Approved Providers
Columbia Tech High
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Website: www.giantcampuswa.com
Email: jamesp@giantcampus.com
Phone: 509-493-1500
Fax: 509-493-2275
School District: White Salmon Valley
Grades Served: 9-12
OSPI Approval
Approved as an Online School Program from the 2011-12 through the 2014-15 school year.
Access
Student Enrollment Instructions:
Students and/or their parents may enroll students in courses by visiting our Web site (www.giantcampuswa.com) and completing our online registration form. As part of the enrollment process, students and families receive a set of forms that must be signed and returned (by fax, mail, or email) to our office before their enrollment is finalized. Once finalized, students receive confirmation of their enrollment, plus information about their class, instructor, and class orientation schedule via a series of automated emails prior to the first of class. Students may also call an enrollment adviser at 888-904-2267 to enroll over the phone.
Overview
Columbia Tech High, in parternship with Giant Campus of Washington (GCWA), is the state’s first online school that specializes in providing the latest technology and business electives to part-time students in grades 9-12. For students in grades 11-12, we offer a core curriculum for full-time students developed by Florida Virtual School. Our course offerings align closely to Washington State curriculum standards. Our mission is to deliver a rigorous, technology-based education that provides students with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the 21st century.
Many of of our technology and business courses have been approved by OSPI’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) department. These courses are taught by CTE-certificated teachers in alignment with the latest CTE curriculum frameworks. Columbia Tech High/GCWA also offers a digital arts curriculum that satisfies the state graduation requirement for art.
Our program features a supportive online community that includes highly dedicated Washington certificated teachers, guest speakers from the technology and business fields, and a supportive, engaged school staff.
Course Offerings
3D Art I – Modeling
3D Art II – Animation
Audio Engineering
Computer Literacy
Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
Computer Science I
Computer Science II
Digital Arts I
Digital Arts II
Engineering Design I
Engineering Design II
Flash Animation
Flash Game Development
Game Design
Green Design and Technology
Image Design and Editing
Introduction to C++ Programming
Introduction to Entrepreneurship I
Introduction to Entrepreneurship II
Introduction to Marketing I
Introduction to Marketing II
Personal Finance
Web Design
Our full time program is only offered to students in grades 11 and 12. In addition to our technology and business courses, our full time program features core curriculum developed by Florida Virtual School, a leader in K-12 online education.
Students
Columbia Tech High is particularly well-suited to students residing in districts that have limited elective offerings. Our program is an excellent solution for students who want to expand their knowledge of technology and business careers while earning elective credit.
Curriculum Alignments
Our elective courses are developed in alignment with Washington state CTE frameworks, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) frameworks and in some cases, national standards for technology education. Alignment of our core courses to Washington state frameworks for Science, Mathematics, Social Studies and English has been conducted and verified by a third party service.
Accreditation
Columbia Tech High is accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.
Instructor Certification
All of our instructors are certified to teach grades 9-12 in the state of Washington. The majority of our instructors also meet the federal government’s definition of “highly qualified” in that they hold BA or BS degrees from four-year colleges and have demonstrated competence in the areas in which they teach. On average, our instructors have 10+ years of teaching experience in both online and “bricks and mortar” settings. For more information on our teachers and their educational backgrounds, please visit our web site.
AP Audit
We do not offer AP courses at this time, but may expand our offerings to include AP curriculum in the future.
Courseware Platform
Our online campus uses a customized version of Moodle, an open-source learning management system that provides a stable, secure environment for students and staff. Our synchronous class meetings, instructor office hours, and school events are delivered via Elluminate, a web-based meeting platform specifically designed for educational institutions.
Student Performance and Demographics
Teacher-to-student ratio: 7.1 students/teacher
Course completion rate: 82%
Course pass rate: 94%
Student Satisfaction Survey
Columbia Tech High did not participate in the student satisfaction survey.