Summer Session 2025 

HANDBOOK

CONTENTS

WELCOME TO VIRTUAL VIRGINIA

Our History

Summer Session

Using This Handbook

VDOE Statement of Nondiscrimination

The Virtual Virginia Learning Model

TECHNOLOGY

Technology Support

Technology Requirements

Additional Technology Requirements for Virtual Virginia Courses

Closed Captioning in Zoom Sessions

SCHOOL & DIVISION STAFF

Local School Division Responsibilities

Local School Responsibilities

Local School Mentor

Mentor Access

Student Observations

ENROLLMENT

Course Enrollment

Enrollment Fees

Withdrawing from Courses

ACADEMICS

Attendance

Textbooks, Materials, etc.

Academic Calendar

Setting Up a Student Password

Accessing Courses

Parent Auditor Accounts

Grades

Late Work Policy

Performance Alerts

End-of-Course Assessments

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Credit

POLICIES

Academic Integrity and Ethics Agreement

Acceptable Use of Technology

Student Code of Conduct

Student Communication Policy

Right to Privacy

ADA & ELL Compliance

Email & SMS Communications from Virtual Virginia

Appendix A: Academic Integrity and Honor Statement

Appendix B: Student Acceptable Use Policy

Appendix C: Student Code of Conduct

Appendix D: Pace Recovery Plan Template

Appendix E: Student & Family Participation Agreements

Appendix F: Mentor Participation Agreement

Note: This handbook is subject to change at any time. Virtual Virginia reserves the right to make changes to this handbook as needed and without prior notice.

WELCOME TO VIRTUAL VIRGINIA

Welcome to the Virtual Virginia family! Virtual Virginia is a program of the Virginia Department of Education that serves Virginia public schools by providing flexible options for the diverse educational needs of students and their families. The VVA program offers equal access to online K–12 instruction by Virginia-certified teachers, the Statewide Learning Management System (LMS) offering digital content for teachers to use with their students in blended delivery, professional learning opportunities for educators of all levels, and a summer instructional program for K–12 learners. 

Virtual Virginia and Virginia public schools partner to support learners in being successful in online courses. VVA provides access to content, resources, instruction, and the online learning environment, while each public school provides a counselor/coordinator, school-based mentor, textbooks, materials, and student services.

VVA provides part-time and full-time enrollment for students attending school in person or fully online. All students enrolled in VVA courses remain affiliated with the local division average daily membership (ADM).

All VVA instructors are licensed in Virginia and are appropriately endorsed for the courses and grade levels they teach. Daily synchronous instruction and asynchronous learning experiences are provided to students in all VVA courses.

Our History

For over 40 years, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has provided—through the program that is now Virtual Virginia—a variety of distance‐learning opportunities for K–12 students throughout the Commonwealth. Throughout our history, Virtual Virginia has made digital learning available to all learners in the Commonwealth with no barriers to enrollment—regardless of each student’s academic history or geographic location. For VVA, success is all about providing educational opportunities to all Virginia students and helping students grow academically.

What is today Virtual Virginia began in 1984 as Virginia’s Electronic Classroom, and by the end of the decade, the program expanded to become the Virginia Satellite Education Network (VSEN). VSEN offered AP and world language courses via satellite television to students throughout Virginia. VSEN’s primary mission was to serve students in rural and underserved regions by providing courses that were unavailable because of a lack of highly qualified local instructors for those courses or because student enrollment would be too low to offer the courses locally. Thousands of students successfully completed courses through the VSEN program.

In the early 2000s, the VDOE launched a web‐based course delivery program via the Virtual Virginia Advanced Placement School (VVAPS). In 2006, the VDOE fully embraced online education and merged the VSEN and VVAPS programs to form Virtual Virginia.

Summer Session

VVA has offered Summer Session courses since 2015. Summer Session for grades 6–12 is ideal for students who want to complete courses during the summer to meet graduation requirements or to free up time in their schedules for the upcoming academic year.

Using This Handbook

This handbook is your guide to VVA, with quick access to policies, procedures, and other important information. Please carefully review all of the information provided in this handbook.

VDOE Statement of Nondiscrimination

The Virginia Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. The policy permits appropriate employment preferences for veterans and specifically prohibits discrimination against veterans. The following position has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the Department’s non-discrimination policies:

Director of Human Resources
Virginia Department of Education
P. O. Box 2120
Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120
Telephone: 804-225-2021

For further information on federal non-discrimination regulations, contact the Office for Civil Rights at OCR.DC@ed.gov or call 800-421-3481.

The Virtual Virginia Learning Model

Virtual Virginia courses utilize both asynchronous and synchronous approaches to instruction, through which students will work independently and collaborate with their instructors and peers. Asynchronous instruction is designed for students to complete course work independently at a designated course pace. Examples of asynchronous instruction may include reading content, viewing media, completing assignments, taking a quiz/assessment, or working on a project. Students have flexibility to choose when they complete asynchronous tasks, but they must adhere to the course pacing and due dates.

An essential component of VVA instruction is regular interaction between instructors and their students, including email, phone communications, and synchronous instructional sessions via video web conferencing. Students can attend daily synchronous instructional sessions led by their teacher. Students taking courses asynchronously are expected to review daily recordings and set an appointment with their teachers for additional help. All students have the opportunity for daily group and 1:1 instruction.

VVA courses meet or exceed rigorous curriculum standards, including the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL). All VVA courses are staffed by highly qualified, Virginia-licensed instructors with virtual student support hours posted within the courses. These virtual student support hours provide ample opportunities for students to contact their instructor(s) via telephone, using email, or by communicating through a live, web-based conferencing tool. In addition to the local mentor, students may access the services of the VVA Support team for technical issues.

TECHNOLOGY

This section discusses the role of VVA Support and outlines required hardware and software requirements for students participating in our program. This handbook also details guidelines that local school/division technology departments are required to follow to ensure that the local school/division meets the technology standards defined by VVA. All VVA students, including those working outside of the local school setting, must have access to the required hardware and software listed in this handbook.

Technology Support

The VVA Support team provides free support for students, families, and local school personnel related to VVA-related account and technology issues, as well as inquiries about program offerings.

Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday

Before contacting VVA Support, please consult VVA's Support Center articles, which include answers to frequently asked questions and more.

If you still need help, please email the contact in the list below that best meets your support needs:

• General inquiries: info@virtualva.org
• K–12 enrollments and fees: registration@virtualva.org
• Account or technology issues: support@virtualva.org

When contacting VVA Support, it is important to have the following information available:

• Full course name (this can be found in the Academic Snapshot in the VVA Genius student information system)
• Name of the tool/area affected (modules, quizzes, etc.)
• Information about your web browser (name and version)
• Information about your operating system (name and version)
• Detailed description of the problem (i.e., assignment, grade item, content links/topics)
• Username(s) of student(s) experiencing the issue
• Screenshots (extremely helpful)

A VVA Support representative will respond based on the severity of the student issues. The timeframes listed below are suggested response times; it may take longer to implement a resolution.

Technology Requirements

*Subject to change. Last updated May 28, 2025

VVA Support is available to work with students, local schools, and division staff to ensure that students have assistance in using the necessary computer hardware and software. The VVA Support team does not replace the school’s on-site technical support team. Local school technology staff must work with the VVA technology staff to:

• Verify that the student has regular access to the internet, adequate bandwidth, and a workstation/device that meets the minimum hardware and software requirements detailed in this document
• Act as a resource for the installation of programs and problem-solve any technical difficulties throughout the course
• Communicate with VVA Support as needed

All Virtual Virginia students, including those working outside of the local school setting, must have access to the required hardware and software listed in this handbook.

General Hardware and Software Requirements

The above-mentioned products and/or services retain their trademarks and copyrights where applicable. Third-party software updates can affect functionality. It may become necessary to modify these technical requirements during the year based on software updates.

Internet Connection

Access to a high-speed internet connection is required for all VVA courses. A minimum of 600 kbps up/down is required.

Website/Domain Access

Students will need access to the following URLs, IP addresses, and their subpages:

• https://www.virtualvirginia.org
• https://www.virtualva.org
• https://virtualvirginia.instructure.com
• https://vva.geniussis.com
• https://virtualvirginia.zoom.us
• https://virtualvirginia.zoom.com
• https://virtualvirginia.h5p.com
• http://www.emediava.org
• https://learn360.infobase.com
• https://canva.com
• *.getepic.com
• ReadSpeaker

• ReadSpeaker IP Addresses (If you have IPv4): 79.136.80.0/24
• ReadSpeaker IP Addresses (If you have IPv6): 2001:9b0:2:703::/64
• ReadSpeaker Helpdesk: 213.136.49.100

• Computer Science courses

• https://trinket.io
• *.comptia.org (for dual enrollment computer science courses)

Email Access

All division personnel and students will need to be able to receive email from and send email to addresses in the following domains:

• @virtualva.org
• @instructure.com
• @tcc.edu
• @xap.com

This may require you to allowlist these domains for student and personnel email addresses.

Additional Technology Requirements for Virtual Virginia Courses

In addition to the general requirements for all courses listed in this handbook, some VVA courses may require access to additional technology resources. Additional technology resources either are purchased by VVA for installation/use by the students enrolled in the associated VVA course or are free downloads from other providers.

Because much of this software is proprietary, download or access instructions will be sent to the mentor, student, and building technology personnel upon the start of the student’s course.

The information below represents the current technology requirements; however, there may be alterations throughout the school year due to curricular and/or instructional changes.

Closed Captioning in Zoom Sessions

To request closed captions during a Zoom meeting, click the Request Captions button in the meeting controls toolbar. A request will be sent to the instructor, who will receive a notification about your request. If approved, captions will appear for the person who made the request and others in the meeting. The captions will be automatically generated via Zoom's live transcription feature.*

*Virtual Virginia is not responsible for errors in captions automatically generated by Zoom's live transcription feature.

SCHOOL & DIVISION STAFF

Local School Division Responsibilities

• Provide information to schools, students, parents/families, and staff about VVA offerings
• Coordinate correspondence between the school system's central office and VVA
• Work with central office technology staff to ensure the school system network will permit access to VVA courses
• Establish a local school division online learning policy
• Provide VVA administration with feedback on the quality of the courses and instruction and the satisfaction level of the schools/division

Students enrolled in VVA courses retain membership in the enrolling division; they apply for free- or reduced-price meals through their enrolling school division’s application and approval process and are served via local processes that vary by division.

Requests for information (including public/FOIA requests) relating to students enrolled in VVA courses will be received and processed through the enrolling school division.

Local School Responsibilities

• Provide information to students, parents/families, and staff regarding VVA offerings
• Provide requested information and other documentation to VVA instructional supervisors
• Ensure that proper grade and credit information for online courses is recorded in each student’s record
• Ensure that a responsible adult is available to mentor students, monitor student progress, and proctor assessments
• Work with local technology staff to ensure that all students have access to appropriate technology
• Order textbooks and resources for courses and make sure they are available to students
• Register students for VVA courses
• Register, order, and administer SOL assessments
• Manage and provide any documented ELL, Section 504, IEP, or other documented services
• Officially withdraw students in the VVA student information system (SIS) when withdrawal is deemed necessary
• Provide VVA administration with feedback on the quality of the courses and instruction and the satisfaction level of students and their families.

Local School Mentor

Local school mentors work one-on-one with Virtual Virginia students and teachers to help facilitate the success of Virtual Virginia courses. Mentors provide instrumental support for Virtual Virginia students.

Each student enrolled in a VVA course must be assigned a mentor by the local school. The local school counselor or other local school designee assigns a mentor to each student enrolled in a VVA course. A local school teacher may serve as a mentor; however, a mentor does not have to be a licensed teacher.

During the Summer Session, adult family members may be assigned as mentors. This is an enrolling school decision.

A local school mentor must be assigned to each student via the VVA SIS. If the mentor assigned to a student is changed or needs to be updated after enrollment occurs, the local school is responsible for entering this change in the SIS.

Regular mentor responsibilities may include:

• Maintaining regular contact with students taking VVA courses
• Monitoring student progress and needs through daily/regular contact with students taking VVA courses
• Monitoring student progress and reporting to parents/families, counselors, principals, and other stakeholders
• Serving as a liaison between the student, the parent/family, the school counselor, and VVA instructor regarding student performance and progress
• Proctoring tests and examinations on school grounds
• Managing and providing any documented ELL, Section 504, IEP, or other documented accommodations
• Working with the local technology staff to ensure that all students have access to the appropriate technology
• Check student grades and performance
• Notifying the school counselor immediately of a student’s intent to withdraw from VVA courses

Mentor Access

Mentors are assigned a user login ID and password that allows them to access necessary information for their assigned VVA students.

If you are a mentor and you have not received your mentor username, please contact the counselor/coordinator responsible for VVA student registration at your local school. School counselors also have access to student login credentials through the SIS.

What is the process for assigning a local school mentor?

Students enrolled in VVA courses must be assigned a mentor by the local school. The enrolling school assigns a mentor to each student, and the counselor assigns the mentor in the VVA SIS at the time of enrollment. The local school administrator may seek certified teachers at the school to serve as mentor teachers, or teachers may volunteer by contacting the appropriate administrator and expressing their interest. However, the mentor does not have to be a teacher, nor do they have to be a teacher endorsed in the VVA course subject.

Mentors are an important part of student support. The mentor is VVA's primary point of contact in the local school for a student. Mentors will work with a student's local school counselor, family, and VVA instructor to assist the student throughout the year and ensure success in their courses.

What are my responsibilities as a supervising mentor?

1. Mentors should obtain all VVA instructor contact information and maintain regular contact with them.
2. Mentors should maintain regular contact with school counselors and each student’s family.
3. Student login credentials are available in the VVA SIS and can only be accessed by the local school counselor. Mentors may have the student login credential information provided to them by the local school counselor.
4. Mentors should check student grades regularly, not just during marking periods or reporting times, by logging in to the VVA SIS. Mentors may use their SIS login ID and password to review grades for all students for whom they are responsible.
5. Mentors coordinate with the local school counselor and local school support staff to provide all student services and any documented ELL, Section 504, or IEP services.  
6. Mentors should access grades at regular marking intervals according to the local school's grade reporting calendar. Semester and quarter start and end dates are provided in the VVA Academic Calendar. VVA does not have a letter grading scale (e.g., A, B, C, D, F). The VVA instructor provides a numeric score as a percentage of total possible points, and the local school determines the letter grade based on that numeric score.
7. If a mentor feels a student is struggling or having other issues with a VVA course, the mentor should contact the student's VVA instructor, family, counselor, and/or principal.

Questions or concerns regarding a mentor’s role or responsibilities should be directed to the local school administration or to a member of the Virtual Virginia staff.

How to access your VVA student accounts and grades

1. Log in to your Virtual Virginia account at virtualvirginia.org. This will give you access to Genius, the Virtual Virginia SIS.
2. Click the “Students” tab. Select a student.
3. In the navigation on the left side of the window, click “Gradebook.” You may then view the student’s grades for each course in which he or she is enrolled.
4. Use the green arrows to change the course that you are viewing.

Student Observations

VVA Student Observation

If a designated school official (case manager, special education teacher, counselor, mentor, etc.) needs to monitor student progress and completed work within the LMS, VVA requires they complete a Student Observer Account Request. Please contact main.office@virtualva.org for this form.

Synchronous Session Observation

If a designated school official (case manager, special education teacher, counselor, mentor, etc.) needs to observe a student during a synchronous session on a specific date and time, VVA requires they complete an Observation Request and Confidentiality Agreement. Please contact main.office@virtualva.org for this document.

ENROLLMENT

Course Enrollment

Students who are enrolled in and attend a Virginia public school may elect to enroll in a VVA course with prior approval of the local school. Students may be enrolled full-time or part-time. The school counselor or school/division coordinator registers each student online through the VVA SIS.

For a student to enroll in a VVA course, the local school must agree to award the assigned credit for the course. If the course includes a relevant end-of-course assessment, the local school will administer the assessment and award verified credit. Credit is posted to the student’s record by the student’s enrolling school.

There is no limit to the number of courses that a student may take if the school approves the course registrations and the student meets the course prerequisites.

The enrolling school is responsible for maintaining a current counselor/coordinator and mentor of record throughout the academic year for each student enrolled in VVA courses.

Homeschooled students may also register for VVA courses. The homeschool counselor of record, who may be the parent/guardian, may enroll the student, and the family is responsible for payment of all fees associated with the course. The homeschool is responsible for issuing credit and reporting transcripts. Refer to the VVA website for more information about homeschooling with VVA.

Enrollment Fees

For information about enrollment fees for Summer Session, refer to this page.

Withdrawing from Courses

Withdrawing from a VVA course must be done by the local school counselor or coordinator of record.

Students must continue to submit assignments until the online withdrawal is processed locally and recorded in the VVA SIS. Student grades may be negatively affected by assignments not submitted by the date of withdrawal. The notation of a formal withdrawal on the student record is a local school decision.

For information about Summer Session course withdrawals, refer to this page.

ACADEMICS

Attendance

Meaningful interactions between the student and instructor are critical for student success in Virtual Virginia courses.

School division attendance policies for online learning vary across the state. VVA reports daily attendance through the VVA SIS, and schools/divisions may retrieve this information for local attendance reporting needs according to local school/division policies.

Counselors, coordinators, and mentors: See this page for instructions on retrieving attendance information.

How Summer Session Attendance Is Reported

Students who are enrolled in Summer Session courses are encouraged to attend daily synchronous meetings. If a student is unable to attend a synchronous session, they are responsible for watching the session recording in the Course Video Library. Attendance in each course is reported based on students' daily Canvas LMS activity and progress submitting work, Monday through Friday.

Below are the expectations of students during Summer Session:

1. Attend daily sessions or watch daily recordings in the Course Video Library.
2. Students must check in with each of their teachers regularly via:

1. email,
2. phone, and/or
3. 1:1 meetings to check for understanding.

3. Students must stay current with their course pacing and assignments and demonstrate consistent progress.
4. Students may attend group synchronous or set 1:1 meetings during the week.
5. Students must log in regularly to their course(s). Attendance will be measured through the LMS and reported via the VVA SIS.

Consecutive Summer Session Absences

If a Summer Session student is reported as absent for two consecutive days (excluding weekends), the student, family, mentor, and counselor will receive an automated "no login or activity" performance alert via email.

Students who are identified by a "no login or activity" performance alert a second time or who are inactive or fail to complete coursework over a second two-calendar-day period may be academically withdrawn from the Summer Session course. No refund will be provided as a result of an academic withdrawal. Read more about academic withdrawals.

Textbooks, Materials, etc.

All textbooks, materials, equipment, supplies, and computer access needed to participate in a VVA course should be provided by the local school. In the case of global students (homeschooled, private, out-of-state, or international), the family will provide these resources. A list of required resources can be found on this page.

Local schools must provide all textbooks, materials, equipment, and supplies, along with any other services for students with ELL, Section 504, IEP or other documented accommodations. VVA does not assume responsibility of the local school to provide services or resources for students with documented disabilities.

During Summer Session, enrolling schools may require that families supply textbooks and materials. This is an enrolling school decision.

Academic Calendar

The VVA Summer Session academic calendar is available on the VVA website. VVA reserves the right to update or modify the academic calendar as needed.

Within a specific course, students are expected to follow the due dates in the course calendar. A student and their local school mentors are responsible for notifying the VVA instructor about any calendar conflicts (for example, a school-sponsored field trip, a school-related sports event, etc.) well in advance and should make sure that assignments are completed in a timely manner. VVA course pacing is provided within each course. Keeping pace and submitting assignments on time are essential for a successful online student.

Setting Up a Student Password

A new student can set up their password and access their VVA student account by following the instructions below:

1. Before proceeding, you must have your VVA username, which is not your email address.

1. Shortly before a term begins, students will receive an email from Virtual Virginia that contains their VVA username and instructions on setting their password.
2. If a student is enrolled in a VVA course after this email is sent for that course’s term, then the student may request their username from their school counselor who is responsible for VVA enrollments. (If you do not know who this individual is, please email VVA Support at support@virtualva.org, and we’ll be glad to help you.)

2. Once you have your VVA username, go to the VVA Recover Password page.
3. In the “Login” text field, enter your VVA username. (Do not enter your email address.) Click the Submit button.
4. An automated message will be sent to your email address associated with the VVA username. Find the temporary password in that message.
5. Go to the VVA Login page.
6. Enter your VVA username and temporary password in the appropriate fields and click the Sign me in button. We recommend that you do not copy/paste your temporary password, which may insert invisible spaces and prevent you from logging in successfully.
7. You will be prompted to create a new password. Enter a new, strong password in both text fields and click the Change Password button. Remember to keep your new password private so that your VVA account will remain secure.

Accessing Courses

Once a course begins, students can access VVA courses by following these steps:

1. Go to https://www.virtualvirginia.org.
2. Click the Login button at the top right.
3. Under "Choose your program," click the dropdown menu and select "Virtual Virginia Program (K–12)." Click Login.
4. Enter the student username and password.
5. On the dashboard that appears, click "Launch" on a course tile to enter that course in the Canvas LMS.

Note that each VVA student is required to complete all VVA orientation activities within each of their courses.

If students have trouble accessing VVA courses, they should contact VVA Support at support@virtualva.org.

Parent Auditor Accounts

A Parent Auditor Account enables parents and families to access instructor contact information, monitor student login activity, and view course grades, all within the VVA SIS. Learn more about requesting and accessing a Parent Auditor Account.

Grades

Local school division calendars and grading policies vary widely throughout the state; therefore, the local school mentor and/or counselor/coordinator will retrieve a student's VVA grades as needed and determine the letter grade according to the local school/division grading scale. VVA does not have a specific letter grading scale. VVA course semester/quarter grades are based on the percentage of total points on all graded assignments in a semester/quarter.

The local school will convert the numerical grade provided by Virtual Virginia to a letter grade based on the local school's grading scale. Honors points, weighting, and other special considerations are made at the discretion of the local school counselor.

Please note that Virtual Virginia final assessments are required for all students, and the final assessment grade is calculated into the final course grade. The Virtual Virginia final course grade will be made available to the school counselor of record.

For grades 6–12, the final grade at the end of a course semester will be accompanied in the VVA student information system (SIS) with the instructor's comments, represented by codes. The comment codes are:

• 1 = Student is a pleasure to teach
• 2 = Student demonstrates strong work ethic
• 3 = Student stays on task
• 4 = Student's course grade affected by low test scores
• 5 = Student's course grade affected by low quiz scores
• 6 = Student has missing assignments that negatively affect course grade
• 7 = Student has late submissions that negatively affect course grade
• 8 = Student should watch course video recordings
• 9 = Student should participate in synchronous instructional activities

Counselors and coordinators: See the pages below for instructions on retrieving grades and information on grade calculation.

• How to retrieve semester/quarter grades (grades 6–12)
• How to retrieve course grades (grades K–5)

Late Work Policy

Timely submission of assignments is the hallmark of a successful VVA student. Each assignment has a due date published in the course calendar. If a student does not complete an assignment by the due date, a grade of zero will be recorded for that assignment.

Late assignment submissions are accepted at the discretion of the individual instructor. The student may request the opportunity to complete the assignment up to two days after the original due date at a grade penalty of up to 15% for the first day late and up to 30% for the second day late. If there are extenuating circumstances that can be verified by a mentor, counselor, or principal, the grade penalty may not be applied. This policy is intended to help students recover if they fall behind in a course and is not intended to allow repeated late work submission.

VVA policy requires that any request to submit late work over two days past the original due date must be made by the local school counselor or principal. The student’s family must work with the local school counselor or principal to request an extension for assignments over two days late. The counselor/mentor must document the steps the local school will take to support this student as they complete the work.

In addition, assignments due during the week before the course end date will not be given the normal two-day grace period. If these assignments are not submitted on time and no extenuating circumstance is verified by the local school counselor, the student will receive a grade of zero for these late assignments.

Please note that extensions cannot be granted beyond the last day of VVA Summer Session for each cohort, when all courses will close in order to permit teachers to complete grading in time to submit grades to schools.

Performance Alerts

VVA regularly sends performance alerts to provide advance notification to a student, mentor, family, counselor, and VVA instructor in situations where the student’s current cumulative average in a course is below 70% or 50%. Automated emails for students who meet the criteria will be generated by the VVA SIS. A student’s current course grade may be accessed via the VVA SIS.

When a student course average falls below a 70% in a VVA course, the student, family, counselor, mentor, and VVA instructor will receive a performance alert notification about the student's current course performance. The notification will encourage the student to engage in the course and share tips for how the counselor, mentor, and family can support the student.

If a student is identified with a course average consistently below 50% by performance alerts in a VVA course, the local school and VVA will conduct a conference with the student’s family to discuss how to support and assist the student. The conference will focus on strategies to improve performance, learning mastery, and student success. The local school counselor or mentor must document the steps the local school will take to support the student.

Performance alerts are also sent when a Summer Session student is reported as absent for two consecutive days (including weekends). Read more about consecutive absences during Summer Session.

Academic Withdrawals

A Summer Session student who is consistently absent or falls behind in their coursework may be placed on a Pace Recovery Plan (PRP) at the discretion of the VVA instructor. Students who do not adhere to the PRP in its entirety will be academically withdrawn from the Summer Session course. All PRP work must be submitted prior to the end of the term.

End-of-Course Assessments

All students enrolled in VVA courses are required to complete end-of-course final assessments and do not follow local school final exam exemption policies.

Students enrolled in VVA courses that have Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments must take the assessment at the local school during the testing window indicated by the local school counselor.

Students enrolled in the Economics and Personal Finance course who wish to take the W!SE Test should make testing arrangements with their local school counselor.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Credit

Courses in grades 9–12 that meet NCAA eligibility requirements include those in the following subject areas: English, math (Algebra I or higher), natural or physical sciences, social sciences, world languages, comparative religion, or philosophy. Courses in other subject areas are not eligible for NCAA credit.

Therefore, all VVA courses for grades 9–12 meet NCAA eligibility requirements except for the following:

• Career & Technical Education (CTE)

• Business Management
• Introduction to Early Childhood Education
• Introduction to Family & Human Services
• Introduction to Health & Medical Sciences
• Principles of Business & Marketing

• Computer Science

• AP Computer Science Principles
• AP Cyber: Networking
• Computer Science Foundations
• Computer Science Principles
• Computer Science Programming with Python

• Fine Arts

• AP Art History
• AP Music Theory
• Music History and Appreciation
• Visual Art & Design I
• Visual Art & Design II

• Health & PE

• Health & PE 9
• Health & PE 10

• History & Social Studies

• Personal Finance (0.5 Credit)

All other courses are approved. A full list of approved courses is available at ncaa.org.

POLICIES

Academic Integrity and Ethics Agreement

VVA students are required to fully commit to academic integrity. Students are required to agree to abide by the following set of expectations:

• A student is expected to verify that the work on each assignment is their own.
• Collaborating with another classmate on any assignment must be preapproved by the VVA instructor.
• Students may not plagiarize in any form.
• No student may allow others to copy their work.
• No student may misuse content from the internet.
• No student should store coursework on a public or shared network drive.

If a student plagiarizes work in any manner, the student is subject to disciplinary action, including possibly being given a zero for that assignment, academic withdrawal from the course with a failing grade, or other consequences. Additional consequences may also be enforced at the discretion of the local school counselor or principal.

Acceptable Use of Technology

All students enrolled in VVA courses are expected to conduct their communications in a professional and respectful manner. Inappropriate language, behavior, or use of the VVA LMS will result in local school disciplinary action and possible academic withdrawal from the VVA program by VVA administration.

Each student enrolled in a VVA course will acknowledge their willingness to abide by VVA's Student Acceptable Use Policy (Appendix B), and the procedures outlined therein will apply to all online courses.

Student Code of Conduct

All students will be required to agree to abide by VVA's Student Code of Conduct (Appendix C). The code outlines expectations for appropriate student behavior and the consequences of failure to adhere to the code.

Student Communication Policy

Communication between students and a VVA instructor is key to student success in a VVA course. Students enrolled in a VVA course will be required to regularly communicate with their VVA instructor.

VVA instructors will contact students by web conferencing software, email, or phone.

Right to Privacy

Virtual Virginia will abide by the student privacy guidelines set forth by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The following individuals have access to student records: Virginia Department of Education personnel, VVA administration and faculty, the professional staff of the student’s school (e.g., school counselor), and appropriate administrative support staff members and other professionals who have a legitimate educational or legal interest in student records. Final grades are available to the student’s local school at any time upon the student's completion of an online course. A student's family should request a copy of final grades from the local school.

The names of VVA students, their images, and their coursework will not be published on the public VVA website without student and family consent.  

Each VVA student is provided a unique username that will allow them to access the VVA SIS and LMS. It is the responsibility of the student to keep their password secure.

As noted in VVA’s Student Acceptable Use Policy (Appendix B), communication via email, discussion boards, chat, web conferencing, and other communication tools provided by VVA is subject to monitoring by VVA staff without other prior notice. Synchronous sessions may be recorded, and the recordings may also be monitored.

Inappropriate use of any VVA communication tool, such as using these tools for profanity, use on social media platforms, or cyberbullying, is grounds for discipline, including but not necessarily limited to the following: family contact, local school contact and application of local student code of conduct consequences, academic withdrawal from VVA courses, or contact of law enforcement agencies in instances where violation of local, state, or federal laws is suspected.

ADA & ELL Compliance

Students who are enrolled in and attending a Virginia public school may enroll in a VVA course with prior approval of the local school and must be enrolled by a local school counselor or other school-assigned designee. The local school agrees to provide all appropriate services to students enrolled in VVA courses, including those with documented disabilities or those receiving ELL services. The local school agrees to provide a local school counselor, a local mentor, all student services, and all counseling services for each student enrolled in a VVA course. VVA does not assume the local school responsibility to provide Section 504, IEP, ELL, or other documented services for students enrolled in VVA courses. The local school may require the student’s local school mentor to have an appropriate certified endorsement to provide any documented student services.

In the VVA course registration process, school counselors are asked to identify qualified students with documented disabilities in the VVA SIS by indicating if the student has Section 504, IEP, ELL, or other documented services. For students with Section 504, IEP, or other documented services, the school counselor and local mentor must develop a plan for the local school to address the documented student services and share via the VVA SIS any appropriate accommodations needed by the student in the VVA LMS prior to the course start date. Local school counselors and mentors are required to provide all students services to facilitate student success in the VVA course, and in the event of any complaint, the local school will assume the recipient responsibilities.

Email & SMS Communications from Virtual Virginia

All student, guardian, counselor, mentor, school coordinator, and division coordinator email addresses associated in the VVA Genius SIS with a currently active VVA K–12 course enrollment will receive regular email messages from VVA related specifically to the student's enrollment, as well as email messages related to VVA program offerings, news, and updates.

All student and guardian phone numbers associated in the VVA Genius SIS with a currently active VVA K–12 course enrollment may receive SMS communications from VVA instructors and send SMS communications to VVA instructors related to the student's course activity or performance. VVA instructors will only send/receive SMS communications using their official VVA faculty phone number when communicating with students and guardians.

Recipients who wish to opt out of email and/or SMS communications from VVA should check local school/division opt-out policies and speak with the counselor or coordinator responsible for VVA enrollments at the local school/division.

Please note, however, that every VVA enrollment is required to have an associated email address for the student, at least one guardian, a VVA mentor, and a counselor/coordinator of record. If an email address for any of those roles is removed from an association to an active VVA enrollment, that email address must be replaced with another valid email address specific to that role. Also, every VVA enrollment is required to have an associated phone number for at least one guardian. If the guardian phone number is removed from an association to an active VVA enrollment, that guardian phone number must be replaced with another valid guardian phone number.

Appendix A: Academic Integrity and Honor Statement

At Virtual Virginia the students, faculty, and staff join together in a unique learning community. Creating a community of trust is an essential part of this process. Maintaining high standards for academic integrity and honesty significantly contributes to the creation of our community of trust.

VVA faculty and staff expect students to maintain a high standard of academic integrity. A student must commit to submit original work for evaluation and to neither give nor receive aid on course assessments when prohibited by the instructor. In the event that guidelines are unclear, a VVA student (or their family) assumes the responsibility for requesting clarification from the instructor so they do not compromise the integrity of the work they submit.

VVA faculty and staff expect students to maintain high standards of academic honesty. VVA student academic honesty is demonstrated through submitting original work that provides appropriate credit to all sources used. Academic dishonesty involves attempts by students to show possession of knowledge and skills they do not possess through cheating or plagiarizing. Examples of academic dishonesty include cutting or copying and pasting the work of others without properly attributing the work to the owner; collaborating with other students on an assignment without prior approval from the instructor; altering or misusing documents; impersonating, misrepresenting, or knowingly providing false information as to one’s identity; cheating on assessments (receiving help not specifically approved by the instructor); and plagiarism.

Students are required to accept the terms of the Academic Integrity and Honor Statement within the VVA Orientation of a course when they access the course for the first time.

Appendix B: Student Acceptable Use Policy

Virtual Virginia recognizes that appropriate use of technology resources is the responsibility of all individuals involved in the educational process. To this end, VVA:

• recognizes that families are ultimately responsible for setting and conveying the standards students should follow when using media and information sources, and
• provides VVA students access to the VVA LMS with the expectation that they will exercise appropriate usage.

Sharing links to personal social media pages is not permitted within the VVA LMS.

VVA resources are valuable educational tools for students. Their use and access are a privilege. They must be used in a responsible, safe, ethical, and legal manner. Use of technology resources in an inappropriate manner may result in academic withdrawal from VVA courses, disciplinary action in accordance with relevant VVA and local school division policies, and/or legal action.

Communications via VVA software and resources should not be considered private. This includes but is not limited to the email, discussion board, and messaging tools in the VVA LMS, SIS, or other resources. Students use VVA resources are expected to do so in accordance with the following rules:

• Use the online resources only for school-related, educational activities.
• Be polite and use appropriate language.
• Do not use or share profanity, obscenities, or sexually explicit material.
• Do not use expressions of bigotry, racism, or hate.
• Do not intimidate, bully, harass, or embarrass others. Cyberbullying will not be tolerated by Virtual Virginia.
• Maintain individual anonymity and privacy.
• Do not reveal personal addresses, phone numbers, social networking identities, or other personal information.
• Do not share a photograph of a student or anyone else under the age of 18, including a photograph of oneself.
• Use VVA resources appropriately.
• Do not engage in acts of vandalism (malicious attempts to harm or destroy files, material, software, or equipment of others).
• Do not use course software or network resources to display or convey personal, political, or commercial messages.
• Do not use the accounts of others.
• Do not trespass in the work, files, or folders of others.
• Retain privacy of individual passwords.
• Do not exploit the technology for dishonest purposes (cheating, plagiarism, etc.). Any collaboration on class work with others must have prior instructor approval.
• Do not store coursework on a public or shared network drive.
• Do not use technology for illegal purposes.
• Adhere to copyright laws and restrictions. Do not transmit material in violation of federal or state law or regulation. Such material includes but is not limited to commercial software, copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secrets.

VVA administrators will cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through VVA resources or platforms.

Students are required to accept the terms of the Student Acceptable Use Policy within the VVA Orientation of a VVA course when they access the course for the first time.

Appendix C: Student Code of Conduct

Philosophy

Virtual Virginia provides an atmosphere of respect conducive to teaching and learning in which the intellectual, physical, emotional, and social needs of students are met. Students, families, and VVA administrators, faculty, and staff are responsible for creating a learning environment in which education can prosper. It is the primary responsibility of students to maintain a climate of mutual respect and trust so the dignity of the individual can be protected and the pursuit of opportunities for each student may be realized. It is the responsibility of VVA administrators, faculty, and staff to be consistent and fair in the application of all VVA policies and regulations.

Student Rights

A student has all rights expressed and guaranteed by the United States Constitution and by federal, state, and local laws. These rights do not permit a student to disrupt the educational process, break school rules, present a health or safety hazard, or disregard the directions of those in authority. Individual rights do not include infringing upon the rights of others in the school community. To the extent permitted by applicable law, students have the right to:

• A public education without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities
• An orderly school environment which will allow optimum learning, emphasizing the values of responsibility, kindness, fairness, and safety
• Express themselves in speech, writing, or symbols, consistent with their constitutional rights and VVA policy

Student Responsibilities

It is the primary responsibility of students to maintain a climate of mutual respect and trust so that the dignity of the individual is protected and the pursuit of opportunities for each student may be realized. Students are responsible for:

• Knowing and complying with VVA rules and regulations, as well as local, state, and federal laws
• Participating in course activities regularly and completing course assignments and requirements
• Contributing to a climate of mutual respect for others so that the hopes and ambitions of all individuals associated with a course may be realized

Family Responsibilities

Each student's family has the duty to assist local school counselors, mentors, and principals in enforcing the Student Code of Conduct and VVA attendance policies so that education may be conducted in an atmosphere that is free of disruption and threat to persons or property and is supportive of individual rights.

Each family must agree to coordinate with the local school counselor and local school mentor when addressing student performance in a VVA course.

Prohibited Behaviors

No student shall violate any laws or VVA rules and regulations. The following are general categories of prohibited conduct. Specific conduct violations and accompanying consequences are listed below. The Academic Integrity and Honor Statement (Appendix A) and the Student Acceptable Use Policy (Appendix B) also define expectations for student behavior and should be considered part of this Student Code of Conduct.

• Alcohol and Drugs: The unlawful distribution or dispensation of alcohol, anabolic steroids, any narcotic drug, hallucinogenic drug, amphetamine, barbiturate, marijuana, or other controlled substance as defined in the Drug Control Act, Chapter 34, Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia, or as defined in schedules I through V of 21 U.S.C. 812, or imitation controlled substances or drug paraphernalia. Drug paraphernalia shall mean those items described in §18.2-265.1 of the Code of Virginia and imitation controlled substance shall mean a pill, capsule, tablet, or other item that is not a controlled substance, an alcoholic beverage, an anabolic steroid, or marijuana, but which by overall dosage unit, appearance, including color, shape, size, marking, or package, or by representations made, is intended to lead or would lead a reasonable person to believe that such a pill, capsule, tablet, or other item is a controlled substance, an alcoholic beverage, an anabolic steroid, or marijuana.
• Defiance of the Authority of School Personnel: Students shall comply with any oral or written instructions made by school personnel within the scope of their authority as provided by VVA policies and regulations.
• Dishonesty: Honesty shall be practiced in the entire educational experience. Cheating, plagiarism, forgery (including computer forgery), lying, or any other acts of dishonesty shall not be tolerated. This includes unauthorized or illegal use of computers or computer networks. Students must adhere to the principles in the Academic Integrity and Honor Statement (Appendix A).
• Disruptions: Students shall not behave in a disorderly manner or in any other manner that interrupts or disturbs the orderly operation of the classroom. This prohibition includes encouraging or promoting illegal behavior.
• Gambling: Gambling in any form is prohibited in association with any school activity.
• Sexual Harassment: Students shall not sexually harass another student, any VVA employee, or any school employee, volunteer, student instructor, or other person present in school facilities or at school functions.
• Threatening Behavior: Students shall not threaten students or staff members with physical harm.
• Vandalism: Students shall not maliciously or willfully injure, deface, or destroy VVA hardware, software, files, or other resources or the personal hardware, software, files, or resources of individuals. In addition to criminal sanctions against offending students, the Code of Virginia allows the school board to collect up to $2,500 in damages from parents of minors who destroy school property.
• Verbal Abuse and Vulgarity: Students shall not verbally or graphically curse at or abuse anyone; use vulgar, profane, or indecent language; or display any obscenity or indecency. Students may not bully, intimidate, or make derogatory comments about others. Cyberbullying will not be tolerated by Virtual Virginia.
• Violence: Students shall not contribute to aggressive behavior that is disruptive or dangerous.

Consequences

Violations of the above mentioned prohibited behaviors may result in one or more of the following consequences:

• Parental contact and issuance of a grade of zero in instances of plagiarism or cheating
• Local school contact and application of local student code of conduct consequences
• Academic withdrawal from VVA courses with a failing grade
• Contact of law enforcement agencies in instances where violation of local, state, or federal laws is suspected.

Students are required to accept the terms of the Student Code of Conduct within the VVA Orientation of a VVA course when they access the course for the first time.

Appendix D: Pace Recovery Plan Template

In situations where students fall behind pace and a course average is below a 40%, or because of legitimate extenuating circumstances verified by a mentor, counselor, or principal, VVA will use the following email template to communicate new due dates for missed work.

The purpose of this plan is to allow the student to catch up with the pace at which he/she should be progressing through this course. This plan is necessary because the student has fallen behind in assignments and needs to accelerate to return to the normal schedule of the course.

Lesson/Assignment:

Original Due Date:

New Due Date:

(repeated for additional lessons/assignments)

If any of the due dates from this pace recovery plan are missed, the student will receive a zero for that assignment and no additional opportunities to complete the work will be offered.

At the conclusion of this pace recovery plan, the student should return to their cohort’s regular pacing.

Appendix E: Student & Family Participation Agreements

Through a commitment to continuous communication and effective time management, students can be successful in a VVA course. To ensure that a student, their family, and the local school counselor are aware of the policies and procedures that accompany this commitment, the Student & Family Participation Agreements below must be signed by each VVA student and a responsible family member. The local school counselor is required to obtain signatures prior to each VVA course start date and to keep this documentation on file in the school counseling office for the remainder of the academic year.

Student Acknowledgment

I understand that for each online course, there are a minimum number of assignments that must be completed each week. Failure to submit the minimum number of assignments on a weekly basis may result in my removal from the course and may result in a failing grade being reported on my academic transcript.

I also acknowledge that I will follow all policies and procedures outlined in the Virtual Virginia Handbook.

Student Signature:

_________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________

Parent/Family Acknowledgement

I acknowledge that I must coordinate with the local school counselor and local school mentor when the performance of my son/daughter in a Virtual Virginia course needs to be addressed.

I acknowledge that I will receive at my email address—associated in the VVA Genius SIS with my child's currently active VVA K–12 course enrollment—regular email messages from VVA related specifically to my child's enrollment, as well as email messages related to VVA program offerings, news, and updates. I also acknowledge that I will receive at my phone number—associated in the VVA Genius SIS with my child's currently active VVA K–12 course enrollment—SMS communications from my child's VVA instructor(s) related specifically to my child's enrollment. If I wish to opt out of email and/or SMS communications from VVA at my email address and/or phone number, I will check local school/division opt-out policies and speak with the counselor or coordinator responsible for VVA enrollments at the local school/division. I acknowledge that if my email address and/or phone number is removed (at my request and pending approval by my child's local school/division) from an association to my child's active VVA enrollment, that email address and/or phone number must be replaced with another valid parent/family email address and/or phone number.

Responsible Family Member Email Address:

_________________________________________________

Responsible Family Member Phone Number:

_________________________________________________

Responsible Family Member Signature:

_________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________

Important Note: Many types of email accounts, such as work email accounts, are not secure. As such, employers or email service providers may have access to any confidential information that VVA communicates through email.

Appendix F: Mentor Participation Agreement

The Mentor Participation Agreement below must be signed by each mentor assigned to students enrolled in VVA courses. The local school counselor is required to obtain a local mentor signature prior to each VVA academic year and to keep this documentation on file in the school counseling office for the remainder of the academic year.

Mentor Acknowledgement

• I acknowledge that as a local school mentor I must maintain the privacy and integrity of all student information, including academic performance, personal student data/information, and student services, and I am expected to adhere to my assigned local school division data/information privacy policies as they pertain to any student information.
• I understand that for each student enrolled in a VVA course I will have access to student personal and academic information, and this information will be shared only with authorized local school division personnel.
• I acknowledge that I will follow all policies and procedures outlined in the VVA Handbook.
• I understand that any changes to student records in the VVA student information system are not permissible without prior approval from the local school counselor or administrator.

Mentor Signature:

_________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________