Curriculum
Collegium Charter School’s K-12 curriculum adheres to the PA Core Standards and the PA Academic Standards as approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Our goal is to increase student achievement through our standards-based curriculum, professional development, and educational support. Collegium offers a challenging and comprehensive curriculum in the core academic content areas, providing a rigorous and relevant educational foundation for all learners. CCS possesses an unwavering commitment to a diverse learning experience for all learners through the courses we offer beyond our core content. These include the Arts, Spanish Language, Music, Physical Education/Health, Technology, and STEM-based Innovation Labs. We focus on providing excellent academic opportunities that are balanced with special area disciplines.
Grade-level specific curriculum materials are available in the Resources section to the right.
Meeting the Needs of All Students
From Learning Support to Advanced Placement Classes, Collegium Meets Your Child’s Educational Needs
Educating students and meeting their academic needs is the priority at Collegium. One way we accomplish this is through differentiated instruction in the regular education classroom. In the elementary grades, Collegium’s Personal Education Plan, or PEP, outlines modifications needed to address a student’s individual needs. The modifications include a variety of teaching strategies, including plans for acceleration, enrichment, and remediation as needed. Teachers at Collegium, working hand-in-hand with our Instructional Coaches, Principals, and Curriculum Specialists are able to meet most of our students’ educational needs within the regular classroom setting.
As students progress into our middle and high schools, classes are leveled to meet students’ needs and teachers continue to differentiate the instruction and assessments to meet the individual needs of each student. Honors level courses are offered beginning in 7th grade and AP (Advanced Placement) courses are offered beginning in 9th grade. These levels are for the high achieving, self-motivated learner capable of regular, rigorous assignments and assessments. Additionally, high school students are eligible to enroll in college level courses via our dual-enrollment program with Delaware County Community College and take online high school coursework through The Virtual High School.
Collegium also offers a variety of programs to both enhance and support students’ learning when differentiation and leveled grouping are not the entire solution. The Intervention Team is committed to identifying the learning needs of students experiencing difficulties and at risk of failure in school to provide them with the academic and behavioral supports needed for success. Our reading specialists work with qualifying students needing extra support in reading. For our students with special education needs, Collegium offers a wide range of services: Learning Support at various levels, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Vision Therapy, Hearing Therapy, Autistic Support, Emotional Support, and Speech and Language Therapy. For our English Language Learners we offer English as a Second Language classes and support.
Meeting the needs of students is a complex issue with a huge range of possible options. Collegium’s educational program continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our students. We welcome parent comments and ideas as we work together to provide quality education for all of our students.
Grading Scale
90-100% A | 80-89% B | 70-79% C | 60-69% D | 0-59% F
Academic achievement is held in high regard at Collegium. As such, we recognize our 3rd-12th grade students who achieve Honors and High Honors. Honor Roll is published on the CCS website.
Collegium reports Elementary grades in trimesters. Three times a year, teachers will report on students’ grades in all subject areas, and that report will be shared with parents/guardians. The grades from all three trimesters will be averaged to calculate students’ final grades.
Middle and High School grades are reported on a quarterly basis and aligned with semester-only courses. Quarterly reports will be shared with parents/guardians. Quarterly grades, along with Mid-Term and Final Exam grades, will be compiled to calculate the students’ final grades for the year.
For information on Collegium’s credit recovery program, see the link to the right.
Homework
Collegium Charter School’s mission is to prepare each student for rigors of college life, and we believe that in order for students to be successful in college, they need to develop high levels of responsibility and scholarship as they progress from kindergarten through twelfth grade. To that end, homework serves a different purpose as our students advance through the grades and we seek to help them build the skills and strategies that are essential for each grade level.
At the elementary level, homework is designed to be a risk-free way for students to practice and learn from their mistakes, and homework is not graded. Homework also serves as a bridge between home and school at the elementary level and gives parents the opportunity to reinforce the concepts that students are learning at school as they make practical applications to them at home.
When a student moves into our middle school, we seek to help students develop positive habits in regards to homework completion so that we can prepare them for success in high school. Homework assignments can be graded at the middle school level, but the homework grade is only a minor portion of the student’s overall quarterly grade. Homework assignments in middle school will be graded as either a 0 (not complete), 1 (partial/incomplete), or 2 (complete), and these points are added to Formative Assessment portion of the quarterly grade.
At Collegium’s high school, greater focus is placed on homework, as building independent study skills is an essential component of college success. Homework assignments are graded and homework is calculated as 2% of a student’s quarterly grade. In addition to regular homework assignments, students in high school are also given more significant assignments, such as research projects, presentations, and term papers, that will be completed independently at home.