How It Works
How Online Elementary School Works
Who can attend?
The Minnesota Virtual Academy (MNVA) elementary program serves students in preschool through grade 5 who reside in the state of Minnesota.
What are the costs?
Because MNVA is part of the public school system, it’s tuition-free. Enrolled families receive the K12 curriculum and qualified students receive a loaner computer, printer, and internet stipend.
What’s my role as a parent?
As a parent, you (or another responsible adult you choose) serve as your child’s Learning Coach. You’ll work with your child’s teacher to help record student attendance, monitor mastery of online lessons and assessments, and review student work.
Parent/Learning Coach involvement is vital to your child’s success, especially at the elementary level. The typical Learning Coach time commitment in preschool through grade 5 is 4 to 6 hours a day. The initial 4 to 8 weeks can be intensive, as your family settles into a routine. But MNVA provides a dedicated support system to our families, so you don’t have to go it alone.
Preschool–Grade 2
Parent/Learning Coach daily involvement is critical and approximately 10–30% of this time is online.
Grades 3–5
Students begin to have increased independence, but parent/Learning Coach involvement is essential for about 70–80% of school time and approximately 50–60% of this time is online.
What will my child study?
Coursework is a mix of online and hands-on work, which caters to a wide variety of learning styles. Unit and course assessments are built in to each subject, and easy-to-use online planning and progress tools keep you and your student on track.
Students in preschool through grade 5 take courses in the core subjects listed below. Beginning in grade 3, they also take a self-guided elective course in music or a world language.
ENGLISH / LANGUAGE ARTS
MATH
SCIENCE
HISTORY
ART
Working with Your Teacher
Teachers provide individual and small group assistance via online synchronous sessions called “Class Connects.” Students are expected to attend all required Class Connects and meet with their teacher to receive course assistance, tutoring, and instruction. Class Connects vary by grade level and are scheduled by your teacher.
Attendance
Attendance is expected according to the Houston Public School District calendar. But academic progress can also be achieved during the weekends or other days when school is not scheduled to be in session. Elementary students are expected to spend about 4–7 hours on schoolwork per school day.
Grades Preschool–2
About 4–5 hours of schoolwork 5 days per week
Grades 3–5
About 5–7 hours of schoolwork 5 days per week
Mastering Lessons
In the elementary grades, students are required to show mastery of each lesson by achieving 80 percent or better on all lesson assessments. If your child is having difficulty mastering a lesson, let their homeroom teacher know as soon as possible. Teachers offer many support sessions to help students learn new concepts.
Assessments
Our testing is purposeful and meaningful and drives our instructional practices to best serve the individual needs of your child.
State Testing
MNVA students must comply with all Minnesota-mandated testing requirements.