Programs

Elementary Program

The Pivot Charter School elementary program is an excellent option for families who wish to homeschool through an independent study program where parents are involved in their student’s education on a daily basis. Parents are the learning coaches. Students are assigned to a credentialed teacher who supports and guides educational decisions, assigns the student’s work requirements and supports parents as the learning coach. Students participate in assessments in order to individualize remediation to help improve their skills. Students may attend a site based program at the resource center where they socialize and engage in hands-on learning activities. With a parent’s assistance, students utilize an online program at home that provides an animated and engaging standards based curriculum.

Blended Learning

Pivot uses a blended learning model that gives students the flexibility to learn online and onsite. Teacher support is customized to each student based on learning style and student progress. Blended courses allow students and teachers to take advantage of the flexibility and convenience of an online curriculum while retaining the benefits of the face-to-face learning experience. Research has shown that blended learning results in improved student success and satisfaction.

High School Academies

In order to further individualize our program for high school students, we have created separate academies in which students will enroll based on their goals and interests. Students who wish to meet the minimum admissions requirements for a University of California or California State University are encouraged to enroll under the University Preparatory Academy (UPREP) so that the courses assigned to them meet those standards. Students who are wishing to enroll into a local junior or community college after graduation may benefit from enrolling under the Liberal Arts Academy, where course choice is more flexible. See the descriptions below.

The University Preparatory Academy requires the student to complete 225 credits to graduate. These graduation requirements are aligned to California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) A-G minimum requirements for acceptance. Graduating from the UPREP Academy does not guarantee acceptance into a CSU or UC school. The student who graduates from the UPREP academy will have met the minimum acceptance criteria. Students are encouraged to take Advanced Placement courses, concurrently enroll at their local community college, and take classes above the minimum requirements for entry into California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) schools.

Click here to see a list of our courses that are approved by the University of California.

Liberal Arts Academy

The Liberal Arts Academy also requires the student to complete 225 credits to graduate. The course requirements are NOT specifically aligned to California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) requirements for admissions. Students who graduate from the Liberal Arts Academy will still be eligible to attend many other colleges and universities in California and throughout the country. The primary difference from the UPREP Academy is that since the focus is not on completing the University of California A-G course requirements, students have more flexibility of which courses will meet their high school diploma requirements.

All students in both academies are encouraged to take concurrent enrollment in community colleges and have a community service graduation requirement.

Curriculum

Our flexible and interactive online curriculum, coupled with our resource center programs and one-on-one support, provides the best of several educational environments. Student progress is tracked in real time and individualized remediation is available immediately so that they can gain the skills necessary to succeed every step of the way. The curriculum utilized by Pivot is comprehensive and meets or exceeds the Common Core Standards, providing all core content, as well as foreign languages, fine and performing arts, college prep courses, Advanced Placement and Honors courses, college and career technical courses, and fun electives. Students may also take advantage of concurrent enrollment with local community colleges, where high school students have the opportunity to take college courses for credit at a very low cost.

Visit our curriculum providers’ links below. Please note that most, but not all, classes identified in the course catalogs are offered at Pivot.

The Accelerate Education curriculum offers rich and engaging content that has been carefully designed to meet state standards. Students are engaged in a variety of activities and assessments appropriate to the courses being studied and the ages of the students. Learning at the lower grade levels includes many offline activities that work on fine motor skills like cutting, pasting, and handwriting.

Apex Learning is the leading provider of blended and virtual learning solutions to our nation’s schools. Apex Learning provides core courses including foreign language, electives, and AP and Honors courses to Pivot’s middle and high school students.

Edmentum, Inc. offers a variety of online learning programs designed to drive student achievement for academic and career success. With more than 50 years of experience in the industry, Edmentum offers a variety of innovative learning programs to empower 21st-century teaching and learning. Edmentum’s engaging and unique library of courses includes fun electives and a wide variety of Career Technical Education courses.

Edmentum’s Exact Path is linked to NWEA MAP and provides supplemental learning opportunities for students to fill in any gaps in knowledge. Pivot utilizes Exact Path for its high school students to build foundational level skills in reading, language arts, and mathematics.

NWEA is a leader in assessment that precisely measures growth and proficiency in reading, language arts, and mathematics. These assessments provide insight to help tailor instruction for Pivot’s high school students through Edmentum’s Exact Path.

i-Ready provides Pivot’s elementary and middle school students with both assessment and instruction in reading and math. After students take their adaptive diagnostics, i-Ready creates individualized instruction that the student can complete in conjunction with their core coursework. The regular diagnostic testing also offers students and their families the opportunity to observe measurable progress and growth throughout the school year.

Lexia is an expert in reading assessment and instruction. Lexia offers Core5 for elementary students and PowerUp for middle and high school students to determine their reading levels and areas that need improvement. Students work independently at their own pace through individualized learning paths to develop fundamental reading skills in a structured, sequential manner. Instruction is provided as needed in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

To boost opportunities for math practice, Pivot incorporates IXL math practice directly into all middle and high school math courses so that students have access to unlimited math practice and instant feedback.

YouScience uses performance measures of aptitudes to uncover students’ natural talents, match them to careers, and give them personalized feedback on how their abilities can be utilized in school, work, and in their daily life. Students can also better understand how their abilities align to career certifications and pathways, so that they may pursue career technical education opportunities before they graduate high school.