High School Courses

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 High School Course Catalog on our website for a listing of course prerequisites.

Middle School Students Taking High School Courses

Middle school students are permitted to take high school courses for high school credit. These courses may count for both middle school 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 school students to take high school coursework are subject to approval by the Advanced & Gifted Assistant Director and/or the Special Programs Director.

Honors Courses

Honors courses feature their own specific requirements that are 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.
• Student and parent 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 on and should plan to take the AP exam.

Dual Enrollment Courses

Georgia Cyber Academy students may take dual credits beginning in 9th grade, meaning students are dually enrolled with GCA and at a college or university. Students should speak with their counselor and the Dual Enrollment Coordinator for details on this program, criteria for placement, and assistance in course selection.

Students should be aware that dual enrollment will not always count as college credit at other post-secondary institutions. It is the responsibility of students to check the policies of their intended colleges on transfer credits.

Understanding CTAE Pathways
Career 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.

CTAE Elective Prerequisites and Course Progression
Students should 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.

Work Based Learning

The Work-Based Learning Program is a structured experience 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 2.0 GPA, as well as a chosen CTAE Pathway. For more information, please contact our Work-Based Learning Coordinators.

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 GCA Counseling Department Directory.

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 Student Services Representatives are standing by 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 and in addition to the student’s six (6) regularly scheduled required GCA courses are optional and 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, 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 does not allow students the option of taking coursework for audit. All courses taken at Georgia Cyber Academy and courses approved from another institution will appear on the official transcript, with a letter grade. The only exception to this will be for late enrollees, as determined by administration.

Transfer Credits for Courses Taken Prior to Enrollment

Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) allows the transfer of high school course credits for full-time students, provided an official transcript is submitted from the accredited school where the credit was earned. GCA will determine which credits are recognized and in which subject credit is awarded. Students transferring to GCA from other schools are subject to the diploma requirements found in this handbook.

Official transcripts are analyzed by GCA Guidance Counselor and GCA Registrar. Students will receive notification of transfer credit decisions and posting of credits when the analysis is completed. Official transcripts from other institutions that have been presented for admission or evaluation become part of the student’s academic file and are not returned or copied for distribution.

Georgia Cyber Academy Procedures for Awarding Home School Credit

Georgia Cyber Academy does not automatically accept course credits earned in home school. GCA has three categories of courses from non-accredited sources to determine credit: 1) course with a corresponding EOC 2) course that satisfies an elective credit for graduation and 3) a course that satisfies an academic course requirement for graduation.

The GCA Home School Transcript Form must be submitted as an application for credit and should explain in detail what the course curriculum covered. The assigned School Counselor will evaluate the GCA Home School Transcript Form to compare the course description provided on the form to the Georgia course description and determine if 1) the course lines up with state standards and if course credit can be awarded 2) further assessment is needed 3) the student needs to take the EOC for course credit.

Students are placed on a probationary period of one semester in the grade that coincides with the number of credits submitted on the GCA Home School Transcript (with a maximum of seven per year). If the student has not taken OR passed the appropriate corresponding assessments at the end of one semester, the student will not be awarded the respective credits and will then be placed into the grade level based on the final number of credits awarded. All home school grades accepted for course credit will be excluded from GPA calculations.

Awarding Credit for Courses with a Corresponding EOC:

• Credit will be awarded for homeschool courses with the receipt of a passing EOC score. The grade placed on the transcript will be the grade given on the homeschool transcript, pending passing score earned on corresponding EOC. The homeschool grade will be excluded from GPA calculations.
• If a student takes the EOC and does not score a 70 or better then the course will be placed on the transcript with “NG” for No Grade. The NG does not affect credit total or GPA in any way, but it shows an accurate reflection of the student’s history.

Awarding credit for courses that satisfy an elective credit for graduation:

• If a thorough course description is submitted on the GCA Home School Transcript Form, credit will be awarded. The homeschool grade will be excluded from GPA calculations.

Awarding credit for courses that satisfy an academic course for graduation:

• Counselors will use their expertise along with the assistance of content area experts to determine if the student has mastered the curriculum. After comparing the submitted 27
  course description to the Georgia course description, the counselor may request further assessment from the respective subject area Lead Teacher to ensure content was covered. A formal assessment may or may not be warranted. After the counselor and/or Lead Teacher determine standards have been met, course credit will be awarded with the grade reflected on student’s homeschool transcript. The homeschool grade will be excluded from GPA calculations.

Transfer Credits for Outside Courses Taken While Enrolled

Any credits taken outside of GCA must be pre-approved by administration and/or guidance counselors to be considered as potential transfer credit.

Transferring GCA Credits to Another School

Course credits earned at Georgia Cyber Academy are transferrable at the discretion of the receiving school, which has the right to award or deny credit transfers based on their policies.