Virtual Academy
We realize that not all students thrive in a traditional "brick and mortar" setting. The Port Allegany School District has made a commitment to provide an additional instructional model with the addition of our Virtual Academy. The Port Allegany Virtual Academy has gathered the established and dedicated professionals, administrative staff, and resources of the district, and will assist all students and families who choose education through hands-on and online learning. Enrolling in our academy will allow you and your child to receive all of the benefits of a public school education using an instructional style with which you are comfortable.
Classes are currently available. Please contact Greg Oliver, Assistant Principal/Student Services Coordinator, at (814) 642-2544, ext. 4206 for more information.
- Students earn a diploma from the Port Allegany School District and graduate with classmates.
- Students learn through high quality, district-approved curriculum.
- Students receive online teacher and on-campus tutoring support if needed.
- Students have the opportunity to enroll in a career/technical program through the Seneca Highlands Career and Technology Center.
- Optional blended/hybrid scheduling (students may take a course in the brick-and-mortar building while completing all other coursework online).
- Students have full access to district resources and facilities, including guidance counseling services, libraries, and athletics facilities.
- Students may join district sponsored extracurricular activities, special interest groups and sports teams, and participate in field trips and school events.
Download our Port Allegany Virtual Academy brochure.
Enrollment in Port Allegany Virtual Academy is quick and easy! Simply download and complete the enrollment form.
Upon completion, please contact Mr. Greg Oliver to schedule an appointment to discuss the registration process, review any specific needs the student may have, and prepare for the student to transition into the Port Allegany Virtual Academy program.
Mr. Greg Oliver
Assistant Principal
Phone: (814) 642-2544, ext. 4206
Email: goliver@pasdedu.org
Please note: If your student is currently enrolled outside of Port Allegany School District, you will also need to complete the district registration process. Please contact Mrs. Tripplett, guidance secretary, at (814) 642-2466 for more information.
Learning Environment
We recognize that each student learns differently and has unique requirements for scheduling flexibility. Port Allegany Virtual Academy is designed to provide students with the flexibility they need while maintaining checkpoints to ensure they are accountable for their daily activities. Students use their district-issued devices to complete assignments and have access to live teacher support and technical support.
Curriculum
The curriculum used in Port Allegany Virtual Academy equips students in kindergarten through grade 12 with a fundamental knowledge base. Though the classroom is virtual, the course framework utilizes Port Allegany School District-approved curriculum and textbooks. The courses have a consistent structure and are designed to provide students with engaging content, assignments, and assessments. Weekly lesson modules include reading assignments supported by short answer assessments, essay questions, quizzes, and traditional homework assignments. Courses are also supplemented with a wealth of web-based resources, including videos, interactive animations, supplemental materials from textbook publishers, and a wide range of other engaging educational media.
Mastering the Content
A variety of activities and assessments are vital to a student’s success. While multiple-choice assessments are an important part of any assessment structure, we ask students to further demonstrate mastery with the following exercises:
- Assignment: Questions/problems designed to provide students with the practice of key concepts
- Short Answer: A worksheet that requires the students to handwrite their responses to strengthen the learning process
- Essay: A topical essay question intended to assess students’ understanding of the overall concept outlined in the reading assignment and to gauge students’ writing skills
- Project: Long-term assignments interspersed throughout a course to give students the opportunity to build on multiple units
Students are also required to show their work on all math coursework so our teachers can verify their understanding of the material.
Platform
Students are provided with a unique username and password, which grants them access to their student portal. This portal includes a calendar to keep students on track to finish their coursework by the established deadline. It also offers students single sign-on access to their coursework, content libraries, and all of the tools they will need to be successful.
Attendance
Students in Port Allegany Virtual Academy follow the Port Allegany School District attendance policy. Attendance is taken every day by the online homeroom teacher. Special exemptions may be provided for students with attendance conflicts due to illness, work, sports practices, and other considerations.
Communication
There are a variety of communication tools and techniques that are utilized in Port Allegany Virtual Academy. First, students are required to meet with their homeroom teacher in the virtual classroom each day. This helps to keep students on track to complete their coursework on time. Homeroom is also an opportunity for district announcements to be conveyed to keep Port Allegany Virtual Academy students abreast of the happenings within Port Allegany School District. Finally, homeroom teachers also meet with students individually to review their progress, address any areas of improvement, and identify artifacts that students may consider including in a portfolio.
In addition to homeroom, students have the opportunity to meet with their core content-area teachers in the virtual classroom. Students may either stop by the virtual classroom during the open office hours sessions that take place on Monday through Friday or schedule an appointment with their teacher ahead of time. These sessions enable students to ask specific questions about their coursework and receive one-on-one assistance. Our teachers use the webcam, microphone, and whiteboard to make the classroom “come alive” and deliver the same type of experience as if the teacher and student were face-to-face.
Grading
Grading and feedback is provided by Port Allegany Virtual Academy’s highly-qualified, Pennsylvania-certified teachers. While some grading is done automatically within the learning management system, there are a variety of assignments and assessments that students are required to complete each week on which teachers provide constructive feedback within 72 hours of submission. Students and their parents/guardians have access to the online gradebook to view the student’s overall grade in a course as well as his/her scores on individual assignments. In addition, students and their parents/guardians may download their graded artifacts to review their teachers’ feedback.
Support Mechanisms
It is our goal to provide each student with the tools and support systems that he/she needs in order to be successful. This goal is accomplished in a variety of ways:
Attendance and Performance Reporting - Awareness is vital to the success of students in Port Allegany Virtual Academy. With that in mind, we offer a variety of reports to students and parents/guardians:
- Attendance (Weekly*): Detailed verification of student participation in daily homeroom session.
- Progress Report (Weekly*): Listing of individual assignment scores per course.
- Summary Report (Weekly*): Overview of attendance and current grades in each course.
- Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) (Weekly): Snapshot of student performance in each course, including: current grade, percentage of work submitted, and average score on work submitted. List of missing assignments (as applicable).
- Other (As Needed): Notification of behavioral issue and/or areas of concern.
*Parents/guardians may adjust this frequency based on their preference.
Students and their parents/guardians are provided with logins to the online gradebook so student performance can be reviewed at any time.
PASD Virtual Academy Support Team
Program Coordinator - Mr. Greg Oliver
Please contact Mr. Oliver if you have questions regarding district policies.
- Phone: (814) 642-2544
- Email: goliver@pasdedu.org
Content-Area Teachers
Please contact your content-area teachers if you have any questions on a specific course in which you are enrolled. To request a tutoring session with your teacher you can submit the “Get Help From Teacher” form in the student portal.
- Email: Your teachers' email addresses can be found in the online gradebook by right-clicking a teacher’s name and selecting 'copy email address’ from the menu.
Technical Support
Please contact the district's IT Department if you are experiencing any issues with your school issued Chromebook. Reach out to virtual academy's technical support if you are experiencing any issues with the applications you are using as part of your virtual academy programming.
Accounts
Parents/guardians are provided with a login to the online gradebook in which student progress can be monitored real-time. We also offer the option for a variety of reports to be emailed based on the desired frequency.
Computer Basics
In order to be successful in the program, students should have a basic understanding of the following:
- Setting up a wireless internet connection (help desk specialists are available to assist with this task)
- Accessing Internet Explorer
- Using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel (courses are available to enhance a student’s skillset)
- Scanning documents (Help desk specialists are available to assist with this task)
Internet Safety
At Port Allegany School District, student safety is our number one priority. In compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), all laptops are equipped with web-filtering software, which ensures that students are not accessing inappropriate content. In addition, all virtual classrooms are monitored by Port Allegany Virtual Academy teachers. Finally, we offer a digital citizenship course that teaches students safe internet practices.