Stride K12 in California – Online Public Schools 

At a Glance: California Virtual Academies

The state of California has the largest English Learner (EL) student population in the USA. Of the 2.1 million ELs in the state, 17% are Long Term English Learners. All students whose primary language is not English are required to complete the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). Currently, around 450 ELs are enrolled at California Virtual Academies (CAVA), an online tuition-free public school powered by Stride K12.

District Challenges

1. State-specific ELPAC tests

ELs at CAVA work throughout the year to prepare for the ELPAC. Their goal is to increase their English level and secure the status of “Reclassified Fluent English Proficient”.

2. Lifelong English

In addition to ELPAC success, the ELD department at CAVA wanted materials to prepare students for real life. Therefore, this meant going beyond the parameters of standardized tests.

“Realistically, we have to think that we are not just preparing students for academic skills, but also life skills. A lot of times that is forgotten.”

Yesenia Towers, ELD Specialist, California Virtual Acadmies

3. Giving students the confidence to ask for help

Low English proficiency made it difficult for students to get the support they deserve from other teachers across the school.

“At the high school level, sometimes we find that students are not succeeding academically. They are hesitant to advocate for themselves and ask teachers for help.”

Julie Watson, ELD Specialist at California Virtual Academies

4. Solutions for students with low attendance

CAVA wanted to offer more meaningful support to students who had missed lessons.

“Prior, when students missed class, we were struggling with finding meaningful assignments for them,” said Julie. “In short, we didn’t feel they were making up for the lessons they missed.”

The Off2Class Solution for California Virtual Academies

The ELD department at CAVA is now in its second year of implementing Off2Class in the for-credit EL program. Since 2020, CAVA increased student enrollments on Off2Class by 33%, to 400 ELs.

Step-by-step progress

ELs participate in weekly live English lessons following the Off2Class Step-by-step Curriculum. In addition, the step-by-step nature of Off2Class means students systematically improve their English confidence. Therefore, this makes it easier for them to ask for help from curriculum teachers.

“By providing our students with the tools and resources to effectively communicate with their other teachers and by encouraging them to express themselves, we are equipping them with skills that will help them not only succeed in the classroom, but in the real world as well.”

Julie Watson, ELD Specialist at California Virtual Academies

Extensive catalog of lessons and assignments

Teachers use additional lessons and homework from the Off2Class library to assign independent study. ELD specialists can choose assignments that meet the student where they are, providing them with individualized support. This is particularly useful when students have missed lessons.

“The nice thing about Off2Class is being able to assign the lesson and the homework assignment. [Students] can actually go through the lesson on their own.”

Julie Watson, ELD Specialist at California Virtual Academies

English for successful futures

Off2Class offers diverse lesson plans. For example, one lesson focuses on Business English lessons which help ELs practice long-term life skills. Another example would be topics like “How to write an email” which are immediately relevant for students.

“Off2Class provides a variety of lessons to prepare for different real-life scenarios. The skills you are learning here should be applicable in your life outside of school. All of these things will help you in the long run in life.”

Yesenia Towers, ELD Specialist, California Virtual Acadmies

Flexible solutions for lifelong English skills

The ELD specialists at CAVA know that English proficiency not only helps their students pass tests but impacts students’ lives beyond High School. In conclusion, by considering the whole set of the needs of ELs – with goals that go beyond their English learning – CAVA offers a complete English program preparing students for success in high school and beyond. 

At Off2Class, we can help you build course plans to prepare ELs to succeed in High School, and beyond. We can also advise on federal funding options. In short, book a consultation with our friendly advisors.