Press Release - Cyberschool 08/19/2013

PRESS RELEASE

The Octorara Area School District (OASD) is pleased to announce a pilot project with 21^st Century Cyber Charter School (21^st CCCS) beginning August 26, 2013.

The public charter school movement was started in an effort to allow experimentation in public education to find best practices and innovative ideas on learning.  With that spirit the public schools and the Intermediate Units in the four counties surrounding Philadelphia began the most successful cyber charter school in Pennsylvania in 2001. Because of the success of 21^st CCCS,and in the spirit of why public charter schools were initiated, it makes sense to embrace the successful practices uncovered by 21^st CCCS in the traditional public school setting in the OASD and determine if these lessons learned are able to be utilized effectively in the traditional setting. More aptly, may the lessons learned be used to modify our understanding of what traditional means.

21^st Century Cyber Charter School will have their first satellite location on the campus of the Octorara Area School District. This will include the use of one classroom located in the Junior High School building on the hallway adjacent to the District Office. A staff of four to eight teachers from 21^st CCCS will be on location with supervision from their principal, Ms. Monica Frank. Ms. Frank is a newly appointed principal after five years of instruction in the virtual environment of 21^st CCCS.

Two members of the OASD staff will be working part time with the 21^st CCCS staff to deliver instruction in the virtual environment. These teachers will receive training and experience during the course of the school year. Each will maintain a partial schedule within the Octorara High School program. They will collaborate with the staff from 21^st CCCS on campus and will develop teaching experience in the virtual environment alongside teachers from the most successful cyber charter school in Pennsylvania. The OASD staff will begin to learn how to deliver on-line instruction from the best in the business.

21st CCCS will rent the space from the OASD and will provide seats within their classrooms for OASD students. This will offset the cost of seats the District has been purchasing from Brandywine Virtual Academy to run the District Alternative Education program. Additionally, it will allow the District the flexibility to provide on-line opportunities for other students in the District and the opportunity to find new and creative ways to look at instructional delivery.  These additional opportunities will be offered without increasing the budget.

We welcome our public education partner, 21^st Century Cyber Charter School to our community and our campus!

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