We are delighted to partner with you in pursuit of restful classical education for your students. This handbook outlines the structure of our online academy, the philosophy of education we embrace, and the policies we have set in place to facilitate a smooth and fruitful experience. You confirm your commitment to these policies by enrolling your student in a Scholé Academy course.
Common questions
The word scholé (pronounced skoh-LAY) comes from a Greek word meaning “restful learning,” with connotations of reflection, contemplation, and leisure. Put simply, scholé means undistracted time to study the things that are most worthwhile. As our name implies, we at Scholé Academy value learning that is restful rather than frenetic.
How do our educational philosophy and methods differ from those represented by progressive education? Modern, progressive education is largely an education in anxiety. In this system, students commonly take eight or more courses at a time, which contributes to the stress and anxiety now associated with the term school. Students are typically graded numerically by instructors who are often driven to “teach to the test” and who must use assessments that produce easily quantified data or who justify the education enterprise in purely material terms. Students in such a system learn to cram, pass, and then forget.
By contrast, our courses of study cultivate unrushed learning with meaningful, deep engagement of fewer books and concepts (comparatively speaking), so that learning becomes memorable, enjoyable, and permanent. Scholé Academy instructors create an atmosphere of restful learning by modeling peace, tranquility, and love of the subject, and they utilize methods of evaluation that assess understanding and mastery of the subject rather than just the input and output of facts.
This means that, even in an online classroom setting, the Scholé Academy instructors work to create engaged discussion and seek to build relationships with and among students. We work hard to structure our courses so that the amount of work required is in accord with the allotted time, while also cultivating an atmosphere of contemplation, conversation, and reflection. Our instructors seek to wed truth to beauty in their teaching and cultivate education in its fullest sense.
As part of our commitment to providing a restful education, we carefully seek out and hire instructors who willingly demonstrate a commitment to these ideals. All Scholé Academy instructors are given access to ClassicalU, along with other key resources that define our philosophy of education and provide ongoing professional development. If you are interested in exploring the concept of scholé in more depth, we recommend the following resources to you:
In pursuit of scholé, Scholé Academy employs pedagogies that set it apart from other online schools. We emphasize the development of virtues in our students, and we employ patterns of “liturgical learning.” In fact, liturgical learning is an important part of developing student virtues. While it is beyond the scope of this handbook to fully describe the student virtues and how we seek to cultivate them, the student virtues should nevertheless be briefly described.
“. . . there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.”
Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
Augustine described education as essentially teaching students to “love that which is lovely,” following on Plato’s idea that affections and taste must be cultivated. The classical and Christian traditions have emphasized that it is critical to model for students the love for the true, good, and beautiful, and by various means to cultivate and stir up a love for them. C.S. Lewis makes this case persuasively in his little book The Abolition of Man. He tells us that we need to cultivate not only minds but also chests (the visceral, affective part of us), especially since presently our modern schools neglect the cultivation of affections, rendering us as “men without chests.” He comments that modern students are not so much “jungles to be cut” as “deserts that need to be irrigated.” Even the word student suggests this. It is derived from the Latin word studium, which means “zeal,” “fondness,” and “affection.” Thus, etymologically considered, a student is someone who is affectionately zealous and eager for truth, goodness, and beauty, that is, for wisdom. Is it not true that there are many students who are not really students? Until we have a child before us who is seeking and zealous for wisdom, we really don’t have a student before us; instead, we have someone who we must force to do academic work, usually by means of the carrot and the stick. Such a “student” will be generally uncooperative and resistant (even if passively so), and he will quickly forget what he is forced to “learn.” Teaching such “students” is no fun at all. By contrast, once a child becomes eager to learn, to know, and is, in fact, “in love” with math, history, language, or logic, then teaching is a joy. Great instructors know instinctively that they must cultivate this studium, this zeal, in their students. Naturally, parents play the most vital role in this development, and in education, a partnership between parents and instructors is required for true success. (Please note that we include guardians when we refer to parents, but for the sake of space, we use parents throughout this handbook.) So what are the key student virtues that we need to cultivate in our children? What are the corresponding vices that they must overcome?
All of these vices compromise a student’s ability to attend, to judge or assess, and therefore to truly know. All of these vices also tend to come together and lead to one another; they are interconnected.
Rooted in the classical tradition, we believe that intellectual labor is not merely efficient, but formative. The classical tradition teaches that we learn through struggle. The act of writing, editing, planning, or designing is not only a productive task; it is a formative one. The use of generative AI risks flattening the very qualities that distinguish human work: insight, nuance, beauty, and moral reasoning. The result is not that AI replaces us, but that we quietly replace ourselves, by surrendering the work that shapes our minds.
While arguments can be and have been made for the benefit of students using and being trained in the use of AI, we find that, for our purposes, the general risks outweigh the potential benefits. Some of these risks include:
While we acknowledge the pervasive presence of AI tools, as a matter of both policy and principle, we do not invite or endorse student use of generative AI. (Read more under III. School Policies, Item 10: “Academic Dishonesty.”)
Virtues are not so much taught as they are cultivated and modeled. We aim to make students aware of these virtues and to, on occasion, teach them directly. However, it is very important that students begin to hunger for virtues themselves and cry out to God for them. This seems to be the point of Proverbs 2: if students won’t cry aloud for wisdom and seek it as hidden treasure, they won’t ever get it. We, therefore, design learning spaces that are hospitable to virtues. However, we ultimately must exhort our students themselves to ask God for virtue and wisdom, a prayer He delights to answer (James 1).
“Liturgical learning” is a phrase that describes the use of the embodied patterns from church worship and tradition for shaping the way we order time, space, and language in our schools and homeschools. At Scholé Academy, we believe that using a liturgical pattern within our classes is an effective way to recover reflection and contemplation as part of learning. We think that it is a faithful application of the classical tradition, and one that differentiates us from other online schools. For example, one could use the following “order of worship” as a pattern for ordering a lesson. This pattern or template is intended as a guide that is not followed to the letter but nonetheless shapes the “learning liturgy” to distinguish scholé courses. Our faculty embrace and love incorporating this approach, and we believe our students will too.
Please note that the pattern of a class is determined by the course instructor. Many of our instructors incorporate elements of the following pattern, but the embodiment of “liturgical learning” will vary from instructor to instructor and class to class.
As we seek to recover and renew the scholé tradition of education, we know that we will misstep and veer from this path; after all, we don’t know the path nearly as well as we would like. Still, we believe that finding and walking that path will be enriching to students, parents, and instructors. As we seek to recover the classical tradition of scholé, we welcome parental feedback and ideas about how we can better embody scholé in our online classes.
Our Scholé Academy community has become a patchwork of individuals, stitched together by the common threads of classical education. It reflects what we see across the broader renewal of classical Christian education, which certainly serves a variety of Christian traditions. We’ve outlined our approach to Christian traditions and the unique character of our “houses of study” on our website. We have striven to be intentional about how we work with each of the Christian traditions, acknowledging the areas where we share commonality and the areas where we differ.
In Scholé Academy’s Great Hall, families can find courses like Latin, logic, science, mathematics, grammar, writing, etc. Within our Houses of Studies, including St. Raphael School, the Canterbury House of Studies, and the Aquinas House of Studies, there is space for each student (with the guidance of his family and his church) to seek a deeper knowledge and understanding of God.
It is important for parents to recognize that classes offered in our Great Hall are taught by instructors coming from a variety of Christian traditions, including Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic. Our instructors will all be familiar with the three main Christian traditions and will demonstrate patience, rationality, and a spirit of open inquiry when engaging with students from any of these traditions.
The Scholé Academy instructors affirm the dogmas expressed in the Nicene Creed without exception, and the Scholé Academy community affirms traditional moral teachings of the faith such as:
Our instructors should respect and seek to be familiar with the multi-faceted Common Tradition (Christianity as expressed universally until the Great Schism of 1054) or “Canonical Theism,” including:
Scholé Academy instructors will conduct their personal and professional lives in accordance with the following:
In line with the previous “Student Virtues” section of this handbook, we expect that our instructors will be individuals who pursue virtue and holiness in their own lives as they are challenged to serve as living examples for our students.
At Scholé Academy, we have carefully considered how we should engage our contemporary culture as those who believe that Christ is the Truth (John 14:6), and that all truth has its source in him. We think it is important to provide our upper-school students (in grades 7 through 12) with tools and opportunities for critically examining various cultural trends, issues, and mores through the lens of orthodox, Christian beliefs. Being confident in the truth revealed to us in creation, the Scriptures, and the tradition of the church, we are not afraid to follow the truth and its implications nor to address error and falsehood.
Having this confidence, we nonetheless believe we can learn a great deal from those outside the Christian faith. All humans can engage truth embedded in creation and human nature and make meaningful contributions to our own understanding of what is true, good, and beautiful. Thus, we welcome respectful conversation with anyone seeking to know more of the true, good, and beautiful.
Therefore, we don’t want our upper-school students to fear healthy debate and academic discourse which will help them clarify their understanding of truth in Scripture, creation, and the tradition of the church. At all times, we will seek the guidance from the great teachers of the church as well as from contemporary Christian apologists and pastors.
Our teachers seek to wisely shepherd students through conversations of “faith seeking understanding” on a variety of topics both ancient and modern. At various times, our teachers will set forth guidelines for respectful debate and discussion, while being careful to preserve and reach the goals set out for a particular class.
For our live online classes, we use Zoom, a video-conference platform. Students join their instructors for real-time, face-to-face class sessions that mimic an in-person learning experience. Class participants can see and hear each other throughout each session, a feature that facilitates engagement with the material and interaction among the instructor and students. Our instructors can also share their computer screens to show students documents and photos, use a virtual white board to annotate, and even allow students to share their own work on the screen. This streamlined technology allows us to bring our students face-to-face with master instructors and engaged peers while affording the flexibility of learning from home.
Our decision to use Zoom video, while not regularly allowing the chat feature, reflects our emphasis on real, personal, and charitable interaction. This kind of learning cannot be achieved without the use of video. Thus, students are expected to use video in each class (except under rare, special circumstances, as approved by the course instructor).
You can view classroom experiences, instructor promos, and events on our YouTube Channel. Instructors are listed with photo, bio, and email addresses on our Meet Our Instructors page.
Students should join their live class sessions by clicking the link found on their Canvas course pages. This will launch (previously installed) Zoom automatically.
In some exceptional circumstances (power outages, technical difficulties, loss of access to Canvas), students may need alternative ways to join the live class by using the meeting ID or a call-in phone number. These will be provided by the course instructor in their orientation and course syllabi.
All sessions (classes, tutoring, office hours, clubs, etc.) are recorded. These recordings are not standardly accessible but can be made available to students when necessary (as in the case of an absence), provided students are in compliance with the attendance and participation policies. Please see our attendance policy below for the specific number of absences allowed per year and the requirements for course participation.
On occasion, we may use and distribute video clips and/or screenshots taken from class recordings for promotional purposes. If you do not wish a clip of your student’s class to be shared in this way, please notify us at the time of enrollment by reaching out to support@scholeacademy.com.
As our name implies, we seek to present all teaching and learning restfully with scholé. While scholé as an idea originated with the Greeks, it was transformed and extended by the church, especially in monastic centers of education. Scholé Academy seeks to recover this approach to education that is contemplative, “liturgical,” restful, and full of Christian peace.
Our instructors teach from within the Christian faith and will relate class concepts to the Christian faith when pertinent. Scholé Academy instructors will affirm the dogmas expressed in the Nicene Creed without exception (noted below), and affirm traditional moral teachings of the faith.
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.
Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We want to make sure each course is a great learning experience for every enrolled student. The placement process is critical to student success, and it begins with the parents carefully reading course descriptions before they enroll. A detailed class description has been provided for each course Scholé Academy offers. We have asked our instructors to convey their vision for the course, the course objectives, the target grade range, and the skills and virtues students should possess prior to and should be cultivating during the course.
Before you purchase and register for your class, please consider the following as you determine if the course will be a good fit for the student:
Once you have considered each of these questions and have determined that the course looks like a good fit, go ahead and register.
After registration, Scholé Academy administrators and instructors will verify appropriate placement by reviewing the enrollment information you provided. In the case of some core courses (e.g. math, grammar, writing, Latin), there is a specific placement process overseen by the instructor and department chair.
Depending on the course and previous enrollments of the specific student at Scholé Academy, the instructor may require a placement evaluation. This may include any of the following:
Instructors will be provided with lists of students who may need to complete a placement evaluation. Placement evaluations should be completed by students without any outside help from parents or other adults, including tutors or special needs instructors, and without assistance from print or research materials, unless otherwise stated by the course instructor. If accommodations are required, please seek approval from the course instructor about these first.
Please note: Registration is not finalized until the student’s placement has been confirmed by the instructor. Scholé Academy, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to deny admission to a student for any reason.
We are proud to offer services via the Scholé Academy Center for Students with Learning Differences (CSLD). We firmly believe that classical education is the best education for all students, even if it is delivered or received in unique ways. Families of students with learning differences can explore the help that the CSLD offers at any point in the academic year and summer. Likewise, instructors may suggest exploring CSLD services during the academic year. Special Needs Instructors (SNIs) are available to help parents navigate curricular decisions, support academic goals, and provide instruction and resources to help students continue to build the skills necessary to meet their life-learning goals. Scholé Academy Special Needs Instructors work to support the student alongside course instructors, but independently from the instructor. The course instructor remains the authority in the classroom, and parents are the point of contact for any accommodations. To read the CSLD parent letter, click here.
Our course instructors are not required to be equipped or trained to serve students with learning differences. However, in many cases, students with learning differences are able to participate fully in our courses with outside assistance. To best enable us to meet your student’s needs while maintaining high standards for our courses, we would like to invite you to dialogue with us if you think your child might demonstrate a learning difference that could limit his ability to fully engage with the course and its standard requirements.
To ensure that we can serve your student well, we ask that you please contact us before registration if your student has any unique learning challenges or has been diagnosed with a learning disability. If you have questions about the placement of your child in one of our classes due to extenuating circumstances, such as a learning difference, please contact your course instructor; instructors are glad to discuss possibilities for accommodation. The instructor can also consider requests for accommodation or remediation, and a principal can assist with the process as needed by either party. The course instructor will ultimately decide if he can meet the student’s modification or accommodation plan or requests. A medical diagnosis is not required to discuss with the instructor a student’s learning differences and suggested accommodations.
Students with learning differences who are accepted into Scholé Academy courses are enrolled on a provisional basis. (Course instructors must be made aware of a student’s learning differences within the placement process.) To the best of our ability, we seek to ensure proper placement before the start of the school year. However, if it becomes clear within the first three weeks of classes that a provisionally-enrolled student is not well-suited for a course, the parent or instructor may request that the student withdraw for a full refund. The parent should email support@scholeacademy.com to request a withdrawal.
Scholé Academy chooses to limit class size to 15 students. There are occasionally exceptions to this rule as, in some instances, instructors choose to lower the enrollment number to better facilitate the desired class dynamic and student engagement. In other cases, class sizes are allowed to rise as high as 18 students pending instructor approval. The Academy will not allow more than 18 students (including auditors) to enroll in any course.
Course purchases may be made online on the Scholé Academy website or by calling the office at 866-730-0711. Tuition for each course is listed on the course page and also at checkout. For flexible purchasing options, you can choose Shop Pay at checkout. Shop Pay offers you the option to pay in full, or to split your purchase into regular payments with Shop Pay Installments (powered by Affirm). You can learn more about Shop Pay, Affirm, and paying with installments here: shoppay.affirm.com/help/s/article/about-sp.
There is a $75 deposit built into the cost of each course.
All other withdrawal times for any reasons after the drop/add date will only receive a ½ refund if one of the below conditions is met:
If a family withdraws (with or without a refund), the family is not entitled to access any of the work, assignments, handouts, recordings, projects, or exercises provided by the instructor during the student’s enrollment. The student will be withdrawn from his Canvas classroom and all access to the course.
The parent should email support@scholeacademy.com to request a withdrawal. All withdrawals are final. The family should not expect any funds to remain as a financial credit for future services.
The student cannot be readmitted to the same course later in the year citing their full payment without refund. If a family withdraws a student during an academic year and they wish to re-enroll in the same course later that same year, an interview with the family, instructor, and principal will take place to determine whether or not to re-admit the student and what, if any, additional fees should be paid for the re-enrollment. If the family withdraws a student during an academic year and they wish to later enroll in a different course during the same year, the family will pay for a new course enrollment.
If a student is enrolled in a course and wishes to withdraw and pursue private tutoring instead, the student should officially withdraw from the course (see policy above) and then purchase additional tutoring. Course purchase funds do not transfer to tutor purchases.
Should a student withdraw from a course before the conclusion of the term, the instructor will finalize the student’s Grade Report in Canvas and write a brief narrative of the reason for withdrawal. The Grade Report will only reflect the course work completed and the course will be marked incomplete. These documents will be emailed to the parents and will remain as part of the student record held by Scholé Academy.
Sometimes withdrawals reflect concerns and grievances. Families are flagged when unresolved issues from previous years carry over into new enrollment seasons. Scholé Academy reserves the right to deny enrollment until the administration is satisfied with the terms of reconciliation with the family.
Concerning refunds for purchased tutoring hours or CSLD services, please contact the Tutoring Center Manager with questions regarding a refund. Refunds are considered on a case by case basis. Please refer to the Proposal and Policies documents provided to you by your tutor at the commencement of services. See the FAQs at the bottom of our Tutoring Services page for this and more information.
If a given course is designated “full with waiting list” and you’d like to be added to the waiting list, please use the waiting list link on the course page or send us your request, including your name, phone number, and email address, as well as the following student information: name, grade (20XX-XY school year), and date of birth. We can add students to the waiting list up through the last day of the add/drop period. If a seat becomes available before the end of the add/drop period, we will notify those on the waiting list in the order in which the requests were received. Waiting lists are closed at the end of the add/drop period. Our Late Registration and Ongoing Enrollment policy begins the first Monday of October (or third Monday of February for Spring semester courses). In some cases, Scholé Academy may offer an additional section of a course if the course fills up quickly. In this case, we will notify those on the waiting list when the new section becomes available for registration.
While the official add/drop period technically ends after the second week of class, Scholé Academy may allow students to enroll in courses that are in progress throughout the academic year.
These late additions to classes are managed on a case-by-case basis, and they are allowed only with instructor approval. After the add/drop deadline, all instructors are welcome to consider their courses closed and not allow additional students to enroll, even if seats are still available. The instructor is the best judge of class dynamics and progress. If he does not believe a student is adequately prepared to enter the course late, or if the addition of a new student may negatively impact the already-established class dynamic, the instructor is at liberty to refuse a new enrollment.
Late enrollments begin with an interview between the parents and instructor. If the instructor is willing to consider a late enrollment, he will build a transition plan for the parents to review. That plan may include placement evaluation, transition assignments, modified due dates, etc.
Once the parents and instructor have come to an agreement about the necessary requirements for enrollment, the family will be billed for the enrollment. Purchases cannot be made through the website after the end of the add/drop period. Parents who have been approved to enroll their student after that time will call the main office and make their payment by phone. Payment will be due in full. The cost of a late enrollment is full price through the end of the first semester. If enrollment is secured at mid-year or later, the cost is 60% of the original tuition cost, regardless of enrollment status (including audit). We do not price classes on a per-diem rate.
All late-enrollment purchases are final. We do not provide a withdrawal window for our late enrollments. If a family determines that the course is not a good fit after the enrollment is processed and paid for, the student may be withdrawn without a refund. The tuition for the original purchase cannot be applied to a course transfer of any kind.
If your student is interested in auditing a class, please contact us. Student-auditing is permitted on a case-by-case basis and with instructor approval. The charge for auditing a Scholé Academy course is standardly 70 percent of the tuition fee. (Mid-year enrollment as an auditor is 60% of tuition fee.)
While student auditors will have access to their Canvas classrooms, student auditors will not be responsible to take any examinations or complete any assignments. Instructors will not assess any written work of auditors. Student auditors may not participate in class discussion except when required by the instructor. Instructors will not be obligated to provide access to videos of missed class sessions or review missed material with the auditing student if he is absent. No grades or end-of-year grade report will be provided.
If a student has signed up to audit a course but the course enrollments fill before the end of the add/drop period and a fully participating student wishes to enroll in the class, the auditing student will be withdrawn from the course to free up the seat for the fully participating student. In this case, the family of the auditing student would be provided with a full refund, including the $75 deposit.
If a student begins the year as a full-paying student and after the add/drop period switches to audit status, no refund will be given. In this case, the instructor and the parent can discuss which parts of the course the student will still be allowed to enjoy and which parts will be reserved for fully participating students. Generally speaking, all auditing students will be restricted in their class experience as described above.
On rare occasions, Scholé Academy might have to cancel a class, move students to a new section of a class with a different instructor, or replace an instructor (usually for health reasons). For these cases, please note the following:
Scholé Academy defines a transfer as a student who wishes to transfer to another section of the same course with a new or same instructor. Transfers are only permitted prior to the end of the second week of class and if space is available in the new section.
Should a student wish to move to a different course with a new or same instructor, Scholé Academy considers this a change in enrollment. In this case, the family will need to request a withdrawal. (Any applicable refund will be issued based on our withdrawal policy noted above.) Pending space available and active waitlists, the family may make a new enrollment purchase for the desired course and section.
After the add/drop period has closed, teacher payments will have been calculated and disbursed. Therefore, if a family wants to make a change in enrollment from a course with one instructor to another course with a different instructor, the family will first need to withdraw from the original course which could result in no refund (see Withdrawal Policy above for specifics), and then re-enroll (initiating a new purchase) in the new course (see “Late Registration and Ongoing Enrollment” above). After the drop/add deadline, students seeking a transfer from one section to another of the same course will need to follow the change in enrollment guidelines.
*Families who used Affirm to complete course registration will need to call the office at 1-866-730-0711.
Scholé Academy does not allow families to “transfer” from course enrollment to tutoring enrollment. Please contact your instructor and administration if your student needs to withdraw from his course and consider pursuing tutoring as an option instead.
One week prior to the start of a course, the instructor will hold a brief orientation session for parents and their students. This session is an opportunity for students, parents, and instructors to introduce themselves to one another, test the classroom technology, and ensure everything is in working order for the first day of class. Parent and student participation is required.
Details regarding the orientation session will be provided by the instructor via email. If you or your student are unable to attend the orientation session, please contact the course instructor.
Our classes are live and highly interactive, with students regularly engaging with their instructor and peers and participating in class discussion. Students are expected to attend classes with their videos turned on and to function as a full participant in each class, contributing to the class dynamic and success of the entire cohort. They are expected to keep visual distractions to a minimum, including closing unnecessary devices and tabs and avoiding any multitasking during class.
Students who do not turn on their videos during class will be removed from the Zoom classroom and marked absent. We remain vigilant in providing security for our online classes. If an attendee logs into a Zoom classroom without their video turned on and is unresponsive, it is the policy of Scholé Academy to remove that attendee from the session. However, if a student is having a legitimate technology issue, the instructor will use his best judgment to respond appropriately.
As we are also encouraging and training our students in responsibility and respect, certain etiquette must be adhered to, including timely arrival to class and being fully prepared to begin. Students should keep themselves muted unless they are speaking so as to cut down on background noise and should raise their hands to speak. Students ought to dress for class appropriately, which means no pajamas, revealing clothing, or attire that may be distracting or divisive.
There are situations, both planned and unplanned, in which students must miss a class. Whenever possible, we ask that students alert their instructor of their absence in advance. We generally provide students with a recording so that they may watch the class session they missed.
Please note: Though we will endeavor to have recordings for each and every class, we cannot guarantee recordings 100 percent of the time (e.g., occasionally we run into technical difficulties). Our instructors are available to their students in class, via Canvas messaging, during office hours and/or by appointment. If your student has to miss a class, anything you can do to minimize the extra work required of the instructor would be greatly appreciated. As you might expect, instructors cannot reteach the material via email. However, our instructors are accessible to their students and will provide assistance as needed.
While recordings are a helpful tool for occasional absences, they are not guaranteed and are not a sufficient replacement for live class participation in the long term. We do not offer asynchronous courses.
To safeguard the nature of our live and communal online environment, we restrict a student’s number of absences to the following:
If, at any time, a student’s absences begin to near the maximum number of missed days, the course instructor will reach out to the parents and take meaningful steps to help resolve the problem. The school principal will also be made aware of the concern.
If a student reaches or exceeds the maximum number of missed days, the course instructor and the principal will work diligently with the family to resolve the issue. If the parent is unresponsive, or if no resolution can be reached, we will suspend the student’s enrollment in the course until the issue can be resolved. We will compassionately work with families to find a reasonable way forward. However, without resolution, the student will be withdrawn from the course without refund.
Our students live all over the world, and there are occasionally natural events that prevent a family from being able to attend their scheduled classes. Please make your instructor aware of any extensive damage or displacement. We are happy to accommodate families in these cases.
We endeavor to maintain an academic calendar that is hospitable to many varied Christian traditions. Courses within a particular House of Studies are compatible with the rhythms of that particular tradition; however, courses within Scholé Academy’s Great Hall may or may not align with a unique church calendar.
To accommodate families who observe differing liturgical calendars, we maintain a flexible absence and assignment-submission policy in the Great Hall during the holy seasons of Pascha and Nativity (times which may contrast with Western Easter and Christmas). Absences due to religious observance on these holy days will not be counted toward the maximum number of missed days. Students and instructors should work to coordinate assignment deadlines as needed.
We believe that earning a specific grade should not overshadow achievement goals for mastering and delighting in a discipline. Attaining mastery is its own reward, and this is the intention behind all Scholé Academy grading practices. At the same time, we recognize the need to provide quantifiable grades for families who will be using a course as part of their student’s prepared transcript.
Instructors generally assign the following grades based on students’ level of achievement: magna cum laude (with great praise), cum laude (with praise), satis (sufficient, satisfactory), and non satis (not sufficient). Ideally, every average student working diligently should do praiseworthy work (cum laude). The work of those who excel beyond this expectation will be designated magna cum laude. Students who do adequate but not praiseworthy work should be designated satis. Non satis means lacking sufficiency or adequacy. These assessments are not mere grading instruments but ways for instructors to signal a students’ progress towards mastery.
Scholé Academy does not provide official transcripts. We affirm homeschooling parents’ right to prepare transcripts and report courses and grades earned by their students. To support this effort, we make available the student’s grade records in Canvas which may be downloaded and printed. Oftentimes, parents choose to simply transpose the course grade earned at Scholé Academy onto their child’s homeschool transcript.
While Scholé Academy serves homeschoolers by providing online instruction, we do not replace parents as the administrators of homeschools. As such, the ultimate authority on a student’s grade is the parent. If a parent feels the need to modify the instructor’s assessment in their own records, as the administrator, the parent should feel free to do so. Please note, however, that only students who complete the required work for a given class at a level deemed satisfactory by the instructor will receive a grade report from Scholé Academy.
If your student is enrolled in a course and you require either a traditional numeric or letter grade that is not captured in Canvas, please notify the instructor. Middle and upper school instructors will post traditional numeric grades, but they will also provide more meaningful narrative feedback and quarterly updates.
There are occasionally times when a student’s behavior necessitates academic probation, a change in enrollment status, or withdrawal after the start of a course. These situations will be handled with compassion and great care. Most of the specific details of the situation will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The instructor will consult with the principal when the student’s performance indicates that academic probation, a change in enrollment status, or withdrawal might be necessary.
In cases of poor student performance (such as a student ill-suited to the demands of the course, excessive absences, failure to submit homework, refusal to participate, refusal to turn on video or audio, egregious behavior, etc.), the instructor will reach out to the parents, making them aware of the situation(s), and asking for their assistance in resolving the concerns.
If, after the parent-instructor meeting, the behavior continues, it might be necessary for the principal to become more involved in the situation, and it might be necessary to place the student (and family) on academic probation for a specified time (usually the duration of a quarter or semester). An individualized plan addressing the concerns of the specific situation will be determined by the course instructor. Academic probation may consist of the following requirements that must be fulfilled by the parents and students:
If academic probation is a success, the instructor, the principal, and the parents can discuss which, if any, of the requirements may be lifted, and continue on with positive growth.
Should the academic probation not yield the desired results, it may be advisable to officially withdraw the student from the course or, in some particular cases, to change the student’s status to audit (a refund will not be given).
If the student is not exhibiting virtuous behavior, and the ongoing concerns are in relation to poor student scholarship, willful negligence, pride, laziness, etc., it might be time to withdraw the student. This decision will be made by the principal and the instructor, both of whom will discuss this with the parents. The specifics of this process will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Scholé Academy reserves the right to deny enrollment the following academic year until the administration is satisfied with the terms of reconciliation with the family.
In the cases where a hard-working, virtuous student is facing an unexpected family crisis, a change to his schedule, or a unique challenge, the instructor and family may elect to allow the student to continue on as a course auditor. In these cases, the student may attend classes and participate but will not be required to submit assignments or earn grades nor will he/she earn credit for the course. Despite the change in status, a refund will not be given. For more information about the parameters of auditing, see this Handbook under “Enrollments and Withdrawals: Student Auditing a Class.”
We define plagiarism as “a form of academic misconduct that involves dishonestly representing another’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism can be deliberate or unintentional, and students must be very careful to properly cite their sources so as to clearly attribute words, ideas, or data that are not their own and are not common knowledge to the proper sources.” (This definition is provided by Dr. David Diener, Assistant Professor of Education at Hillsdale College.)
Particularly for our younger students, plagiarism can be an issue, not necessarily because the student is willfully ignoring academic guidelines or intending to deceive the instructor. In many of these cases, students are unaware of common citation rules, have not been instructed about how and when to use them, or do not understand the necessity for them. Instructors of these younger students understand that this may be the case and will respond with grace and appropriate instruction if citations are required for a student assignment and/or upon a first occurrence of problematic submissions.
It is also the responsibility of parents to stay current with student assignments and recognize where some home instruction might also be necessary regarding common citation practices. (Parents, students, and instructors can make use of the Owl Purdue resources when teaching students how to include citations in their submitted work.)
There are cases, however, in which some students do willfully engage in academic dishonesty by not citing sources and/or by employing unapproved tools such as generative AI. Generative AI (artificial intelligence) is a term for machine-learning algorithms that are used to generate new content that can include written text, images, audio, videos, and other content. Many AI tools are now embedded within commonly used word processing software. Hence, AI can make engaging in academic dishonesty simple, quick, and largely undetectable. Nevertheless, because submitting work generated by AI can be an attempt to pass off someone/something else’s work as one’s own, we characterize the undisclosed use of AI as plagiarism.
Because of our commitment to contemplative, formative, mastery-based learning, we expect that students will not use undisclosed generative AI tools to generate, enhance, supplement, or complete their course work for Scholé Academy classes. We expect students and their parents will help us uphold honesty and integrity in the work their students are doing and in the work they are presenting.
In the event that a concern arises regarding academic dishonesty, the steps listed below will be taken:
If, after exploring the situation, it becomes evident that the student was academically dishonest, the following actions will be taken:
If, after exploring the situation, it is revealed that this is a repeated instance of academic dishonesty, the following actions will be taken:
If, after exploring the situation, the instructor and parents are confident that the student has not been academically dishonest, the following actions will be taken:
At Scholé Academy, we encourage our community of parents, students, and instructors to communicate personally, kindly, and openly, operating under the Matthew 18 Principle, a common conflict-resolution process that encourages each member to follow the course of action provided in Matthew 18:15-17:
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
If, at any time, a parent has a concern regarding their own student or the course, we encourage them to contact the course instructor directly, as soon as the concern arises.
Our instructors wish to keep lines of communication with students and families open at all times, and the vast majority of concerns can be resolved quickly if expressed promptly. With the exception of very minor concerns, we encourage parents to set up a call with the course instructor to discuss the matter voice to voice. We have found phone and/or video conversations to be far more effective for resolving concerns and conflicts than email, which naturally lends itself to ambiguity and misinterpretation.
Likewise, should our instructors have concern about a student, they will reach out to the parent or student right away.
If the parent and instructor have already spoken to one another, and if the issue remains unresolved or requires further attention, we encourage the parent to contact the school principal. If a parent has a concern regarding a principal, policy, or school-wide issue, we encourage them to contact the Scholé Academy Director as soon as the concern arises.
In these conversations, there are some unfortunate occasions when high emotions and passions can negatively influence reason and language. We encourage parents, instructors, and school leaders to maintain a good and true partnership through use of proper etiquette and healthy language indicative of Christian virtues outlined in our handbook. Scholé Academy reserves the right to deny future enrollments until the administration is satisfied with the terms of reconciliation with the family.
We hope to foster an environment that allows students to connect and grow together in their pursuit of the true, the good, and the beautiful! In order to support these relationships within our school community, we ask that students and parents adhere to our Faith & Culture statement expressed under Part I of this handbook. At Scholé Academy, we purposefully create a space to receive an education that is both personal and free from distractions that are beyond the content and goals of each course. We recognize that contemporary culture requires our attention and discussion at times, and we encourage that conversation when appropriate in the class; but when cultural issues are not a part of the classroom or the learning topic, we ask our instructors and students to honor the intended focus of the classroom and limit distractions. Instructors limit distractions of various sorts not as a punitive measure nor to sit in a place of judgment, but simply to cultivate space for purposeful and intentional learning related to the course discipline. Should distractions arise, the instructor will redirect the in-class discussion and have a follow up conversation with the student, parent, and administrators after class. Should a student not cooperate in the redirection of the conversation, the student may be dismissed from the class for the day until the follow up conversation can take place.
Students and parents are encouraged to build relationships with other members of our community. We hope to foster an environment that allows families from across North America and the world to connect and grow together in their pursuit of the true, the good, and the beautiful! Students enjoy meeting peers and building new friendships through their Scholé Academy courses, and we’re delighted to see this happening.
Please note that while Scholé Academy uses Zoom Video Conferencing to host classes, and instructors supervise the interactions with students during live class sessions, Scholé Academy and its instructors do not take responsibility nor do they monitor the use of student’s individual Zoom rooms or chats that take place outside of class. Scholé Academy is not responsible for the conversations, chats, meetings, or interactions that students have on social engagement platforms. Social engagement platforms may include, but are not limited to, Google Docs, Google Hangouts, Zoom, Canvas, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. It is the responsibility of parents to monitor the relationships their students are forging with other students, as well as the social media tools their students use to communicate.
We fully support our parents and want to respect their authority and governance of their own children. When parents and students are communicating with members of our community, we hope those relationships will reflect the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Throughout the school year, Scholé Academy and its respective Houses will offer a variety of online community events. For these community events, parent and student attendance is welcome but not required. Parents should feel free to spread the word when we offer events to the general public.
One additional special event will be a surprise “Snow Day.” There are many benefits to homeschooling and online education. One thing many students miss by taking courses online is the absence of the unexpected Snow Day (let’s be honest: instructors love them too!). Scholé Academy instructors may announce one surprise Snow Day during the winter months. Each instructor may select a day to declare a Snow Day for each of his classes. Parents will be provided with more details as the day approaches. Shhh…it’s a secret!
In the essentials unity, in the nonessentials liberty, in all things charity.
Augustine
Please note: Parents confirm this agreement by enrolling their student in a Scholé Academy course. Teaching children is a noble activity but also one that can create anxiety. After all, to hire someone to teach your child touches upon and impacts 1) your money, 2) your faith and life philosophy, and 3) the soul of your child. It is important, therefore, that we clarify what each party (Scholé Academy and the paying parent) expects from the other and to commit to treat one another with respect and charity.
What follows is a general description of what we (Scholé Academy) pledge to provide to the parent or guardian as the paying customer for our courses. This section is followed by a description of what the customer pledges to Scholé Academy, including the various logistical and financial responsibilities and student requirements. We look forward to a successful partnership, serving each other for the education of the next generation.
For any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at support@scholeacademy.com.