Roles
The term parent is used in this document to describe the person legally responsible for a minor. This could be a parent or legal guardian.
A Learning Coach is the designated adult who will have the primary responsibility of being actively involved in all school related work and activities. Learning Coaches are the primary point of contact for all teachers and school staff. A parent may designate himself/herself as the Learning Coach or may find another trusted adult to serve in this role. In all cases, the parent is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to school policies. The Learning Coach will:
- actively monitor, assist, and motivate the student daily
- communicate regularly with the student’s Community Family Advisor (CFA) and teachers and ensure the student is engaged and follows a weekly schedule that includes attending live class and completing weekly assignments per program requirements
In Elementary School, a Learning Coach will work side-by-side with the student. Each week, the Learning Coach will review upcoming lessons to ensure any advanced preparation is completed and attend Learning Coach training/support meetings. Learning Coaches will check school communications to find exact times and online meeting links. A Learning Coach of an elementary student can expect to spend 3-6 hours a day supporting the student’s education.
While students begin to gain independence in Middle School, they still need consistent guidance and support from a Learning Coach to ensure academic success. Learning Coaches of Middle School students can expect to spend 2-4 hours per day supporting their child's education. The Learning Coach will work closely with the student’s teachers to monitor all aspects of a child’s online schooling experience.
In High School, the Learning Coach can expect to spend 1-2 hours per day to help the student stay on task and ensure the student is following through on his or her assignments. The student is expected to manage his or her own time and schedule directly; however, the support of a Learning Coach is still essential as high school students learn to be accountable for their own schedule and learning. Grade reports are accessible daily to allow parents to monitor progress in coursework. Additionally, bi-weekly progress reports are emailed out to learning coaches.
In addition to by appointment conferences with parents, OVCA offers one parent/teacher conference day each semester. Please review school calendar on page 9 for specific dates.
All students in one family are assigned to a single Community Family Advisor (CFA) who serves as the first point of contact. The CFA provides information about important dates and school events. The CFA helps families set up schedules, teaches families how to navigate the online school and monitors progress/attendance. The CFA helps students build connections at the school by organizing local in-person community events and hosting online social or study sessions. Students and Learning Coaches can see who their assigned CFA is by logging into their OLS, going to their contacts, and finding their “Homeroom” person.
State certified teachers are an essential component of the educational program at OVCA. In Elementary School, students are assigned a homeroom teacher who provides instruction and remediation. In Middle and High School, courses are taught by teachers specifically experienced in their respective subjects, so the student has a different teacher for each subject. These course teachers are responsible for reviewing all student work and providing instructional feedback. Questions about courses or course content should be directed to the course teacher.
As an OVCA student, youth are expected to be active learners by logging into school daily and participating in online class activities. Students will be contacted through email, text, phone or during online classes. Each student will have access to online and offline curriculum materials. Students may reach out at any time to OVCA Staff for assistance. Staff will respond within 24 hours.
School Administration is Head of School, Principals, Assistant Principals and special program leadership roles. Members of the administration team oversee school policies and maintain quality of schools.
Parent Involvement Policy
Direct parental involvement is fundamental to the success of the student and Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy (Board policy 3040). OVCA requires mandatory Learning Coach Orientation for a newly enrolled student. The learning coach or legal guardian must view the recording of or attend the online session(s) to be considered a certified Learning Coach. To the extent the School offers a Learning Coach program called Oklahoma Learning Coach Academy (OLCA). The benefits of attending sessions held by OLCA is to strengthen our OVCA community, one Learning Coach at a time!
Learning Coach involvement is directly connected to student success. OLCA will offer a variety of opportunities throughout the year to improve Learning Coach practices. Learning Coach Orientation/Bootcamp reviews expectations, connects parents to other parents, and introduces local clubs and events. It outlines the parent responsibilities, important parent meetings, method of communication, how to support student academic expectations and learning goals, resources available, and how to provide feedback and become more involved in our school. The OLCA program is supported and led by the Student Support Services Team.
This information is from the Board-approved OVCA Handbook for SY 2023-2024, revised August 2023.