FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the student take the class?
Students log into a learning management system every morning to connect with the teacher. Students click on a link to join the interactive videoconferencing class inside of the learning management system. All materials and all coursework is inside of one management system.
Does the student need to buy a computer?
No. The program assigns a CiTi owned laptop to each individual student in the program
Does the student need to log in at the same time as the teacher and other students?
Yes. SYNERGY is mainly a live/synchronous virtual high school. The majority of classes are taken with a teacher and classmates live. There are some options to take online high school electives and some online college courses.
Are there any after school clubs for enrichment opportunities?
Yes. Students are surveyed on what kind of clubs they would be interested in joining. Currently offered are: anime club, art club, book club, and cooking club.
What is Early College?
Early College programs provide early access to college coursework/credits to high school students.
Does the student have to complete the college two-year degree to be able to graduate from Synergy Virtual High School?
No. Each student will work closely with a school counselor and/or the college advising staff. Individualized pathways will be designed for each student based upon need and interest.
How long is the academic day?
Up to five and a half hours for courses and academic/study hall time daily. The five and a half hours does not include small breaks between classes nor does it include lunch. Each class meets 3 times per week. Enrichment opportunities and extra support time will be available until 2:45 for interested students.
What happens if the student is having technical difficulties?
SYNERGY has a direct student technical support hotline for students/families to call.
Is the student still considered a student at their local high school and if so, can the student attend school functions and participate in extracurricular activities?
SYNERGY is a BOCES Program. The student is still part of their local high school therefore able to participate in high school functions, extracurricular activities and their local high school graduation. Note: SYNERGY also provides students with enrichment activities afterschool in a virtual environment.
Does Synergy follow a high school schedule or college schedule?
Both. SYNERGY follows a traditional high school calendar with year long high school courses broken down into 4 quarters of 10 weeks each. The college courses follow the college schedule but are embedded into the high school schedule. The college fall semester is the first two quarters of school and the spring semester is the last two quarters.
What is the cost of Synergy?
Enrollment in SYNERGY is purchased via a tuition payment by the student’s home district and has no direct cost to the student.
Since Synergy includes college credits, do parents have to pay any college tuition for this program?
No. All fees for this program come from the school district’s per seat payment.
How does a student enroll into Synergy?
School districts determine each student’s academic course of study and enrollment in any BOCES programs.