Connections Academy

My grandson was enrolled in the Arkansas Academy in late March and though we had to go through several hurdles, overall he is satisfied. They do add a LOT of work for the students to complete on a daily basis and it can be hard to keep up but my grandson pressed his way through with the support of his teachers. One teacher in particular called, texted and face-timed me and my grandson on the last day of school to help and make sure he got his assignments in on time. She stayed with him until after 9 pm. She was amazing. This was only our first year and we are hoping this upcoming year is a great as the first short time with the academy.

Location: Arkansas Connections Academy

I have been disappointed in the Learning Coach "classes" as they are not geared toward Connected Learning kids. The Connections News also is not inclusive of special needs students or their teachers.
Teachers are great though. Carol Burhans has been super! IEP process has been very good too. I wish I could have gotten some in person support as we discussed.

1) Kindergarden kid- he was around charter since 3/ pre school and half of kindergarden. We adopted him and notice alot public school was not for King. Pain was all he experienced- love is what we wanted! Yes we told the ad/ teacher/ principal/ and even asked for a meeting with the other kids parents!
2) Our decision to look into home school- Florida Connection was suggested by a teacher- and I knew zero
3) I was hand held question why I think this is what King needed/ the representative cared! Listened/ and walked me thru the full process and again I knew zero!
4) King was accepted/ stress level went down, we were able to seek doctor care, our time no threats of jail, time for Dr care! We were able to breathe yes both of us. We sat and make a plan! To build an office for King. He was accepted- again we knew zero but at this point we were willing to try!
5) We meet his teacher by zoom, she has suggestion, for solving problems. She answers all our questions. Helps with the computer program, delightful. Cute, and loving. And yes we get stressed because nothing in life is essy- but Ms. Lee is calm again suggestion options!
6) The IT team is just plain AWESOME- WE call them our super hero.

Again we know zero but we are on our way to being # 1! Still trying, THE LAWS FAMILY FOR KING WILLIAMS-LAWS

My son entered Tecca in 5th and has improved each semester, largely in part to Tecca. Their teachers are amazing, the adjustable schedule is a life saver and we are now enrolled for next year. 7th grade. It has improved greatly within the last year and continues to strive for excellence. Can't wait to see what's next!

I am reading a ton of bad reviews and can't even imagine what is being said. My child started this school in 8th grade and is now entering 10th. He has finished both years with A's and B's. The workload, in my opinion, is not heavy enough. Some days he is done with all his work in 2 hours. Teachers (with the exception of 1) are wonderful. If he reaches out to them with a question or an assignment he doesn't understand, they are either on the phone, in a live lesson room or through email within the same day helping him understand the issue. I am thouroughly content with his education and this school.

Ohio Connections Academy has been a good choice for my daughter. She started in the 5th grade and entering 9th grade this fall. At first, it was a little confusing but between her and I, we figured it out and the teachers were wonderful. She has a slight learning disability and catching on to things is not easy for her. Her first year, I assisted her, making sure she kept up with her classes, it was overwhelming because there was so much information and we thought, we had to do everything offered, but in reality, we realized that we didn't have to click on every link, on every thing listed, we learned what worked and didn't work. Every year, she got more independent and her 8th grade year was awesome. Instead of me having to monitor her efforts and time, she learned to pace her self and it was OK to take a break. She participated in the live lessons most of the time and she excelled. Her weakness is note taking which will make high school a challenge but I believe she will continue to excel because it is her desire to do so. So many hours a day has to be logged in and she usually works more than the required time because it is a lot of work. School isn't suppose to be easy, it is suppose to be educational and kids need to learn to work hard and put their whole selves into it. We found that it is OK to take a break and not to stress in getting all the hours in. If she works an extra hour or two Monday-Thursday, she knows that Friday can be a little slower. As far as socially, she has more of a social life than I do. She has friends that she hangs out with on a weekly basis as well as the church youth group who is very active and has outings that are fun and sometimes educational. She is involved in community service and enjoys life. Going through Ohio Connections has helped my daughter to be independent and to work hard. She does get discouraged at times but it is OK to take a breather and she has learned that it is OK to message a teacher for help. Some teachers respond quicker than others but she always gets a response. The thing I dislike the most is when a teacher takes over a week to grade something, especially in the subject that she struggles with, I don't like having her to start a new unit when she doesn't understand the one before, therefore, we hold off which is a disadvantage but some how we manage to get through and she ends well. There are always pros and cons to everything, my daughter has learned to focus on the positive and strive for her best, easier said than done at times but it has to get done so the goal is to keep striving. Ohio Connections may not be for everyone, but what ever route our kids take, they have to learn to work hard, not expect it to be easy and have the attitude that they can do it and it is going to take parents, teachers, friends to encourage them and to not hesitate to get help for them, and that help does not have to come directly from the school. I have a friend who will be tutoring my daughter in math because math is for the birds LOL

This is our first year and it was kinda hard at first but we never give up and very glad we didn't because once we got over the bump in the road Inca is best thing we could have done for our soon to be 6th grader and the teacher are so caring it very nice to have teacher who care and even enjoy their job but if I had to change one thing that would be the learning coaches need answered keys to the work the students are doing I love thar about social studies and science it is a big help and help us learning coaches help the students succeed learn what they need to and help learn in the way that best for the students but overall I love this school and going in roll again next year looking forward to it.

As a 10th grader during her first year in Georgia Connections Academy, I would say that most of these bad reviews are from lazy people who thought that A) They could mosey their way out of school by doing it online, or B) All of the responsibility should be placed on the teachers. If you are in 8th grade or less, YOUR PARENTS should be working with you, at least making an effort to understand the material; however, if you are in high school, the responsibility is placed on YOU. If this is news to you, that is completely your fault because you chose not to read the handbook, the guidelines, and the resources placed in the virtual library. If you are not self-disciplined, then this is really not the school for you. Go to regular school where they will hold your hand the majority of the way then drop you off at college where you will soon realize that independence is inescapable.

Anyway, the work load is normal. One lesson a day per class, like regular school. The difference is that you are able to go back to previous concepts if you forget anything or need a refresher. If you need extra resources, as I said, you can always look in the library. Aside from that, the teachers are there to help you everyday except Wednesday from 11am-12pm, and there are plenty of programs like Khan Academy and Ck12 that are made for students like those at Connections Academy. You can also email and call the teachers, which usually warrant a speedy reply. The time it takes you to finish lessons solely depends on you. Some people can finish them in 20 minutes while others take up to 2 hours. Tests take however long you need with the exception of history (they give you a timer for 50 minutes or an hour), and there is something called a MESSAGE BOARD, where there are plenty of reviewing materials and explanations for everything.

The teachers, in my opinion, try the best they can. You can find all of the teachers' educational history and experience (by law), and they only call cheater if absolutely necessary, like if you complete all of your lessons in an hour and have perfect scores. I do think that this varies by state, however, so you should look into specifics when you're wanting to know more about Connections.

My biggest issue with the program, though, is the "work at your own pace", which is usually what catches everyone's attention. I think the slogan should be "work AHEAD at your own pace" because the moment you slip, it gets harder and harder to catch up. I also don't think that you should wait until August to enroll because you will most likely not get in quickly enough to start off on track. Apply early in the summer or late in the school year before you plan on starting. If you're looking to go right now, WAIT UNTIL THE SECOND SEMESTER APPLICATIONS OPEN unless you want 50 overdue lessons per class. Trust me.

All in all, if you utilize your resources, actually do your work, and plan ahead, you should be fine.

I've seen so many bad reviews which probably aren't wrong it's probably awful for them but for me it's the best decision i've made. I've always downright hated school so much i hated everyone and everything, it wasn't like I was lonely or everyone hated me I just really hated everything. Ive been having anxiety and depression and I do want to get better and so far switching to this has help in different ways. Im very introverted and I don't mind a single bit being in my room all day and I love being with my mom all the time. Everyone saying that the school made their kid have mental breakdowns or lonely that really do be on the kid tho. I went to my hometown for vacation to see my old friends and was there for a week and I just every now and then did some lessons and I was fine. Anyways I've been doing it for almost a semester and I started a month late. They didn't pile work on top of me like people said tho I did have to catch up on all of the lessons I did miss, which I do think is dumb. But my homeroom teacher was super nice and she spread it out over the whole semester so I didn't have to everything right then and there. I can work at my own pace, I wake up at like 12-2 everyday and finish quite fast. I also do a lot of work at like 2 in the morning, further showing that you really can do your work whenever. They really don't change the answers of any of the quick checks, tests or quizzes so I do cheat on some of them o_o well like all of them 0_0. Some lessons are like as old as like 2012. But like really, DON'T CHEAT, it's hard for some like me to not and if youre one of those people like me trust me and just try to do at least half of it, it's better than nothing because im coming to the end of this semester of a junior and i feel braindead i haven't learned jack, and i still have an sat... it's the same in public school tho I never learned anything either way. Also sometimes you get timed tests and most of it is multiple choice but at the end they throw some short answer or essay questions worth a lot of points and its really hard to get them right but also make it look like you didn't just copy it from somewhere so you run out of time a lot, so just do your $#*! and you'll be fine and the lessons really aren't hard. Also if you have the required credits for a subject you can message your homeroom teacher and drop it so thats nice. Every single one of my teachers are super nice and will help you with anything your stuck on, and you'll get stuck on portfolios (portfolios are like things you actually have to do like labs, essays, ect and they really aren't that hard if I can do them and score 100 on almost all of them) a lot so just message them and for me they respond back either that day or the next. I also rarely attend live lessons, tho you can view any live lessons that your teacher has done, they post em on the message board. Also you might get lucky like me and a teacher might just skip 3 full units including the final exam. You have the whole semester to remake anything that you did bad on as well. For me this was the best choice i've made my entire life, NO REGRETS. I also live in CO so you might have a better chance if you do live here, who knows. You're either lucky and everything is fine or unlucky like most people here and you want to die.

The portfolios can be tedious, but a good education is provided and the teachers have been helpful.

Our family was introduced to Connections Academy through a friend of ours whose daughter graduated from Connections. When the public schools were reopening for in-person we were not absolutely sure about allowing our student back in. When we visited the school our student was going to attend, the classrooms had no social distancing, and that confirmed our decision to consider NMCA. Since then we love it! We love the flexibility! We love that our student is able to learn at his own pace and with the pearson curriculum he is actually learning unlike the public schools. I have always been involved with our student's education when our older ones were in the public school system before the pandemic, but Connections gives me complete access to his learning and I love that! The Teachers are great! I would encourage any parent(s) to consider NMCA for a better, deeper, and challenging learning platform for their student(s).

This completes our 2nd year at LCA. We love having the flexibility of when & where our student can work on his lessons. Teachers have been awesome and work with our schedule. The curriculum is well-rounded and we love that we can see everything our son is being taught & by whom.
Thank you LCA

Connections Academy has been a very easy to follow program for my child. I have other children in different programs that are much more difficult to navigate. Re-enrollment was a breeze, with prompts to keep you on task. My only issue is not enough parent-teacher follow-ups. They said they require them, but I only had one at the very beginning of the year.

I have been at this school for 2 years now, and I have been astounded as to the quality of general knowledge that I have gained through this school, and the general quality of the lessons, (in most cases) is very good. However, there are a few glaring problems with the system that have discouraged me from re-enrolling. The first being the scheduling system. I have seen a lot of reviews on this school claiming that the workload is too much. Typically, this is not true, and I can get by the average day getting all As on my assignments by 3 PM. Notice, however, I said average. Because of poor design of the schedule, there will be slack periods, days which I will get few to no lessons assigned to me, and then others in which I will receive up to 4 portfolios or projects to be completed within 2 days! I find that absolutely ridiculous. My second complaint is that response time from teachers is incredibly slow via the "webmail" and on occasion I find myself needing to send up to 10 messages before being responded too. Other times the teachers are simply on vacation. Lastly, this school, in general, is not for the faint of heart or weak. Assignments are hard, and the concept of self-teaching, in general, requires a great deal of self-control. I am in the same classes as around 50 other people, many of them, alongside me, have high grades and are capable of handling the workload. Others are, however, in the D's and F's, and are incredibly unhappy with the workload. That just goes to show this school is not for everyone, which makes this last thing not a complaint but a simple statement. The school isn't at fault for everything, its just designed for a certain type of person, and your child may not be that kind of person. I think that this is an incredibly good school, with a few problems, but should definitely be explored more before enrollment. If you are asking, how do I know? There are multiple programs over summer that don't require commitment, which can give a rough, but effective idea of what to be expected, these include khan academy (also a partner of connections), brain chase, and probably some others. I definitely recommend this school, for a select few people with maturity, and a willingness to work hard. If your child does not have this, you can forget about enrolling.

Alabama Connections has been a blessing for our family. Public school had so many wasted time periods. My daughter has a young child and public school was not what she needed while raising her child. Alabama Connections let's her move along at her own pace. Just makes getting a education a easier accomplishment for her.

My daughter was enrolled for this past school year for third grade. Her teacher was very involved and ALWAYS there for any questions about anything. They did live lessons multiple times a week and always let my child know that she can also contact her with any questions as well. I'm sorry a lot of people have had such a hard time with them. There are a few things in the curriculum that I didn't like all that much but that's kind f with any school.

My two daughters have been enrolled (6th & 8th grade) since Sept. 2016, and they both love it. Yes, the workload is high, but it's possible to have flexibility if taking off and catching up during weekends and other holidays. Even if the amount of work is high but students soon catch up with the rhythm and know what is expected of them. Connecting with teachers is super easy too, again it's a matter of habit to pick up the phone or email them when we need something; they are very responsive. I haven't had any issues and both our daughters love it.

It's been a new beginning for my son, he has failed every class for the past year and a half in a actual school setting. Once we switched it to connections academy his grades changed, he is now passing everything with at least B's and C's. He feels more confident to ask for him if he doesn't understand anything it's like a new kid

**SHOULD I ENROLL? QUIZ BELOW.**
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Directions: Answer each question accordingly. Once you're done follow the next directions! Keep track of which answer choices (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) you are mostly choosing. Try to be honest with yourself.
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Question One:
Do you want to work at your own pace?
1. I don't mind staying on track with the pace of my teacher and peers.
2. Sometimes I wish my teacher would spend less or more time on a subject.
3. I wish I could go slowly or quickly, my teachers don't match my pace at all.
4. I feel like I really need more control in how much time I spend on each subject.
5. I need to freeze time there and here, and speed it up in some classes ASAP.
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Question Two:
Are you independent or willing to become independent?
1. No way, my hand is up like 24/7. Even if I know the answer I still bother my teacher.
2. I can go an entire class without interaction from my teacher, but prefer NOT to.
3. I would like to have my teacher there if I need her, but I'm ok being solo.
4. I like the challenge of taking things alone. I'm ok with being independent.
5. I don't need anyone, mckay? I believe in tackling things alone first.
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Question Three:
What do you think of the high-school experience?
1. I love the noise of a crowded cafeteria, seeing my teachers everyday, and fire drills.
2. I like pancake days where the entire school gets together, but it's not too important.
3. I'm alright with the field trips, proms, and graduation Connections A. Can offer.
4. I'll go to the field trips the virtual school offers, but it doesn't bother me at all.
5. I wish we had less assemblies and more time for instruction and class.
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Question Four:
Do you have some talent or ambition that you wish you had time for?
1. No, all that I have going on is my school work, chores, dinner, walking my dog.
2. I like doing community service, but it's no big deal.
3. I wish I had time to get a job and make money, learn to drive, volunteer at the shelter.
4. I figure skate professionally and I'm on the swim team. I have practice each day at 12pm.
5. DON'T even get me started on all the things I wish I could do but can't because of my fixed 7am to 3pm schedule.
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Question Five:
How important is your social life?
1. I never want to be separated from my friends or I want to make friends in public school.
2. Seeing them is important to me, but I could always make new ones.
3. I'm ok going to field trips and joining clubs to meet friends from my virtual school.
4. I'm pretty introverted, and I don't mind not seeing my friends anymore.
5. Introverted isn't even close. I'm a kermit and I like being alone, so netlix on please.
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Which answer choices did you mostly choose?

I chose mostly 1's and 2's: You feel some attachment towards the brick and mortar school experience, and you value classroom interaction. You should consider staying where you are. Perhaps a virtual school isn't the best idea for you.

I chose mostly 2's and 3's: You are sort of on the 'line', either option works for you but you should definitely weigh the Pro's against the Con's and ultimately decide what would make you happier and more succesful.

I chose mostly 3's and 4's: You should consider learning more about your local virtual school, it looks like it could be a good fit for you.

I chose mostly 4's and 5's: I would highly recommend considering a virtual school. It looks like the cons of virtual school don't bother you at all which is important!
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My Review (2nd year in TECCA, as a student + my mom's thoughts)
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What is it?
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A virtual school for K-12 students. There are public and private options, and I believe mostly every state has a program. Students work independently for 28 hours (8-12) a week, or 22/less for K-7. You have access to teachers, but for the most part you are solo in a distraction-free environment so that you can work at your own pace.
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Staff:
Friendly, always there to help. Respond in a timely fashion and are straight-forward. They are here for you, so don't hesitate to reach out or call.
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Curriculum:
The classes can be as hard or as easy as you make it. If it's hard you can always webmail a teacher, visit their Live Lesson (explained later) room, or google. Khan Academy, youtube videos, you name it. If it's too difficult they offer foundations courses or regular classes.

If it's too easy, then ask to bump up the challenge and consider enrolling in Honors or AP.
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Live Lessons:
In Live Lessons, as the name implies, you enter a chatroom ran by your teacher where you can socialize with fellow students and learn or review topics in your class. Usually each class has one once a week, and they are an easy way to being succesful. They are also a lot of fun.
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Have I improved or decline or stayed about the same in terms of my educational growth?

I declined for the first year I attended, because having the luxury and freedom of being able to do your classes at 9am or 1am, for me, meant a lot of procrastination. It is very easy to give into temptation and chill all day, but discipline is a habit you practice and build up.

For my 2nd year I grew and began to mature. I took my education seriously and got high honor role. I stopped waiting until the next day or week to turn in assignments. As you can see, your attitude determines which way your growth will go.
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Would I go back to brick-and-mortar school?

Sometimes I wish I could, just to see my old friends again. I fell out of touch with them ever since transferring, and for any teenager or child no matter how introverted you are, the experience of going to class and laughing at a meme your teacher posted or gossiping with your best friend is what life is about. Memories and socializing.

Of course with socializing comes downsides too. Virtual schools are a safe-haven for individuals who have suffered bullying, don't find school safe anymore, have anxiety, et cetera. In some of my classes, the students were a pain in the calves and hindered my education (non-stop chatting, making teachers wait for them to shut up, etc), so being in a distraction-free zone actually helped massively.

At the end of the day, although I may miss it, I wouldn't go back because it has changed my life for the better in many ways other than educational growth.
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The End Verdict

If you took my quiz and scored high (3's, 4's, 5's), and you have months thinking it over, then try it out. You can always return back to your brick & mortar school if all hell breaks loose. Take this decision seriously and discuss it with your parents.
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My Mom's Thoughts:

My mom commented on how independent I have become, how my grades are higher than ever now that I can spend hours on an assignment instead of anticipating the bell to ring, and how the teachers are very kind and helpful.
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With the 21st century came ubers that drive themselves, ovens that fit on top of a counter, and iPhones that no longer fit in your pocket. It came with new technology and in this modern era, it's obvious that our schools and education would also transform in a technological matter- alas, online school. I personally think every program, K12 or Connections Academy, still has a long way to go before perfecting the art of being an online schoo.

Although whether or not you should enroll is deeply impacted by factors such as your personality and discipline to stay motivated and on track, anyone can make do with it.

Good Luck! Any questions? Send me an email.

*******@gmail.com

September 14,2016.

We started a blog to document our experience with Connections Academy, read about each step in the process: http://thevirtualschoolexperienceourjourney.weebly.com/

We are giving honest feedback because we had a hard time finding the read story behind the process and education with Connections Academy.

My kids and I decided to have them move from the local brick and mortar school to Indiana Connections Academy back in 2020, when they're school was closed due to the pandemic. There were too many unknowns and I felt it would be easier and healthier to have them try online school. The results have been better than expected! We struggles, the first year, trying to understand how everything worked, but it has reduced my daughter's anxiety, allowed for easier travel, has helped my son through two illnesses to keep up with his schoolwork, and given each of them more control over their education and personal time. While communication was, at times, delayed with the teachers, we were patient and tried to understand their workload in these new and developing times of remote work and school. I'll recommend INCA to anyone I know!

Location: Indiana Connections Academy

I've come to change my review. When I first started I hated it more than anything. It was stressful. It STILL is very stressful. I had over 40 overdue lessons and was only a few months in. I finally came out of a huge depression and got them all done. Right now I'm struggling with most work but have no overdue lessons. Mrs. Drake is the sweetest teacher. Math is the worst, I had a domain not comeplete and had a 35 and when I finished it came up to 75. Mathia is horrible as well. I was put in avenues of hope also. It doesent help, just gives MORE work to STUGGLING students! Try not to fail core courses. Just saying that this is a lot more work than public school but once you get kinda used to it it gets easier. It's still not the best tho.

I think Connections Academy is perfectly fine if you're using it as a trial run before you decide if you're truly ready for an online academy. The key is; It should NOT be your permanent solution to homeschooling. I think that this is amazing if you want to try online school, but if you decide to stay within the realm of homeschooling, you should switch to a school that is paid-- Such as James Madison High, which I'm hoping to attend next year.

It isn't the best school. I will not sugar coat the fact that the math lessons are incredibly vague. However, most of the gaps that the systems have can be filled. EG, Since I can't use the math lessons, I use Khan Academy. I also purchased an Algebra 1 Review book for study. I basically don't use their math platform at all, and I come back to the lesson when I am prepared to do the Quick Check; A small test at the end of every lesson.

My teachers have always responded to my 'webmails,' and I've only had one issue with this when the school counselor didn't respond to my webmail for ~3 days. She eventually did and we worked things out pleasantly. The tests are easy if you study and read closely, and each lesson provides extra work to ensure that you understand the topic before you move on. Sometimes, they do throw in a random question in the Quick Check that you're almost certain not to know, which I do hope they fix. The unit tests are fine, everything is fine; As of this year, books etc are digitally provided. Live Lessons are essential for classes like math where the in-book explanation is very vague-- I use them whenever I need extra help in a specific area.

ALSO. The workload is NOT overwhelming if you stay up to date on your work. DO NOT fall behind; It's hell.

TLDR; Its great to use as a first go. I would not recommend it as your forever school.