Onboarding New DCA Students
Welcome to the DCA!
Grade K-8 students new to the DCA/BVA will be provided with an Orientation via the Brandywine Virtual Academy (BVA).
***Beginning in the
Are you a new parent/guardian of a Grade K-8 DCA/BVA student? Watch this Learning Coach Orientation from the BVA.
Check out this Information Video about our K-8 DCA Program via BVA for the
Grades 9-12 students new to the DCA will be provided an orientation slide deck with a brief student assessment that they must complete before beginning any coursework.
Are you a new parent/guardian of a Grade 9-12 DCA student? We've created this onboarding presentation that guides students and parents through some important tasks in Schoology, Infinite Campus, and Zoom.
We strongly encourage students and their families to review this entire orientation presentation prior to starting in the DCA!
New to the DCA Grades K-8?
Grades K-5 students visit the Brandywine Virtual Academy (BVA) webpage -
bva.cciu.org/learn/elementary
Grades 6-8 students visit the Brandywine Virtual Academy (BVA) webpage -
BVA.cciu.org/learn/middle-school
New to the DCA Grades 9-12? Start here!
Accessibility Activation
To Listen to the Google Slide Presentation:
- Click on Google Slide icon bottom right.
- Click on first slide.
- Enable screen reader support:
- Click on "Tools" in tool bar.
- Turn on Screen reader support>OK.
- Activate screen reader tool of choice.
DCA Attendance Policy
At the Downingtown Cyber Academy (DCA), a student's attendance is different from that in a traditional school. As a program, DCA defines attendance by the work a student completes. Being present in a course means a student is actively engaging with and submitting their assigned work. This policy outlines what is expected of students and families to maintain good attendance.
How Student Attendance is Tracked
A student's teachers will check for work completion throughout the week to mark them as present or absent.
- For full-credit (1.0) courses: Teachers check for a student's work twice a week.
- If a student doesn't complete assignments by Wednesday night, they will be marked absent for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
- If a student doesn't complete remaining assignments by Sunday night, they will be marked absent for Thursday and Friday.
- For half-credit (0.33 or 0.5) courses: Teachers check for a student's work once a week.
- If a student doesn't complete work throughout the entire week (Monday through Sunday), they will be marked absent for all of the scheduled course days that week.
Excusing an Absence
If a student is unable to complete their work due to an illness, appointment, or another reason, their parent or guardian must contact the DCA to excuse the absence.
- How to submit an excuse: A student's parent or guardian should email cyber_attendance@dasd.org to let the program know about the absence.
- Absence limits: According to DASD School Board Policy No. 204, a student is allowed up to ten excused absences in a school year with a note from a parent or guardian. After ten absences, or for any absence of three or more consecutive days, a doctor's note is required to excuse the absence.
Requesting a Vacation
If a family is planning to take a vacation during the program year, they must follow these steps to request that the absence be excused.
- A student's parent or guardian SHOULD review the BOARD POLICY 204 ATTENDANCE and note expectations for the student, family, and teacher(s).
- Next, the student's parent or guardian should fill out the 204 AG11 REQUEST FORM FOR EDUCATIONAL AND/OR FAMILY TRIPS and sign it.
- If the student is in grades K-12 as a:
- Full-time DCA student, then email the completed form to cyber_attendance@dasd.org.
- Part-Time DCA student, then email the completed form to both the DCA (cyber_attendance@dasd.org) and Home Building Attendance emails.
Once the DCA and/or Home Building principal approves the request, the DCA/Home Building will notify the student's teachers. The student remains responsible for keeping up with their schoolwork during the vacation.
The Downingtown Cyber Academy is committed to supporting students in their learning journey. If a student or their family has any questions about this attendance policy, they should contact the program at cyberacademy@dasd.org.