Education at the Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School is rooted in both traditional and constructivist teaching strategies. It is our overall belief that all students can be motivated to learn through the use of content matter that is relevant to their lives and through increased opportunities for individualized attention.
Instruction is conducted with respect to state mandated class length and with respect to the minimum graduation requirements as they are outlined in the Charter School Act (Act 22) and all applicable school codes and regulations. The Ketterer School’s curriculum for each subject is based on the Pennsylvania Standards.
A student’s readiness to progress from one grade level to the next is gauged by that student’s achievement/completion of the appropriate performance standards. A student will earn at least 5 credits to be seated as a sophomore, 10 credits to be seated as junior and 16 credits to be seated as a senior.
Report cards are provided for each student on a quarterly basis and any student who completes his/her senior year at the Ketterer School receives a Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School diploma. Diplomas are granted in accordance with requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Ketterer School will accept credit from an accredited school of higher education in order for a student to meet the credit requirements and to graduate with his/her class.
Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year a student must accumulate a total of 23 credits in the following areas:
English
4 credits
Mathematics
3 credits
Science
3 credits
Social Studies
3 credits
Arts/Humanities
2 credits
Health/Physical Education
2 credits
Electives
6 credits
Furthermore, the student must have earned at least a portion of a credit in the fields of Consumer Science and Environmental Science.
Each senior at the Ketterer School is required to successfully complete a senior project. The Senior Project is a compilation of skills mastered throughout all levels of education. It is established to showcase academic excellence in an area where the student’s interest lies. This may lead to an in-depth, positive, leisure time activity, a post-secondary education, or a career interest. Establishing a personal interest in the project is the key to a successful graduation project. Each senior will be issued a faculty advisor to assist him/her in the completion of this task. The final project includes a written research paper and an oral presentation to an assessment team.
In addition to earning the specified credits and completing a senior project, the student must also either earn a score of Advanced or Proficient on the eleventh grade PSSA math and reading assessments or successfully complete the local assessment established by The Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School.