Because every home school curriculum is different, our counselors will need to review all documentation you have of your child's high school work. We will compare it with South Carolina state requirements to determine your student’s eligibility for transfer credits. Contact us for more information.

No. Although Palmetto State E-cademy offers many of the same benefits as home schooling (such as flexibility and parental involvement), there are several key differences: Palmetto State E-cademy students are taught by highly qualified, state-certified teachers, participate in standardized testing, and are held to South Carolina state standards.

Yes. You may choose from four unique tracks designed to meet your child’s academic needs:

• Accelerated Track – Students complete Honors and AP courses. Credit is available for dual enrollment and college courses. Students will graduate in 3-4 years with the potential to complete a number of college courses.
• Standard Track – Students complete Standard or Honors courses. Credit is available for dual enrollment courses. Students will graduate in 3-4 years.
• Adaptive Track – Students complete Standard courses at an adjusted rate. Students will graduate in 4-5 years.
• Career Prep Track – Students complete Standard and Vocational courses. In grade 12, students may earn credits towards graduation through on-the-job training and internships.

We invite you to attend one of our Open Houses for more information.

Students who complete all graduation requirements will earn a state-certified South Carolina high school diploma.

Yes, Palmetto State E-cademy enrolls students with special needs. The main issue to be considered is whether or not the independent nature of online instruction will be the best fit for a special needs student. Palmetto State E-cademy staff will discuss your child's situation with you. Please contact us for more information.

Your teachers will provide feedback on any assignments or projects you complete. You can also contact your teacher via email, by phone, or through the course message center. Each teacher has regularly scheduled online office hours. During that time, you may interact with your teacher and other students in real time through the virtual classroom.

All students are also assigned a home room teacher who tracks general academic progress. Learning coaches are available to assist you with subject-specific tutoring and time management skills.

Progress is measured through quizzes, exams, written essays, assignments, projects, and end of course exams.

Course pace charts are provided in each course. These charts will help you plan your work so that you will complete the course by the end of the school year. Pace charts are typically found in the "Course Information" tab in Blackboard, the online learning environment.

Completion of a one-credit course depends on the student’s personalized learning track. Palmetto State E-cademy operates on a block schedule. Students take fewer courses at a time, but complete an entire course in one semester. This allows Accelerated students to complete more courses in less time and also gives flexibility for all students to complete courses at an individualized pace.

Palmetto State E-cademy teachers meet the individual learning needs of all students enrolled in their courses. Teachers have office hours and hold weekly online instructional sessions, during which students can ask questions and have discussions with their teacher and classmates. Teachers are also available by phone and email; students are encouraged to contact their teachers with questions.

As long as Internet access is available, students can log into Palmetto State E-cademy and get to their courses. For trips during which Internet access may not be available, students can print their assignments ahead of time to keep up with their work. Students should notify their teachers by email if they will be unable to access the Internet for a period of time.

Some of the qualities that we have seen in our most successful students are:

• The ability to work independently and stay on task;
• The willingness to ask for help when needed. There are many opportunities to get help from teachers, from learning coaches, from other students, or from technical support. Students have to be willing to make use of those resources and let someone know if they don't understand something; and
• Internal motivation to succeed in the program. When students participate as partners in their own learning, their chances of success grow exponentially!

There are some things that you can do as a parent/guardian to help your child to be successful in Palmetto State E-cademy:

• Help them set up a school work schedule to follow every day. Students should plan on approximately one hour of work per day for every class they are enrolled in, plus some extra time for outside readings or writing papers.
• Provide an area for them to work that has limited distractions and where all their materials are available to them.
• Take advantage of all of the tools and opportunities that Palmetto State E-cademy offers. A parent coordinator is available to walk parents through the program. Progress reports are sent to parents on a weekly basis. Parents are provided with school email and access to teachers, guidance counselors, and learning coaches.

While not required, the more oversight you can provide, the better your student may do. It is unrealistic for most high school-aged students to handle the total responsibility of an online learning environment without any parental intervention. The Palmetto State E-cademy program does not require students to do all of their coursework during the traditional school hours, so it may be beneficial for families to schedule at least some of their "school time" during hours when parents are home to provide support. Students are required to log-in to their courses five out of every seven days, so a schedule including weekends is perfectly acceptable.

The main content of all of the Palmetto State E-cademy courses is available directly through our secure, online student classroom area. In some cases, links provided by teachers direct students to other safe websites so students can take advantage of the wealth of educational information available online. Beyond that, good parental supervision and setting some guidelines for Internet use that match with your family values will go a long way in protecting your children from unwanted information on the Internet. Many parents choose to add Internet filtering software to their home computers as an additional safeguard.

Although high speed Internet access definitely makes the experience of learning online much more satisfying, it is not absolutely necessary. Coursework is accessible on a dial-up connection but many of the interactive features of the program may be a challenge, so the experience is not as engaging for the students. DSL, Cable, and Satellite Internet all provide faster connections than traditional dial-up. Palmetto State E-cademy requires all families to provide proof of Internet access during the enrollment process.

Palmetto State E-cademy provides each student a resource CD which contains the latest plug-ins required to run the program as well as other necessary software. PC or Macintosh hardware requirements include:

• PC Operating System: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista
• Mac Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
• 256K of RAM or higher
• Sound card with speakers or a headset
• Internal microphone or USB microphone
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• Keyboard and Mouse or compatible pointing device

Palmetto State E-cademy is a public school; students cannot attend two public schools at the same time. In other words, a student enrolled in his or her local brick and mortar high school cannot be enrolled at Palmetto State E-cademy at the same time. However, participation in extracurricular activities, like band or choir, is at the discretion of the local school.

Although we work very hard to make Palmetto State E-cademy a positive experience for all of our students, if you feel that Palmetto State E-cademy is not the best choice for your child you always have the ability to return to your local school or to regular home schooling. We do recommend that students complete their current semester to gain as many credits as possible.

Palmetto State E-cademy students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of social activities. We encourage participation in community service projects, such as Habitat for Humanity. We offer field trips to locations like Frankie’s Fun Park, Carowinds, and the Riverbanks Zoo. Palmetto State E-cademy also sponsors a Junior/Senior Prom each year where students are invited out for a fun evening of dinner and dancing. There are a variety of student clubs available and we encourage students to let us know if they have an interest or passion that they feel would make a great club.

We have a feature on our secure, online student classroom area, Blackboard, for students to participate in discussion boards with other Palmetto State E-cademy students. Topics of discussion may include music, books, movies, politics, sports, etc. These discussion boards are monitored by Palmetto State E-cademy staff and provide a great way for students to talk about their talents and interests.

Additionally, students may earn iQuad privileges. iQuad is a monitored social networking site that links Palmetto State E-cademy students with students from other affiliated online schools throughout the nation.

Parents are assigned an “Observer” username and password to enter the Palmetto State E-cademy site. By using this login, parents can go directly to their child's classes and see what assignments have been completed and what their child's grades are at any time. Our parent coordinator will schedule a “Walk-to-Class” with each parent to ensure that you feel comfortable accessing the program and utilizing the tools available. A student Progress Report is sent to each parent’s Palmetto State E-cademy email account weekly with information such as time spent working in each course, and information about the student’s pacing through the course.

We invite you to attend one of our Open House sessions for more information on what Palmetto State E-cademy has to offer. Getting as much information as possible is the best way to make an informed choice.

No, Palmetto State E-cademy is a free, public high school. It is part of the South Carolina Public Charter School District.