Valley Oak Charter – Ventura County School Business Services Authority

http://www.valleyoakcharter.org
Grades: K-12

Director: Barbara Amador

Valley Oak Charter School is a home-based independent study program. As a public charter school, Valley Oak is free of charge and welcomes students grades K-12 regardless of race or religious affiliation.

VOC encourages family involvement and individual responsibility. Our program provides homeschooling and parenting support, funding for curriculum materials, and cooperative work and play in a multi-age setting.

Our site based project learning classes are offered Tuesday through Thursday, September through June. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, credentialed staff and specialists lead project based classes, both on and off campus, that provide a wide array of activities and in-depth learning opportunities. Wednesdays are dedicated to field trips, special presentations, group projects, individual activities, and tutoring.

With the support and guidance of their Supervising Teacher, VOC families choose, plan, and participate in grade-level, academics aligned with California State Standards and independent learning activities during the rest of the week. As part of an independent study program, learning activities are documented by parents and reported to their Supervising teacher weekly. Specific work samples are collected three times a year, generally once each trimester. Supervising teachers meet with families as needed throughout the year to offer feedback, academic support, homeschooling guidance to and act as a resource.

VOC supports various styles of homeschooling, honoring each family's unique way of learning. Every student is provided with access to Common Core aligned online curriculums. We maintain a large lending library that offers a wide variety of learning materials. Books, games, science materials, tools, math manipulatives, and reference materials are among many of the available items in our lending library. In addition, families have access to grade-level funding to supplement their students' home academics.

VOC parents meet several times a year to review, plan, and address concerns of the program. Parents, as a group, have many organizational functions, including serving on school committees, assisting in the classroom, and providing support for field trips and special activities.

VOC is accredited by WASC, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.