Virtual Middle School in PA

Online middle school students at PA Distance cyber charter school must engage in a total of 5.5 hours of school per day (5 hours for grade 6). Learning occurs within our blended learning environment, consisting of Live Classes and Independent Lessons.

How Does Online Middle School Work?

PA Distance’s virtual middle school program incorporates synchronous Live Classes and asynchronous Independent Lessons.

Live Classes

Live classes with teachers are three times a week, 45 minutes each, for the four content areas: math, ELA, social studies, and science. Health & Wellness, music, art, and computer elective courses meet two times a week in live classes.

Independent Lessons

All of our online middle school courses have required independent work outside of the live class. The Independent Lessons are critical to the overall instruction and learning.

Each course will assign Independent Lessons on days the Live Class is not in session. The lessons consist of around 30-45 minutes of required assignments/work. Completion will prepare the student for the next day’s live learning class.

Ms. Smialek, Assistant Principal

“At PA Distance, we care about the students’ academic well-being. Not all students are the same, and we are willing to personalize their learning experience.”

Educational Programs

  • enVision Mathematics

    This highly-rated product 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.

  • 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 offers middle school students. Code HS is made to supplement and enrich the lessons for each class.

  • Glencoe 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 that teaches critical health skills and allows students to explore relevant topics.

  • StudySync ELA

    StudySync is a comprehensive ELA education curriculum 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.

  • myWorld Interactive

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

Student support should extend to education and beyond.

With the help of our interventionists, 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

Student Support

Office Hours:

Students have the opportunity to meet any of their teachers for additional help on their daily assignments. At 3:00 p.m. every day, students can meet with their teachers virtually via a video call, phone call, or chat.

Career & Work:

We require all of our students to go through our career education and work program in order to prepare them for life after online high school in PA. Requirements vary by grade level.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports:

PA Distance utilizes Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to provide a behavioral support system to high school students. 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 students by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior support systems. High school students are given monthly projects to show their progress in exhibiting what PA Distance called our Core Four, which is made up of four behaviors we feel students need to succeed in life and school. These include organization, self-advocacy, working independently, and attending school.