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Academic Focus: Curriculum and Instruction

Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) is committed to providing a rigorous Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) based curriculum and a solid system of support for all students. GCA students are provided with coursework in: Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. K-8th grade electives include required PE/Health (K-8th), required Art (K-5th), required Computer Science (6th-8th), optional Spanish (K -8th), optional Writing Fun (6-8th), optional Computer Science (K-5th), and optional Art (6th-8th). Two electives per semester are provided for grades 9-12 and vary by academic course path and individualized goals. GCA also provides supplemental tools and resources for standards-based review/practice to include, but are not limited to: iXL, Type to Learn, Edmentum (Study Island), BrainPOP, i-Ready, NWEA Accelerate, and Progress Learning. The provided supplemental tools and resources offered vary by a student’s grade level, individual learning plan, and required interventions.

All students take two electives as indicated in the preceding paragraph. Electives, whether optional or required, include graded assignments. 100% of elective courses must be completed and will be shown with a grade on the student report card.

Students may also take additional optional electives (more than 6 courses/subjects) if they scored proficient or distinguished on all sections of the previous year’s Milestones assessments and/or are part of the Gifted & Advanced program. For 1st-3rd students and 4th-8th grade students without previous year’s Milestones assessment scores, the students must demonstrate grade level proficiency on all NWEA MAP to participate in additional optional electives (more than 6 courses/subjects). These additional optional electives (more than 6 courses/subjects) may be offered synchronously or asynchronously. Also, additional optional electives (more than 6 courses/subjects) will be taken for a grade.

All students taking additional optional courses/subjects must maintain an 80 or above in all academic contents, turn assignments in on time, be compliant to attendance & engagement policies, and follow all school policies. Students will be removed from additional optional courses/subjects for failure to attend all required classes and/or to maintain adequate progress in any subject. Additional options include:

  • K through 8th grade students – Spanish, Computer Science
  • 6th - 8th grade students – Art, Writing Fun
  • 8th grade Advanced & Gifted students – High School Spanish (for HS credit)
  • Advanced & Gifted Students may have additional options based on their individual Gifted Educational Plans

Georgia Cyber Academy encourages students to complete assigned lessons within each content area course, since courses in the subsequent grade levels assume completion of lessons in the prior grade. A lesson is completed when the student has mastered the objectives, as measured by the lesson assessment. Learning Coaches and students should work very closely with their teachers to decipher the best course of action when determining the time management of lesson and assessment completion.

The GCA Online School is designed to collect and record data that substantiates the academic progress of each student. Therefore, it is mandatory that the Online School is used to collect assignment/assessment data that reflects the standing of the student. Any academic activities the student engages in each school day should be recorded

by the Learning Coach as attendance and must be entered into Nucleus (our attendance module) by the Learning Coach each school day. This data serves as one of the primary tools for determining advancement into subsequent course levels in conjunction with the minutes automatically captured from student attendance in required online class sessions; together they count as attendance.

It is essential that parents of GCA students understand that, by enrolling in GCA, they agree to ensure that their students participate in the academic programs as designed, including completing all coursework, recording attendance, participating in required interactions with assigned teachers/staff, checking their email daily, and participating in school and state-mandated assessments.

GCA requires that parents/students submit work assignments to assist teachers with the decision to advance a student to the next course/grade level. GCA requires student work to be original, with appropriate citations for references to published works. Parents/students are provided work assignment guidelines from their assigned teacher(s). Work assignments are submitted electronically.  GCA understands that our school is academically rigorous. Meeting the challenge of completing one year of course work in this model can be demanding. Our certified, highly qualified teachers and support staff are here to assist parents/ learning coaches to meet the associated challenges.

A student identified as “academically at-risk” would hold a differentiated priority of contact, as determined by the teacher and the parent, and increased interventions may be warranted. It is vital to note that academically at- risk students require a greater commitment to remediation and support. Students who are identified as academically at-risk may receive additional Response to Intervention (RtI/MTSS) support. Students and Learning Coaches are required to comply with all recommendations to address the current academic needs of the student.