Q. What is Virtual Virginia?

A. Virtual Virginia offers online Advanced Placement, world language, elective, and core academic courses to students across the Commonwealth, the nation, and throughout the world. The courses utilize course management software to maximize the interactivity of each class. Each course contains video segments, audio clips, whiteboard interaction, multimedia activities, and online discussions, as well as text. Instructors are available for telephone and online communication with students throughout the day. Full-time instructors are available from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm three days a week, and from 12:00 pm until 8:00 pm two days a week. Virtual Virginia courses offer a rich multimedia learning environment that appeals to a variety of learning styles. Virtual Virginia courses can be scheduled flexibly throughout the day, as courses do not have to be taken in 'real' time.

Q. Who can enroll in Virtual Virginia courses?

A. Students in middle and high schools who meet the course prerequisites and have approval from the local school counselor may enroll through their schools. Course prerequisites are found on the Course Catalog page under the Course Info link on the Virtual Virginia home page. Only home school students are registered by their parents. The deadline for registering students is the end of the first week of the student’s course start date

Q. Is there a charge for Virtual Virginia classes?

A. Virginia public school students may take non-AP, world language, elective and core classes through VVA free of charge. Virginia public school students who qualify as an Early College Scholar (ECS) may take AP classes free of charge. Public schools are charged a fee of $375 times the Local Composite Index (LCI)(between $75 and $300) for AP students who do not qualify for ECS status. There is a charge of $250 for all Virginia public school students enrolled in SAT Prep regardless of ECS status. Tuition for Virginia private and home school students is $500 per 1 credit course, and $300 per .5 credit course. Tuition for out-of-state enrollment is $650 per 1 credit course, $450 per .5 credit course, as well as a $75 communications surcharge for out-of-country students.

Textbooks and other materials are the responsibility of the local school.

There is a $75 withdrawal fee for ALL students who drop the course after 21 calendar days. Schools will receive an invoice for this fee. Students are considered withdrawn from a course when they are removed from the Virtual Virginia registration system by the local school or by VVA administration. If the student is administratively withdrawn after the 21 calendar days have passed, the withdrawal fee will apply.

Q. What is the Early College Scholars Program and how does one enroll?

A. The Early College Scholars (ECS) Program is the Virginia Education for a Lifetime initiative. High school students are encouraged to get a head start on college by taking college level courses before graduating high school. Early College Scholar students must have at least a "B" average, be pursuing an Advanced Studies Diploma, and be on course to complete a minimum of 15 college credit hours (through AP, IB, Cambridge, or dual enrollment courses) by graduation. Students, parent or guardian(s), principals, and school counselors sign the Early College Scholars Agreement to participate. For more information, see the Early College Scholars page.

Q. How are tuition fees paid?

A. Tuition for Early College Scholars is paid directly by the Virginia Department of Education. School divisions are reimbursed for the AP exam fees for Virginia Early College Scholar students who are enrolled in a VVA class. Schools must submit reimbursement requests to Betsy Gragnani via email (betsy.gragnani@virtualvirginia.org) and include a copy of the receipt of the exam order, a list the students' name, and the course and exam completed by June 1 of the academic year. Upon 21 calendar days from the course beginning, schools are invoiced for the non-ECS students enrolled in Virtual Virginia. Tuition for non-ECS, private school, home school, national, and international students is paid directly to the Virginia Department of Education.

There is a $75 withdrawal fee for ALL students who drop the course after 21 calendar days. Schools will receive an invoice for this fee. Students are considered withdrawn from a course when they are removed from the Virtual Virginia registration system by the local school or by VVA administration. If the student is administratively withdrawn after the 21 calendar days have passed, the withdrawal fee will apply.

Q. What are the responsibilities of the school and school division?

A. Schools must provide a local mentor, an adequate study area for distance learning students, access to computers, high speed internet access, a scanner, headphones with microphones, a telephone, as well as other required hardware and software. Textbooks and lab materials must also be purchased and are not paid for by the Department of Education. Schools are strongly encouraged to order textbooks early so that students have the necessary materials on the first day of class.

Q. Who teaches Virtual Virginia courses?

A. Virtual Virginia has both full-time and adjunct instructors who are Virginia-licensed, highly-qualified, have experience in distance learning, and reside all throughout the Commonwealth. Virtual Virginia provides appropriate professional development training in specific content areas and best practices of online instruction.

Q. Does the mentor need to be a licensed teacher?

A. No; the mentor will proctor tests, be available to handle communication between the student and teacher as needed, monitor student progress, and assist students with technology issues. Ideally, the mentor is in the classroom with the students to promote an optimal learning environment. For more information on Virtual Virginia mentors, visit: http://www.virtualvirginia.org/educators/mentors.shtml.

Q. Are online Advanced Placement courses as rigorous as conventional Advanced Placement courses?

A. Yes. AP courses offered through Virtual Virginia cover the same content and are just as rigorous as conventional AP courses.

Q. When do classes begin and end?

A. Online classes are asynchronous which means they can begin at the same time as the student's school. Online courses will start course sections at the same time as typical start dates for Virginia schools. For fall block, fall semester, and full year courses, one section will begin on Monday August 17, the next on Monday August 24, another on Tuesday September 8 and the final section on Monday September 14. Spring block and spring semester courses will start in a similar pattern in January 2010.

Q. Can students work at their own pace?

A. No. Students will be given schedules that are based on their start dates. All course assignments have firm due dates. Students will occasionally have some flexibility in determining their pace between due dates.

Q. Do college level courses taken during high school sophomore, junior and senior years count toward the 15-credit requirement for the Early College Scholar program?

A. Yes. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, or dual enrollment courses can count. See the Early College Scholars website for more information or visit www.virginiamentor.org.

Q. Are there any restrictions or other requirements for private schools?

A. Private and home school students may enroll in Virtual Virginia courses but are not eligible for the Early College Scholars Program and therefore, not eligible for tuition or AP exam fee payment.

Q. I'm a home school student, can I take an Advanced Placement exam?

A. Yes; home school students are eligible to take Advanced Placement exams; however, it is the responsibility of the home school parent to coordinate with a local school. Please review the College Board website for home school students taking AP exams.

Q. Should students register as a group through the school or individually?

A. Students should confer with their school counselor. The school counselor will register the school and enroll the students using Virtual Virginia's online registration system. Virtual Virginia will send a semester grade report to the school counselor and student at the course semester mark. School counselors may download a final grade report at the conclusion of the course. Interim, six, or nine week grades are pulled by the mentor and submitted to the appropriate authority in the building. See your school counselor for more information.

Q. Is there a limit to the number of courses a school may offer or the number of students who can enroll?

A. Virtual Virginia does not limit the number of courses a school may offer; however, schools are limited to 15 students per course. If a school has a need for more than 15 seats in one particular course, the school must send a request to the VVA E-Learning Counseling & Research Supervisor, Dr. Erin Berry, at erin.berry@virtualvirginia.org.

Q. Does Virtual Virginia have a grading scale?

A. No; Virtual Virginia provides a numeric average which represents the students' performance in the course. The local school determines the letter grade based on the grading scale used for students in local AP courses.

Q. Are Virtual Virginia Advanced Placement courses approved through the College Board audit process?

A. Yes; Virtual Virginia Advanced Placement courses are approved through the College Board. Information regarding Virtual Virginia courses is located in the College Board register.

Q. What skills do students need to succeed in an online class?

A. While VVA students are strongly supported by the instructor and school mentor; students need to be self-motivated so they do not fall behind. Students must be able to stay on task, meet deadlines and ask for assistance when needed. Some keyboarding skills and knowledge of email and using a web browser are also helpful.

If you have additional questions, please contact info@virtualvirginia.org.