Social studies students at the high school and learning support students may be working directly with Bellefonte Area School District teachers. The majority of teachers are provided by our learning platform, Edgeunity. The Edgeunity teachers will be the ones providing curriculum and grades for the majority of assignments. They provide office hours and support to all of their students through virtual means, as well as phone calls and emails when necessary.

Yes! There will be district staff members who will be available to support your student. They will be checking in on attendance, academic progress, and making connections with you and your student on a regular basis. A BeLA student is still 100 percent considered to be a student of the Bellefonte Area School District.

High school and middle school – BeLA courses are all asynchronous, which means that there are not any live classes. Students are able to work on their coursework 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Students will not have an assigned time to log into their courses, as they may work at any time of the day. The direct instruction component is provided to students in lessons, and students have the flexibility to access it at their convenience.

Elementary school – BeLA courses at the elementary level are predominantly asynchronous, but students may be required to participate in synchronous learning as requested by their course teachers. Students still have the flexibility to complete work at their convenience, but may also be required to participate in live interactions with their teachers.

Learning support students will be required to meet at least once a week with their learning support teacher.

*Asynchronous learning means that  teachers and students are not in a class at the same time. Students are assigned materials and are permitted to work at any point of the day.

*Synchronous learning means that students will have a virtual class in live time with a teacher, such as when you are able to video chat with someone.

No. A Chromebook will be provided by the school district for the student to use while they are enrolled in BeLA.

A tutorial video will be provided for all BeLA students. This will show the student how to log in to the program, as well as additional information to help support virtual learning. A student orientation will also be provided for the student to complete prior to starting their courses.

High school students’ guidance counselors will be consulted regarding credit requirements. Students’ online courses will be selected based on their credit needs. Additional online electives can be selected by students. All courses will be selected from the Edgeunity course catalog.  Students will only be permitted to attend a class at Bellefonte Area High School if that course is not offered online. If your student chooses to attend the high school for these exceptions, you will need to provide transportation to and/or from the high school for the student.

Middle school students will be enrolled in the four core classes for their grade level -- math, English/language arts, science and social studies, and will also be enrolled in one additional elective each semester. Students will not be permitted to take additional specials classes at BAMS at this time if they are enrolled in BeLA. However, the exception will be for band, choir, and/or orchestra. If you child wishes to still participate in band, choir, and/or orchestra, you will need to provide transportation to/from the middle school for the rehearsal during the last period of the school day.

Elementary students will be enrolled in the four core classes for their grade level – math, English/language arts, science and social studies, and will also be enrolled in one additional special class each semester. Students will not be permitted to take additional specials classes at their elementary school at this time if they are enrolled in BeLA.

K-8 students will be assigned to the same core classes that they would be taking at their home school. Students in high school will have the ability to pick their courses based upon their credit and graduation requirements.

Your student will still be assigned to a special education teacher. Special education paperwork will need to be reviewed and/or revised as the paperwork was most likely be written to reflect the needs of a student who is learning in a brick-and-mortar school setting. There may be different accommodations to address needs of the student in the virtual learning environment. Your student’s special education teacher will be in contact with you at the start of the school year to determine how to best meet your student’s needs.

They will still be required to meet synchronously with their special education teacher for direct instruction and progress monitoring purposes.

Yes, there will be Advanced Placement class options available. Students will have to access a different website to complete these classes. The following AP courses will be offered online through Edgenuity.

• Calculus AB
• English Literature & Composition
• French Language & Culture
• Human Geography
• Psychology
• Spanish Language & Culture
• Statistics
• U.S. Government & Politics*
• U.S. History
• World History

* indicates a semester-long course. Students will earn .5 credits for this class.

This will differ depending on the age of the student. At the secondary level, students should be self-motivated and have the ability to advocate for themselves. For elementary students, parents and/or guardians will need to be able to support their students and help advocate for the student’s needs. Communication among the student and parent and/or guardian and the school is essential to success. As parents, you will be helping your student develop necessary skill sets and fostering their academic growth.

Students will be required to work one hour per day per class. For example, if your student has five classes, that is five hours a day or 25 hours per week, based on a five-day school week. Please note, cyber learning can take place at any time of day, seven days a week. If a student is not able to work on a Tuesday, then that time needs to be accounted for on another day. Attendance will count on a weekly basis. If your student does not meet the required hours of learning per week, we will follow the attendance procedures set forth by our district policies.

Yes, your student may still participate in extracurricular activities, such as clubs and sports, after school. Students must meet weekly attendance and grading policies in order to be eligible for participation in extracurricular activities. An exception will be made if the student has an approved educational, medical or legal appointment, in which case the students must present documentation, such as a dated receipt, appointment card, return to school form or fax indicating the date and time from the place of the appointment. A parental note is not acceptable.