Frequently Asked Questions

The growth of online schools has seen steady increases for over 10 years. Families began seeking the potential of flexibility and personalization of learning available in accessing learning online. As the online school industry grew, it became much more efficient, and profitable, to place kids in large classes going through independent modules with little interaction between peers and teachers. 

Spark offers a truly personalized learning model with small class sizes and provides high-quality instruction that is planned and facilitated by skilled teachers. Students receive direct instruction from a live teacher every school day and collaborate with their peers regularly in their schoolwork and in enrichment opportunities. 

We believe that deeper learning occurs when students are connected and engaged in the acquisition and application of skills in authentic ways.

Many students and families' only experience with online learning was during the emergency remote instruction events that took place during the pandemic. Overnight, in-person classroom teachers were asked to become online teachers with little to no training in this completely different mode of instruction. The flexibility and commitment toward serving their students were remarkable. However, the learning experiences students experienced were vastly inconsistent. 

Spark Online teachers are trained and experienced in connecting and engaging with students in a virtual learning environment while providing rigor and high expectations for each student's individual strengths, needs, and goals.

Students will spend a full school day of learning that is focused on skill development and skill application in an engaging, interest, and strengths-focused environment.

Spark Online Academy is a full-time stand-alone school choice. Upon enrolling, your student will attend Spark Online Academy exclusively. The District 11 policy allows for one “in-district” transfer per school year. Should you wish to attend another school after being enrolled in Spark Online Academy, you will be required to unenroll from Spark Online Academy and enroll in another school.

Spark Online High School is a project-based learning school. Students engage in cross-content learning with online and hybrid learning opportunities as they engage in the application of skills in real-world projects. Throughout their high school years, our students earn high school credits in a portfolio defense model, leading to a culminating senior capstone project to fulfill both state and district course graduation requirements.

Our high school students will have a unique advantage in their post-K12 education with a portfolio of learning and mastery of skills most sought by employers and colleges around the world.

12th grades will be added in the 2024-2025 school year.

Teachers at Spark Online Academy are highly skilled in quality online and blended instruction with passion and expertise in connecting with children in virtual and hybrid learning environments. Our teachers are fully dedicated to the success of each and every learner, holding all to high expectations and providing the personalized support and guidance to unleash every student's potential. 

Our curriculum is selected with the high-quality standards set in D11 and aligned with Colorado Academic Standards in rigor and adaptability to meet each learner's strengths and needs and is best suited for online learning. The tools and learning platforms utilized are selected for optimal interactivity capabilities and ease of access.

Spark Online Academy's temporary home is housed within a wing of Trailblazer Elementary School as D11 continues its facilities master planning. This will be our temporary home until our permanent home is developed in the district master planning efforts and we are delighted to have use of this beautiful facility with access to outdoor learning opportunities.

While Spark Online students are not required to attend in person, this flexible-used learning space will be available for our Spark students for a variety of needs including special learning events, community presentations, hands-on experiences, social gatherings, or space for kids to access their online learning periodically. High school students will engage in learning onsite once per week or more as part of their project and portfolio development.

Trailblazer Elementary School continues to operate in the majority of the building and Spark Online Academy is grateful to partner with the Trailblazer community to enrich learning for all students.

Trailblazer Elementary is located at 2015 Wickes Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80919.

Our elementary day begins at 8:00 am with Creative and Active Beginnings (CAB time). This is a time in which students may choose how they want to prepare their minds and bodies for learning. They may want to engage in an art project, listen to music, or do some stretching and activity to ease into the learning day.

At 8:30, our students join their class for a morning meeting. This is a time to get reconnected with teachers and peers, do some team building and social skill development, and set the day up for success.

The rest of our elementary day includes instructional blocks in reading/writing, math, science, social studies, and inquiry-based learning project work.

All students have daily "Essentials" classes in PE, Music, or Art.

A mid-morning and afternoon screen and activity break are provided, as well as a 30-minute lunch break.

Wednesday schedules differ from the schedule described above. All students are on an asynchronous independent learning pathway prepared by their teachers. After lunch, students log into their inquiry learning hour and finish the day with Spark Hour (an embedded enrichment learning opportunity for all students).

Our school day ends at 3:05 for our kindergarten students and 3:00 for our older students.

A full day of learning is planned and facilitated by our teachers from 7:30 - 3:05. 

The day begins with Creative and Active Beginnings (CAB time), in which students may choose how to start their day. They might want to begin with something creative like a drawing lesson, listening to and evaluating music, coding with our computer science teacher or doing some stretching and activity. CAB time allows our students to prepare their minds and bodies for the learning day ahead of them.

At 8:00, students begin their instructional blocks.

Theses four, 75-minute learning blocks include STEM, Humanities, Inquiry, and Essentials (PE, Music, Art, and Computer Science).

Students have a 15-minute screen and activity break mid-morning and in the afternoon. Students also have a scheduled 30-minute lunch break each day.

Wednesdays have a different schedule than described above. On Wednesday mornings, students engage in asynchronous, independent learning pathways planned by their teachers. After lunch, students log on for their inquiry-based learning block and finish the day with Spark Hour (embedded enrichment learning for all students).

Spark High School students will participate in scheduled live instruction from core content and electives teachers, dedicated and supported project-based learning, and research development with peers and community partners. The school day begins at 7:45 and ends at 3:05. Our high school students engage in four 90-minute learning blocks including STEM, Humanities, Essentials, and Project/Portfolio Development. As a portfolio defense learning model, students spend their day receiving direct instruction from our qualified teachers and applying their learning in relevant, real-world projects for presentation and defense.

The learning takes place at the following scheduled learning access points:

• Online
• Offline
• In-person, and
• In the community learning experiences

Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to in-person learning labs at different locations.

Spark Online Academy believes a quality education must include access to the essential learning gained through physical education, art, music, and computer science. Presented in an online learning environment, Spark Online Academy students will benefit from regular engagement and opportunity for these whole child learning development experiences with high quality resources and the flexibility to access learning online and in a hybrid learning environment.

Each of the classes will be facilitated by a certified D11 teacher providing live instruction in their specialized content area.

Spark Online Academy uses a blended approach to learning. This means that learning takes place both on-screen and off-screen with options for in-person and for learning in the community. We believe in a balance between instruction that is both technology and non-technology-enabled. Students receive direct daily live instruction and practice/apply taught skills both on and off-screen.

One of Spark's core foundational values is recognizing that a student's well-being is dependent upon being seen, heard and valued as an important member of their learning community. We create the conditions for this connected learning to take place every day.

Being the parent/guardian of an online learning student is a big responsibility! While changing the learning environment can be a game changer for many students to feel safe, secure and engaged in learning, it also adds additional responsibilities for the parent/guardian.

Your role as a parent/guardian is to provide the support and accountability systems that would normally be provided in a brick-and-mortar school. This means providing a distraction-free and organized learning space at home and helping your child keep on schedule with class attendance and assignment completion. Checking on assignments and submissions weekly is critical to the success of your student in an online learning model.

The students that do best have an adult at home, willing and able to support and hold the learner accountable throughout the school day. We plan and provide high quality instruction and you provide the best learning environment in the home for your student to succeed.

All students enrolled in Spark Online Academy will be provided with an internet-enabled device in order to participate in direct online instruction, interactive learning activities, assignment completion, and demonstrations of learning. Kindergarten and 1st-grade students are provided with an iPad, 2nd-8th-grade students a Chromebook, and high school students a laptop. The device will be checked out by students and returned at the end of the school year or upon withdrawal from school.

Supplemental supplies such as math manipulatives, materials for science, art, and PE experiences will be checked out for students through a similar process as checking out a library book. 

Additional supplies may be requested by families, such as headphones that are part of the school supply list for families to provide. However, resources are available for the provision of D11 if needed. 

Students may use their own device as long as the specs and needed features for successful interaction with all of the platforms, programs, and curricula used in Spark Online Academy are compatible with the personally owned device.

It is important to note that the functionality and access to resources can be limited when using a non-district-issued device.

D11 and Spark Online Academy do not provide technical support or repair of non-D11 owned devices. We will provide support with applications, platforms, and programs used for instruction and learning, regardless of device. 

Spark Online Academy will provide an internet hotspot upon request for homes experiencing unreliable or without access to internet service. 

When an internet hotspot is provided for a student, it is intended for the use of the enrolled student(s) to engage in learning prescribed by Spark Online Academy only.