History & Mission
Our History
For 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 Virginia’s Virtual Advanced Placement School (VAPS). In 2006, the VDOE fully embraced online education and merged the VSEN and VAPS programs to form Virtual Virginia.
Our Mission
Virtual Virginia serves Virginia learners and educators by providing flexible, high-quality learning opportunities to meet the educational needs of the Commonwealth and beyond. As a program of the Virginia Department of Education and a partner to Virginia public school divisions, Virtual Virginia has a commitment and responsibility to empower all learners to be successful, innovative, and independent thinkers.
Our Vision
Virtual Virginia will offer increased access to high-quality digital and online learning opportunities, the statewide learning management system, digital instructional materials/content, and professional learning opportunities to schools, students, and educators throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.
As a partner of Virginia public school divisions, Virtual Virginia will support education in the Commonwealth by expanding access and digital learning opportunities for online and in-person K–12 learners and working to ensure every classroom has an engaged and supported educator.
Our Values
Opportunity
Virtual Virginia will develop programs that support personalized opportunities for all students and educators by providing access and support for their varied needs and opportunities.
Innovation
Virtual Virginia will expand learning opportunities and experiences that foster a new generation of learning needs in the Commonwealth and beyond.
Community
Virtual Virginia will support staff development and relationships, partnerships, providing support, kindness, and empathy to one another, while recognizing each other as unique individuals.
Our Priorities & Goals
Lead with Learning Innovation
Virtual Virginia will:
- expand K–12 educational opportunities year-round for all learners and educators in the Commonwealth and beyond;
- support existing and emerging K–12 learning needs, including teacher shortage areas;
- develop opportunities for K–12 students and professional learners to personalize pathways to success;
- support learning using digital resources and environments for blended and personalized learning; and
- inspire dynamic instruction and innovation by using emerging technology and learning tools.
Partnership
Virtual Virginia will:
- strengthen the partnerships between VVA learners, their families, schools, educators, and Virginia public school divisions;
- expand tiered support to stakeholders, with access to high-quality K–12 instructional materials, courses, content, and professional learning opportunities; and
- leverage new and existing partnerships and resources to expand program reach.
Growth
Virtual Virginia will:
- continue developing internal program capacity and expansion to support the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, SOQ/SOA, and new educational initiatives in the Commonwealth; and
- provide the capacity to support opportunities, access, and reliable solutions that meet the evolving needs of students, their families, and Virginia public school divisions.
Quality
Virtual Virginia will:
- implement additional quality initiatives to ensure VVA is a nationally recognized leader in quality digital and online learning;
- develop capacity for internal content development and review through training on the Quality Matters rubric;
- refine processes and practices aligned to the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, Quality Online Programs, and Quality Online Courses; and
- continue to implement the third-edition NSQ to ensure program quality and compliance where applicable.