Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In the Seneca Valley Cyber Program, your child will remain a Seneca Valley student with the capability of choosing the program of study that works best for them. This means that your child can blend traditional school with cyber classes or be a full-time cyber student working at home or at school. Your student now has the opportunity to create their own schedule. Most importantly, your child will graduate with a Seneca Valley High School diploma.

Any student in grades K-12 living in the boundaries of the Seneca Valley School District can apply. If your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), a team meeting must be held prior to enrollment.

No. As a public school, Seneca Valley students can attend cyber classes completely free of charge during the school year.

Students can enroll by completing the online application found on our website. A shortcut to the Academy of Choice webpage can be found on the main page of the SVSD website. Please select the appropriate application for your child’s grade level.

Seneca Valley teachers and support staff will be able to provide assistance to your child. The teachers are able to assist students with questions about course content and the technology involved in online learning. Additionally, we have available online tutorials that address many of the questions and concerns students have so that they can be successful online learners.

Your first point of contact is your classroom teacher. You may reach them through the online system, via email, or via telephone. You may additionally contact the Cyber Office at 724-452-6040, extension 1013, any time that you encounter difficulties or have questions.

Since all cyber students are enrolled in the Seneca Valley School District, they have the ability to join any clubs or activities offered in our schools. Seneca Valley Cyber Service will also offer various organized social opportunities throughout the school year.

All instruction in Seneca Valley Cyber Service programs are supervised by Seneca Valley School District professional employees who are highly qualified and certified to teach the courses in which your student is enrolled. Additionally, the Seneca Valley School District provides administrative, guidance, and support services to all students enrolled in the program.

A full-time cyber student completes all of their coursework via the cyber service program. Coursework can be completed at home or in a computer lab on our campus. If students choose to complete coursework on campus, they will receive a special student ID card and daily transportation will be provided at the beginning and end of the school day.

A part-time cyber student completes some of their coursework, generally their electives, in traditional classes while completing core coursework at home via the cyber service program. This arrangement provides a great deal of flexibility for students who participate in extra-curricular activities or need a flexible schedule for other reasons.

A hybrid student completes one or more of their courses via the cyber service at school during the regular school day while remaining enrolled in traditional courses for the remainder of their day.

Please contact your child’s guidance counselor to determine the schedule that is most appropriate for your child.

Yes! Since the cyber classes and traditional classes both follow the Seneca Valley approved curriculum, transitioning can be quite easy for students.

The vast majority of classwork can be completed at home if your family chooses that option. Students can also complete their work in the cyber computer lab at school. Small group meetings will be scheduled for cyber students to participate in group activities. Group meetings will include be fun, engaging activities, and enrichment. We believe that it is important for your child to get to know their teachers in person as well as online.

Your child could remain a Seneca Valley Cyber student with two options:

• Your family could pay tuition to attend Seneca Valley and receive a Seneca Valley diploma through the Seneca Valley Cyber Service program.
• You can contact your new school district and ask about their participation in Seneca Valley’s OPT partnership program.

Families can register their child with our district registration coordinator. She can be reached at 724-452-6040, ext. 1640 or via email at lingenfelterha@svsd.net. Once the student is registered with the school district a guidance counselor will work with you and our cyber teachers to place the student in the appropriate courses. Completing the online cyber school application will help to expedite the process.

Yes! Hybrid schedules (some traditional and some cyber classes) can include schedules which allow students to attend only part of the school day on-site. Cyber staff members will work with your school’s principal to facilitate this.

Much of the classwork allows students to retry work if they have not mastered a skill. They can ask questions to our cyber teachers, send emails for help, or log-on to an online help area to chat live with their teacher.

No, there are paper and pencil assignments as well as online assignments throughout the classes. Students will also explore their interests in areas such as art and music.

As part of an on-going process to generate positive public relations pertaining to our schools, the Seneca Valley School District occasionally invites the media inside our classrooms to learn about our outstanding academic programs and events. Please note that photographs may appear in the yearbook, local newspapers, and District/School related media sites such as the District/School’s web page, District/PTA Facebook pages, and District/School Twitter accounts.

Parents/Guardians who do not wish to have their child's name, photograph or other personal information to appear in any media or district publications, including but not limited to, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, etc., must submit written documentation to the appropriate building principal. This letter must be received no later than the first two (2) weeks of school.

Yes, our online curriculum mirrors that of traditional courses and is aligned with PA State Standards and our high school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Through our Seneca Valley Cyber programming, we are able to offer additional classes online that are not offered in our traditional classrooms.

All Pennsylvania students are required to attend school 990 hours for grades 7-12, and 900 hours for elementary students. All courses are created based on this requirement. To meet the annual hour requirements, a daily calendar for work is established that will enable students to remain on target for both attendance and completion of the courses.

The Seneca Valley Cyber Service program currently offers more than 240 different courses that students are able to select. Courses are available for core content, enrichment, interest, remediation and credit recovery.

A student’s progress is monitored on a weekly basis. Parents receive daily e-mails that show a visual report of your child’s progress and students can access real-time progress reports by using our Parent Portal. Students are able to view their progress each time they log-in to the system.

Attendance is monitored through our cyber service platform, Edgenuity. We are able to calculate the exact amount of engaged time as well as a student’s idle time. Based on the student’s progress report and data provided from Edgenuity, the school district may recommend that your child work on their courses in the Seneca Valley Cyber Lab to help them be successful online learners. The lab is staffed with certified teachers who can assist and guide student learning.

Students are able to obtain their Physical Education credit online through our Seneca Valley Cyber Physical Education courses. Students will complete online assignments and they will keep a fitness log of their activities.

We require a parent to be present in the home with any elementary and middle school students if the student is enrolled in full-time cyber education in the home. We do not require that a parent be present in the home for students in grades 9-12. It is possible for any full-time cyber student to complete their day at school in an on-campus cyber lab.

Several world language courses are offered to all students including Spanish, German, French and Chinese.

Similar to traditional courses with multiple measures of student progress, our cyber courses assess student progress in a variety of ways. Some examples of the assessment tools used include journal entries, quizzes, tests, homework assignments, and written projects. Students do have the ability to redo all work until the student reaches mastery. Teachers will assess the assignments and provide timely feedback.

Yes, all students in the Seneca Valley Cyber Service program are required to participate in district and state standardized testing. Students in select grades are required to participate in Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) in the areas of Reading, Math, Writing, and Science. Three times per year, students in grades K-8 are also benchmark tested using aimsweb+ for students in grades K-2 and Renaissance Star Assessments for students in grades 3-8. Students will be notified of testing dates and will come to the drop-in center to participate in these assessments.

All students must obtain 24 credits and fulfill the other Seneca Valley graduation requirements (see below).

Pennsylvania requires all students enrolled in public schools to complete a graduation project. Students will work on their Graduation Project during their junior and senior years. Please refer to our Seneca Valley Senior High School Senior Project web page for complete up-to-date details.

Students who participate in the Seneca Valley Cyber Service program will be eligible to receive a Seneca Valley Senior High School diploma and are eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies with all graduating Seneca Valley students. Students are also able to request transcripts through the guidance office as needed to support college and work endeavors.

Seneca Valley Cyber follows Chapter 16 of the Pennsylvania State Code regarding gifted students. We meet those guidelines by enriching our students through various activities and events. Goals delineated in a student’s GIEP will be supported through Seneca Valley Cyber and by our professional staff.

Yes. We follow all federal and state regulations and standards for special education students. As a public school, we implement Chapter 14 for special education and Chapter 15 for 504 Protected Handicapped Students. All goals delineated in a student’s IEP will be supported through the Seneca Valley Cyber and by our professional staff, including appropriately certified special education teachers.

We encourage students to pick the path that best fits their learning needs. Vocational-Technical students who wish to enroll in Seneca Valley Cyber may participate in either cyber or traditional courses when they return to campus from the Butler County Vo-Tech each day.

We have an online post-secondary career program. This provides the opportunity for students to achieve multiple certifications and diplomas while still in high school. For example, students can participate in courses and programs in the areas of Health (e.g., Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Care, Certified Personal Training, Pharmacy Technician, Optician), Business (e.g., Bookkeeping, Child/Day Care Management), Technology, or the Trades (e.g., Electronics, HVAC Technician, Plumbing, etc...) We also have an articulation agreement with Butler County Community College and Pointe Park Univeristy and a variety of career and technical courses (CTC) to help students prepare for post-secondary schools.