It is very important to be aware that many very different types of educational programs are all categorized as “online learning.” Many times the only similarity between these programs is the word “online” and nothing else. Calvary Preparatory Academy is considerably different from many other online education programs currently available.
WHY CHOOSE CALVARY PREPARATORY ACADEMY?
Many other programs only offer re-packaged products.
Other providers have taken their existing textbook curriculum and products and simply put the materials online, thereby calling themselves “online schools.” Calvary Preparatory Academy is considerably different in that every aspect of our school, from curriculum, instruction, classrooms, administration, etc. has been custom designed from the ground up for a strategic delivery online. Don’t be fooled by other programs which merely offer pre-recorded video lectures or e-book curriculum.
Many other programs often don’t actually provide a mentor teacher.
Calvary Preparatory Academy provides a rigorously selected, credentialed teacher to work individually with each student to provide valuable academic support. By going with other programs, you risk enrolling in a program that literally does not have a teacher for your child. All of our teachers are not only credentialed professionals, but these also serve as Christian role models and mentors to students in their faith. Teachers pray with students, encourage them in their faith, answer difficult questions, and direct them to grow in their knowledge of the work God has done, and is doing, through the person of Jesus Christ.
Many other programs only provide limited teacher support.
Many other programs don’t provide live teacher support. If other programs do provide teachers, they are often only “mentors” who are available by email or phone only. These mentors in other programs may or may not be credentialed professionals, or they may be college students serving as tutors. Some programs actually outsource their support help to India.
Calvary Preparatory Academy is significantly different from these programs in that our teachers meet with students through live, virtual meetings to provide instant, direct feedback and support. All of our teachers and administration are credentialed in the state of California. Furthermore, our rigorously selected teachers have a student/teacher ratio of 27/1 in comparison to other programs which have ratios of up to and over 240/1.
In other programs, teachers deliver a presentation to a large group of students who passively observe with little interaction. In our model, the student leads the presentation to the teacher in a one-to-one meeting with constant engagement, opportunities for questions, and the furthering of students’ learning by the immediate feedback and dialogue with a credentialed teacher. In our program, students not only meet with their teachers one to one, but we also provide subject specific instructional workshops every day of the week where students can come for small group instruction and additional tutoring at no extra charge.
Many other programs provide online learning as a by-product of their main program and not the core focus.
Calvary Preparatory Academy’s primary and sole focus is to deliver a high quality Christian education using the internet as a tool. From the very beginning, our program was designed to use internet technology to its fullest extent. Other schools merely supplement or modify their program to use internet resources. In many ways, our program model is ahead of the technology, with instructional design models waiting for the technology to catch up and be ready for use. Other schools are asking how to incorporate technology back into their existing programs. Calvary Preparatory Academy is asking how technology will be able to keep up with our instructional designs.
Many other programs are for-profit companies.
Calvary Preparatory Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Unlike other programs, our aim is to provide high quality Christian education and not to make profits. This status translates into visible differences in the quality of education offered.
Many public online schools are run by for-profit companies.
If available in your area, public online schools are almost exclusively delivered by enormous, for-profit companies that significantly cut the costs of education in order to draw large profits from state revenue. This translates into classrooms with 240 students per one supervising teacher. Furthermore, public online schools are often limited to certain counties and do not cross state lines.
Many other programs, both public and private, lack accountability.
Calvary Preparatory Academy has very rigorous systems of accountability that keep students on task and regularly report their performance. Parents can access students’ grades 24 hours a day in addition to receiving a weekly report. The school regularly evaluates students’ progress on a schoolwide basis and intervenes when more accountability is needed. Students meet one-on-one with their mentor teacher and parents are encouraged to join these meetings in order to receive immediate feedback on their student’s progress. Think of these as regularly occurring parent-student-teacher conferences.
Conclusion:
The education program offered by Calvary Preparatory Academy is radically different and significantly above the standards of our competitors. Other programs may use the same phrase “online school” and charge similar rates but they do not offer the same quality. Please take a moment to consider why Calvary Preparatory Academy is right for you.
