THE PENNSYLVANIA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENT HANDBOOK

CONTENTS

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS……………………… 3

ATTENDANCE………………………………………... 7

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT……………………….. 8

ADMISSION/ENROLLMENT……………………….. 10

STUDENT EDUCATION RECORDS………………. 13

ANNUAL PUBLIC NOTICE…………………………. 15

Of Special Education Services

TECHNOLOGY……………………………………….. 18

ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW BOARD……………… 25

CODE OF CONDUCT……………………………….. 27

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITES………………… 33

STUDENT WORK POLICY…………………………. 34

VISITORS POLICY…………………………………... 34

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Academic Placement

PA Cyber will place students in the appropriate grade level supported by any of the following criteria:

  • Previous academic standing
  • Credits earned
  • Academic performance
  • Local assessment
  • Specific curriculum/placement tests for elementary students

Grade Classification

Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade will be classified by chronological grade as if they were in a traditional brick and mortar school. However, if a student is taking classes at various grade levels, he/she will be classified in the grade level where the majority of classes are taken.

Students in grades 9-12 will be classified by grade level based on the number of credits earned not to exceed their chronological grade level. The following shows the amount of credits needed in order to be in the corresponding grade level:

Sophomore 5.25 credits

Junior 10.5 credits

Senior 15.75 credits

Graduation Requirements

In order to be a full-time student, high school students in grades 9-12 must carry a minimum of five classes plus physical education each semester. PA Cyber encourages parents to monitor their student’s progress toward meeting graduation requirements. Parents must support PA Cyber to ensure that all graduation requirements are met by the student’s senior year. Students are entitled to four years of high school beginning with their 9th grade start year. Typically, students begin to accumulate credits as a freshman. In order to graduate from PA Cyber, students must complete at least 22 credits including the following subject areas and credit requirements:

Language Arts4 credits (English 9 & English 10 are recommended)

Mathematics4 credits (Algebra 1 is required)

Social Studies4 credits

Science3 credits (Biology is required)

Fine Arts2 credits

Physical Education1 credit

Health0.5 credits

Electives3.5 credits

*Graduation Project is required

* Proficiency in State Assessment Requirements

Students must complete all required coursework no less than two weeks prior to graduation if they plan to participate in commencement ceremonies. They must also satisfy all other school requirements and comply with all school policies. They must return all school property no less than 48 hours before commencement.

Seniors who fail to meet all of the above requirements cannot participate in the commencement ceremony. They can arrange to receive their diploma by mail or pick it up in the school office when they have complied with all requirements.

Grading Scale

PA Cyber adheres to the following grading scale:

100-90%A

89-80%B

79-70%C

69-60%D

Below 60%F

Mid-Year Transfer Students

PA Cyber may accept students throughout the academic year. Acceptance to the program, academic placement, and awarding of high school credits are determined by our transfer procedures and on a case-by-case basis. Students who enroll mid-year may, at the discretion of the school, be given the curriculum with completion periods different from the academic calendar. In such cases, the student’s Academic Advisor will determine workloads and target completion schedules.

Drops/Transfers

Once a PA Cyber student enrolls in his/her chosen course(s), the student is expected to successfully complete each course before progressing to the next level. If the parent or student wishes to drop a course or transfer from one course to another, the parent must request the change by contacting the Academic Advisor within 30 days of course enrollment. The Academic Advisor must approve the drop/transfer. The parent/student must immediately return all materials and textbooks. When a course is dropped within the acceptable 30 day period, no listing will appear on the student’s record. When a course is dropped after the 30 day period, a grade of F “withdrawal fail” will appear on the student’s record.

Students enrolled in virtual classes earn credit only when they successfully complete the entire course. Virtual classes begin in September, are 36 weeks in length, and are worth 1 full credit. There are some virtual courses that are 18 weeks in length and worth ½ credit. For a complete list, please refer to your course catalog.

A PA Cyber parent/student may add a course to the student’s schedule by contacting and getting the approval of the Academic Advisor.

Student Progress

At PA Cyber, students, parents, and staff must work together to ensure academic progress. Students are expected to complete all assignments promptly according to curriculum instructions and in a manner consistent with all school policies. Parents must monitor and assist students daily.

Members of the instructional staff are available by phone or email as needed for assistance. Parents and students may also arrange a personal visit at any of our locations to discuss academic progress. PA Cyber instructional staff or administration also reserves the right to schedule a parent meeting to discuss student academic progress. PA Cyber staff may recommend regular on-site attendance at one of our PA Cyber locations.

The instructional staff will intervene if a student does not:

  • Fulfill assignments on a regular and consistent basis
  • Pass any midterm, final, or achievement test
  • Meet course expectations
  • Maintain adequate pacing in courses
  • Communicate as required on a regular basis with instructional staff

Asynchronous Course Pacing

PA Cyber has a course pacing policy that will aidstudents to reach their educational goals. In addition to providing accountability, pacing will ensure that students are attaining various state and national educational standards. PA Cyber establishes course expiration dates for all self-paced courses. These expiration dates will be displayed on the My School Portal ( and in the Student Grade Summary Report also available on the My School Portal. Additionally, students and parents will be notified through daily e-mail alerts when they have 15 days remaining prior to the course expiration date. At the time of the course expiration date, an extension may be granted for extenuating circumstances with administrative approval or based on a student’s IEP. Otherwise,the remaining assignment(s) will be zeroed out and a final course grade will be issued. If the student’s final course percentage is below 60% the student will receive an F on thestudent record. Pacing requirements for the various curriculum offerings are below:

Student Assessment

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)/Keystone Assessment

All public school students are required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to participate in the PSSA and/or Keystone Assessments. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide transportation for their student to and from the designated testing site on the appropriate days.

Universal Screening

Students will participate in reading and mathematics computer adaptive assessments that adjust to each student’s instructional level. All students in grades K-11 will test two to three times annually, depending on grade level, to enable instructional staff to identify student’s area(s) of need. An individualized intervention plan is developed and will be implemented by the Academic Advisor, teachers, tutors, teacher facilitators, mentors, and parents.

Response to Instruction and Intervention

RtII is a three-tiered intervention strategy to enable early identification and intervention for student at academic or behavioral risk. RtII allows PA Cyber educators to identify and address academic and behavioral difficulties to avoid student failure. PA Cyber educators assist in preventing failure by monitoring student response to a series of increasingly intense interventions. This careful observation also provides data that may guide eligibility decisions for learning disabilities.

Tier 1 is designed to provide early assistance to students beginning with the selection of their courses to baseline assessments that are performed in the fall and spring to Open Tutoring that students can attend Monday through Friday. There are a variety of different resources that you and your Academic Advisor can investigate together.

Tier 2 will be introduced to students when baseline testing results are not proficient and the student needs additional interventions in conjunction with their curriculum.

Tier 3 will be provided as needed and may include referring students for Title 1 services, including math and reading coaching.

Curriculum Selection

After the enrollment process is complete and an Academic Advisor is assigned to the student, the student, the parent, and the Academic Advisor review transcripts. Upon review of transcripts, this team will then discuss curriculum options and confirm final course selection. The Academic Advisor then completes the ordering process. Subsequent course selection occurs through discussion between the parent/student and Academic Advisor.

Curriculum Providers

Curriculum provider information is available on our school website under Curriculum Overview/About Our Classes. A course catalog is given to each family at the initial interview and is also available online.

Physical Education

Pennsylvania Public School Law requires all students to complete an annual course in physical education. Physical education credits are also required for high school graduation. In compliance with the law, the school requires elementary students through sixth grade to complete 36 hours of organized supervised physical activity each school year. Students in grades seven through twelve are required to complete 72 hours of activity. These requirements can be met through a variety of physical, athletic, and recreational activities. Students are required to include physical education hours in theircourse log. Please contact your Academic Advisor with questions about specific activities. All physical education hours must be submitted by April 30th.

If a student is unable to participate in physical education, the student must submit a doctor’s excuse stating a specific reason for the excuse and specifying a period of time for which the excuse is in effect.

Fine Arts

Students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade must participate in both art and music each school year. Kindergarten students enrolled in the Little Lincoln or Calvert curriculum will not be enrolled in an additional fine arts course, as their curriculum fulfills both the art and music requirement.

Students in grades 1-7 will complete the Arts Alive! Junior course. There are various levels to the course: Primary for grades 1-3, Intermediate for grades 4-5, and Middle for grades 6-7. The course has two parts, Part A and Part B. Each part has three units consisting of six video podcasts, lessons, and activities to ensure complete understanding of the concept presented. Both parts must be successfully completed in order to pass Fine Arts for the school year.

Students in grade 8 must take either Art and Music Exploration or Virtual Fine Arts 8.

Books and Related Materials

All books and course materials are the property of PA Cyber. The school will ship the necessary materials that are needed for their courses. Students/parents are responsible for the replacement costs of any lost or damaged books or materials. If the student withdraws or transfers from a course, the parent must contact PA Cyber for specific instructions on returning course material.

ATTENDANCE

All persons residing in the Commonwealth between the ages of six and twenty-one years are entitled to a free and appropriate education in the Commonwealth’s public schools. This right extends to migrant, homeless, pregnant, married, and emancipated students. Parents and guardians of children, between the ages of eight until the age of seventeen or graduation from high school,whichever occurs first, are required by the compulsory attendance law to ensure that their children attend an approved educational institution unless legally excused. Pennsylvania defines truancy as when a student of compulsory school age does not attend school for three or more days without a valid excuse for the absences. Every parent, guardian, or person in a parental relationship who is responsible for a student between the ages of eight tosixteen is responsible for making sure that the student attends school on a regular basis. PA Cyber will notify the school district of residence of any student who is truant.

Once enrolled with PA Cyber, students and their parents will be held accountable for completing work at home in a manner consistent with the PA Cyber Academic Calendar and the specific requirements of their chosen academic curriculum. PA Cyber tracks attendance through electronic monitoring of students accessing their live classes, content and curriculum through the MySchool Portal.

State law requires all students to attend 180 days of classes, including 900 hours of instruction for primary students through grade six, and 990 hours of instruction for students in grades seven through twelve. Student attendance and progress are key factors in meeting academic expectations of the school.

The laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provide for a $300 per day fine and allow the court to impose education classes and community service sentences upon parents of a truant student who do not show they took reasonable steps to ensure the student’s school attendance. It provides that the parent and student must appear at a hearing before the district magistrate. This law also provides that truant students can lose their driver’s license for 90 days for a first offense and six months for a second offense.

Excused/UnexcusedAbsence

A parent must notify the PA CyberAttendance Departmentif the student is absent or ill for any reason. The parent must indicate the nature of the absence and the period the student is unavailable. The school may require a doctor’s excuse if this absence is illness-related. The school may, at its discretion, consider the student truant if the school is not properly notifiedor if the reason for the absence cannot be verified. A valid excuse for absence from PA Cyber may include illness, family emergency, death of a family member, medical or dental appointments, court-ordered hearing, religious holiday, school activities and educational travel with prior approval. A parent has three days from the time of the unexcused absence to respond. A maximum of ten cumulative lawful absences verified by parent notification may be permitted during a school year. All absences beyond 10 cumulative days may require an excuse from a physician.

Consecutive Unexcused Absences

Pursuant to Chapter 11.24 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code:

Students whose names are on the active membership roll, who are at anytime in the school term absent from school for 10 consecutive school days, shall thereafter be removed from the active membership roll unless one of the following occurs:

(1)PA Cyber has been provided with evidence that the absence may be legally excused.

(2)Compulsory attendance prosecution has been or is being pursued.

PA Cyber will inform the student and his or her parents, in writing, that the student has approached the ten day threshold in an effort to prevent removal from the rolls. If the parent/guardian has not provided an acceptable excuse for their child’s absences, and if no compulsory attendance prosecution is being pursued by the resident school district after written notice to the resident school district of the student’s truancy, the student will be informed, in writing, that he/she has been removed from the active membership roll of PA Cyber. In addition, if the student is compulsory age, their residentialschool district will be notified of the student’s removal.

Truancy

PA Cyber shall report to the student’s school district of residence when a student of compulsory age has accrued 3 or more days of unexcused absences. It is the responsibility of the resident school district to enforce the compulsory attendance laws in accordance with the Public School Code. However, PA Cyber will follow PDE’s recommended responses to unlawful absences for the first, second, and third unlawful absences including the school/family meeting and implementation of a Truancy Elimination Plan. PA Cyber may also refer the child to the county children and youth agency if applicable.

Live Session/Attendance Requirements

Blended Classroom (BC)-Live Session Attendance

Attendance in the live component of the Blended Classroom is mandatory for all students unless otherwise exempt by the Blended Classroom Teacher. The criteria a student must meet in order to become exempt is as follows:

  • Kindergarten-Beginning November 1, 2015 if a student has a passing grade for the course, he/she will not be required to attend a live blended session unless otherwise noted by the classroom teacher.
  • Grades First through Twelfth-Students with an overall grade of C or below and/or are not meeting adequate and consistent progress will be required to attend a live blended session unless otherwise noted by the BC teacher. Students will receive an email by the 25th of each month to notify them if attendance in the upcoming month is mandatory.

Attendance is strongly recommended for all live, blended sessions. Mandatory BC attendance is typically determined on a monthly basis; however, the BC teacher reserves the right to determine attendance status at any time based on the individual student’s needs for success. Failure to attend a BC session for any given subject area may result in an unexcused absence for the individual course session unless a valid excuse is provided within three (3) calendar days to the Attendance Department.

Students who miss more than 10 minutes of a class period may be marked absent for the individual class at the teacher’s discretion.

Virtual Classroom (VC)-Live Session Attendance

Attendance in all assigned live, virtual sessions is mandatory for any student enrolled in a VC course. Failure to attend a virtual class session for any given subject area may result in an unexcused absence for the individual course session unless a valid excuse is provided within three (3) calendar days to the Attendance Department.

Students who miss more than 10 minutes of a class period may be marked absent for the individual class at the teacher’s discretion.