PAVCS Newsroom

The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School wants to know more about the families and students that make up its community. We are constantly talking to parents at outings and events. We send emails from the Communications Department each week that update parents on programs and the upcoming calendar. We maintain a page on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with the latest information about the school and what it has to offer.

We feel that the better we know our students, the more it helps us prepare to improve their education experience. We decided that asking "One Simple Question" to our parents would help us know them better, and this week we asked about our students. Our interest lies in the amount of time our students spend online using their computers. The question of "outside of school work, how much time (approximately) does your child spend online each day?" brought us some interesting answers. The answers ranged from zero to the improbable "too many to count" to the impossible 1,000,000.

Some parents talked about how their teen-aged children use the Internet more and others talked about students answering emails or playing games online for only a few minutes a day. In general though the majority of PAVCS parents said their students spent less than 2 hours a day online outside of school. The top five answers related to Internet use outside of the school day are as follows:

1. 1 hour, 17.15%
2. 2 hours, 11.35%
3. 0 hours, 10.55%
4. 30 minutes, 8.97%
5. 3 hours, 6.33%

Name: Tom Capuano
Introduction: Hello!  Well, I am extremely proud to say that this is my sixth year at PAVCS.  I've worked with the fabulous Elementary Department over the past 5 years and am now venturing off into the wonderful world of Academic Non-Compliancy.  According to The Death Clock, I am going to die on Sunday, September 15, 2030, which I find suspect.  Just trying to keep things interesting.
Birthplace: Rochester, NY
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Position at PAVCS: Academic Compliance Specialist
Experience prior to coming to PAVCS: Substitute teacher in the Grand Haven, Michigan area, I framed houses during my college summers, and in middle school I was one of the finest paper boys in upstate New York (which I believe says volumes of one's character).
Education: Eastern University, BA in Elementary Education.
Family: My beautiful wife, Lara.  Our kids: Annalee (5), Marlie (4), Harper (2), and one on the way due December 2009!
Top 10
10 out 10 almost describes my passion for: discovering new bands/music and sharing it with others
9 times out of 10 I'd eat (calories aside): the Peanut Butter Cup Sundae at UNO Chicago Grill.  It is very, very awesome.  WARNING: Your friends may try to convince you to "share."  Bad idea.  You'll want it all to yourself
8 hours a day at my dream job (besides PAVCS) would be: fronting a band with Mike Rublesky on drums
7 days on a dream vacation would be spent: Scotland.  Doesn't everyone want to see a real, live castle at some point in their lives?
6 seconds after I launch my Internet browser I'm on: www.woot.com if you love getting random cheap stuff
5 minutes is all the time I have for (pet peeve): Pronouncing acronyms... such as saying "pavix" instead of PAVCS.  Seriously, how much time does that save you?  I'll tell you what, it actually wastes time.  Here's why - you're forcing the person with whom you're speaking to decode your fancy shmancy talk.  (I told you it was a pet peeve.)
4 stars is my rating for (TV/Movie/Book): There could be several in each category, but I'll play fair and give you one for each... TV: The Office / Movie: The Goonies / Book: The Hobbit (to stick with the "The ___" theme
3 things always on my desk: iPod, coffee mug, laptop cooling stand so my laptop doesn't overheat and explode in my face
2 people (living or dead) I wish I could meet: Ryan Adams and Dan Majerle
1 thing that might surprise most people about me: I've served on several missions trips throughout my life, including to New Orleans, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Romania

Name: Cesiah Wicker
Since graduation I have been: Attending college
Where? Emory and Henry College
What do you miss most about PAVCS? I particularly miss the teachers since they devote an incredible amount of time to their students. Additionally, I have found the academics at PAVCS to be more challenging than those of my current college.
What do you miss most about PAVCS? Everything
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest), how do you feel PAVCS prepared you for life after high school? 5
How do you hope the PAVCS family remembers you? I would like to be remembered as the young woman who put forth her best effort in spite of the trials afforded by life.
What advice do you have for this year's graduates? In the midst of academia, allow time for other aspects of life. A significant measure of wisdom may be gained only through experience.
Career Plans: I hope to either teach in a university setting or overseas.

Twelve years after Act 22 of 1997 created the ability for charter schools like the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School to be created in Pennsylvania, two leaders of the PA Senate Education Committee are proposing some changes and additions to the structure of the law.

Capitolwire Staff Reporter Erin Halasz recently reported that the proposed legislation would create the Office of Charter and Cyber Charter Schools within the state Department of Education to oversee charter school functions. It would also allow institutions of higher education, including community colleges, to approve the creation of charter schools, among other changes.

In addition to those changes, the amendments include giving charter schools and cyber charters the ability to offer dual enrollment programs. PAVCS and other cyber charters across the state have had to curtail offering these programs in the past due to constraints in the current legislation.

Click here to view all of the proposed amendments.

The leadership at the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School takes pride in making sure the school is up-to-date on the latest trends and improvements in education. One of the best ways to do that is to attend and participate in professional development opportunities such as national conferences like the Virtual School Symposium 2009 held by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL).

By having a contingency of PAVCS leaders attend this conference and share best practices ideas with other leaders in K-12 virtual education, PAVCS can best prepare its programs to benefit its students.

Each spring, like every public school in the state, the students at the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) the standardized test that measures state standards in accordance with the No Child Left Behind law. Students in multiple grades take the test each year and the results are one measure used to determine if a school has earned the Adequate Yearly Progress designation.

This week we asked our parents "One Simple Question" related to the PSSA. We asked "why should students take the PSSA?" The answers were varied with many understanding the importance of testing to grade-level standards as a means of measuring success for schools and individual students. Many also understood that the PSSA is required.  The state Department of Education does require students to take the PSSA. Taking the test allows for a standardized guide to a student’s progress related to grade-level standards as well as a school’s ability to help students learn and understand the subject matter.

The top five responses PAVCS parents had to "why students should take the PSSA" are:

1. Assess School Progress, 29.47%
2. Student Performance Measurement, 32.63%
3. State Requirement, 15.79%
4. Participation Should Be Voluntary, 10.53%
5. NCLB Requirement, 3.16%

Name: Jeanne Niewoehner
Introduction: I am a Special Education Enrollment Placement Teacher. I work with newly enrolled families to help with their transition into PAVCS.
Birthplace: New Jersey
Hometown: Quakertown, PA
Position at PAVCS: Special Education Enrollment Placement Teacher
Experience prior to coming to PAVCS: Middle School - Science, Math and Special Ed; High School Science
Education: Lafayette College - BA Biology; Cabrini College - M.Ed. Special Ed
Family: My husband, Rick; My son, Logan; My cat, Augie
Top Ten
10 out 10 almost describes my passion for: Having fun with my son!
9 times out of 10 I'd eat (calories aside): Chocolate
8 hours a day at my dream job (besides PAVCS) would be: Rock Star!
7 days on a dream vacation would be spent: In Australia
6 seconds after I launch my Internet browser I'm on: iTunes Store - Apps Please!
5 minutes is all the time I have for (pet peeve): Missing a TV show because I can't tape more than 2 at a time! Why are all the good shows on at the same time?
4 stars is my rating for (TV/Movie/Book): Mad Men
3 things always on my desk: Phone, HS Courses, Files
2 people (living or dead) I wish I could meet: Barack Obama and Walt Disney
1 thing that might surprise most people about me: I don't like reality TV. I know everyone absolutely can't live without their housewives of wherever, but where is the creativity? Where have all the writers gone? Give me a good mystery/comedy/drama and I'm set!

As Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School seniors prepare for graduation, we periodically will check in with our first graduates and get updates from the Class of 2009 as they navigate their lives post-PAVCS.
Name: Benjamin D. VanOuse
Since graduation I have been: Attending college
Where? Indiana University of Pennsylvania
What do you miss most about PAVCS? Everything
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest), how do you feel PAVCS prepared you for life after high school? 5
How do you hope the PAVCS family remembers you? One of the first born of the family. ;)
What advice do you have for this year's graduates? "Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure ... life is either a daring adventure or nothing." - Hellen Keller
Step out of your comfort zone and go for the life of daring adventure. I promise that you won't regret it.
Career Plans: Journalism

Under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools are accountable for the achievement of all students.  Each state is responsible to developing a system to hold schools accountable for not only the struggling students, but also high achieving students.

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is the system that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has created to demonstrate public schools’ accountability.  Students in Pennsylvania schools are measured in the following subjects:  Math, Reading, Science, and Writing.  Math and Reading are the two core content areas in which all schools are measured in their Adequate Yearly Progress(AYP).

Once all the tests are completed, students’ scores are scaled and fall into one of the four categories:  Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced.  Each of these categories have a range, so depending on the individual child’s score, they will fall into their ranged area.

According to NCLB, all students must score proficient or advanced by 2014. Therefore PAVCS continues to build lessons, focus on curriculum, and evaluate our students’ growth in their competency on concepts and skills. 

All public school students need to take the Pennsylvania Department of Education-mandated PSSA assessment.

The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School has finalized plans to hold its 2010 Graduation Ceremonies on June 5, 2010 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Harrisburg. This will be the second graduating class for this PA cyber charter school and will include a centralized program for the school's graduates. There are currently more than 130 students from 39 counties across Pennsylvania in the PAVCS 12th grade.

At the 2009 ceremonies, graduates were treated to performances by their classmates and addresses from teachers, administrators and Board of Trustees members.

As a follow up to last weeks Super Student, Abram Sowers is the second of the two PAVCS students chosen to attend the 14th annual Student Government Seminar at the State Capitol Building on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Senator Jeffrey Piccola, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, gave students the opportunity to serve as legislators during the “Senators for a Day” event.  

The morning focused on a mock General Assembly, where Abram joined a Senate Committee of his peers to discuss bills, take positions on legislation, and actually draft laws for the full Senate to consider. He was a member of the Communications and Technology committee during the breakout sessions. His committee explored two main topics of argument, the first discussion focused on the legality, privacy, and concerns involve with businesses monitoring employee activities within the workplace unknowingly. The second issue questioned the need for parental permission for minors (under the age of eighteen) to enter social networking sites. 

During the afternoon, the committees were brought back together as a mock Senate to discuss all of the issues that were focused on during the individual committee meetings. As a freshman in high school, Abram felt slightly intimidated by a 173 student large discussion, but truly enjoyed the experience. He hopes to have the opportunity again in the future.

Abram is not only has an interest in politics, he is a history buff of the Elizabethan Era, and he enjoys playing guitar and ice hockey. About twice a week, his other passion is to hits the roads of suburban York County as a bicyclist. 

Under the Federal No Child Left Behind Law, schools are accountable for the achievement of all students. Each state is responsible to developing a system to hold schools accountable for not only the struggling students, but also high-achieving students.

NCLB gives educational agencies the ability to create sources or mold interventions needed by individual students or clusters of schools identified for improvement. Therefore schools are measured on the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of their students.

In Pennsylvania the accountability system is based on the Pennsylvania System of Schools Assessment (PSSA). Assessments are categorized as Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced. There are benchmarks set for each year related to NCLB regulations. Currently, the state's targets for AYP require 56 percent of students score Proficient/Advanced in Math and 63 percent score Proficient/Advanced in Reading. These benchmarks are raised each year for school districts.

All students in grades 3 - 8 and 11 take the Math and Reading assessment. Students in grades 4, 8, and 11 take the Writing assessment while students in grades 5, 8, and 11 take the Science assessment.

The purpose of standardization is to make the administration of a test set to make the results valid. Therefore, directions and test room regulations assist in making the PSSA standardized. PAVCS is a public charter school and we need to abide by all state and federal mandates which require our students to take the PSSA so the state can measure our annual yearly progress.