Virtual Arkansas is a state virtual school that partners with public school districts throughout Arkansas to provide course access and opportunities to students who may not otherwise be offered those opportunities with local resources. We are not an online high school or a diploma-granting institution, but we are a resource for supplementing education for students through their local public school. Students who are enrolled in a public school may be enrolled in Virtual Arkansas courses by the local school administration. The program is implemented through a partnership between the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Education Service Cooperatives. This initiative is guided by Act 2325 of 2005: An Act to Provide Distance Learning. We provide an array of quality digital courses to public school students in Arkansas and utilize Arkansas licensed instructors. The mission of Virtual Arkansas is to equip, engage, and empower students through unique, digital opportunities.
Virtual Arkansas is committed to developing the full potential of Arkansas students by providing access to quality online courses that incorporate interactive instruction to prepare students to be successful in their college and career educational pursuits and in the global economy. School districts utilize Virtual Arkansas for a variety of reasons. A district may face a teacher shortage, want to provide additional course scheduling opportunities to their students, offer their students access to a digitally enriched curriculum, or to broaden their course offerings beyond those mandated by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools. Finally, districts that partner with Virtual Arkansas will be satisfying the requirements of Act 1280, the Digital Learning Act.
