Prospective families

Information for Prospective Families

Personalized Learning

ACA offers a blend of the values of the homeschool community with the strengths of an accredited charter school. We develop a personalized learning experience for each student based on their educational needs and interests. Each student is assessed at enrollment for academic levels in math and reading. Parents and students work with licensed Education Specialists (ES) to develop Personalized Learning Plans that address individual learning needs, styles, and preferences, with the goal of working toward mastery of the Oregon State Content Standards. Teachers are trained in teaching to a variety of learning styles, and to help facilitate learning and guide instruction.

Our foundational belief is that it is critical for education to create freedom of choice within a given structure. In addition, there are multiple choices regarding methods of study and the types of curriculum materials used. A cornerstone of the educational approach is the concept of “a classroom without walls”—in other words, the world as a classroom. Personalized educational options include traditional classroom instruction, independent study, credit for proficiency, small group instruction, home school, community-partnership-based learning, service learning, tutoring, multimedia, internships, online classes, apprenticeships, and college courses.

Parent Involvement

ACA was founded by parents, and parents participate in our school at every level—from board member to classroom volunteer. Parents help set the vision for the school, engage in instructional activity, and volunteer in the daily operations of the building.

As a parent, you will be involved in the life of ACA in many ways:

Join the Parent Team: The Parent Team, or PTO, meets monthly to coordinate the fundraising, event planning, and volunteer needs of the school.

Education Specialists

ACA supports our students by providing them with an Education Specialist (ES). Together with the ES, parents and students identify each student’s unique learning style, create individualized educational goals and objectives, and select a curriculum that will support the Personalized Learning Plan. The ES meets with the student weekly and documents the student’s progress in a monthly learning record.
The most important role of the ES is to offer guidance to parents and students regarding an appropriate course of study that will enable students to meet the educational standards for each grade level. The ES provides support for the student’s academic journey by:

Completing the required paperwork and documentation for each student.
Communicating with families concerning school policies and procedures.

Learning Records

The ES is responsible for compiling required documentation of the student’s progress on a weekly basis, including verifying that work is aligned to the State Standards and the completed work is equal to, and representative of, a complete body of work for a student’s particular grade level. A monthly learning record includes corresponding work samples, state standards met, curriculum materials used, method of instructional delivery, and assessments.

Weekly Meetings

The ES schedules three hours per month for face-to-face ES/student meetings. Time spent with the student and parent during face-to-face meetings provides an opportunity for the student and parent to ask questions and for the ES to share different teaching strategies, suggest activities and resources, offer support and encouragement, give help with assignments, review work samples, and assess the student’s progress in meeting state content standards.
During the meeting, each ES will view work completed during that learning period and interview the student to ascertain/verify learning for that period through student explanations and demonstrations.

On-site Program

ACA operates a site-based program to support students who benefit from group instruction. Our optional site classes run Monday through Thursday, with Fridays designated as applied learning days for studies at home or in the community. Classes are offered in a variety of subjects and feature mixed-age student groupings that reflect skill level rather than grade level.
Our site-based class offerings are determined by student need and interest, annual surveys, school improvement goals, and staff recommendations.

Enrollment in on-site classes is not guaranteed. Parents should be prepared to homeschool at any time.