The Dolphin Leadership Academy is designed to help prepare incoming freshmen to be successful and establish roles as leaders in the high school setting. The students will attend sessions that will help prepare them for freshman pod classes. In addition to learning about academic and behavioral expectations, students will have the opportunity to learn about graduation requirements, school spirit, sports teams and clubs. The mission of the Palisades Charter High School’s Dolphin Leadership Academy is to teach students techniques in decision-making and team building that will promote a successful freshman orientation and freshman year. 

All 9th Grade students are divided into Small Learning Communities called PODS- we are the Pali Dolphins, after all. Each POD has its own theme. 

Currently, we have the following PODS:

• Art

• Drama

• Eco

• Entrepreneurship (for students in Algebra 1 only)

• Makers

• Media

• Music

• Social Justice

POD courses are aligned with a student's English, Social Science, and POD Elective classes. The PODS are only for 9th grade students.

After exploring the POD options, students will give input on what PODS that may interest them. Every effort is made to give students one of their top choices, if possible.

The PCHS Multilingual Program offers courses to students whose first language is not English and who are recent immigrants or residents of the US. Students are placed in the according to their English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPAC) state test scores. New students are tested and evaluated according to state law and then are scheduled into appropriate courses by recommendation of the Multilingual Program and counselors.  

According to the PCHS Board of Trustees approved EL Master Plan, ELs who demonstrate that they are less than reasonably fluent are scheduled into an English Language Development class. The unique needs of these ELs are met by the use of instructional methods and materials designed to increase English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and in academic language. Moreover, it is the practice of the Multilingual Program to illustrate to every student and family that the primary language and culture of each student is highly respected and valued. Primary language development for Spanish speakers or heritage speakers of Spanish in the Native Speakers Spanish class or AP Spanish Language or Literature is offered. The Multilingual Program also monitors and supports ELs who have graduated from the program.

What is CTE? Career Technical Education is an educational model that aligns secondary and postsecondary education to labor market demand and provides students with the technical, academic and employability knowledge and skills they need for success.

• Two thirds of jobs created by 2022 will require some form of postsecondary education.

• Career preparedness means building adaptable skills.

• Students need to be lifelong learners.

CTE Vision: Career Technical Education will engage every student in high-quality, rigorous and relevant educational pathways and programs developed in partnership with business and industry promoting creativity, innovation, leadership, and lifelong learning and allowing students to turn their passion into their dream careers.

CTE Mission: Provide industry-linked programs and services that enable all individuals to reach their career goals in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency, compete in the global marketplace, and contribute to California’s economic prosperity.

CTE Facts: 

• CTE Leads to fewer dropout – less likely to drop out of high school than the national average.

• CTE creates personalized pathways to success – 75% of CTE students pursue postsecondary education after graduating high school.

• CTE integrates business and industry perspective – creates the relevance of the coursework.

• CTE trains students for high-growth industries.

• CTE introduces students to the world of work – providing work-based learning opportunities like job shadowing and internships.

• CTE closes the skills gap.

• There is a public demand for CTE- 87% of Americans and 89% of public school parents agreed that students should receive more education about career choices while in high school

• PCHS CTE PATHWAYS

  1. Business

  2. Drama

  3. Media

  4. Music

  5. Photography

  6. Programming

Pali Academy is a small learning community adjacent to the main Palisades Charter High School campus. With an enrollment between 60-75 students, Pali Academy is dedicated to helping students overcome obstacles, recover academic credit, graduate and receive a diploma.

Pali students have been referred by PCHS counselors, deans, and administrators. We also serve students with IEP's and Section 504 plans.

Pali Academy offers students, who have good attendance and work habits, the chance to earn credits at an accelerated rate. Students who come to Pali Academy a semester or year behind in academic credit have the opportunity to take extra classes, receive work experience credits, and to earn bonus credits. Students who take advantage of Pali Academy's program are able to transfer back to Pali to graduate or stay at Pali Academy and graduate on time or even early.

Pali Academy's mission is to educate our diverse student population by developing their skills and talents to help them make positive contributions to our global society. We do this by providing a high-quality education to all our students through collaborative instruction that focuses on the development of academic and social skills necessary for the optimal development of the students' potential. It is paramount that at Pali Academy Academy we create an academically stimulating, safe and nurturing environment for our students. We strongly promote academic achievement and challenge our students to strive for success. We encourage our students to be responsible citizens who are culturally sensitive and equipped to meet the challenges presented to them in a changing and technological and diverse world.

Students are required to participate in an intake meeting with the Coordinator of Pali Academy prior to being enrolled. Please contact your child's counselor to get a referral.

STUDENTS DEFICIENT IN CREDITS

STUDENTS THAT ARE BEHIND 30 OR MORE UNITS WILL BE

REQUIRED TO ATTEND PALI ACADEMY, AS LONG AS SPACE IS AVAILABLE. Should space not be available, priority will be given to 12th and 11th grade students, then 10th grade students. Students and their families will meet with counselors, the Pali Academy coordinator, and the Director of Academic Programs and Academic Services.  Pali Academy students have been referred to enroll there by PCHS counselors, deans, the Student Success

Team, and administrators. 

Our mission is to provide Palisades Charter High students with a progressive alternative to the traditional classroom within the PCHS framework.  All courses offered are Common Core State Standard and A-G UC aligned. Students work independently to access the curriculum while adhering to the PCHS calendar and the PCHS Virtual Academy policies and guidelines.

This program serves all learners who need to independently access the curriculum. These students may be, but are not limited to, those working, pursuing a professional athletic or art career, accruing excessive on-site attendance concerns, those with scheduling problems or individual learning styles not met in the traditional classroom and those working to make up deficient credits. Students follow the California State Education Code Attendance Policy for Independent Study students.

ENROLLMENT PROCESS: 

• Enrollment in the Virtual Academy begins by contacting a student’s Counselor. 

• Enrollment opens each semester and extends through the new semester schedule change week.

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES: 

• Please speak to your student’s counselor to begin the process for enrollment.

PCHS offers our own summer school program.  The primary purpose of our PCHS summer school program is for credit recovery.  Not all classes will be offered at PCHS for summer school. Students needing to make up classes that they did not pass, should contact their counselors to see if taking summer school at PCHS is an option.

PCHS students may be able to additional classes through other non-PCHS programs including community colleges. Prior counselor approval is required before a student enrolls in any non-PCHS program.

Any new incoming students may take Health.  Health is the ONLY option for incoming 9th grade students and is not offered through PCHS.  Any student wishing to take Health during the summer must first complete the required Approval Form from the PCHS Counseling Office.

For incoming 10-12th graders, the student's PRIOR high school MUST approve any summer school course AND post it on their transcript.

Credit recovery is a term used to describe educational programs that give high school students who have failed a class the opportunity to redo coursework or retake a course through alternate means—and thereby avoid failure and earn academic credit. PCHS Credit Recovery program uses the Acellus virtual curriculum so that students can relearn content at their own pace.

PCHS has partnered with local community colleges to offer dual-enrollment classes.  Students that enroll in these classes earn BOTH PCHS credit and college credit through the community college. These classes meet on the PCHS campus

Some of these courses are taught by PCHS faculty and offered during the school day.  These PCHS courses are currently part of the Visual & Performing Arts Department.

Other courses are offered after school and are taught by community college faculty. The after-school courses offer an excellent opportunity for students, as often, these courses are unique to the dual-enrollment program.  Some examples have included:

• American Sign Language (which meets the a-g college entrance requirement)

• Psychology

• Computer Programming (required courses to earn specified certification)

• Business Law 

 Information regarding the after-school classes is communicated through Schoology and other media sources.

Special Education

Students who meet eligibility requirements under the Individual with Disabilities in Education Act are provided an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). In compliance with state and federal guidelines, Pali provides a continuum of services and program options for students in special education. Our Special Day Program (SDP) for students on a diploma track provides a smaller classroom setting where students receive instruction for core content areas by a credentialed special education teacher. Focus is on mastery of the essential content standards. Students attend general education classes for PE and electives.

Pali also provides a Special Day Self Contained Program for students receiving instruction through the Alternate Curriculum. Focus in this class is on the development of functional academics and independent living skills.

The Resource Specialist Program (RSP) provides supports and services, as indicated in the IEP, for students who are enrolled primarily in the general education setting.

The College Board and ACT are organizations that provide college entry assessments for admission to four-year colleges and universities. Students with disabilities may apply through these organizations for test accommodations. Student Support Services can assist parents in submitting these applications; however, it is the parent’s / student’s responsibility for providing applications and all required documentation for submission.

• ARE YOU PUZZLED BY YOUR CHILD’S SPECIAL NEEDS?

• ¿ESTÁ DESCONCERTADO CON LAS NECESIDADES ESPECIALES DE SU HIJO?

• OCR Section 504 and Title II Compliance Memo 5.17

Students with Disabilities

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a federal law that requires the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.

A student is considered to have a disability if (s)he has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A student is considered to have a substantial limitation when unable to perform a major life activity that the average student in the general population can perform. Major life activities include: walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself, and performing manual tasks.

If you feel your student may qualify for a Section 504 Accommodation Plan, please contact your student’s counselor, Mary Bush, AP/Director of Student Support Services, or Grant Smith, Section 504 Coordinator.

• SEC 504 BROCHURE_ENGLISH_ REV 07-2012(1)

• SEC 504 BROCHURE SPANISH_REV 07-2012(2)