion rate: 94%

Course pass rate: 93%

Student Satisfaction Survey

Data for school year: 2011-2012

Average Student Satisfaction:
4.5 (571 responses)

Sample Comments

(Very Satisfied)
Parent of a 1st grade student enrolled full-time. (January 18, 2012)

We loved our Teacher but I don't think we will do Calvert again!

(Somewhat Satisfied)
Parent of a 2nd grade student enrolled full-time. (January 17, 2012)

It would have been nice if someone would have helped us sign up so our books were on time, we recieved our books almost 3 weeks late.

(Very Satisfied)
Parent of a 4th grade student enrolled full-time. (January 21, 2012)

I really enjoy the fact that my child is getting a better chance for an education. My child has a different learning pattern, that was putting her behind the rest of the kids in her class. Being home and having one on one time with her has allowed her to fully understand her materials, and not get behind. This would never happen at the public school since she is in a class with 25 other students. Teachers have a daily time crunch for every subject they teach, and can't make certain every child gets it before moving on at the public school.

See all survey results and comments for Columbia Virtual Academy