My experience in having one of my children as a high school student here has been excellent. Some…read morepeople ask, "Why have your child attend an online school?" Every child is different. Every child handles their teen adolescent years and the pressures and struggles associated with those years differently. Some are able to manage through the trouble; some are not mentally or emotionally able to handle the pressures. It affects every child differently. In my case, my teenager needed to be out of the regular public school environment in order to regain focus and prosper. TCAH has helped keep my child on-target, focused, and advancing. My child is getting the same quality education (if not better) as before when in regular public school, as now with Texas Connections Academy, and it's FREE!
The enrollment process was a breeze...super simple. It was actually more streamlined and faster than enrolling a child at a regular brick and mortar school, from my experience anyway.
The teachers and staff are very thorough and responsive. There is a wide range of courses offered, just like a regular public brick and mortar school. Because it is a public school, there is no tuition and the school is able to obtain Title 1 funds to help with the school's funding needs.
I can only give an opinion on the coursework for 9th thru 11th grade since those are the only two grades to which I have been exposed via Connections Academy. The coursework is challenging but manageable. I like the fact that parents/guardians are "Learning Coaches" and NOT the teachers. THIS IS NOT A HOMESCHOOL VENTURE. I work during the day. But, I'm able to remote into my daughter's computer while she is working on her classwork, etc. As a learning coach, I'm able to supervise and guide, but am not her teacher.
Students have a teacher for each subject. It's a real-life teacher with a phone number and email contact. A few times a month, the teachers call the students and vice versa. It's a part of the required contact between them. The teachers also perform a few Live Lessons each week for the students to join. Each Live Lesson is recorded though for those who are unable to attend at the specific time. The rest of the time, the teachers are mainly interacting with the students via message boards and webmail. The assignments for each class are organized and what I love is that the assignments are to be completed by the end of the semester.
This is very much like the online college courses in the interface and responsibilities, but with more interaction with the teacher and actual attendance requirements. The students' attendance is entered/submitted by the Learning Coaches and regular live interaction for each student with the TCAH teachers is required and monitored in terms of frequency by the school staff. Each student is assigned a counselor to help with course selections, transcripts, and academic progress too. This keeps each student on track with their graduation plan.
This is essentially an "online" school, but there are many opportunities for actual live interaction with other students and the teachers. The students are still required to take state exams, which are administered at several testing facilities around the state. The students/parents can choose whichever location is closest and most convenient for them.
If your child has a hectic extracurricular activity schedule, health issues, or for whatever reason has trouble with the typical hours of a regular public school, look into TCAH! Students are required to have 25 hours of school time each week. This is the same for regular public schools. But with TCAH, you and your child can set whatever schedule works best for your child.
If you have a child who has trouble with the social difficulties associated with teenagers in a regular public school environment, whether it be fighting, peer pressure, depression, failing grades, a lack of focus, etc., look into Texas Connections Academy! The admissions process is just as easy as with a regular public school, if not easier because it can all be done electronically. The staff is welcoming and very helpful.
The online interface of education is a modern approach that is becoming more popular and appealing to families because of the flexibility and benefits while maintaining high standards in curriculum. TCAH has a tech department that is available to help at any time if you or your student run into technical difficulty or aren't very tech savvy. Personally, my child and I haven't had any technical issues in the 2 years we've been a part of TCAH and have never had to call.
I have recommended TCAH to many people because I genuinely feel it's an excellent school. Check out their website or call to speak to one of their admissions personnel or counselors for more information! My daughter will be attending again for her junior year. We couldn't be more pleased with Texas Connections Academy!
