Frequently Asked Questions
What students are eligible to register for NaCA Summer School 2010?
Any students who are interested in the summer school courses offered by NaCA may register for a course or courses as long as they have completed the applicable prerequisites. Students do not need to have any previous affiliation with NaCA or any other Connections Academy school in order to register for NaCA Summer School courses.
How much do NaCA Summer School courses cost?
- High School Credit Recovery Courses are $275 per course.
- High School Enrichment Courses are $325 per course.
- K-8 Summer Smarts & Enrichment Courses are $125 per course.
Why are the Credit Recovery and Enrichment courses priced differently?
High School Credit Recovery Courses are for students who have previously taken the course but were not granted credit, and need to take the course again and achieve a minimum grade in order to be granted high school credit towards graduation. Because students taking Credit Recovery courses have already taken the course and been exposed to the material, they are expected to have mastered at least some of the material; however, these students still need to fill in gaps in their knowledge and show sufficient mastery of the subject to be granted credit. Therefore, Credit Recovery courses are by nature shorter than Enrichment courses, and are tailored to the individual student’s specific learning needs to achieve subject mastery. Credit Recovery courses are not appropriate for students wishing to take a required high school course for the first time in order to accelerate their high school studies.
High School Enrichment Courses are for students who have not previously taken the course; the course covers new material. The student is expected to complete all lessons in the course and the teacher will not make major course modifications. Enrichment courses are appropriate for students wishing to continue their academic experience over the summer, or take required (e.g. Heath, Fitness, and Nutrition) or elective (e.g. Spanish) high school course in order accelerate the completion of their high school curriculum and/or free up time in their academic year high school schedule.
K-8 Summer Smarts & Enrichment Courses are for students in grades K–8. These courses help keep the students’ minds engaged and active during the summer months and minimize summer learning loss with review of math and language arts. Included with any course are hundreds of our ShowHow© simulations, designed to help students master a wide range of computer skills.
Can I get a refund of my course tuition?
Once the student has registered for a course or courses, no refunds will be made.
How do I know my high school will accept credit for courses taken at NaCA?
Connections Academy school boards have agreed to accept NaCA summer school credits according to their high school credit transfer policy as documented in the State-Specific Handbook Supplement.
Please be aware that if you plan to transfer credit from NaCA to a non-Connections Academy school, the decision about whether to accept NaCA Summer School credits is wholly at the discretion of the school to which you hope to transfer the credits. We strongly recommend that you discuss with your school their transfer credit policy, and inform them about your plans to take a course or courses through NaCA, prior to registering for a NaCA Summer School course. Full NaCA Summer School course summaries and outlines can be found here. We suggest that you use the Credit Transfer Pre-Approval form to ensure that your counselor will accept these credits.
Connections Academy is fully accredited by AdvancED and National Connections Academy is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA).
How much credit is each high school course worth?
All NaCA courses are the equivalent of a one semester course and are worth one-half (.5) credit. Credit will be documented in an official NaCA transcript. See above question for information about transferring credit to another school.
How many courses may my student register for?
There are no formal restrictions on how many courses a student may register for and take at NaCA during the summer. However, students should carefully consider their personal summer schedule, interests, and time commitments, and review the time required for each NaCA Summer School course (see below), before registering for more than one course per session.
How much time should my student expect to spend working on the summer school course each day?
This will vary from student to student and from course to course, but in general students taking either Credit Recovery or Enrichment courses should expect to complete the equivalent of approximately 4 hours of work a day, 5 days a week, or a total of 20 hours a week over the four-week course, to complete the course on schedule.
What hours will my student attend Summer School at NaCA?
Because NaCA is an online school, students have enormous flexibility about when they “attend” classes. Students may engage in course work at whatever time (including evenings and weekends), and from whatever location(s), suits their individual needs. However, students should be aware that while they have great flexibility about when they complete their lessons, assignments, and assessments, they still must keep up with the assigned work by completing the equivalent of at least one day’s worth of lessons (as assigned in the LMS) each day, 5 days a week, in order to complete the course on time. Also, access to teachers for questions, LiveLesson®, tutoring, etc. is generally limited to weekday daytime hours. Your student’s teacher will provide more information about his/her schedule on or prior to the first day of class.
The LMS will allow students to see their schedule, their lesson and assessment completion, and other data about their course work, which will help keep them on track to complete the work by the end of the session.
Who teaches students at NaCA Summer School?
Only certified teachers who are qualified in the subject area(s) which they are teaching are assigned to teach NaCA Summer School students. In addition, NaCA teachers are experienced in teaching in a virtual school environment and are familiar with the Connections Academy LMS and curriculum.
Who is responsible for reading and grading students’ course work done at NaCA Summer School?
NaCA students’ assignments and written work are evaluated solely by their assigned certified teacher(s) who review the work and then assign a grade. Other assessments are graded with help from the Connections Academy Learning Management System. NaCA does not contract out the reading and grading of its students’ work.
Students and Learning Coaches will be able to see up-to-the-minute data on student grades, as well as lesson and assessment completion, through the NaCA LMS.
How, and how often, will my student interact with his/her teacher and/or other students?
Students will communicate with their teacher primarily via phone and email, and teachers will also provide feedback to the student on assignments and assessments. The number and length of contacts will vary by course and by student, but on average, each student should expect to communicate with his/her teacher at least once a week each week of the course. Depending on the course, students will also have the opportunity to interact with other students in a ‘virtual classroom’ setting via LiveLesson® technology.
What hours will my student’s teacher be available to my student?
Generally teachers are available daytime hours during the week. However, teachers are also flexible with their hours to accommodate student needs. Your student’s teacher will give detailed information about his/her “office hours” on or prior to the first day of school.
NaCA does require the following minimum hours of availability for all summer school teachers: (Note these hours are East Coast time.)
Teachers must hold office hours at least one hour per day on four different days each week. On 2 of the days, office hours should fall between the hours of 12:00-3:00 pm EST. On the other 2 days, office hours should fall between the hours of 3:00-6:00 pm EST.
LiveLesson® sessions must be delivered between the hours of 12:00-4:00 pm EST to account for students in all US time zones. LiveLesson sessions should be recorded and posted.
What if a student does not complete the work by the end of the session? Will he/she be given an extension?
Due to timing issues, students in Session 1 will not be given extensions. However, students in Session 2 may be granted an extension of up to 1 week based on teacher discretion.
What technology will my student need to participate in NaCA Summer School?
Below are both minimum and recommended specifications. Students are required to provide their own computer equipment and must have high-speed Internet access.
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REQUIREMENT
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>MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS
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RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS
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| Processor Speed |
800 MHz Intel® Pentium® III or equivalent
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1.5GHz Intel® Pentium® IV processor or equivalent
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| RAM |
128MB
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512MB
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| CD-ROM |
8X or better CD-ROM
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8X or better CD-ROM
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| Monitor |
15-inch color display
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17-inch color display
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| Video |
XGA (1024x768 resolution or higher)
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XGA (1024x768 resolution or higher)
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| Audio |
16-bit sound card; speakers
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16-bit sound card; speakers
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| Modem |
56kbps modem (minimum) or 10/100 Ethernet Network Card
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10/100 Ethernet Network Card; Cable/DSL
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| Printer |
Black inkjet printer or better
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Black inkjet printer or better
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| Internet Connection |
Adequate dial-up service to support 56kbps modem speeds
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High-speed Internet via DSL or cable modem
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<Operating System |
Windows® 98, 2000, or XP
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Windows® XP or Vista
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| Browser |
Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 6 or higher)
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Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 6 or higher)
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| Word Processing Software |
Microsoft® Word® 2000 or productivity software compatible with Microsoft® Word, Excel®, and PowerPoint®
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Microsoft® Office XP, 2003, 2007 or productivity software compatible with Microsoft® Word, Excel®, and PowerPoint®
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| Media Players |
Latest versions of Windows Media® Player and Macromedia® Flash® Player (both free applications)
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Latest versions of Windows Media® Player and Macromedia® Flash® Player (both free applications)
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| Document Reader |
Latest version of Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® (free)
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Latest version of Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® (free)
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What computer skills will my student need to participate in NaCA Summer School?
Students who are familiar with Connections Academy’s LMS are well-prepared to participate in NaCA Summer School. Students who have never been enrolled in a Connections Academy school will need to know how to use the Internet, will need basic familiarity with Microsoft Office or similar programs, will need to become familiar with the Connections Academy LMS, and will need to be comfortable with overall computer use.
Upon registration for a course, students will be given LMS login information and basic instructions on the use of the LMS. The Help icon within the LMS will also help answer some of the fundamental questions about the LMS.
Has any educational organization ever evaluated Connections Academy and its curriculum?
National Connections Academy is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
How do I register and pay for NaCA Summer School Courses?
Call 888-440-2899 to speak to a NaCA Admissions and Support Representative, or email nacaadvisor@connectionsacademy.com.
Can I register after courses have begun?
No. Because of the intensive nature of NaCA Summer School courses, we are unable to accept registrations after classes have begun.
Is financial aid available?
Check with your regular school to see if they have any financial aid resources for you to attend summer school. At this point, NaCA is not able to provide financial aid directly to students.
What do current parents think about Connections Academy?
Every year we ask Connections Academy families to rate our program. Our most recent survey results show that 93% of parents give our program a grade of A or B. Check out our latest parent survey results (Connections Academy PSS results).
Why should I choose NaCA for my summer school needs?
NaCA is a fully-accredited school, providing dedicated teachers, top-notch curriculum, and unprecedented freedom to choose when and where you complete each day’s assignments, and yet with the accountability students need to succeed in a summer school setting. And using technology daily helps you sharpen your computer skills and become better prepared for college and work in the 21st century.