Online charter gets new look, new plan
The state's first virtual charter school is changing its name and structure.
Louisiana Connections Academy will be known as University View Academy. The school is dropping its affiliation with the for-profit Connections Education company and transitioning to a Type 2 non-profit charter.
Superintendent Lonnie Luce said the move has allowed the school to hire administrative and technological staff locally. The move, he said, allows the school to focus on Louisiana State Standards and address each student's individual needs. Currently, the school serves 2,100 students in 60 of Louisiana's 64 parishes.
Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, parents of students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be able to choose from either Calvert Education or Lincoln Learning Solutions curricula. All students will use a Eureka math curriculum that meets state standards. Students in grades six through 12 will use Florida Virtual School.
Communications director Michael Marsh said Connections Education used Florida Virtual School, and University View can get the same course access cheaper by working with the company directly.
Luce said the school plans to ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to add 400 students for access to early college enrollment. University View has a partnership with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. High school students can attend any of the 13 community or technical colleges in the state either online or at the brick-and-mortar schools, and the tuition is totally covered as part of the student's high school curriculum, so students can get up to two years of college classes for free. University View focuses on getting college algebra and freshman composition courses cleared for students who are working on a college preparatory path. The school works with students who are taking a Jump Start path.
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Luce said students have a variety of options, and it's important that they understand what they can accomplish with the support the school provides.
University View is probably not the best option for all students, he said, but it is the best choice for many students. He pointed to success stories of students who are training for the Olympics, are traveling the world with their families or have been bullied in a traditional school setting. The school serves a diverse range of students.
For elementary school students, Luce said, it's important they have an engaged learning coach who will make sure they're interacting with their teachers. The virtual school is different than homeschooling, he said, because parents have teachers who are guiding the class who can provide additional information and support. Older students, he said, need to be highly self-motivated.
University View will work to improve its school performance score, provided by the Louisiana Department of Education, by better tracking students who leave the school. Luce said sloppy paperwork and failure to track students who enroll in another school can affect an institutions dropout and graduation indexes and its ACT and end of course scores with the stated. Currently, the school has a C. Luce plans to develop the school and said there's no one silver bullet in academics.
In the fall, University View will provide 13-inch Apple laptops to its students. The charter school also provides free internet access to students.
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