Pennsylvania Digital Learning Landscape
Capital Area Online Learning Association (CAOLA), a DLC State Affiliate, was instrumental in conducting the research for this profile.
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | YES |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | NO |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Pennsylvania had 14 cyber charter schools that served 57,455 students in the 2021-22 SY. The number of student enrollments reached 61,760 during SY 2020-21, up from 39,266 in SY 2019-20. A growing number of districts, Intermediate Units (IU), and consortia are providing online courses for area students. These programs do not report to the state, so it is unclear how many there are or how many students they serve. Pennsylvania does not have a state virtual school.
The Capital Area Online Learning Association (CAOLA) is the largest online learning consortium in the state, supported by the Capital Area Intermediate Unit. It served 16,586 students across 115,949 course enrollments during the 2021-22 SY. This represented a 71% increase in students and 107% increase in enrollments from the 2019-20 SY. CAOLA currently serves 140 schools from 11 different Intermediate Units across Pennsylvania. During the peak of the pandemic in SY 2020-21, CAOLA served 40,203 students and 250,551 course enrolments.
Cyber charters have dominated multi-district fully online options in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) reviews each cyber charter’s school’s performance on state assessment tests, standardized tests, and other performance indicators to ensure compliance with federal and state academic standards. In addition, it assesses whether a cyber charter school is in compliance with its charter. Information on charter school applications, renewals, enrollments and other requirements is noted on the PDE website.
IUs are also opening cyber programs for students in their regions. These programs typically offer supplemental or blended courses (although some offer a fully online option), do not require permission to operate, and do not require separate reporting as they simply roll into overall district accountability. As a result, the total number of district and IU online academies and online service programs is unknown.
There is considerable district activity including:
School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy is a full-time program for students in grades K-12.
Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Online Academy offers full-time online options for district students.
Allentown School District offers K-12 students online options through the ASD Virtual Campus.
Reading Virtual Academy provides K-12 district students with online options in both fully online and hybrid formats.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through August 2022.
Act 88 (2002) allowed for the establishment of cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania. Oversight is regulated by the charter school law that oversees all charter schools, as well as regulations specific to cyber charters. Pennsylvania System of Cyber Charter Review (PASCCR), the charter school’s annual report to the state, and the original charter school application to the Pennsylvania Department of Education explain how each school meets Pennsylvania’s academic standards and assessment requirements, what technical support will be given to students, how student work will be monitored, what type of communication will be held with students and parents, and how often that communication will take place.