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Civics

Course Description:

Civics is a course that offers alignment to various state and national standards set for Civics and Government, and alignment to the USCIS Naturalization test. The course includes a variety of unit and lesson activities that examine the history, geography, culture, and economy of the state that encourage research and reflection. In these activities, you will examine founding documents and landmark Supreme Court cases in American political history, analyze changes in federal and executive power over time, explore the political election process and data related to recent voting trends, research and propose a public policy plan, as well as compare and contrast the functions of the national government with state and local governments. In addition, the course includes an entire unit with content to prepare for the USCIS Naturalization test. You can also access a worksheet with all 100 items from the USCIS test. Throughout the course, places where you can find or research answers to these questions are highlighted. 

Course Details:

Course Title (District): Civics
Course Title (NCES SCED) : Civics
Course Provider : Buchanan Community Schools
Content Provided By : My Virtual Academy
Online Instructor Provided By : My Virtual Academy
Standards Addressed : Michigan Merit Curriculum, Common Core State Standards
Academic Terms : Open Entry / Open Exit
NCES SCED Code : 04161
Subject Area : Social Sciences and History
Course Identifier : Civics
Course Level : High School (Secondary)
Available Credit : 0.5
Sequence : 1 of 1

How To Enroll:

Enrollment Website : https://www.myvirtualacademy.com/programs/specialized-programs/specialized-programs-application/
Email : [email protected]
Phone : 800-297-2119

Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with your school after submitting a registration request.

Start Registration Request

Additional Course Information:

Additional Cost: $0.0

Additional Cost Description:

NA

By the end of this course, you will be able to do the following:  Describe and compare the purposes and types of government. Identify and explain historical influences on the development of the U.S. government.  Explain the origins, development, and ratification of the U.S. Constitution.  Examine how seminal documents reflect American democratic values.  Describe how the three branches of the U.S. government work.  Describe how a bill becomes law in the United States.  Analyze the growth of executive power.  Explain how the Constitution protects individual rights and civil liberties through the Bill of Rights. Analyze the evolution of voting rights and voter protections in the United States.     Analyze the work of various minority groups in American history to obtain equal protection and equal justice under the law.  Explain the concept of majority rule and minority rights and examine how the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution to balance these ideas throughout history.  Describe types of political parties and analyze their role in the U.S. political process.  Examine the factors that influence public opinion, attitudes, and behaviors in the United States.  Explain the U.S. election process and evaluate data related to voting trends in modern presidential elections.  Analyze the structure of the federal bureaucracy and how domestic policy is made.  Explain how U.S. foreign policy is made and the role of the U.S. in world affairs over time.  Define key economic concepts and examine the U.S. role in international economics.  Explain how the U.S. economy works and how the U.S. government is involved in the economy.  Describe types of political parties and analyze their role in the U.S. political process.  Describe the powers of state, local, and tribal governments.  Compare the structure and functions of the federal government and government in your state.  Explain how to become a U.S. citizen and describe the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens.  Describe the U.S. history, geography, and culture that are commonly known by most American citizens   Complete a practice test for the Citizenship Exam.  Examine primary and secondary sources.  Write routinely by producing informative texts.  Engage in meaningful and respectful discussions. * Use metacognitive strategies to deepen understanding of texts. 

iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses

Academic Content Standards and Assessments Rating Comments
The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. Fully Met Syllabus provided to students upon enrollment with standard alignment.
The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. Fully Met All standards are met by the curriculum.
The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. Fully Met
Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. Fully Met Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins.
Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. Fully Met Assignments, discussions, videos, quizzes, etc.
Course Overview and Introduction Rating Comments
Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. Fully Met Syllabus and course goals are provided to students upon enrollment in course
Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. Fully Met All course goals are explained in the syllabus.
Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. Fully Met Contact information is provided to students, parents, and mentor which includes email and a Zoom telephone number (phone, text, Zoom)to reach the online instructor and course provider.
Legal and Acceptable Use Policies Rating Comments
The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. Fully Met
Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. Fully Met Documents on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism are within each courses Syllabus for students to view. Course expectations are available to the student with 24/7 access.
Privacy policies are clearly stated. Fully Met Privacy policy is uploaded into Edmentum for 24/7 access.
Instructor Resources Rating Comments
Online instructor resources and notes are included. Fully Met Resources are available for students in the software program and teachers can upload notes in individual assignments.
Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. Fully Met
Instructional and Audience Analysis Rating Comments
Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. Fully Met There are a variety of materials to expose students to content (projects, videos, interactive games, tutorials, problems, quizzes, etc.).
Course, Unit and Lesson Design Rating Comments
The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. Fully Met The course is organized into Units that have Tutorials, Unit Activities/Discussions and Unit Quizzes. Each unit has an overview of objectives to be mastered by the student in the syllabus.
Instructional Strategies and Activities Rating Comments
The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. Fully Met The course includes activities/discussions that involve two-way communication with the instructor.
The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. Fully Met The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways.
The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. Fully Met
The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. Fully Met Course instructors have the ability to adapt the course to each student's individual learning requirements.
Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. Fully Met
Communication and Interaction Rating Comments
The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. Fully Met Students can interact with their instructor via phone, email, text, instant message, and/or Zoom video message.
The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. Fully Met MVA policy states that students will communicate with their instructor multiple times during a week to ensure engagement and learning within the course.
The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. Fully Met Students interact with the instructor to aid in mastery of the material.
Resources and Materials Rating Comments
Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. Fully Met Students have access to translator, dictionary, reader tools, notebook etc.
Evaluation Strategies Rating Comments
Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. Fully Met
The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. Fully Met Student's mastery of content is shown in Critical Thinking Questions within the unit, the Unit Quiz, Course Activities/Discussions and on the End of Semester Test (Final Exam).
Feedback Rating Comments
Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. Fully Met Critical Thinking Questions, teacher graded activities, unit quizzes all aid in and inform instruction.
Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. Fully Met Students are able to see their progress in Edmentum 24/7 through the home dashboard, and through a learner progress report.
Assessment Resources and Materials Rating Comments
Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. Fully Met
Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. Fully Met
The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. Fully Met Students are able to see a learner progress report in Edmentum 24/7.
Course Architecture Rating Comments
The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. Fully Met Teachers are able to add projects, outside links, etc. to course materials.
The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. Fully Met Courseware is available 24/7.
User Interface Rating Comments
Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. Fully Met Students are provided with an orientation for every course.
Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. Fully Met Text, video, and audio files are included in the course to address diverse student needs.
Technology Requirements and Interoperability Rating Comments
All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. Fully Met All technology requirements for the course are specified in the Syllabus.
Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. Fully Met
The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. Fully Met
The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. Fully Met
Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. Fully Met Copyright and licensing information is linked at the bottom of the screen in Edmentum.
Accessibility Rating Comments
Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). Fully Met
Data Security Rating Comments
Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Fully Met Student work is kept confidential within the school database system and courseware.
Accessing Course Effectiveness Rating Comments
The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. Fully Met
The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. Fully Met
Course Updates Rating Comments
The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. Fully Met Courses are reviewed and updated by MVA and Edmentum annually.
Certification Rating Comments
Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. Fully Met All MVA instructors are licensed in the state of Michigan and are considered "Highly Qualified".
Instructor and Student Support Rating Comments
Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. Fully Met
The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. Fully Met Support is available from the course provider.
Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. Fully Met All staff attend ongoing professional development sessions throughout the year to remain current with students and families needs.
Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. Fully Met
The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. Fully Met
Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. Fully Met There is an orientation at the beginning of every class in Edmentum.

Review Conducted By: My Virtual Academy
Date of Review: 07/02/2024

Unit 1: Establishing the U.S. Government

Unit 2: The three Branches of the U.S. Government

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Unit 4: The American Political System

Unit 5: Public Policy

Unit 6: Federalism

Unit 7: Citizenship

 

Term Type Enrollment Opens Enrollment Ends Random Draw Date Enrollment Drop Date Course Starts Course Ends # of Seats Course Fee Potential Additional Costs
Open Entry / Open Exit 04/02/2024 12/02/2024 500 $400 $0
Drop Policy Completion Policy Term Type Enrollment Opens Enrollment Ends
Must pass course with C (70%) or higher. Open Entry / Open Exit 04/02/2024 12/02/2024
To be successful in our program, it is important for the student to remain in constant communication with the online instructor. The online instructor will be communicating with the student 1-2 times per week. Communication between the student and online instructor will be phone, email, texting, Zoom Meeting and/or discussion boards. Online instructors provide families with their weekly office hours and My Virtual Academy is open Monday – Thursday from 8 AM – 8 PM, Friday from 8 AM – 4 PM and Saturday from 8 AM – 2 PM with staff available to answer questions/concerns. Messages received after hours will be returned the next school day. Parents/Guardians/Students will have access to the curriculum and grade book 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

My Virtual Academy Tech Support is available Monday - Thursday, 8 AM - 8 PM, Friday 8 AM - 4 PM, and Saturday 8 AM - 2PM. Browser: Edge (latest), Internet Explorer® 11, Chrome (latest), Firefox (latest), and Safari (latest). Plug-Ins: Java, Office compatible software. For a small percentage of our legacy content, you may need the following plug-ins: Shockwave® and/or Plato® Xtras. Pop-Up Blockers: How to turn off pop-up blockers Mobile Browser Support: We support the following tablet configurations: OS - Android; Browser- Chrome (Latest version) OS - iOS; Browser - Safari (Latest version)