Indiana Connections Academy has a prom, field trips and classes, but there’s one piece of the high school puzzle that’s missing: sitting in a classroom.
The academy’s courses are entirely online. Students logon to an online platform and complete coursework in math, the sciences, English Language Arts and any other subjects students may take in a traditional school environment.
Indiana Connections Academy has become increasingly popular among local students who want or need to take classes in a virtual setting.
During the fall semester, at least 270 Johnson County students attended school online, 208 through Indiana Connections Academy. The more than 200 Johnson County students attending the academy is the most in years. During each of the past five semesters, at least 160 students at Indiana Connections Academy hailed from Johnson County, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education.
During the last two semesters, the Indiana Connections Career Academy, a school for students pursuing technical education, has also risen in popularity. Before the spring 2018 semester, fewer than 10 Johnson County students attended the career academy each semester. During both semesters last year, 15 students took online classes with the career academy, according to department of education data.
Other online schools, such as Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy have faltered, shuttering before the fall semester started. Indiana Virtual School had a graduation rate of just 6% before it closed, according to the U.S. News and World Report.
The connections academy, however, had a graduation rate of 61% during the 2018-19 school year. That graduation rate is at its highest in at least the past eight school years, and an 11% increase over that of the 2017-18 school year, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
The school also offers in-person events, such as a high school prom, elementary school scholastic book fairs, field trips and a live graduation, all of which still appeal to non-traditional students, said Chandre Sanchez-Reyes, executive director of Indiana Connections Academy and Indiana Connections Career Academy.
The connections academy, which has more than 5,000 students throughout the state, is now the school of choice for the majority of students in the county. Academy educators intervene when they notice students who may be falling behind, and make sure the virtual school’s coursework meets state standards, Sanchez-Reyes said.
“In terms of how teachers operate, we look at students’ performance data and make sure the curriculum is aligned for the state of Indiana,” Sanchez-Reyes said. “We’re familiar with the state test and make sure students practice for the ILEARN. We have interventionists, one-on-one intervention, group work, we do remediation.”
The academy also has programs for special education students, she said.
“We’re highly committed to doing what’s right for kids, making sure the processes and procedures are compliant with the Department of Education,” Sanchez-Reyes said.
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Johnson County Connections Academy students by semester
Semester;Indiana Connections Academy;Indiana Connections Career Academy
Fall 2019;208;15
Spring 2019;176;15
Fall 2018;180;9
Spring 2018;161;5
Fall 2017;175;0
Source: Indiana Department of Education
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