Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School

The Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) is a public cyber charter school approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education,[3] and open to all students in grades K–12 (ages 5–21) who reside in the state of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School
Address
1332 Enterprise Drive

West Chester
,
Pennsylvania
19380

United States
Coordinates39.9884°N 75.5566°W / 39.9884; -75.5566
Information
School typePublic, Cyber charter school
OpenedSeptember 13, 2004 (2004-09-13)
FounderDr. James Hanak
StatusOpen
Staff254[1]
Faculty143[1]
GradesK–12
Enrollment2927 [2] (October 1, 2018)
Classes offered236
Color(s)   Blue and gold
MascotEagle
NicknamePALCS
Websitewww.palcs.org

Overview

As a cyber school, PA Leadership provides educational content over the Internet. As a Pennsylvania public charter school, any student residing in Pennsylvania can choose to enroll in the school. After a registration and orientation process students receive a laptop computer, 3-in-1 printer-scanner-copier, headset-microphone, textbooks, learning kits and online resources.[4]

School

Schedule

PALCS follows a standard school year of 180 days. They have a similar school calendar to a typical brick and mortar, i.e. winter break, spring break, and in-service days. In order to track attendance, students are required to log in to the school's platform, PALCSchool, every school day. Students are not required to log in at any specific time or for any amount of time unless a live class session is scheduled. Families are recommended to set a schedule and actively engage in school work for roughly five to seven hours a day. The flexible structure gives student the ability to participate in extracurricular activities such as traveling, sports, acting or dancing.

PALCSchool is a custom built learning platform with integrations to various online learning and communication systems. Through PALCSchool, students are connected to Canvas, a learning management system, where assignments are posted with deadlines that are typically one week after the assignment is posted by the teacher. Students have access to their assignments 24/7 and can work from any Internet-connected computer.[5]

Elementary school

PALCS Elementary School, catering to students in grades K-5, provides students with four core classes and multiple electives. Students are required to attend 2–3 virtual lessons a week, each lesson lasts 30–45 minutes. These lessons are at the same time each week.

Middle school

PALCS Middle School, catering to students in grades 6–8, provides students with four core classes and multiple electives. Attendance for virtual lessons is worth 5% of the grade but is not required. Students are required to take either Personal Fitness, History of Team Sports, or Health. 8th-grade students are required to take Health regardless of any previous classes.

High school

PALCS High School, with students in grades 9–12, provides students with at least four core classes of varying rank (Academic, College Prep, Honors, AP), and over 95 electives. PALCS High School students are required to either attend the virtual lessons during the course of a week or watch the recording. PALCS courses are NCAA approved for students looking to continue with athletics in their college career.

Standardized testing

PALCS Students are required to take PSSAs or Keystone Exams during their school career. PALCS provides testing centers statewide that students attend.

Additional programs

PA Leadership Charter School offers additional programs to currently enrolled students and families Some of these programs may require an additional application or audition.

University Scholars Program

The University Scholars Program is an honors program which offers a specialized gifted education curriculum for advanced and motivated learners in grades 6–12. Students interested in this program must show excellence in academics. Students can attend online and on-site in West Chester, PA. Applications and interviews are assessed a year in advance.

Center for Performing and Fine Arts

The Center for Performing and Fine Arts offers an advanced program to students in grades 6-12 in four disciplines: theater, fine art, music, and dance. Students can attend online or at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts in West Chester, PA. Applications and auditions are assessed a year in advance.

School for Professional Studies

The School of Professional Studies allows students in grades 9–12 to select a career specialization, complete electives relevant to their specialization and earn a certificate upon graduation. Students can choose from over 15 tracks to help them prepare for college and the workplace. Certificates cover a wide range of topics from arts and humanities to science and technology.

Awards and recognitions
  • Maintains an A- Overall Niche Grade.[6]
  • In 2015, ranked #1 best performing cyber charter school in Pennsylvania for senior SAT scores, and the #2 charter high school overall.[7]
  • In 2017, Best of Charter High School in PA, ranked 3rd out of 72 by Niche.com and 7th for standout school in PA[8][9]
  • In 2017, ranked as the #1 charter school in PA for ACT scores.[10]
  • In 2020, Ranked #1 Best Online School in PA and #1 Best Online College Prep School in PA.[6]
  • 40% of its staff have been there more than five years.[11]
  • Supervisor of Educational Technology Ms. Kofeldt was winner of the 2017 EdTech Leader Award.[12]
  • Actor Charlie McDermott is a 2008 PALCS Graduate.

References
  1. "District Detail for Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  2. "Public School Enrollment Reports". PA Department of Education. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  3. Pennsylvania Department of Education. "Cyber Charter Schools 2015-16" (PDF). Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  4. Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. "Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School: How it Works". Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  5. Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. "Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School: FAQs". PALCS.org. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  6. "Explore Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School". Niche. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  7. www.phillyvoice.com https://www.phillyvoice.com/charter-high-school-sat-scores/. Retrieved February 12, 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. "Explore Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School". Niche. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  9. "2017 Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School Rankings". Niche. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  10. "Best ACT scores in Pa.:The 50 schools with the highest rankings". pennlive. June 14, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  11. Team, PALCS Information (April 18, 2017). "PALCS Staff Longevity". #1 Best Online School in PA ~ K-12 Public Cyber Charter School. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  12. "School Technology Leaders of the 'Next Generation' Honored | CoSN". www.cosn.org. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
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