As schools and families adjust to the post-COVID-19 world, difficult choices are being made at every level among virtual learning, balancing the demands of hybrid instruction, and families considering full-time homeschooling.
One application seeking to address those needs is Acellus, a program from the International Academy of Science, a nonprofit organization.
“Acellus was created by the International Academy of Science in 2001, and has since been adopted by thousands of schools across the country, and has provided education to millions of students in all 50 states and worldwide,” reads the “About Us” section of the website.
Acellus markets itself as a learning accelerator and alternative for situations where in-person instruction may not be possible, according to the website.
In Wyoming, Pete Kilbride, superintendent of Sheridan County School District #1, told Northeast Wyoming News that his district has been using Acellus for five years now.
“We have about 35 kids who are learning from home as a result of COVID,” Kilbride said. Most of those come down to families that aren’t comfortable having their children in school right now.
The district uses Acellus to keep those students learning, he said.
“It’s worked really well,” he said. “The nice thing is, all of our teachers had access to Acellus the last several years, just to supplement their regular classroom instruction, so most of our teachers were familiar with the format.”
With the students who are using Acellus full time, teachers can check the progress students are making through the program, he said.
“We also have teachers that have supplemented their own in-class work with those kids,” Kilbride said.
But it’s also been helpful to have a curriculum through Acellus that is aligned to state standards, Kilbride said. While he would not compare any form of remote learning as on-par with having a face-to-face teacher, he has the confidence that the students receive lessons that meet state standards.
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