My Online Academy

What My Online Academy is

My Online Academy (MOA) is an online course provider for elementary, middle and high school students, run by Castleton Education Group from City of Industry, California. Its stated mission is "to promote student-centered online communities." It works in two directions. Families and students can take individual courses for credit, which are graded by a teacher and recorded on a transcript issued through one of MOA's partner schools. Schools can use MOA to fill gaps in their own catalog, or have MOA build them a branded online academy. The partner schools page says that "Since 2012, we have served more than 5,000+ students domestically and internationally."

The course catalog

The course list describes "a full suite of over 200 Core Curriculum, AP, Honors, Electives" courses from kindergarten through Grade 12, and the homepage adds "200+ elective subjects." The catalog falls into six groups. Core Curriculum (K-12) is a full set of initial credit courses in English language arts, math and science. Electives (K-12) cover interests such as art, psychology and sociology. World Languages aim at language skills and cultural understanding. AP Courses (9-12) combine rigorous coursework with multimedia activities and assignments, and the homepage says AP brings "the college experience to your high school with the opportunity to earn college credit." Career & Technical Education lets students explore careers and technical training, and Practice & Supplemental Learning offers explicit practice.

A Course Finder filters by grade level (elementary, middle or high school), by partner school, by subject and by length. The subjects listed are Advanced Placement, Elective, ELL/ESL, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Student Enrichment, World Language, Career & Technical Education and Test Preparation, and courses run for one or two semesters. The program types are initial credit, credit and concept recovery, Advanced Placement, career and technical education, test prep and blended learning. The homepage also offers SAT, ACT and AP practice, described as "College readiness tutorials" that "personalize learning to ensure every student is ready for postsecondary success."

How courses are taught

According to the course list, courses "feature Direct-Instruction Videos with on-screen teachers" along with research-based instruction built for more rigorous standards and assessment requirements. Each course mixes computer-assessed sections, typically multiple-choice quizzes and tests, with teacher-assessed sections such as assignments, labs and essays. The assigned instructor grades the teacher-assessed work, answers questions about the content, and issues the final grade as instructor of record; the partner school then issues the transcript.

The instructors are, in the FAQ's words, highly qualified teachers trained on the platform, and usually "also concurrently teaching live classrooms at our partner schools." The homepage names twelve of them with their schools and subjects, among them certified online instructors for AP and English, math and science, economics, Spanish, US history, social science and health. Students reach their teacher through the platform's messaging system, and the FAQ says "a response will be provided typically within 24 hours on business days."

The teachers' own testimonials describe the format. Kathy Rhodes, a former science teacher at Griffin Christian School, writes that "Students can work at their own pace and schedule while meeting the required deadlines," that lessons are scaffolded so one concept is mastered before a harder one, and that lessons sit "on the upper end of Bloom's taxonomy." Greg Moretti of Aquinas High School points to simulated "dry" labs for science students without access to a real laboratory, and Melissa Pasillas of Damien High School notes that students "can work from anywhere and ask their instructors questions or submit work on their own time."

The ESL program

MOA's Individualized ESL Program is aimed at English language learners, including international students. It covers listening, speaking, reading and writing, with instruction "supported with audio, models, and visual supports" across proficiency levels. Lessons come in "bite-sized chunks of no more than four skills at a time," with an assessment-driven progression toward each student's goals. For teachers, the program offers reporting on how skills develop over time, built-in notifications that flag where attention is needed, skills-aligned lessons for intervention time, and tools for grouping students by proficiency and assigning extra instruction.

For schools

The homepage lists the problems MOA is meant to solve for a school: scheduling conflicts, a vacant teacher classroom, too few students to run a class, meeting UC A-G approved course requirements, curriculum for homeschool students, world language courses, an ESL program for international students, limited AP courses or credentialed teachers, seniors without enough credits to graduate, and flexible schedules for talented students. The course list says MOA "Offers Accredited Courses For Your School's Catalog" and that courses can be deployed fully online, as virtual learning, as blended learning or in the classroom, addressing remediation, intervention, credit recovery, language learning and college and career readiness.

The deeper option is a school's own online academy. MOA says its partnership "includes building your School's Online Academy at no cost," and that each one is designed around the school's own brand and fully integrated with its existing online presence. The partner list includes Aquinas High, Damien High, St. John Bosco High, Notre Dame High School, Bloomington Christian School, Calvary Baptist Schools, Linfield Christian School, Western Christian Schools, Southlands Christian Schools, Deway School, ACI Prep and Yamei Academy, plus an Ontario Secondary School Diploma route. The partners page says the courses offered through Southlands Online Academy "are UC a-g approved." The homepage menu also lists Biblical integration, and many of the partners are Christian schools.

Credit, transcripts and pricing

Credit runs through the partner schools. A student names their home school when enrolling and the transcript is sent there. The FAQ is clear that "It is the sole responsibility of the student to ensure in advance that the home school will accept a transfer grade," and that while the partner schools are fully-accredited high schools, they are not responsible for whether a home school accepts the transfer grade. Any student can take any course, the FAQ says, though a student repairing a failing grade must pick the right subject and course.

Course prices vary by length, by type (AP, tutorial and so on) and by the counselor code applied, and the fee for a course appears in the Course Finder only after a counselor code is entered. A one-semester course may run for at most 16 weeks and a two-semester course for at most 32 weeks during the academic year; extensions cost extra and need the school's approval.

The refund policy is published. During the academic year, withdrawing within 14 days of the course start date brings a 100% refund or full credit for a future course, and from 15 days on there is no refund or credit. For summer courses (May to August) the cut-offs are 3 days and 4 days. The start date is the day MOA sends the login details, and withdrawal is by email to support@MyOnlineAcademy.com. General contact is by phone on 1-888-865-8123 or email at info@MyOnlineAcademy.com, with a separate accessibility contact for help with registration.

Who it suits

My Online Academy suits high school students who need one or two courses their own school does not offer, such as an AP class, a world language or a credit recovery course, and who can work on their own with a teacher on call by message. It suits private and Christian schools that want to extend their catalog, cover a teacher vacancy or run an ESL program without hiring, and that like the idea of a branded academy built at no cost. Homeschool families looking for teacher-graded courses with a transcript are also an audience.

It suits less well a student who has not confirmed that their home school will accept the transfer grade, since that risk sits with the student. Families who want a price before talking to a counselor will need a counselor code first, and younger children who need close supervision will rely on a parent to keep them on pace.