The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School: A Virtual Case Study Jennifer Martin March 2013 EDTC 650

Introduction  Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School  Chartered in 2000  Serves students in Pennsylvania of all ages  Variety of educational opportunities  Persuasive and positive  Missing essential information

Agenda  History  Mission  Curriculum  Website  Strengths  Weaknesses  Conclusion

History of PA Cyber Charter School  Midland, Pennsylvania  Relied on steel mill production  Mills closed in 1982  Loss of and tax dollars  Midland High closed in 1986  Students bused to Ohio schools  Lawmakers look for solution

History of PA Cyber Charter School  1997 Act 22 Charter School Law  Technologic loop hole  Chartered in the year 2000  Initial enrollment of 500  Current enrollment of 11,

PA Cyber Charter School Mission  Serve PA students K-12 tuition free (PDOE, 2011)  Meet the needs of students who were not successful in a traditional classroom environment (PCCS, 2013b)  Provide education utilizing “current technology” (PCCS, 2013b)  Be a “leader of cyber education in Pennsylvania” (PCCS, 2013b)  “Develop best practices and… academic excellence” (PCCS, 2013b)  Create a “student centered” (PCCS, 2013b) environment  “Provide safe and orderly environment” (PCCS, 2013b)

PA Cyber Charter School Enrollment  Open to all PA students K-12  Required to enroll face to face (PDOE, 2011)  Students assigned an Instructional Supervisor (IS)

Roll of the Instructional Supervisor Instructional Supervisor works with the families to; - Reviews student’s academic records and needs - Chooses appropriate curriculum for student - Creates student’s class schedules - Monitors student’s progress - Intervenes when students are struggling - Suggests changes to curriculum and work as needed - Keeps in contact with families bi-weekly wn.com/PA_Cyber_Instructional_Supervisors

PA Cyber Charter School Enrollment  Students given technology and resources needed combos-c-1941_1942.html tablets/bamboo Printer-Q7311A-ABA/dp/B000B63RIU Notebook Computer Headset and Microphone Wacom TabletHP All in One PrinterInternet Access

PA Cyber Curriculum Overview Synchronous Asynchronous cyber-schoolhouse /

Synchronous Courses  Real Time Learning  Pacing similar to a traditional classroom  Live interaction with the teacher and peers  Classes conducted several hours per week content/uploads/2011/05/virtual-classroom.png

Synchronous Courses  Utilizes Elluminate software sheppartoncrtsupportnetwork.blogspot.com/2010/06/virtual-conferencing-with-elluminate.html

Asynchronous Courses  Self-paced learning  Need scheduling flexibility  Work with IS extensively

Curriculum Offerings Grades Grades Pre K - 2 Grades Pre K - 5

Curriculum Offerings – Lincoln Interactive  Students grades 3-12  online semester courses  Asynchronous and Synchronous offerings  All core subjects and electives interactive/lincoln-interactive

Curriculum Offerings – Lincoln Interactive Technology Utilized; Code&wcprefix=ade&wcsuffix= kJ:content.lincolninteractive.com/I016m/Unit%25203/Lesson%25202/PowerPoint%2520U3L2.ppt+Lincoln+interactive+ppt&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl =us Online Games Podcasts Videos PowerPoint Presentations

Curriculum Offerings – Little Lincoln  Grades Pre K – 2  Instructional videos and games online  Off-line workbooks and hands-on activities  Second grade features online courses Online Games Videos

Curriculum Offerings – Calvert School  Grades Pre K – 5  Predominantly home schooling instruction  Hands-on materials for all subjects  Technology infused in math and science

PA Cyber Charter School Website

Website Advantages for Parents

Website Disadvantages for Parents

Website Advantages for Students

Website Disadvantages for Students

Conclusion Strengths  Offers a diverse range of academic opportunities  Persuasive testimonies  Social Networking  Many opportunities to socialize

Conclusion Weaknesses  Can be confusing to navigate  Does not offer current/all information about PSSAs (PDOE, 2012)  Lacking information for younger grades

References Keystone State Education Coalition. (2012). Pa cyber charter pssa ayp from pde. Retrieved from htmlhttp://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/11/pa-cyber-charter-pssa-ayp html Lincoln Interactive. (2013). Curriculum. Retrieved from National Network Digital Schools. (2010). Lincoln interactive. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2012). Course catalog Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013a). Pa cyber and midland. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013b). Our mission and vision. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013c). Curriculum overview. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013d). Technology learning. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013e). How does our school work? Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013f). Lincoln interactive. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. (2013g). The calvert school. Retrieved from Pennsylvania Department of Education. (1997). The pennsylvania law for charter schools. Retrieved from charter-schools/ Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2011). Charter annual report. Retrieved from Annual Report.pdfhttp:// Annual Report.pdf Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2012) PSSA and AYP Results. Retrieved from _pssa_and_ayp_results/ Stewart, S. (2013). How to use elluminiate. Retrieved from Vidonic, B. (2012, October 15). PA cyber charter school reorganizing administration. Pittsburgh Tribune Review (PA).