Our Robust Cyber School Course Catalog Prepares Students for the Future

The CCA curriculum includes core courses personalized to each learner.

Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) has created a vibrant, standards-aligned K-12 public school curriculum that not only gives our graduates career- and college-ready skills but provides students and their families the ability to customize their education to match their skills, interests and goals.

Because CCA is a cyber school, courses can be taken on a schedule that best suits a student and can be completed at an individual pace. That frees a student’s schedule to allow for multiple extracurricular activities, internships, a part-time job or more family time. The flexibility also opens the door for students to take advantage of CCA’s rich assortment of cyber school courses, from aquaponics and construction careers to video game design and restaurant management. CCA’s course catalog is full of interesting surprises and enriching learning opportunities for our students.

An Overview of CCA’s Course Catalog

From grades K through 12, CCA offers a core curriculum focused on courses in math, science, English/language arts and social studies. Our cyber school courses offer world languages as early as kindergarten, Honors courses beginning in third grade, Advanced Placement (AP) and college courses in high school and a lengthy list of electives covering a wide variety of interests and careers.

The cyber school course catalog for CCA typically runs well over 100 pages. CCA’s curriculum is always evolving and growing because we not only incorporate the new best practices into lessons but we strive to ensure our customized cyber school courses offer the latest subject matter content, aligned with state and national standards.

Online Math Courses for Cyber School Students

As with most core math curricula, our course offerings begin in kindergarten with emphasis on counting to 100, addition, subtraction, sorting and shapes. That progresses with measurement, money and fractions, and the concepts that higher math is built upon. Beginning in third grade, accelerated students can enroll in math enrichment in which each year they explore advanced math concepts and real-world problem-solving. Skills and strategy lessons in these Honors courses focus on helping students acquire and apply efficient procedures for calculations and learning multiple models and symbolic representation to connect understanding.

Certainly, math concepts can prove challenging for students of all ages, and CCA offers individual attention and tutoring to any student who needs extra support at any level of our math program. All CCA students can follow the natural progression of math courses as they would at all Pennsylvania public schools. Students who participate in CCA’s Honors math program can, by the time they are in high school, take courses ranging from algebra and geometry all the way through Advanced Placement calculus and statistics.

Science Courses at Our Cyber School

CCA offers a wide range of STEM education courses, which include Honors courses and electives in the sciences, through our core science curriculum and in upper-level grades.

In our core elementary science curriculum, students learn about the world around them – everything from plants and animals to weather and fossils. Career-oriented exposure also is included as elementary students explore STEM careers ranging from astronomer and field biologist to roller-coaster designer and crisis mapper.

With AgWorks at CCA^®, our 6,100-square-foot, state-of-the-art aquaponics lab at our Harrisburg location, elementary to high school students can gain hands-on experience in a controlled environment agriculture center.

In our core science courses in middle school, students enrich their knowledge of physical, life and earth sciences with hands-on and online activities. Middle school Honors science students are challenged through experiments and assignments focused on critical thinking, collaborative discussion and deep exploration of content.

Core cyber high school science courses include chemistry, biology, marine biology and physics. Our Honors cyber high school courses allow for extended lesson labs and real-world applications for the learned concepts.

English Language Arts Courses at Our Online School

Elementary-level English language arts courses progress from working on correct speaking, writing and reading skills to exploring different types of literature, learning how to interpret that literature, exploring different styles of writing and delving into research. In middle school, students begin to take ownership of the research and creative process through goal-setting, reflections, independent reading and collaboration with classmates. The Honors language arts program in middle school is designed to help students build on literary fluency, give students a strong foundation in their ability to write in different styles and strengthen literary interpretation skills.

Cyber high school courses in English allow students to develop a critical eye in examining fiction and nonfiction, study different genres of literature and develop a stronger voice in their own writing. Honors courses in CCA’s high school language arts curriculum give accelerated students the chance to tackle enrichment projects and self-guided topics. Students focus on varied literary periods and combine discussion with critical analysis.

Online Social Studies Courses at CCA

CCA’s core social studies curriculum begins with kindergartners learning about communities, geography, social circles and internet safety. By sixth grade, our cyber school courses will have explored how to be a model citizen in person and online, and covered Pennsylvania and American Indian history. Honors classes feature hands-on learning, from designing monuments and billboards to learning what it means to be a social scientist.

Middle school social studies courses cover ancient civilizations and their influence on the future, the colonization of America and the early republic’s influence on the country today. In middle school, the Honors social studies courses virtually travel the world, examining its cultures, upheavals and history from ancient past to present.

The high school core social studies curriculum focuses on classics such as American Government, and U.S. and World History. Students in the Honors program study America’s role in a global society, independently research questions as historians and create original historical compositions. They also can enroll in Advanced Placement classes.

Other Online Courses at Our Cyber School

The world truly is your oyster with all of the cyber high school courses available outside of CCA’s core curriculum. With the flexibility inherent in a cyber charter school schedule, our students have the ability to take career- and college-oriented courses and sample courses that rarely would be offered in a traditional brick-and-mortar public school.

At CCA, we offer STEM education courses in engineering, astronomy, 3D printing, web design, coding and aquaponics, to name a few. Economics, criminal justice and psychology are a few social science courses students could sample to prepare for college or consider careers in these fields. Personal finance, entrepreneurship, and sports and entertainment management courses open doors to interesting careers and teach many practical skills. Or maybe cosmetology, digital photography or animation draw your attention for personal enrichment or as a gateway to a future career.

For any interest you may have, CCA can help you pursue it through our cyber school courses.

Honors Program Provides Challenging Courses for Advanced Students

As part of our full commitment to providing a customized education suited to each student’s needs, abilities and interests, the CCA Honors program is designed for advanced and accelerated students.

The program is for qualified, high-achieving CCA students in grades 3-12 who want to participate in rigorous and challenging cyber school courses. In high school, the Honors program expands to include Advanced Placement (AP) courses and College in the High School.

At CCA, we work with parents, students and our teaching staff to identify students who exhibit the characteristics of gifted and advanced students. We help them to design a curriculum that is challenging and enriching. The Honors courses, in every core discipline at CCA, allow for in-depth exploration of topics, critical discussions with classmates and teachers, and self-guided and project-based learning in a student’s areas of interest.

AP courses allow for college-level study in the CCA environment and, at the end of each course, students may choose to take an AP exam to test their mastery of the subject. Scores may be accepted as college credit depending on the policies of individual colleges and universities.

CCA high school students who believe they can meet the demands and expectations of an Honors or AP course can apply for program placement at their grade level.

Special Education Program is Customized to Meet Your Needs

The cyber school courses offered through CCA’s special education program are designed to make sure students with unique needs receive a quality education. An online special education program gives students and their families the flexibility to have a truly custom-designed education based on the student’s interests, abilities and needs. Family involvement is essential to our students’ success, and the families and students participating in our special education program have daily access to their teachers and service providers.

Teachers in our cyber school courses understand that students with special needs may require modified pacing. Because online schooling is centered around the needs and abilities of the child, it’s quite often a perfect fit.

Special education at CCA operates on your child’s individualized education plan (IEP) documentation, which is based on the evaluation done on the student. The online program that is tailored for your child is unique to the IEP’s demands and may require minimal support or necessitate the use of many services in your home.

Give Your Child the Personalized Education They Deserve

Cyber school courses offer the best of both worlds to students who choose to attend CCA. Students can receive an education customized to their interests and needs, all from the comfort of their own home on a schedule that suits the entire family.

It is through this customized online education that students will graduate with 21st century skills, strong career exploration experiences and the tools to succeed in work and life. If you’re ready to learn more, contact us or have your email address ready and enroll today!