How It Works
How Online Elementary School Works
Who can attend?
The Cascade Virtual Academy (CVA) elementary program serves students in grades K–5 who reside in the state of Oregon.
What are the costs?
Because CVA is part of the public school system, it's tuition-free. Enrolled families receive the K12 curriculum and instruction from Oregon-licensed teachers. Based on financial need and eligibility, CVA may loan a computer system (including computer, printer, and software) to support the learning process. Our enrollment consultants can help address your technological and computer questions and needs.
What's my role as a parent?
As a parent, you (or another responsible adult you choose) serve as your child's Learning Coach. You'll work with your child's teacher to help record student attendance, monitor mastery of online lessons and assessments, and review student work.
Parent/Learning Coach involvement is vital to your child's success, especially at the elementary level. The typical Learning Coach time commitment in grades K–5 is 4–6 hours a day. The initial 4–8 weeks can be intensive as your family settles into a routine.
Grades K–2
Parent/Learning Coach daily involvement is critical, and approximately 10–15 percent of this time is online.
Grades 3–5
Students begin to have increased independence, but parent/Learning Coach involvement is essential for about 70–80 percent of school time, and approximately 15–25 percent of this time is online.
What will my child study?
Coursework is a mix of online and hands-on work, which caters to a wide variety of learning styles. Unit and course assessments are built in to each subject, and easy-to-use online planning and progress tools keep you and your student on track.
K–5th graders take courses in the core subjects listed below. Beginning in grade 3, they also take a self-guided elective course in music or a world language.
Mastering Lessons
In the elementary grades, students are required to show mastery of each lesson by achieving 80 percent or better on all lesson assessments. If your child is having difficulty mastering a lesson, let their homeroom teacher know as soon as possible. Teachers offer many support sessions to help students gain mastery.
Working with Your Teacher
Teachers provide individual and small group assistance via online synchronous sessions called "Class Connects." Students are expected to attend all required Class Connects and meet with their teacher to receive course assistance, tutoring, and instruction. Class Connects vary by grade level and are scheduled by your teacher.
Time Commitment
Attendance is logged Monday through Friday; however, academic progress can be achieved during the weekends as well. K–5 students are expected to spend approximately 4–7 hours on schoolwork per school day.
Grades K–2
Estimate approximately 4–5 hours of productive schoolwork 5 days per week
Grades 3–5
Estimate approximately 5–7 hours of effective schoolwork 5 days per week
State Testing
CVA students must comply with all Oregon-mandated testing requirements.
Questions?
Get answers to the most common FAQs.
Ready to Join Us?
Get the process started by creating a Parent Portal account or logging in to your existing account.
