As schools and families adjust to the post-COVID-19 world, difficult choices are being made among virtual learning, hybrid instruction, and – for some families – full-time homeschooling.
One program seeking to address both school and family needs is Acellus, a program from the International Academy of Science, a nonprofit organization.
Acellus markets its core product to schools as a learning accelerator and alternative for situations where in-person instruction may not be possible, according to the website. “Backed by scientific research, Acellus delivers online instruction, compliant with the latest standards, through high-definition video lessons made more engaging with multimedia and animation.”
With the Pozon Career Institute in Redford, Carlo Bautista said that the institute is in its third school year using Acellus.
The institute’s 100% virtual program usually offers a mentoring program to assist in learning, though that has been put on hold since the COVID-19 outbreak. Yet, the school has been otherwise unaffected by the pandemic due to their format, Bautista told the Novi Times.
Bautista said the institute has been very pleased with the experience of working with Acellus.
“It’s invaluable, to be quite honest,” he told the Novi Times.
Acellus permits students, mentors, and teachers to readily see how an individual is progressing, he said.
“And along with the support from the teachers and the mentors, it helps [the students] progress even more,” Bautista told the Novi Times.
This is especially important given the number of the students at the institute who have struggled with conventional education, Bautista said. The Acellus program helps them to evaluate their current level in a subject, and begin bringing them up from there.
"Acellus is able to kind of meet them exactly where they are in each of their classes so that they are overwhelmed if they’re behind,” Bautista said. “And they don’t feel too underwhelmed if they are a little bit more advanced.”
Yet, Acellus isn’t just for institutional establishments such as Ponzo or even public school districts that use the system.
For those struggling with hybrid schedules, or who simply don’t want their children to return to in-person schooling, true, independent homeschooling may be a viable option.
For those families, Acellus offers two options: The online accredited Acellus Academy, or the non-accredited, less expensive Power Homeschooling.
A comparison of the two versions by How Do I Homeschool states that the key differences between the programs are accreditation and price.
Alerts Sign-up