New Students
Veritas Classical Academy academic year 2008-2009
Veritas Classical Academy is accepting applications for admission beginning February 1, 2008, through May 22, 2008. Full-time applications received after May 22 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Part-time applications will be accepted between May 22 and August 1. VCA admits students from families of parents who profess Christian belief, desire a rigorous classical Christian education, support the VCA approach, and agree to abide by VCA code of conduct policies as outlined in the Parent/Student Handbooks.
Veritas Classical Academy admits students of any race, color, national, or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Admission Testing
All full-time Grammar School applicants are required to take an admission test and submit a writing sample before admittance to the school. For students entering grades 1 through 5, scores from the survey battery of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or comparable achievement test are required. Students must receive composite scores at or above the 50th percentile (or 5th stanine) for their grade level in order to apply. Applicants for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten are assessed with different tests in May.
Grammar students applying for part-time enrollment need to take placement tests for the subjects in which they wish to enroll and demonstrate at least 70% mastery. Part-time enrollment is available to grammar students entering grades 4 and 5. These students may enroll in Latin, Writing, and Math classes if space still remains after the admission deadline for full-time students.
All Upper School applicants, whether full- or part-time, are required to submit a writing sample and take subject tests for the classes in which they desire to enroll before being considered for admittance to the school. Applicants must demonstrate at least 70% mastery on relevant tests before being eligible to enroll in the desired classes.
For full-time Grammar applicants, admission testing is $50. Subject tests for part-time Grammar and all Upper School applicants are $15 per test not to exceed $50. Testing dates through Veritas are listed on the NEWS AND EVENTS page.
Grade Placement and Student Readiness
Applicants for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten should have their fourth and fifth birthdays, respectively, before September 1 of the year for which they are applying. Because of the rigorous nature of the school, especially in later grades, parents of students whose birthdays fall between May 1 and September 1 are strongly encouraged to err on the side of having their children be older rather than younger for their grades in order to allow for more developmental maturity. Corresponding age guidelines will be used to determine grade placement for students entering VCA in other grades.
Applicants for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten will be assessed for classroom readiness based on a screening test, references by previous teachers or caregivers, and parental consultation. Social maturity will be assessed in addition to academic ability.
For students in grades 1 through 5, placement will be assessed based on standardized test scores, previous schoolwork, references by previous teachers or caregivers, and parental consultation. VCA reserves the right to recommend students for the grade levels at which it deems them most likely to succeed and to refuse admission or re-enrollment for reasons it deems sufficient.
New students should prepare academically by emphasizing development of excellence in reading skills, English grammar, mathematics, biblical literacy and study skills. Legible cursive handwriting is expected of students in the 4th grade and above. Parents are encouraged to help younger children to succeed at VCA by emphasizing personal responsibility through age-appropriate chores. They also may train their children to complete entire jobs without interruptionsÑunloading the dishwasher, making the bed, reading a short story from start to finish, etc.
Tuition and Fees
Classical curriculum design, retention of quality faculty who should be paid commensurate with others in their profession, and classroom instruction and program administration all require qualified personnel, quality facilities, and ongoing development. To accomplish these goals, adequate funding is required. Because tuition must fully fund classroom instruction and basic school administration, a modest increase in tuition and fees can be expected each year.
Books and Uniforms
Families are responsible for procuring their own books and uniforms for students. Finalized book lists and uniform information will be available on the website in June. The cost of books and uniforms varies by grade. More specific cost estimates can be found by contacting the VCA school office by phone or email.
Tuition Assistance
Some funds are available for need-based tuition assistance. For more information contact the school office. The deadline to apply for tuition assistance is April 1.
Withdrawal
VCA, like other schools, contracts for its facilities, faculty, and staff on an annualized basis. In some cases, VCA may reserve a seat for one student over another capable student because of limited capacity. After an enrollment agreement is signed by parents and given to the school office, parents are responsible to honor the agreement and pay tuition for the entire school year even if a student withdraws prior to the beginning of the school year. Please take this into consideration before turning in the enrollment agreement and fee
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