Virtual Middle School Education

The 7th and 8th-grade students at PA Distance are required to engage in a total of 5.5 hours (and 5 hours for 6th grade) of school per day within our blended learning environment which contains “synchronous” and “asynchronous” forms of education. Students are also given a variety of extracurricular opportunities like after-school clubs and enrichment programs.

Download the 2022-2023 Middle School Course Catalog.

Synchronous Live Learning Sessions

Each synchronous, Live Learning Session with their teachers, is 45 minutes long and encompasses 2-3 hours of their day, depending on their class schedule.

Asynchronous Learning Opportunities

Students are assigned independent asynchronous lessons, which are between 30-60 minutes each day or about 5 hours per school week, in each subject

Educational Programs

To supplement what each student learned during their lives classes, PA Distance utilizes online instructional resources that support and supplement our curriculum. Some of the educational programs that our teachers utilize include:

Code HS

Code HS is an online teaching platform that supplements the Live Learning Sessions that go along with the Computer Science elective courses that PA Distance now offers middle school students. Code HS is made to supplement and enrich the lessons for each class.

enVision Mathematics

The enVision Mathematics product is a highly-rated product that aligns directly with PA Core Math standards, challenges students to think critically about math concepts, and personalizes math for students.

Mosa Mack Science

Mosa Mack Science is devoted to helping students move towards NGSS inquiry-based instruction with reliable, entertaining, and rigorous resources.

myWorld Interactive

myWorld Interactive encourages students to explore their world, expand their thinking, and engage with social studies content.

StudySync ELA

StudySync is a comprehensive ELA curriculum material for grades 6–12. StudySync is designed to captivate through selections of culturally diverse literature, elevate instruction tailored to specific learning needs, and provide flexibility to create the ideal classroom experience for students. 

McGraw Hill Glenco Teen Health

Teen Health aligns with state and national health and safety standards. This robust resource is an application-based program designed specifically for middle school health students and teaches critical health skills and allows students to explore relevant topics.

Computer Science for All

PA Distance 7th & 8th-graders have the unique opportunity to enroll in brand new computer science electives designed to teach them the basics of computer programming, coding, website design, and CSS and HTML computer language. The PA Distance Computer Science Team believes that computer science knowledge is attainable for all students, no matter their background or prior experience.

Read More on the Blog

After-School Clubs

Every year, a variety of virtual club opportunities are introduced to our students. Some of our current after-school clubs include:

  • eSports / Video Game Club: 7-12th graders

  • Student Leadership Club: 7-12th graders

  • Cooking Club: 8-12th graders

  • Sketchbook Club: 4-8th graders

  • Seasonal Craft Club: 6-12th graders

  • Chess Club: 3-12th graders

…and much more!

Office Hours

Students have the opportunity to meet any of their teachers for additional health on their daily assignments. Students can meet with their teachers virtually via a video call, phone call, or chat. 

Student Support

With the help of our interventionist, counselors, teachers, and student support staff, we can meet each student where they are and help them to grow.

To ensure every child has the tools that they need to be successful, PA Distance utilizes a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to grow out students academically, behaviorally, and socially.

  • Delivery of standards-based instruction and differentiated learning opportunities to meet the needs of students
  • Collection and analysis of multiple data points to support informed decisions regarding curriculum, instruction, and assessment
  • Implementation of a tiered system of support to differentiate programmatic interventions of all students

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

To provide behavioral supports, we utilize Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a process for creating safer and more effective schools. It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior support systems. As a reward for students exhibiting desirable behaviors, they can earn “Scholar Dollars” to use at our school store!

Career Education & Work (CEW) Program

We require all of our students to go through our career education and work program in order to prepare them for life after high school. Requirements vary based on grade level. For more specific information, please see our Career Readiness page.

Student Attendance Guidelines
Common Cyber School Myths
Student Socialization Opportunities