School Profile
Community
Mountainside Success Academy (MSA) is located in Placerville, California and serves students from around El Dorado County.
MSA is a community charter alternative high school, which is part of Charter Alternative Programs (CAP). CAP is part of El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE), and is Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredited. Under the charter which is granted by EDCOE; the charter consists of four schools with varying structures:
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Charter Home Study Academy K-8: home school with core classes
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Mountainside Middle College High School 9-12: college prep classes while taking classes at the community college
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Mountainside Success Academy 9-12: community college and career education focus
School
Each student is enrolled with our principal and assistant principal where they determine as a team with the parent/guardian and student the best weekly schedule which will help the student meet their graduation goal. Mountainside Success Academy is unique in that students are provided with multiple flexible options. A student’s schedule will reflect the student’s goal: credit recovery, graduation, acceleration, and post-secondary plan. This process is called an Individual Learning Plan, or ILP, and is created to serve the student in the best way possible.
School Attendance/Scheduling
Check out the recommended breakdown by grade for most MSA students:
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9th: 4 days per week in the morning or afternoons. M-Th with some flexibility for alternative scheduling
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10th: 4 days per week in the mornings or afternoons. M-Th sessions with greater flexibility for alternative scheduling
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11th: A choice of 1-2 days per week in the mornings or afternoons. M/T, M/W, M/Th, T/W, T/Th, or W/Th with much flexibility for alternative scheduling.
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12th: A choice of 1-2 days per week in the mornings or afternoons. M/T, M/W, M/Th, T/W, T/Th, or W/Th with much flexibility for alternative scheduling.
On days that students are not assigned on-campus, they are required to work from home on their courses, work at their job, attend their Regional Occupational Program (ROP), and/or attend Dual Enrollment (college) classes.
Demographic Information
School Population: Max 115
Average Classroom Size: 6-10
Average Students Per Grade Level:
9th: Max 15
10th: Max 30
11th: Max 35
12th: Max 35
Curriculum
Mountainside Success Academy requires students to achieve a minimum of 180 credits.
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135 Credits in Core Classes (English, Mathematics, Social Science, Art/World Language, and Health)
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45 Credits in Elective Classes
All teacher directed and independent study courses are A-G certified for UC college and university acceptance.
Check out our course catalog HERE.
Credit Recovery, the act of recovering credits attempted and failed earlier in a student’s high school career, is offered for all core classes and is completed while students maintain their at- grade-level courses. This ensures students do not become even more behind while trying to recover credits.
Course Acceleration, the act of taking additional courses on top of a full course load, is offered for all students through our online curriculum, Edgenuity, Odysseyware, and Google Classroom. Course Acceleration is perfect for students that are looking for a bit more of a challenge and/or are wanting to graduate early.
Dual Enrollment, the act of being enrolled in high school and college at the same time, is offered for our 11th and 12th grade students. This is a great opportunity for students to explore introductory college courses for free and earn high school and college credits at the same time. Students interested should speak to their homeroom teacher for guidance or the Academic Support Specialist.
Grades
MSA is a course based independent study program. Coursework must be completed weekly based on the learning agreement signed at enrollment.
Check out the learning agreement below.
Standardized Testing
MSA actively participates in state standardized testing as one measure of progress. It is expected that students participate in this process.