Secondary Grades Course Selection

Mid-Year Enrollment

GCA operates on a semester calendar where students take part A of a course during the 1st semester and part B during 2nd semester.  Students enrolling during the Spring semester who are transferring from a block schedule or who did not complete course work during the Fall semester will be scheduled for one semester elective courses.  While all students are typically scheduled for 4 core classes and 2 electives, it is not beneficial for a student to enroll in the 2nd half of a course without having exposure to the first half.

Schedule Changes

Students are scheduled for the full academic school year prior to the start of school or upon enrollment. Students enrolling in the Fall have up to two weeks from the date they start classes to request schedule changes for first and second semester.  Schedule changes requested after this deadline are permitted under extenuating circumstances, which may include:

• Course scheduled that the student previously passed
• Less than 6 courses scheduled
• More than one course scheduled during a period
• Changes needed to accommodate an IEP
• Changes needed to accommodate a 504 Plan

Course Prerequisites

Many of our higher-level courses require successful completion of lower-level courses. For students to enroll in a course with an established prerequisite, the student must provide documentation of successful completion/ earned credit for the prerequisite. Please see the Secondary Grades 9-12 Course Catalog for a listing of course prerequisites.

Middle Grades Students Taking Secondary Grades (High School) Courses

Middle grades students are permitted to take high school courses for high school credit provided they have met the Advanced & Gifted criteria for doing so. These courses may count for both middle grades full-time load requirements and for the high school diploma requirements. If counted for high school diploma credit, the grades will be visible on the student’s permanent high school transcript. All requests for middle grades students to take high school coursework are subject to approval by the Advanced & Gifted Assistant Director.

Honors Courses

Honors courses feature their own specific requirements as follows:

• Teacher and Counselor recommendations are required for students to enroll in an Honors course.
• Students requesting Honors placement without recommendation and/or fulfillment of the following criteria are permitted upon receipt of a signed acknowledgement form:
  • Have earned a B+ (85% or above) grade in the prior course within that subject or course path.
  • Have earned a Level 3 or Level 4 (Proficient or Distinguished) on EOC or EOG in the corresponding subject or course path for at least 2 years prior.
  • If prior EOC or EOG data is not available, have earned at least a Level 3 or 4 on NWEA MAP Projected Proficiency for that content area. NWEA MAP assessment must be taken on camera to validate placement.
  • Have a history of completing work and assessments on time.
• Students and parents must sign Honors Memo of Understanding

Advanced Placement Courses

Advanced Placement (AP) courses feature their own specific requirements that are as follows:

• Teacher and Counselor recommendations are required for students to enroll in an AP course.
• Students requesting AP placement without recommendation and/or fulfillment of the following criteria are permitted upon receipt of a signed acknowledgement form:
  • Have earned a B+ (85% or above) grade in the prior course within that subject or course path.
  • Have earned a Level 3 or Level 4 (Proficient or Distinguished) on EOC or EOG in the corresponding subject or course path for at least 2 years prior.
  • If prior EOC or EOG data is not available, have earned at least a Level 3 or 4 on NWEA MAP Projected Proficiency for that content area. NWEA MAP assessment must be taken on camera to validate placement.
  • Have a history of completing work and assessments on time.
• Student and parent must sign AP Memo of Understanding.
• It is the expectation that all GCA students enrolled in AP courses will be prepared for success and should plan to take the AP exam

Dual Enrollment Courses

Georgia Cyber Academy students may take dual credits beginning in 10th grade, meaning students are dual enrolled with GCA and at a college or university. Students should schedule an advisement session with the Dual Enrollment counselor assigned to them and attend a Dual Enrollment Information Session for details on this program, criteria for placement, and assistance in course selection. Additional information regarding Dual Enrollment, including Dual Enrollment counselor contact information can be found on the Dual Enrollment page.

Students should be aware that Dual Enrollment courses may not transfer to their post secondary institution of choice. It is the responsibility of students to check the transfer credits policy of their intended college or university.

Students at GCA may also participate in the Post-Secondary Graduation Option, which assists them in completing a college diploma, college certificate (2 certificates if completing Option B), or working toward a degree while in high school through the dual enrollment program.

Dual enrollment students will have elevated permissions on their GCA provided devices to accommodate their various course requirements. If you have specific technology requests, please send an email to technology@georgiacyber.org and include a copy of your course syllabus.

Learn more about Dual Enrollment at GCA.

CTAE Elective Pathways

Career (CTAE Elective) Pathways refer to a prescribed order of courses that are intended to develop student’s academic and occupational skills within a career category. Throughout the course of study, students will gain an understanding of the relationship between what they learn in school and what employers, colleges and universities expect of high school graduates wishing to enter a specific career field.

Students take courses in the prescribed order within the chosen pathway to allow for maximum success as the student progresses to the upper-level courses. Students are expected to complete all prerequisites prior to enrolling in upper-level courses. Prerequisites will be enforced in all courses. Courses with prerequisites should not be taken at the same time.  Students who complete all courses in their pathway will be eligible to take the End of Pathway Assessment, which is an industry recognized credential in the field of study. GCA may offer some End of Pathway Assessments for students, but this is not guaranteed. However, all students can work with their counselor to help them find assistance with registration and preparation for their End of Pathway Assessment as an individual, whether it is offered by GCA or another testing site. Students who complete and pass their respective End of Pathway Assessments are more prepared for work in their respective fields.

Students may take CTAE elective courses as early as 9^th grade depending on their individualized high school graduation plan.  It is possible for students to complete more than one pathway, especially if the two pathways are related in their field of study and share some of the same courses. Students should consult with their counselors beginning in 8th grade to discuss different pathways and their outcomes regarding student college and career readiness. Students may complete pathways offered by GCA or through approved Dual Enrollment courses. Students who wish to complete a pathway through the Dual Enrollment program must meet the admissions requirements for Dual Enrollment and other GCA Dual Enrollment guidelines.

Course materials for specific CTAE courses may include a secondary GCA device, a Windows computer. To receive the device, you must read, sign, and submit a DocuSign that you will receive from your teacher, indicating your understanding of, and adherence to, the return policy on the device.

The Acceptable Use Policy governing the procedures, rules, guidelines and the code of conduct for use of technology and the information network still apply to the secondary device.

Learn more about CTAE.

Work Based Learning

The Work-Based Learning Program is a structured experience for juniors and seniors that connects the student’s career goal and classroom learning with a productive work environment. Work-Based Learning provides students with opportunities for instruction not only in academics but also in occupational skills, career exploration, and guidance in identifying employment and educational goals. Students have the opportunity to connect what they learn in school with work-site application, enabling a smooth transition into the workforce and/or postsecondary education. Students must be 16 years of age, have a 2.2 GPA, as well as a chosen CTAE Pathway.

The Work Based Learning Program at GCA has team members called "Work Based Learning Site Specialists" who visit and evaluate the job sites of Work Based Learning students regularly throughout the semester. Site Specialists help ensure safety, compliance and that the learning experience is beneficial for the students. The Work Based Learning team at GCA will evaluate new job sites and have the ability to end a placement or partnership at any time if it is determined that the environment is not safe, is not conducive to the learning goals of work-based learning or that the site violates any Work Based Learning agreements or standards.

Learn more about Work-Based Learning.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Requirements

Courses taken with GCA are not NCAA eligible. Students who are seeking NCAA eligibility should contact their GCA High School Counselor. Counselors will send reminders throughout the year asking students to contact them if they are interested in being NCAA eligible.

All students have an assigned school counselor. Please reference the Counseling section for the district counseling department directory and other counseling information.

GCA Approved Programs for Additional Academic Credit (Optional)*

Students are permitted to take courses through outside programs to earn academic credit. The course must be approved by the student’s high school counselor prior to registration in order to count for transfer credit.

Tuition/Course Fees for optional additional courses are not covered by GCA.

Approved Programs

• Georgia Virtual School (GVS) - Georgia Virtual School is a program of the Georgia Department of Education’s Office of Technology Services. The program is SACS CASI accredited and operates in partnership with schools and parents to offer middle school and high school level courses across the state.
• The Keystone School - The Keystone School is an online high school that serves a wide range of students who need flexibility. Call 1-800-255-4937 to speak with a Student Services Representative from 8AM – 8PM Monday-Friday. You will be guided through course selection and payment options.
• BYU Independent Study - BYU Independent Study is an online education program that offers high school courses. Students are able to enroll at any time. BYU Independent Study provides 3 different types of courses. The 3 types are Paper/Online, Online, and Instructor-Guided Online Courses. Online courses are taught by certified instructors. Registration: By phone 1-800-914- 8931 or online.
• National High School - National High School is a 100% online school that provides courses for credit recovery/credit transfer and NCAA classes. There are certified teachers provided for each online class. There will be 24/7 access to the online classroom and live online lectures weekly. It generally takes 8 weeks to complete a course for 1 credit or 4 weeks to complete a 1/2 credit course.

*Please note, any courses taken through another school other than GVS would be in addition to the student’s six (6) regularly scheduled required GCA courses. As these courses would be additional optional electives, tuition/course fees are not covered by Georgia Cyber Academy.

In specialized cases where GCA does not offer the course that a student needs to complete a particular academic course path, GCA at its sole discretion may allow students to take one or more of their six (6) required courses through Georgia Virtual School at no additional cost to the student. Typically, this is utilized for some AP and CTAE courses

Course Audits

Auditing a course allows a student to take a course without the benefit of a grade or credit for the course. Generally, a student who audits a course does so for the purposes of self-enrichment and academic exploration. Currently, Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) does not allow students the option of taking coursework for audit. All courses taken at GCA and courses approved from another institution will appear on the official transcript, with a numerical grade. The only exception to this will be for late enrollees, as determined by administration.