Commonwealth Charter Academy Selected as CITES Knowledge Development District

HARRISBURG – Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), Pennsylvania’s largest public cyber charter school serving more than 19,000 students in grades K through 12, is proud to announce its selection as a Knowledge Development District for the Center on Inclusive Technology and Education Systems (CITES). Knowledge Development Districts are selected by the CITES team to serve as […]

07/06/2021

HARRISBURG – Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), Pennsylvania’s largest public cyber charter school serving more than 19,000 students in grades K through 12, is proud to announce its selection as a Knowledge Development District for the Center on Inclusive Technology and Education Systems (CITES).

Knowledge Development Districts are selected by the CITES team to serve as exemplars of best practices in one or more areas of inclusive technology implementation. CCA was selected as a leader in delivering inclusive instruction.

CITES is a technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs led by CAST and the American Institutes for Research. The goal of CITES is to develop a framework to be used by U.S. school districts to build and sustain inclusive technology ecosystems that break down silos across assistive technology, information technology, and education technology. The CITES Framework is being co-developed with input from a select group of districts building on research and evidence-based practices to enhance educational opportunities for students with disabilities.

The CCA team is led by Jeanne McCarthy, Ed.D., director of learning technologies; Michelle Orcutt, associate vice president of special education; Joanna Shelley, director of K-12 curriculum; Brady McMahon, manager of content experience; Monique Uttecht, regional director of special education; and Julie Rice, manager of secondary curriculum. This team submitted an extensive application and participated in an interview as part of the selection and screening process for this special designation.

“CCA was selected as a Knowledge Development District due to the innovative and inspiring way we support staff to address the needs of all students within our dynamic online technology ecosystem. The CITES team noted our laser-focus on student achievement, leadership in instructional technology, and the impressive way we build accessible learning experiences within an intentional online learning environment,” said McCarthy.

As a CITES Knowledge Development District, CCA is recognized as a leader in inclusive technology systems development and will have the opportunity to share practices through case stories, feature articles, and presentations