If a student takes a Catholic Virtual course through their local Catholic school, the amount of parent involvement is the same as any other class taken through the school. If a student takes a course directly with Catholic Virtual or enrolls in our full-time program, more parent oversight is required in most instances. The amount of parent involvement will vary depending on the age of the student (more parent time is required for younger students) and student’s study habits.

There is no set amount of study time required for each course. We do, however, recommend spending at least an hour a day each week to keep yourself on pace to complete the course. For example, if you are studying six courses at the same time, you need to spend six hours a day to keep yourself on pace to complete the six courses. Students can work at their own pace for reading and assignment completion while engaging in live sessions (if applicable).

Parents of enrolled students have access to our student information system–the online technology that stores student records and course content. Teachers and support services are available to enrolled students and their families. Parents also have access to student progress reports and course grades.

Catholic Virtual teachers are highly qualified subject matter experts. Many of our teachers have experience in both in-person classroom teaching and online instruction.

We have different options for how courses are delivered. If taken through a partner Catholic school, the school usually decides how the course will be delivered. If you enroll directly in Catholic Virtual, you can decide which of the available delivery methods is best for you. Ways our courses are delivered include:

• Online course with live classes by Catholic Virtual. Course combines independent learning with live online instruction done on a set schedule established by Catholic Virtual. Students attend live sessions with other students from around the U.S.
• Online course with live classes as part of your school's program. Course combines independent learning with live instruction delivered as part of the school partner’s class schedule. Live sessions are conducted with students only within the school classroom.
• Independent study. Study is done independently, supported by teachers who grade assignments and assessments and provide coaching through email messaging.
• Individualized learning. Study is done independently, supported by a teacher who provides live online instruction on an individual basis, one-to-one.

Students receive a variety of assessments throughout their courses. Courses contain formative and summative assessments. Standard assessments may include essays, projects, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and true-false type questions. Teachers evaluate each student’s coursework to assure students make progress and guide student learning.

Our catalog has course descriptions for all courses. For details on how courses work and to answer your questions, contact us.

Students can retake some course assessments after a relearning or reteaching exercise with instructors.

Most courses are one semester (half the academic year) long and are worth half a credit. Many courses are made up of two halves—the first “A” semester and second “B” semester—taken over the full academic year. These year-long courses are worth one credit.

Catholic Virtual offers approximately 40 credit recovery courses for high school students who need to make up for courses that were failed previously. We also offer a range of honors and Advanced Placement courses for students who want an even more rigorous course of study than our standard courses.