FAQ's

WHAT SUBJECTS CAN MY CHILD STUDY?

For our Elementary students- language arts, math, science, and history are the core courses. Music and art are offered in appropriate grade levels.

Furthermore-our Middle and High school students can choose from a robust portfolio of elective courses including foreign languages. Additionally, AP courses are available to our High School students.

WHAT IS THE SUPPORT PERSON'S ROLE?

In the K–5 environment, the support person acts as a Learning Coach who facilitates progress through daily lessons. Suggested weekly lesson plans are provided, which update automatically as the child progresses. The lesson plans can be varied to accommodate the child's pace or abilities. A wide array of practical advice, tips, and substantial support is always available.

In the middle and high school programs, the support person still plays an important supportive role to help the student stay on task and ensure follow-through on his or her assignments. During high school, though, the student is expected to start managing his or her own time and academic schedule more directly.

WHAT ARE THE EDUCATION STANDARDS?

The team has developed a comprehensive program that is designed to exceed national and state education standards. Our goal is to provide children with an accredited education that is comparable or superior to that provided by the nation's best public and private schools, regardless of demographic constraints.

WHAT ROLE DO COMPUTERS PLAY IN THE CURRICULUM?

The curriculum and learning platform—the Online School (OLS) and the Learning Management System (LMS)—are delivered online. Everything necessary for a comprehensive accredited education is found in the OLS or LMS, including lesson plans, attendance tracking, planning and progress tools, resources, materials lists, and much more.

WILL MY CHILD BE SITTING IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER ALL DAY?

Generally, children in grades K–5 do about 20–30 percent of the work online. They do much of the work offline—reading books, solving math problems on paper, drawing, and conducting science experiments.

Middle school and high school students have more refined reading skills, so instruction and activities involve increased computer-use according to educational standards. Students in these programs are expected to do 90 percent of the work online.

DOES THE PROGRAM PROVIDE TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS?

Yes, in Elementary, we provide most textbooks and instructional materials that are needed to complete the program at no cost to families who are enrolled in The Keystone School. These books and materials are sent to families directly. Low cost items may be required to complete certain courses.

Select High school courses will receive textbooks and instructional materials. Otherwise, primarily all middle and high school students will have access to their course materials in the online setting.

HOW MANY OF MY CHILDREN CAN USE KEYSTONE AT A TIME?

Because we provide all the lesson plans and materials needed for grades K–12, many support persons find it easy to enroll multiple children in the program.

HOW MUCH TIME DO STUDENTS SPEND ON THE COMPUTER?

Computers help us provide you with effective assessment, planning, and time-management tools. That's why we use a unique multimedia approach that also includes a great deal of well-written and designed textbooks, workbooks, and hands-on instructional materials. We expect that K–5 students will spend no more than 20–30 percent of their time on the computer in the early grades. Middle and High school students spend an average of 6 hours per day for their course load online.

WHAT COMPUTER SKILLS ARE REQUIRED?

Use of the computer is an important part of the program, but in the K-5 it is mostly the support persons’ who interacts with the computer. The program is user-friendly for those with basic computer skills.

For Middle and High school students, knowledge for laptop and desktop computers are needed. Additionally, student’s need knowledge of word processing programs such as Microsoft Office, internet navigation, and how to use PDFs.

WHAT TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SUPPORT PERSONS?

Along with the curriculum, we give you planning and progress tools to help you plan your day, including an electronic pacing calendar with suggested lessons/assignments for each day and a detailed outline of the total time required for each lesson. In addition, our built-in online tracking system helps you to determine how your child is progressing in terms of pace and development.