Teacher-Guided LAPS
Like laps around a track, students move through these connected instructional elements throughout the school day.
Instructional Schedule
We’ve strengthened the daily learning experience to ensure every student receives the structure, flexibility, and support they need to thrive.
At Georgia Cyber Academy, student support and achievement guide everything we do. As part of our continued commitment to helping every student succeed, we have refined how the school day is organized.
What has evolved is how instructional time is organized within the school day. Live teacher-led instruction, asynchronous learning, personalized learning, and targeted support to strengthen student achievement.
These instructional elements work together to help students build understanding, apply new skills, and receive the support they need to grow.
Why It Matters
Our instructional schedule is built around one clear goal: organizing the school day in a way that helps students master skills, apply their learning, and grow with confidence.
Live Instruction
Students participate in live teacher-led sessions each day. These sessions remain an important part of the learning experience and are carefully structured within the overall schedule. During live instruction, teachers focus on:
- Teaching and modeling key skills
- Checking for understanding
- Engaging students in meaningful discussion
- Providing direct, real-time guidance
Asynchronous Learning Time
Students also have scheduled time during the school day to complete teacher-assigned learning activities independently rather than attending a live class session.
During asynchronous learning time, students may:
- Work through recorded lessons
- Complete guided practice
- Engage in digital coursework
- Work on teacher-assigned projects or assignments
These activities are designed and assigned by teachers with clear expectations, deadlines, and deliverables. Teachers monitor student engagement, review completed work, and provide feedback to support continued academic progress.
Asynchronous learning is structured instructional time, not optional work or free time.
Personalized Learning Time
Students have dedicated time for teacher-assigned learning activities designed to match their strengths, needs, and skill level.
During these timeframes, students may work through recorded lessons, guided practice, projects, or other assignments selected by their teacher. These activities include clear expectations, deadlines, and checkpoints to support consistent progress.
Much of this work may occur asynchronously, meaning students complete assigned tasks independently within the timeframe established by their teacher.
Teachers monitor progress, review completed work, and provide feedback to support continued learning.
Live instruction and personalized learning work together to support mastery. Teachers introduce and guide new concepts during live sessions, and students apply those skills through teacher-assigned learning activities.
Targeted Small-Group Support (When It’s Needed)
Every student learns differently. Our schedule intentionally builds in time for:
- Small-group instruction
- Data-informed targeted support
- Personalized teacher guidance
This allows teachers to provide additional support or enrichment based on each student’s individual needs.
What This Means for Your Family
GCA families value clear expectations, consistent routines, and strong support. Learning Coaches support daily routines and check in on assignment completion, especially during personalized learning time. Parents guide, encourage, and help students stay organized and on schedule, but assignments, assessments, and projects must reflect the student’s own understanding and effort. This allows teachers to accurately assess student progress and provide the support students need to grow academically. When students take responsibility for their own learning, they build confidence, independence, and the skills necessary for long-term success.
A Structured, Predictable Day
Students have:
- A consistent daily schedule
- Live instruction with teachers
- Personalized learning timeframes with clear expectations
- Ongoing communication from teachers and staff
The school day is structured and predictable, designed to support student growth and engagement.
Structured Flexibility
While GCA follows a structured, teacher-led school day, flexibility is built into the model. Students engage in live instruction and also complete teacher-assigned learning activities independently within established timeframes.
For students with demonstrated academic readiness, there may be opportunities for increased flexibility while still maintaining clear expectations, staying on pace, and receiving ongoing teacher support.
Personalized Learning Time with Clear Expectations
You may hear the terms “personalized learning” or “asynchronous learning.”
At GCA, this refers to structured instructional time when students complete teacher-assigned learning activities designed to strengthen specific skills and demonstrate progress. These activities include clear expectations, deadlines, and checkpoints to support consistent progress.
During this time students:
- Complete teacher-assigned learning tasks
- Follow clear deadlines and checkpoints
- Receive teacher feedback and guidance
- Demonstrate visible academic progress
- Complete their own work
Students are expected to actively engage during these timeframes by completing assigned work within the timeframe provided.
This is purposeful instructional time designed to deepen learning — not unstructured “free time.”
Building Responsibility and Confidence
In addition to strengthening academic skills, this school day model helps students develop important life skills such as:
- Time management
- Organization
- Self-motivation
- Academic responsibility
Families can support their students by maintaining consistent routines, allowing students to complete their own work, and checking in on assignment progress.
Teachers remain responsible for instruction and guidance, and the partnership between home and school continues to support student success.
Student Success
Our commitment to putting student success first is paramount. By combining purposeful instruction, meaningful personalized learning, and targeted support, we have created a school day that helps every student grow academically and build confidence for the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is live instruction?
- What is asynchronous learning?
- What is Personalized Learning?
- What is targeted support?
- How do teachers know students are participating during personalized learning time?
- What if my child needs additional academic support?
- What about students with IEPs or 504 plans?
- When will my student know what their schedule is?
- Can I see a sample student schedule?
- What are students be responsible for?
- How can families support their students?
- Is personalized or asynchronous learning optional?
- Is my student required to participate?
- Can my student use asynchronous or personalized learning time to catch up on other assignments?
- How flexible is personalized or asynchronous learning time?
- What if my student is assigned Targeted Support?
- How is this different from previous years?