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Graduation Requirements
At La Academia, scholars must earn the following credits to graduate high school:
4 English Credits
3 Math Credits
3 Science Credits
3 Social Studies Credits
2 Arts or Humanities Credits
6 Additional Elective Credits
1 Health/Physical Education Credit
This is a total of 22 credits. Additionally, the state of Pennsylvania requires that each scholar in grades 9-12 be enrolled in a Physical Education class and an English class each year that they are in high school. All scholars must take at least 1 health class during high school. Credits can only be earned during enrollment in grades 9-12.
A copy of the PA Graduation Requirements can be found here.
Making Real-world Connections Through Project-based Learning
La Academia is transforming into a Project-Based Learning (PBL) school. In PBL, learning is scholar-centered, hands-on, and collaborative. scholars make real-world connections through challenging projects and work to solve complex problems. They build skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and communication. scholars are assessed on more than just their content knowledge. They are also assessed on how they apply that knowledge to solving authentic problems.
What Does Project-based Learning Look Like at La Academia?
La Academia has partnered with New Tech Network and the Lancaster County STEM Alliance to bring Project-Based Learning to our scholars. Through generous donations from the Lancaster County STEM Alliance, all scholars at La Academia are provided with a Chromebook to use. These computers are used in classes on a daily basis to further the authentic learning happening in the classroom. Our partnership with New Tech Network gives us access to the ECHO platform which provides access to course resources, project plans, assignments, a grade book, online groups, and much more.
Why use project-based learning?
Project-based learning moves from a traditional teacher-centered approach to a scholar-centered approach to learning. scholars are not only able to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts but are also able to develop important workplace skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and work ethic. Project-based learning answers the age-old “Why do I have to learn this?” that scholars are always asking and motivating many scholars that might otherwise find school boring or meaningless.
You can learn more about Project & Problem-Based Learning here!
Stem at La Academia: What is It and Why is It So Important?
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math but it is not merely the sum of these four disciplines. In fact, it’s not really a discipline at all; it’s a culture of inquiry and problem-solving that will prepare scholars for success in the 21st-century workforce.
Becoming a STEM school requires rigorous academic learning in all content areas, including the arts and humanities. It suggests that the pedagogy in each content area prioritizes hands-on learning, an evidence-based inquiry process, authentic and relevant content, and the specific work-based skills all scholars will need in the future: strong oral and written communications skills, collaboration, digital literacy, math competence, and agency, which is defined as the capacity of an individual to make independent choices and to accept responsibility for those choices.