Description of Horizon Charter Schools Programs
We understand that parents often seek school programs that offer a variety of educational choices. Horizon is well known in the community for cutting edge innovation and excellence in the numerous ways we support families. Many of our programs have evolved as a result of parent request and we continue to look for opportunities to make our programs even better.
We are proud to offer home teaching opportunities that value parent choice and support the learning process with options for individual academic or elective classes. We are equally proud that our academies and co-op programs still offer small classroom instruction opportunities that are becoming more and more difficult to find.
Home Teaching
The Home Teaching program (Grades K to 12) is designed for students whose parents are actively involved in their education. The parents have a strong sense of what they want their children to study and are actively involved in the lesson planning, instructing, and correcting of assignments for their children. Home study students, as well as their parents, have face-to-face meetings with their Supervising Teacher at least once every 20 school days for a minimum of one hour per student meeting. During these meetings, the Supervising Teacher reviews the student's assignments, collects samples to include in the required monthly paperwork, discusses any problems or areas of concern that may have occurred during the month, and assigns, with parental input, the next month's assignments. The student's personal interests are incorporated into the assignments as well as activities and assignments that complement his/her learning style(s). High school students will also have access to subject area teachers in the core courses. These teachers, called Subject Matter Specialists, assist in the assignment and evaluation of student work, are available for consultation and evaluation during the semester, and are responsible for the final examinations which must be proctored in all college prep core courses. High school students may also take area classes from highly qualified HCS instructors, enroll in community college classes, or take approved distance learning (web-based) courses.
Independent Study (AESS)
The Independent Study Program (Grades 7 to 12) is designed for struggling students whose parents need or want more assistance in educating their child or for those families who do not choose to be as involved in the day-to-day educational program as the Home Study Program requires. At HCS/PaSCL, this program is called AESS or Additional Educational Support Services. The AESS Program allows for additional assistance from the Supervising Teacher (ST) and the ST will spend, at a minimum, one hour every two weeks working with the student. The decision to enroll a student into AESS may be made at the time of enrollment or when an academic need is identified. The ST will facilitate securing clarification of the topics being studied (e.g., communicating with the online instructor), correct student work, and help with organizational and study techniques. In AESS, the ST works closely with the student throughout the month and the parent's main responsibility is to make sure the student is completing the assigned work. Student attendance at the weekly or bi-weekly scheduled appointments is mandatory. High school students taking core classes also have access to subject area teachers in these subjects. These teachers, called Subject Matter Specialists, assist in the assignment and evaluation of the daily work, are available for consultation and help during the semester, and are responsible for the final examinations which must be proctored in all college prep core courses.
Lincoln Montessori Community Co-op
This is an educational option for those parents who wish for their children to obtain an academic education in a community-based setting. In this site-based program, students attend school all day Monday through Friday. The Lincoln Montessori Community Co-op (LMCC) serves grades K-8 with combination classes of two grade levels. Providing an avenue for parental involvement, Lincoln Montessori is a co-op in which parent participation is an integral part of the school's success and an expected element from each family. Enrollment in the LMCC is by a lottery. In this Montessori program, children work in groups and individually using a hands-on learning approach mainly in the lower grades. In the upper grades, project-based learning is a method often applied. In both situations, all work is aimed at the child's individual ability level. Students have large amounts of independent work periods at varying times throughout the day. Students should be able to work independently. Field trips are scheduled regularly at LMCC.
Middle and High School Academies and Co-ops
The fourth program choice is the academies and co-ops. These specialized programs are typically all-inclusive educational programs hosted by various Horizon Charter Schools' communities. This program option generally consists of two days per week of core subject instruction and one day per week of academic electives. Students entering into these programs will receive direct instruction from highly qualified credentialed teachers in the subject area of instruction and will then complete homework and projects at home much like in a traditional classroom.
Parent Information
