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Frequently Asked Questions
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Courses
What is the role of the parent in online
learning?
How does a student or parent
communicate with
the teacher?
How is homework submitted?
How are tests taken?
How many hours a week should a student work on
the course?
How are grades and credits reported at the end
of the course?
May my student repeat a course that was
previously completed with a grade of 70 or higher?
May my student repeat a course to replace a
grade?
May my
student enroll in a CVA class after graduation?
Are accommodations
made for Special Education students?
Enrollment
What is the cost of taking a
Cobb Virtual Academy
course?
How many courses can students
take during the school year?
Can my student
graduate from Cobb Virtual Academy?
Who can benefit from
Cobb Virtual Academy?
Is there a limit to the number of students in a
Cobb Virtual Academy course?
If a student drops a
Cobb Virtual Academy course,
is there a refund for the registration fee?
Can Non-Cobb School District Students enroll
in Cobb Virtual Academy?
Technical
What are the Technical Requirements?
How much technical background is
required?
What is the role of the
parent in online learning?
The parent(s) should consult with the student’s guidance
counselor to determine if an online course is a good alternative to
traditional learning.
Parents should assist the student by encouraging active
participation in the course, completing assignments in a timely
manner, and monitoring progress.
Parents with valid email addresses will be assigned a CVA observer account. Observer
accounts will allow parents to review course requirements, including
assignment due dates and view their student's gradebook in
order to monitor progress in the online course. Observer user
names and passwords will be sent to the parent email account
entered at registration within 5 days of the last orientation
session.
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How does a student or
parent communicate with the teacher?
All Cobb Virtual Academy teachers are available to talk to students or
parents via email or telephone. The Cobb
Virtual Academy Coordinator maintains
contact with someone at the student’s school and/or a parent
to provide updates on progress and discuss appropriate support and
encouragement if a student appears to be falling behind.
Students may also talk to their instructor by using the Wimba
Classroom communication tool in Blackboard.
Blackboard blind copies
all email. Your email provider MUST ACCEPT
blind copies or
attachments or you will be unable to receive communications from
CVA.
You must also confirm that your Internet Service Provider or
computer does not block emails from Cobb Virtual
Academy (cobbvirtualacademy@cobbk12.org
) or your teacher.
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How is course
work
submitted?
Students MUST submit all course work electronically through
Blackboard, Cobb's Learning Management System.
Cobb Virtual Academy
will not accept any work not submitted through the course. Students will need
to know how to save files to a disk or hard drive in order to
complete this process. Students should maintain a copy of all
homework on their personal computer. No course work will be accepted after the Final Exam or End of Course Test is
administered.
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How are tests taken?
Quizzes/tests are taken online and automatically recorded in the
gradebook so the student is aware of progress within the course.
Testing dates and locations are available on the
CVA website.
All End of Course tests are proctored in a face-to-face
setting. Students must bring proof of identification
(driver's license, student identification card or yearbook) to be
admitted to the testing session. There are NO makeup dates for
EOCT/Final Exams.
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How many hours a week should a
student work on the course?
Cobb Virtual Academy students are expected to attend and participate in
their online education courses as fully as they would attend and
participate in a traditional classroom course.
During the fall and spring terms,
students are required to login and perform work in their online
education courses at least 4– 5 times a week, dispersed throughout
the week, for approximately 5 – 10 hours a week for a .5 unit
course(.5 Unit course) and 10-15 hours a week for a 1.0
unit semester course during Fall and Spring terms.
During the
shortened summer term, students should participate productively in the course
daily. Summer term courses require 15-20 hours a week for a .5
unit course and 30-40 hours a week for a 1.0 unit course.
Attendance is measured by contributions made through
communication: discussion thread, emails, and through the submission
of assignments, projects, and tests. Each time a student enters a
Cobb Virtual Academy course, participation will be automatically recorded
and the length of time in each area is noted.
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May my student repeat a course that
was previously completed with a grade of 70 or higher?
No, state and district administrative rules do not allow students
to repeat a course that was previously passed or to replace grades
or credits for courses already successfully completed. A student
may only repeat a course in which a grade of F was received.
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May my
student repeat a course to replace a grade?
No, state and
district administrative rules do not allow students to repeat a
course that was previously passed or to replace grades or credits
for courses already successfully completed. A student may only
repeat a course in which a grade of F was received.
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May my
student enroll in a CVA class after graduation?
No, students who have graduated are
not eligible to enroll in the Cobb Virtual Academy
Are
accommodations made for Special Education students?
Cobb Virtual Academy (CVA)
provides accommodations for students with a current IEP or
504 Plan. To have accommodations implemented in an online
class, CVA must receive a current copy of the student's
Accommodations page (must include both Supportive Aids and
Services and Assessment Participation) each semester the
student enrolls in a CVA class. The Accommodations page will
be reviewed and modifications that are applicable to the
online environment will be implemented.
Special Education documentation may be sent electronically
to CobbVirtualAcademy@cobbk12.org , faxed by the student's
school to (770) 514-3892, or sent via
County mail.
How are grades and credits reported
at the end of the course?
Cobb Virtual Academy grades for Cobb County School District (CCSD) students
are entered into the student information system.
Cobb Virtual Academy
grades will
be reported on the local school transcript.
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What is the cost of taking
an online course?
Tuition for Cobb County School District students is $275 for a .5
unit course and $550 for a 1.0 unit course.
Cobb
Virtual Academy ONLY accepts payment by money order,
credit card, or electronic fund transfer (electronic check).
We do not accept cash or personal checks. Tuition must be
received within 5 calendar days of registration or by the
end of online registration, whichever is earlier.
If appropriate payment is not received by the deadline,
students may be dropped from their course in order to
accommodate other students.
Credit Card and Electronic Funds Transfer:
At the end of the registration process, you will be given an
opportunity to pay the Cobb Virtual
Academy Tuition by credit card
or electronic funds transfer (electronic check). Note: The credit
card/electronic funds transfer payment option includes a $12
enrollment convenience fee (paid to the credit card
processor, FACTS) in addition to the tuition fee. The credit card or bank
statement
payments should read as "Facts
Tuition payment" or "ACS Tuition payment".
Money Order Payments: Money orders
should be made payable to
Cobb County School District and must be sent to
Cobb Virtual Academy,
440 Glover Street, Marietta, GA 30060.
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How many courses
can students take?
Tuition students may take up to 1.0 unit of courses per term
(fall, spring, and summer) in addition to their regular school day
schedule. This may be comprised of two .5 credit courses or
one 1.0 (block) credit course.
Students can also take up to 1.0 unit of courses each semester
during the school year as FTE or state-funded students. These
courses must be taken as part of the regular school day and
scheduled with the local school counselor.
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Can my student
graduate from Cobb Virtual Academy?
Cobb Virtual Academy is not a traditional school that grants credits and
graduates students. Cobb Virtual Academy courses are treated like courses
offered at each local school; therefore, students must be enrolled
in a Cobb County School District school in order to participate.
Students who withdraw from the Cobb County School District
will be withdrawn from Cobb Virtual Academy without a refund.
Who can benefit from
Cobb Virtual Academy?
Cobb Virtual Academy courses are designed to meet the needs of a variety
of Cobb County School District students including:
- Students who wish to participate in band, chorus, orchestra, and
art classes
- Students who wish to take a second foreign language or participate
in a foreign exchange program
- Students who wish to participate in additional magnet opportunities
- Students who wish to participate in joint enrollment opportunities
or earn a Dual Diploma
- Students who wish to participate in internships/apprenticeships
- Students who have scheduling conflicts
- Hospital/Homebound students
- Credit recovery students
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Is there a limit to
the number of students in a
Cobb Virtual Academy course?
Class size is limited to 20 - 25 students, depending on the course.
Cobb Virtual Academy courses are based on a classroom model and differ in
many ways from independent study courses. Each section has a single
teacher for the duration of the course. In addition to teacher-to-student
interaction, Cobb Virtual Academy emphasizes student-to-student interaction.
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If a tuition
student drops a Cobb
Virtual Academy course, is there a refund for the registration fee?
Personal Fitness and Health
Cobb Virtual Academy will issue no refunds
to students who withdraw
from Personal Fitness or Health.
Other
Cobb Virtual Academy Courses
Cobb Virtual Academy will allow withdrawals, less a $75 registration
fee, through noon on the business day prior to the first
day of class for all courses except Personal Fitness and
Health. After that point, refunds will not be given for
student withdrawals.
Withdrawals
After the Start of CVA Session
No refunds are
provided to students who are failing or are in danger of
failing. Tuition students
may withdraw without the course grade being posted to their
student transcript until a pre-determined
date prior to the final exams. Withdrawal dates are posted
to the CVA website and are included in deficiency notices.
Withdrawals are
not official until the Withdrawal Form (Word,
PDF) and all textbooks, Polar Equipment, and/or supplemental resources are
returned or the replacement cost is paid. All textbooks and supplemental
materials must be returned to the school they were distributed from
by the designated date/time. FTE students (students who
take the course as part of their state- reported in school
schedule) may not withdraw from Cobb
Virtual Academy.
Technical
Issues
Cobb Virtual Academy cannot be held responsible for problems with
student's home computer, Internet Service Provider, or software.
NO REFUNDS are provided for technology problems that are the responsibility of registrant.
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Can Non-Cobb School District
Students enroll in Cobb
Virtual Academy?
No. Cobb Virtual Academy only serves
students enrolled in the Cobb County School District.
Students who withdraw from the Cobb County School District
will be withdrawn from Cobb Virtual Academy without a refund.
The 2005 Georgia Legislature established the Georgia Virtual
School. This school, run by the Georgia Department of Education,
will serve all students in Georgia. More information about
the Georgia Virtual School is available at www.gavirtualschool.org.
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What are the technical
requirements?
Technical
Requirements for Online Students
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How much technical
background is required?
Students need basic computer skills like “copy and paste”,
“create and save” a file, familiarity with a word processing
program like Word or Works, and keyboarding skills. Students are
also expected to know the procedures for sending/receiving e-mail,
including e-mail with attached files.
In brief, students should be sufficiently knowledgeable to be able
to use their own word processing program, e-mail and WWW software;
be able to install new software; be able to understand and follow
basic directions that use common computer terminology; and be able
to do some basic trouble shooting when a problem arises (perhaps
with local help, or with help from other sources via the telephone).
A new online student does not have to be a computer expert, but
they should not be a novice. Those who are in the least bit unsure
of their abilities as outlined above would be well advised to find
a local source of assistance to help them review the computer functions
listed above.
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