About the Personalized Learning Model
1. As a student in a Personalized Learning charter school, can I
- Learn at home? YES
- Take a course ot two at my local community college? YES
- Develop a fun, project-based assignment either independently or
with a small group of other students? YES
- Take a course online? YES
- Sign up for small group classes at my school's learning-resource center? YES
- Find a tutor to help me with a challenging subject? YES
- Shift into high gear in my subject area of passion? YES
- Play catch up in that subject that gives me fits? YES
- Pursue vocational training or an internship in my community? YES
- Prepare for my college or university of choice? YES
- Have a flexible schedule to pursue my dream of being a future olympian,
motocross racer, musician, dancer, gymnist or other life goal? YES
- Use a curriculum of my choice? YES, as long as it is non-sectarian and is approved by your assigned
teacher and school.
- Have access to the school's resource
library and other services? YES
- Goof off, cut
corners, and not be responsible for completing my work assignments? NO, the freedom to learn the way you want to in
a Personalized Learning program requires you and your parents to be even more responsible and more accountable than in a rigid
school model. If you don't do your work, you will be disenrolled from the program.
2. What types of students are typically most attracted to Personalized Learning charter schools?
Students of all academic backgrounds are successful in Personalized
Learning charter schools. However, these students historically tend to be most highly motivated:
- Students choosing to accelerate in
their classes
- Students who want more
of a small school experience
- Students
who are credit deficient and determined to earn a high school diploma
- Students who are pursuing goals that traditional school's schedules won't accommodate: sports,
acting, art, theater, etc
- Students who
want to step out of the ordinary, experience the education of life by project-based learning and hands-on classes
- Students who want more in-depth study, allowing for remediation in
subjects.
- Families who don't want to
follow someone else's schedule
- Students
who wish to take college classes in conjunction with high school
- Students who are motivated to receive their diplomas while maintaining a job.
- Families who travel and see the world as life's greatest classroom.
3. If Personalized Learning does
not require students to be in a full-time classroom environment with other students, what about socialization?
Personalized Learning students are offered many on-site classes, field trips, clubs and
workshops ensuring that they are afforded every opportunity to grow socially as well as academically. Students need opportunities
to form positive, healthy peer relationships; therefore, our programs foster this social development.
4. What curriculum can Personalized Learning students use?
Personalized
Learning charter schools believe that parents, teachers, and students have the right to work collaboratively
to choose the curriculum best suited for each student. Therefore, we offer an extensive variety of curriculum and will work
with additional materials you bring to supplement your child's education. As a public school, however, by law we are not able
to support using any sectarian-based curriculum.
5. Can parents participate in their child's education?
Absolutely. Parent participation is strongly
encouraged and supported as a critical part of their children's successful education.
6. Do parents need to participate in their child's education?
Yes, in order for
the Personalized Learning model to work successfully, in most cases, parents need to play a more active role in their children's
education than they typically would in a more rigid, classroom-only teaching model.
7. If I can learn from home, do I have to do school work every day?
Yes, Personalized Learning
charter schools require that students work on school assignments on every school calendar day.
8. If I can learn from home, what is the main difference between Personalized Learning and
traditional homeschooling?
Unlike traditional homeschooling, Personalized Learning charter schools, as publicly
funded schools, provide students with access to:
- California
credentialed teachers with subject expertise
- School resource centers,
classes, labs, and libraries
- Tutors and counselors; professional guidance
for college and life beyond high school
- Participation in school-sponsored
student group academic and social activities
- Transcripts with credibility
for higher education (APLUS+ Certified schools are WASC accredited)
- Multiple
teachers with expertise in different subject areas
- A wide array
of educational support services
- Support for multiple choices in curriculum
and resources
9. How many students are enrolled in APLUS+ Certified
Personalized Learning charter schools in California?
More than 25,000 students are currently enrolled in APLUS+
Certified Personalized Learning charter schools in California. That number represents about 10% of the total student enrollment
in California charter schools.
About Enrolling in a Personalized Learning Charter School
1. Do we have to live in a specific school district to enroll in a Personalized Learning Charter School?
If you live anywhere in San Diego County or in any surrounding county that is served by one of our Personalized
Learning charter schools, you may enroll in that Personalized Learning charter school. Please review the services areas of each of our participating Personalized Learning charter schools for more information.
2. What is the tuition cost?
There is no cost. All Personalized Learning charter
schools are California public schools and are funded directed by the State. Curriculum, resources, tools, services and
other materials are provided to you at no cost.
3. How do we enroll
in a Personalized Learning charter school?
Contact the participating APLUS+ Certified Personalized Learning charter schools in your area to find out more about each school's enrollment policies, and visit each school's
website to determine which school is right for you and your children.
About Charter Schools
1. What is a charter school?
A Charter school is a public school that is generally
exempt from most laws governing school districts. Public Charter schools offer an important and timely public school option
to address the challenges facing our traditional education system. Charter schools offer parents the opportunity to offer
real input in their child's education and give educators freedom to try new strategies to inspire student achievement. Personalized
Learning charter schools offer the greatest flexibility and adaptability of any public school to put students first and meet
individual student needs and interests.
A
charter school is a public school, and it may provide instruction in any of grades K-12. A charter school is usually created
or organized by a group of teachers, parents and community leaders or a community-based organization, and it is usually sponsored
by an existing local public school board or county board of education. Specific goals and operating procedures for the charter
school are detailed in an agreement (or "charter") between the sponsoring board and charter organizers.
A charter school is generally exempt from most laws governing
school districts, except where specifically noted in the law. California public charter schools are required to participate
in the statewide assessment test, called the STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) program. The law also requires that
a public charter school be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations
and prohibits the conversion of a private school to a charter school. Public charter schools may not charge tuition and may
not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.
2. How many charter schools are there in California?
There are currently more than 750 charter schools operating in California.
3. How many students are enrolled in California public charter schools?
There are currently more than 250,000 students enrolled in California public charter schools.
That number represents about 4% of all California public school students.
