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Prisma is the world’s most engaging virtual school that combines a fun, real-world curriculum with powerful mentorship from experienced coaches and a supportive peer community
Now part of mainstream education, online school is a vast category that implies only that teachers and students in separate physical locations use technology to connect. That leaves everything else: curriculum, educational philosophy, yearly calendar, daily schedule, social aspects, cost, parent involvement — the list goes on.
Parents might start exploring online school options because of issues in a traditional public or private, brick-and-mortar school: problems with bullying, challenges accommodating learning differences (ADHD, dyslexia, twice-exceptional students), lack of inclusivity in their current community, or a child with an acute case of “I-don’t-care-itis.” Others are interested specifically in having their child learn from home but don’t want all the responsibilities of homeschooling, perhaps because of their work commitments.
We’ll walk you through things to think about as you consider switching to virtual school, starting with the kinds of schools that are out there.
As online education has taken off during the pandemic, learners opting out of the traditional classroom have no shortage of high quality options. It’s a broad umbrella, so start by narrowing the field into these three categories.
Virtual academies are a part of the public school landscape: individual school districts and states offer options for kindergarten through high school students living in their boundaries. As public schools, these tuition-free online academies are required to provide accommodations for students with IEPs or 504 learning plans.
Following the same school calendar as their neighborhood school, an online public school delivers similar content to the in-person experience — although the school day might be condensed. Because their curriculum tracks closely with the in-person schools, it can be easier to move — with some flexibility — between in-person and online options, and get credits approved.
In terms of extracurriculars and athletics, online students may have the same access to as students in their local traditional school. Cyber charter academies may offer online clubs, field trips and meet-ups but, without connections to a physical campus, are unlikely to have developed athletic programs.
These public options will have specific enrollment deadlines and requirements (such as proof of residency, birth certificate, immunizations and transcripts), and it may be difficult to transfer in outside of specific windows of time.
Online private schools are diverse, growing category. These schools charge tuition (often a fraction of in-person, private tuition). Some follow state standards, which means they are only open to residents of that state who complete the statewide enrollment process. Others are independent and will have unique admissions procedures that are more akin to in-person private school applications, with interviews and essays.
Many follow a traditional philosophy, with subject-matter instructors who give lectures and grade assignments. While some offer full-time programs, others allow students to take single online courses. (Some of these schools offer credit recovery programs — short, intensive courses designed to help high school students make up coursework they did not successfully complete the first time.) Students will take traditional assessments and receive a transcript with letter grades.
With all the potential variety, parents will want to inform themselves about the school’s accreditation, how it handles special needs learners, how many students are supervised by each teacher, how much independent schoolwork is expected (and how much parental involvement), and what opportunities are available for socializing and extracurriculars.
Within the online learning landscape, this group of schools could be considered “private,” insofar as they charge tuition (usually lower than in-person private school) and have an admissions process.
However, it distinguishes itself through its philosophy: the goal of connected online learning programs is not to replicate the traditional, teacher-centric classroom experience within the limits of technology. It’s to redesign education from a digital-first, student-centric perspective, using technology to help shift educational paradigms.
Rather than follow academic disciplines, these schools take an interdisciplinary (often project-based) approach. Grade-based assessments are replaced with qualitative, growth-oriented feedback, supervised by a coach/mentor who works closely with each learner and their family. Students develop a cumulative portfolio of their work that showcases their mastery — and can be translated into transcript form, if the need arises.
Because they are centered on self-paced, individualized study, programs like Prisma are well suited to meet learners’ special needs. No student will feel “behind” or “ahead,” because grade levels are not the standard; growth is. However, when moving from a traditional academic to a home-based environment, there will likely be an adjustment period, as families adapt to their newfound freedom, put into place healthy habits, and find ways to stay active and focused.
These schools are quite diverse: check for online programs that are accredited (or in the process of accreditation), have a low learner-coach ratio, extracurricular opportunities, and a stable cohort of students who progress through the program.
Consider your child’s learning style and the kind of learning experience they need. (You may start with the things that don’t work and that they don’t like and work backwards.) Then you can take the time to match those must-haves and nice-to-haves with the online options.
Want to learn more about how Prisma can empower your child to thrive?
Talk with usTalk with usMiddle School Curriculum Designer Lizzie uses her diverse experiences: studying Literature at Harvard, leading outdoor adventure expeditions, and teaching high school English, to help Prisma learners find their voices.
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