A viable alternative: Free online school serving Carter County students

Published 10:06 am Monday, November 7, 2022

By Danielle Morin

Elizabethton Star

The Carter County Online Academy is changing the way students learn. The free online school became one of Carter County’s 16 public schools in 2017 and has been thriving ever since.

Founder and Principal Patrick Kelly started the school to offer students and their families an alternative to standard learning. “Students don’t have to sit in a classroom from 8 to 4 anymore to learn,” he said.

The CCOA teaches grades four through 12 remotely using software platforms such as Google Meet. Fourth- through sixth-graders have somewhat of a set schedule, meeting for two hours a day for specified courses. Fourth- through sixth-grade teacher Nick Colbaugh explained that math and reading are taught on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while Tuesday and Thursday sessions cover science and social studies. Aside from those four hours a week, the students learn on their own and at their own pace to a degree — assignments still have deadlines to ensure students are staying on track with their studies. But they are not left completely on their own. Students have “tutoring” sessions on Friday mornings where they can get additional help on any topic they may need, or they can also visit the CCOA office, located behind Hampton Elementary School, anytime during regular school hours for one-on-one assistance.

For those seventh- through 12th-graders, classes look a little differently. Students perform on an “asynchronous” basis Kelly explained, meaning that aside from once-a-week meetings with their teachers, they generally teach themselves and study on their own time. Teachers for the high school grades are contracted out from across all the elementary and high schools in the county, where they integrate their remote learning sessions into their regular school day. Students are required to come on-site for test taking to ensure a fair testing environment for everyone.

Vice Principal Melissa McClain said with roughly 23 in Tennessee, “the number of online public schools is growing,” going on to add, “People are seeing that this is an avenue that helps some students because some students would prefer [learning] this way.”

Colbaugh also said students seem to enjoy their work more when they have to do it on the computer. “Quality of work and assignments is better because to them it’s more fun to pull a computer open and do an assignment.”

But the school does not just make learning more fun. Colbaugh said the program has proved beneficial for his students. “Where it’s such a smaller setting, they get much more one on one time than in a classroom of 25 kids.” McClain said students also get the benefit of, “learning technology communication skills,” something that is increasingly becoming more important in our modern world.

Kelly said he noticed a need for the schooling option in Carter County to meet the needs of the 200 children who were already being homeschooled as well as those students whose lives do not fit well with a rigid school schedule. “We have students that unfortunately have to work for a living,” he explained, adding that other students may face challenges due to health reasons that inhibit their ability to regularly attend classes in a school building. McClain added, “[Carter County] has more economically disadvantaged students than Washington County does, and Sullivan County.” The CCOA allows those students to work without having to forfeit their education.

And, while homeschooling is a viable option, Kelly said the CCOA can offer those families a more effective means of schooling on a number of different levels. With homeschool curriculums continuing to increase in cost over time, “The parents can have the benefits of having their children at home for whatever reason they want, and still have the curriculum provided to them at no cost,” Kelly said. Aside from avoiding curriculum costs, the CCOA also ensures that children are being taught by actual teachers who are, “highly qualified and certified,” like Colbaugh, a former Unaka Elementary School teacher, said McClain. And, because the CCOA is a registered public school in Carter County, students are guaranteed to be taught by and meet state regulations, which could prove advantageous when enrolling at colleges in the future. The students also have the benefit of interacting with other kids, which strengthens their communication and social skills.

While some parents may be hesitant about the alternative learning environment, Colbaugh said the students he teaches are performing at high levels, and there are tools in place to allow him to see real-time assessments on their understanding of the material. This gives Colbaugh insight on exactly how to tailor his lessons for the best possible outcome for his students that he would not have in the standard classroom. “There’s a misconception,” he said, “that you can’t receive the same quality education online as you can in a building, and that’s just a hundred percent false.”

The CCOA currently has around 100 students enrolled, but Kelly is hoping to see that number double over the next year and is encouraging students to apply for enrollment. The school is open to anyone in Elizabethton, Hampton, Watauga, and Roan Mountain, with the only criteria being that students are on track to graduate. “The limitations we have is the number of courses we can offer,” Kelly said. “So if the student is behind in credits, we’re not a place where they can really come to catch back up.”

Enrollment applications for the spring semester are currently being accepted through December 2. Students can submit applications by visiting carterk12.net and choosing the “Carter County Online Academy” link under the “Schools” menu.