Parents and Students give Ohio Connections Academy Top Marks

As the 2016-2017 academic year begins today for the students and teachers at Ohio Connections Academy, two recent independent surveys of enrolled families indicates that both parents and students remain very satisfied with the online public charter school.

Eighty-nine percent of parents with students enrolled in Ohio Connections Academy (OCA) and 85 percent of the students in grades 6-12 give the virtual school an “A” or “B” grade. More than 90 percent of parents would recommend OCA to parents whose children are not enrolled in the program. Connections Academy conducts a Satisfaction Survey of both parents and students each year to determine their level of satisfaction with the OCA experience and why they remain with the school.

Ohio Connections Academy received high marks throughout both surveys as 92 percent of the students said they are satisfied with the program while 88 percent of parents report their children are making good academic progress. Ninety-six percent of parents and students who responded indicated they were pleased with the helpfulness of the teachers, specifically their responsiveness and accessibility.

Ninety-three percent of the parents surveyed also praised the Connections Academy curriculum, calling it “high quality,” and 80 percent were more satisfied with the OCA program compared to their child’s/children’s previous school. The school also received high marks for the flexibility it provides students.

Other findings from the 2015-16 surveys include:

· 91 percent of parents and 84 percent of students agree that the use of technology is improving the learning experience

· 86 percent of students are more satisfied with OCA than their previous school

· 93 percent of parents agree that they are satisfied with the variety of learning activities provided by the program

· 89 percent of parents agree that the teachers improve the learning experience

· 90 percent of parents rate the response time of OCA teachers as excellent or good

“We are committed to providing the best possible educational experience for our students and their families. It is gratifying to know so many parents and students have given our school such high marks,” said OCA Superintendent Marie Hanna. “This annual survey is one of the important tools we use to assess our online program and keep in touch with our families. We value the results and use them to enhance our program.”

The annual parent survey also revealed that parents’ top reasons for enrolling their students in a Connections Academy school include: wanted or needed a flexible schedule (51 percent), wanted a different environment from their current school (38 percent), desired a safe learning environment (38 percent) and parents wanted more involvement with their child’s education (26 percent).

Ohio Connections Academy’s stellar parent satisfaction ratings stand well above public school ratings according to the 47th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, where 70 percent of public school parents gave the school their oldest child attends an “A” or a “B” grade.[1] Further underscoring how pleased parents are with Ohio Connections Academy, 87 percent of the parents report that their children are enjoying the program.

Ohio Connections Academy served more than 3,500 students during the 2015-2016 school year and was among only 193 schools in Ohio to receive an “A” in all categories of Value Added in its state report card, which measures student progress. OCA was also the only online charter school to receive the Ohio State Board of Education’s first annual “Momentum Award” for schools and districts that exceed expectations in student growth for the year. OCA has three teaching centers in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

The school will free information sessions are taking place across the state for families interested in learning more, meeting teachers and school representatives, and exploring the award-winning curriculum. Interested parents are encouraged to attend or learn more at http://www.OhioConnectionsAcademy.com.

Survey methodology

Connections Academy conducts the annual Parent Satisfaction Survey to find out how parents, guardians and Learning Coaches grade the program in several key areas. The 2016 survey was conducted from January 1 to February 26, 2016 by Shapiro + Raj, an independent market research company which created the questionnaire, collected the data, and tabulated the results. No individual responses were accessible to Connections Academy. Parents of all students enrolled at the time of the survey were invited to complete the survey online. A WebMail invitation was sent to each parent, and one response per household was submitted. Thirty-six percent of the more than 44,300 households with students enrolled in a Connections Academy-supported school at the time of the survey responded to the survey

The 2015-2016 Student Satisfaction Survey was created and administered by Shapiro + Raj, an independent market research company. More than 10,000 students in grades K-12 nationwide responded to the survey. Age-appropriate surveys were tailored to grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

[1] William J. Bushaw and Valerie J. Calderon, The 47th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, “Testing Doesn’t Measure Up for Americans.” Kappan Magazine, September 2015.