The Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) is a public cyber charter school approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and open to all students in grades Kâ€"12 (ages 5â€"21) who reside in the state of Pennsylvania.
Overview
As a cyber school, PA Leadership provides educational content over the Internet. As a Pennsylvania public charter school, any student residing in Pennsylvania can choose to enroll in the school. After a registration and orientation process students receive a laptop computer, 3-in-1 printer-scanner-copier, headset-microphone, textbooks, learning kits and online resources.
School
Schedule
PALCS follows a standard school year of 180 days. They have a similar school calendar to a typical brick and mortar, i.e. winter break, spring break, and in-service days. In order to track attendance, students are required to log in to Canvas every school day (Monday through Friday). Students are not required to log in at any specific time or for any amount of time unless a live class session is scheduled. It is strongly suggested that families set a schedule and actively engage in school work for roughly five to seven hours a day. The flexible structure gives student the ability to participate in extracurricular activities such as traveling, sports, acting or dancing.
Students attend school by logging on to the school website, a Canvas-based learning management system, every Mondayâ€"Friday during the school year and complete the assignments by a specified deadline, which is normally one week after the assignment is posted by the teacher. Students have access to their assignments 24/7 and can work from any Internet-connected computer.
Elementary school
PALCS Elementary School, catering to students in grades K-5, provides students with four core classes and multiple electives. Students are required to attend 2â€"3 virtual lessons a week, each lesson lasts 30â€"45 minutes. These lessons are at the same time each week.
Middle school
PALCS Middle School, catering to students in grades 6â€"8, provides students with four core classes and multiple electives. Students are required to attend one virtual lesson a week in Language Arts, otherwise, they are required to at least watch the recordings of the other lessons.
High school
PALCS High School, with students in grades 9â€"12, provides students with at least four core classes of varying rank (Academic, College Prep, Honors, AP), and over 95 electives. PALCS High School students are not required to attend any virtual lessons during the course of a week, but they are required to watch the recordings. PALCS courses are NAACP approved for students looking to continue with athletics in their college career.
Standardized testing
PALCS Students are required to take PSSAs or Keystone Exams during their school career. PALCS provides testing centers statewide that students attend.
Additional programs
PA Leadership Charter School offers additional programs to currently enrolled students and families Some of these programs may require an additional application or audition.
University Scholars Program
The University Scholars Program is an honors program which offers a specialized gifted education curriculum for advanced and motivated learners in grades 6â€"12. Students interested in this program must show excellence in academics. Students can attend online and on-site in West Chester, PA. Applications and interviews are assessed a year in advance.
Center for Performing and Fine Arts
The Center for Performing and Fine Arts offers an advanced program to students in grades 6-12 in four disciplines: theater, fine art, music, and dance. Students can attend online or at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts in West Chester, PA. Applications and auditions are assessed a year in advance.
School for Professional Studies
The School of Professional Studies allows students in grades 9â€"12 to select a career specialization, complete electives relevant to their specialization and earn a certificate upon graduation. Students can choose from over 15 tracks to help them prepare for college and the workplace. Certificates cover a wide range of topics from arts and humanities to science and technology.
Awards and recognitions
- Rated A- online school
- In 2017, Best of Charter High School in PA, ranked 3rd out of 72 by Niche.com and 7th for standout school in PA
- Ranked #1 for highest SAT scores for PA cyber schools
- Rated 6th out of 122 online high schools in the USA
- 40% of its staff have been there more than five years.
- Teacher Ms. Kofeldt was winner of the 2017 EdTech Leader Award.
References
External links
- Official website
