Student Support Systems
PA Cyber teachers and staff want our students to be successful from enrollment through graduation—and beyond.
Orientation
Orientations are designed to give students and parents the information, training, and support they need for a strong and successful start at PA Cyber.
An Academic Advisor will schedule the orientation session; you have the option of attending orientation either online or in-person at one of our 10 offices. We will help students and parents get comfortable using our online platform. Topics include how to set up your equipment, access curriculum, navigate courses, and complete and submit assignments.
PA Cyber Library
Discover a wealth of academic resources in this one location. Find the books, newspapers, and videos you need to complete school assignments, or simply read for fun! Access digital resources through Clever, which is managed by PA Cyber staff. On-demand tutoring and study services are also available. You will want to explore all that the library offers!
School Counseling
PA Cyber counselors are here to help students through phone calls, emails, or in-person meetings at one of our many offices across the state. We offer comprehensive services in three areas: personal support, academic guidance, and career planning.
Academic Guidance
Our counselors serve as a resource for both parents and students. When educational questions arise, please feel free to contact us to assist you with:
- Academic and course planning
- Standardized test preparation and help with interpreting results
- Letters of recommendation
- Planning for college
- Transcripts
- NCAA eligibility questions
- Scholarship opportunities
Personal Support
Individual counseling is available for all students. Students can receive support by contacting our department directly or through referrals from a parent, academic advisor, or teacher. We're here to help with:
- Goal setting
- Peer relationships
- Conflict resolution
- Crisis intervention
- Coping strategies
- Anxiety management
- Emotional support
- Grief counseling
Career Planning
We help students get the information they need to plan for their futures. We are happy to administer career interest assessments, and we offer workshops and informational sessions that include:
- Career nights
- College fairs
- Classroom career instruction
- College entrance exams
- Financial aid seminars
Student Assistance Program
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Student Assistance Program (SAP) helps school personnel identify issues or barriers that interfere with a student’s success in school. The program is available to all students from kindergarten through Grade 12. Barriers to student success may include one or more of the following:
- Alcohol, tobacco, or other drug use
- Social issues, including bullying, anxiety, and low self-esteem or motivation
- Mental health concerns such as depression, OCD, ADHD, and self-harm
- Family issues such as the death of a loved one, parental incarceration, divorce, military deployment, homelessness, or neglect
- Teen parenting, for both new mothers and new fathers
The primary goal of SAP is to help K-12 students overcome these barriers so they may remain in school, develop stronger social and academic skills, and continue to advance their education.
SAP’s Approach
The professionally trained SAP team members do not diagnose or treat students. Instead, they work closely with teachers, administrators, and families to identify students who are having difficulties and use all their resources to remove barriers to learning. SAP members often play the role of advocate, helping the student directly and acting as a valuable school resource contact for individual support. If the SAP team feels the problem lies outside of the scope of the school resources, they can also refer a student for a screening or assessment at a location within the student’s community.
Parents Stay Involved
It is the right of the student’s parents or guardians to be involved in SAP’s process, and they have full access to all school records under the applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Parental compliance is crucial. The sooner the SAP team receives the necessary permissions, the sooner they can help the student.
The SAP Team
The SAP team may include administrators, school counselors, teachers, nurses, psychologists, prevention specialists, probation officers, drug and alcohol agency liaisons, and mental health agency liaisons.
The services provided by this team are based on state guidelines, professional standards and policies, and procedures adopted by the PA Cyber School Board. Members of the SAP team are trained by a Commonwealth-approved provider in all phases of the student assistance process. As a result, SAP ensures there is effective collaboration among all agencies, complies with state and federal laws protecting the privacy rights of parents and students, and ensures recommended services are appropriate.
Email us at sap@pacyber.org or call 888-722-9237 and ask to speak with a member of the SAP team.
IMPACT Tutoring
IMPACT is a peer tutoring program in which high-achieving high school students in grades 10, 11, or 12 help elementary or middle school students prepare for the yearly PSSA exams. Each high school tutor works with a student, or small group of students, in a private online classroom to increase academic and critical thinking skills. Each IMPACT tutoring session is supervised by a certified teacher.
Throughout the program, progress is tracked and student strengths or areas of concern are shared with each student’s family. IMPACT meets once a week online for ten weeks before the PSSA testing window. Peer tutoring not only increases academic performance and testing scores, but also helps increase student self-esteem and social interaction.
IMPACT tutoring sessions are available for students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in English language arts and mathematics, while tutoring sessions for science are available to students in grades 4 and 8.
Customize Your K-12 Journey
Learn about PA Cyber's extensive course offerings and learning paths for students.