Dear friends,
The Spring term in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy ends on Friday, June 26th — our 18th year of study. As we move towards the end of the term and the end of the school year for some, I’d like to provide some helpful information heading into the summer.
Time for Standardized Testing
Parents are strongly advised to use standardized tests for two important reasons. First, standardized tests provide evidence that homeschooled children are satisfying modern educational standards while pursuing classical Catholic studies. Second, standardized tests provide helpful insights into student strengths and weaknesses, which helps with planning for the coming school year. The CLAA offers online standardized testing, which can be completed at home, and is very easy to use. If you have not arranged for standardized testing, please do so. This year, early results have been very strong for Academy students.
For more information, see Standardized Testing.
Summer Term 2026
Public schools close for the summer, but the public school calendar has nothing to do with homeschooling. The CLAA remains open for study through the summer, giving families the opportunity to fill in learning gaps from the past year and to get a head start on future studies. The Summer Term begins on Monday, July 6th and continues until Friday, August 28th. All online courses and support services will be available during the term.
Time for Self-Evaluation
With your experience from the past school year fresh in mind, the Summer offers a great opportunity for self-evaluation. To help with this, I’ve prepared a questionnaire that parents can use for self-evaluation based on my book, “Complete Guide to Study in the CLAA“.
View Annual Homeschool Review for CLAA Parents
Summer Reading for Parents
Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to read my book “Understanding Classical Catholic Education”. I wrote this book for Catholic parents to provide an easy-to-read study of the history and principles of classical Catholic education. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, I invite you to do so. More importantly, as your experience in parenting, homeschooling and Catholic life continues to grow over time, you’ll find it very helpful to re-read this book because you’ll understand and appreciate much more than you did the first time through. Also, I revised the book in December 2025, and several new chapters have been added to the original version. I’d also like to invite you to share your thoughts as you read so we can discuss the subjects and grow together. I really appreciate the insights of homeschooling parents because, while I may know the history and philosophy and curriculum very well, you have unique experiences as a parent that I don’t. Learning from you of your experience helps me to make improvements over time.
View Understanding Classical Catholic Education
Conclusion
In this message, I’ve shared a number of announcements relating to summer activities. The summer is an important time to make improvements based on last year’s experience and also to get some needed refreshment. Know that I am available all summer to discuss your family’s studies and help get ready for the coming year. The earlier we connect, the better.
God bless your studies,
Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.
Classical Liberal Arts Academy
Phone: (704) 709-7020
Email: mail@classicalliberalarts.com
