Garden State Times

Despite concerns over the negative impacts that COVID-19 could have on school-age children, some online tools and resources have ensured that students do not lose – and in some cases gain – academic progress.

Acellus Academy, an online school, offers all of the basic subjects that students require in addition to electives and additional educational assets from kindergarten through high school.

One mother in New Jersey had high praise for the programs offered by Acellus. Her daughter, Sam, who was beginning to suffer academically in the weeks and months following the lockdown and subsequent school closures, actually improved her reading skills thanks to the online participation in Acellus’ programs. 

“We needed a better way to stay ahead as she quickly approached first grade. As a full-time working mom, a traditional homeschooling approach is not an option,” Alexandra Schmidt said.

After researching programs for her daughter, the family settled on Acellus Academy and has been delighted with the progress that their kindergarten-age child has made. 

“Acellus is now a part of her ongoing education," Schmidt said in an online review. "Right now Sam is enrolled in Acellus Academy as a supplement to completing the first grade curriculum in public school. Thanks to Acellus, Sam's math skills have elevated to a second grade level already.”  

In only six weeks, the child jumped a total of four reading levels and has passed numerous courses with 98% and higher, her mother wrote.

This testimony from Schmidt stands in stark contrast to a report by The New York Times, which reported that as of September, most students had fallen behind following school closures. 

The Times report blames a lack of consistent engagement through remote assignments, as well disparity in technical competence from parents who are at home or parents who have to work and cannot assist with their children’s needs.