By Caitlan Butler
Staff Writer
The Arkansas Connections Academy, a virtual charter school for children in kindergarten through 11th grade, will hold a public information session tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the Country Inn and Suites at 2413 W. Hillsboro St.
The virtual school offers curriculum meeting state education standards to students via online classes, including interfacing live with classmates and teachers, participating in clubs and going on field trips. Students can also participate in their local school district’s extracurricular activities by enrolling in that course at the corresponding school.
“We are pretty much like a normal brick-and-mortar school. The only difference is that the students can attend from home or anywhere they have internet connection,” said Gaby Rodriguez, a publicist for the school.
ARCA is not a homeschooling program, she said. The school functions like other public charter schools, which are required to adhere to most state education standards and are accountable to the State Board of Education. Students participate in standardized testing, both from the state (the Iowa test, for example) and for college admissions (the ACT).
The school is free and low-income students can request financial assistance for some of the technological components required for online learning. The school will also help to provide internet service for students who need it.
ARCA was chartered two years ago. Since then, they have added two grade levels, with plans to add 12th grade in the 2019-2020 school year.
In the state-issued school report cards that were released earlier this year, ARCA’s high school and elementary both received C grades for their first school year, 2016-2017. According to the report cards, the high school had 163 students enrolled in the 2016-2017 school year, while the elementary school had 180 students enrolled. The school’s enrollment will cap at 2,000 students in the 2018-2019 school year.
Principal Darla Gardner said the program is suitable for any kind of student who thinks they might flourish more outside of a traditional classroom.
“What we have seen is that we really have students come to us for all kinds of reasons,” she said.
ARCA works with students to develop personalized learning plans for each individual. For example, a student that needs remediation in math but is advanced in language arts would be able to take an advanced English class along with a remedial math class.
Parents play a large role in their children’s educations at ARCA by acting as “learning coaches.” Gardner said parents and teachers essentially work as a team; parents must monitor their children’s progress, attendance and lesson completion, and keep an open line of communication with their children’s teachers.
James and Kriqui Wisinger have a daughter who attends ARCA. The couple said that before she enrolled at ARCA, she attended three different high schools in one semester due to troubles with anxiety. At the brick-and-mortar schools, their daughter’s grades were Ds and Fs; however, the Wisingers said that after one semester at ARCA, she has already brought her grade-point average to almost 3.0.
“We have seen a huge change in her; I mean, with her friends, with her attitude, with the way she even looks at school,” James Wisinger said. “The whole thing about her doing something after high school has been because of this school, because before, she didn’t even have a plan. She’s been there four or five months and she’s already thinking about her future.”
The school’s home office is located in Bentonville. It operates during the traditional months of August through May, so students still have summers off.
At the information session tomorrow, families will learn about the curriculum and activities available for ARCA students. The session will be lead by Melissa Curiel, a language arts teacher at the digital school. There will be a question and answer portion, as well.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at [email protected] or 870-862-6611.