NorthStar Academy
(Colorado Springs, CO. USA)
Founded: 1998; NICS Managed: 2008
Grades: Grade 7 - Grade 12
Student and Staff Alumni Forum
NorthStar Academy is a community of learners in an online school. It uses the internet to link students with other students and certified teachers who provide 100% of the students' instruction and marking. Through the conferencing software called FirstClass, teachers send their lessons and assignments over the internet, lead group discussions, evaluate students' assignments, and engage in most of the same teacher-student interactions that occur in traditional classrooms. Students complete their assigned work using printed material and software provided by the school. Completed assignments and exams are sent back to teachers for marking and then returned to the students via e-mail. NorthStar Academy is an excellent complement to the education needs of home schooling and international families as it offers students the choice of taking individual courses or an entire grade-level program to meet their individual academic needs.
WHAT IS AN "ONLINE SCHOOL"?
In the opening line above, you read that NorthStar Academy (NSA) is "a community of learners in an online school." But what is an online school? The answer to this question will vary with each person to whom you ask your question (see our online program 'particulars' in the "Questions You Should Be Asking" section of our website), but we here at NorthStar Academy define our online school as being a combination of correspondence school, home school, and classroom school. You will find elements of all three models of learning and instruction in NSA, but NSA can not be defined solely in terms of just one of the three models.
An online school, as we at NSA have defined it, is an educational and academic program that is characterized by the following features:
- resource-centered, not teacher-centered, learning and instruction
- teacher-prepared and teacher-created lessons, assignments, projects, reviews, and tests
- direct and private access to the teacher(s) and fellow students
- direct access to the online course(s) and group discussions
- direct and timely feedback from the teacher(s) regarding the student’s assignment, project, or test
- direct one-to-one tutoring for each student
- access to instruction and resources via asynchronous (time independent) communication which is complemented with synchronous/real-time audio or text chat
- opportunities for participation in extra-curricular activities and projects such as student council, yearbook, and clubs
- establishment of student services to include transcripts, career and academic counseling, and university or college admission support
- use of an internet-based software to host the school, and all of its communication, in cyberspace
There are more such characteristics, but for the sake of space and brevity, we will limit our list to the above 10 items. The "NorthStar Particulars" as found in the "Questions You Should Be Asking" and the accompanying "NorthStar's Answers To Those Questions" will present a full list of such characteristics that are part of NSA's online school program.
If you would like to learn more about this school please visit their website.
If you would like to learn more about the teaching opportunities available at this school or any of our other schools please visit our opportunities webpage. If you would like to be considered for a teaching position at any of our schools you must first fill out our online profile. If you have any questions do not hesitate to give us a call or drop us an email.