State-approved course lists
Pearson Virtual Schools offers rigorous K–12 curriculum which that integrates our proprietary content, interactive media, state-of-the-art instructional tools, and resources from leading education publishers into customized lesson plans that get outstanding results.
Some states require online providers and courses to be approved before courses can be offered to students. Those states are listed on this page, along with their website links and instructions for navigating to the approved course lists. In most states, approvals apply to online courses sold both with or without teaching services. However, some states require that only those online courses sold with teaching services be approved. Customers should therefore be aware of course and provider approval requirements for online courses in their state, and how those requirements apply to their specific situation.
Pearson Virtual Schools is an approved online provider with approved courses in many states. The list of approved courses varies by state and may include core, elective, gifted and talented, honors, and Advanced Placement courses across different grade levels. Most core high school courses and many elective courses delivered via Connexus (our proprietary education management system), and provided with our teaching services, have been approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Courses that have not been approved as required are not listed on the state’s websites. Pearson Virtual Schools regularly reviews our approved course lists and may submit additional courses for approval. Occasionally, a course may be removed from the list when the course is no longer available. Pearson Virtual Schools strives to make course additions/deletions at least annually to coincide with the approval and school year cycles. Please check with your sales rep if you have questions on course availability.
Important: Only states that require course approval are listed here. The absence of a state does not mean courses are not available in that state.
Please follow the instructions below to find the list of approved courses in your state.
Arkansas
Pearson Virtual Schools is an Approved Digital Provider in Arkansas for grades 9-12.
In Arkansas, courses offered with teaching services and courses offered as courseware both require approval if they are to count for the single required online credit (Act 1280). Courses used specifically for credit recovery do not require approval and are not listed on the website.
Review this document Pearson Course List for Pearson Virtual Schools courses that were approved through school year 23-24. As of 24-25, the Department of Ed. has communicated that they are revising their approvals process and submission of courses is not required until further notice.
California
Pearson Virtual Schools offers University of California A – G approved courses to California high school students for grades 9 –12.
To be eligible to apply to California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) institutions, California resident students take coursework that has been approved via the UC A-G approval process. Both courses offered with teaching services and courses offered as courseware without teaching services require approval.
Credit recovery courses cannot be submitted for A – G approval; students must retake the original A – G approved course in its entirety.
In addition to being an approved online course publisher, Pearson Virtual Schools offers approved publisher courses with instruction by certified teachers through Pearson Online Academy (POA), our accredited private school. This school has been approved by the University of California (UC) to offer instruction for A – G approved courses. Clients partnering with Pearson Virtual Schools for approved courses with instruction will need to request POA transcripts for their students for the courses taken.
You can access the approved course list from the A-G Guide website.
Florida
Connections Education of Florida, LLC is an Approved VIP Provider for grades K-12 in Florida.
Courses offered with teaching services and for credit recovery require approval. Courses used as courseware do not require approval and are not listed on the website.
To access the approved course list from the Florida Department of Education List of Approved Program and Course Providers webpage:
- Select Connections Education of Florida, LLC on the list of Approved Virtual Instruction Program (VIP) Providers.
- On the Connections Education of Florida, LLC page, select Connections Education of Florida, LLC VIP Provider, then select Approved Courses (Excel). This list reflects all courses that have been formally submitted and approved by the Florida DOE.
For more information on the FLDOE Virtual Instruction Program and its required disclosures, visit the Connections Education of Florida program page. The Connections Education of Florida, Course List located on this page reflects courses formally submitted and approved by Florida Department of Education as well as courses added or revised by Connections Education of Florida, since their last VIP submission. Because courses are formally submitted to the state every three years, any courses added or revised since the last submission are approved in the interim by virtue of meeting the required VIP Provider assurances.
Maryland
Pearson Virtual Schools has many courses approved in Maryland for grades 9-12.
Courses offered with teaching services require approval. Blended or hybrid courses where less than 80% of the instruction is provided online do not require approval by MSDE. K – 8 courses that are not credit-bearing courses can be offered without approval and are not listed on the website. Courses used for credit recovery fall under the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) rules as blended courses, do not require course approval, and are not listed on the website.
To access the approved course list from the MSDE Student Online Course Offerings page:
- Under Online Course Offering Links & Resources, select Approved Online Student Courses.
- A PDF document, Approved Student Online Courses will appear. Courses are listed by title, then provider (PVS).
Missouri
Pearson Virtual Schools is an Approved Course Provider in Missouri for grades K –12 under the name Missouri Connections Academy (MOCAS) and Missouri Connections Academy-Louisiana (MOCAL).
Courses are offered with teaching services, as courseware without teaching services, and as credit recovery. All require approval.
To access the approved course list from the Missouri Course Access and Virtual Education Program (MOCAP) website:
- Under “Parents and Students” > MOCAP Full-Time Providers, select the school.
- Select the first link under Course Catalog with Instruction to see the list of all approved courses being offered by MOCA schools during school year 24-25.
- See the link below for a list of all courses that have been approved by DESE (this list includes courses not being offered by MOCA schools during school year 24-25).
Nevada
Pearson Virtual Schools is an Approved Course Provider in Nevada for grades K-12.
Pearson Virtual Schools courses are offered with teaching services, as courseware without teaching services, and as credit recovery. All require approval.
To access the approved course list from the Nevada Department of Education Distance Learning Programs page:
- Scroll to the Course Application section to find the Approved Course Provider List header.
- Select Nevada Distance Learning Provider Course List.
- In the spreadsheet, identify approved courses using the Vendor (column 4), Pearson Online & Blended Learning.
Texas
Connections Education* partners with multiple school districts to offer online courses to high school students through the Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN).
*Note on branding: Connections Education has been rebranded as Pearson Virtual Schools nationally. However, due to the setup of the TXVSN, we continue to be listed as Connections Academy, Connections Learning, or Connections Education. At this point, approved courses offered by Pearson OBL remain listed under our former names. (Connections Academy and Connections Learning are names of divisions within Connections Education.)
Courses are offered with teaching services, as courseware without teaching services, and as credit recovery. All require approval.
To access the approved course list from the Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN) site:
- Browse the catalog that appears, using the tools on the left to narrow your search.
- Look for Pearson Online & Blended Learning, Connections Learning, or Connections Academy as the course developer (found under title of course) to see what courses Connections Education (now known as Pearson Virtual Schools) has approved.
- Note that the catalog consists of several alphabetical pages, so you may need to explore additional pages to find the course you want. In addition, this catalog is not reflective of the full list of courses that have been approved.
Virginia
To access the approved course list from the MULTIDIVISION ONLINE PROVIDER PROGRAM (MOP) site:
- Under the Multidivision Online Provider Program (MOP) header at the top of the page, select online query tool.
- Select Pearson’s Connections Education LLC dba Pearson Virtual Schools from the drop-down menu under Provider Summary, and then select View PDF.
Washington
Pearson Virtual Schools is approved as an online course provider by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) Alternative Learning Department (ALD). On the Approved Online Course Providers page, look for Connections Education or Pearson Virtual Schools, and select Provider Overview (PDF) for more details. For information about courses available to WACA that meet the 80% or better alignment to Washington standards, visit the WACA website directly and select “View the Washington Connections Academy Comprehensive Alignment Data”. Review this document for Pearson Virtual Schools courses that meet the 80% or better alignment to Washington standards. Please check with your sales representative to confirm that the courses you wish to purchase are currently supported by our teaching services.
Wyoming
Connections Education is an Approved Online Course Provider for grades K – 12.
Connections Education offers courses through Wyoming Connections Academy (WYCA), a program of Bighorn County School District #1. For more information on WYCA,, see the Wyoming Connections Academy home page.
To view list of approved courses on the WDE Virtual 307 site:
- On the right side of the screen select the School District drop-down menu, then select Big Horn County School District #1 to view all approved courses.
Use of courses that have not been approved
Pearson Virtual Schools recognizes that customers may wish to purchase online courses, with or without Pearson Virtual Schools instructional services, that may not be on our list of approved courses. Pearson Virtual Schools can provide those courses to customers, but those customers who choose to purchase courses not on an approved list assume the responsibility of determining if those courses meet their needs.
NCAA, Advanced Placement, and Accreditation information
NCAA
To be NCAA approved, courses must be of college-prep level or higher in rigor and length, and must be original credit (no credit recovery courses are accepted). The majority of Pearson Virtual Schools’ high school core courses, and many electives, when offered with our teaching services, have been approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
To view a list of currently approved courses from the NCAA Eligibility Center website:
- Click High School Administrators in the top right section of the menu.
- Click “List of NCAA Courses” on the top menu.
- Enter “Pearson Online Academy” or “Pearson Virtual School”, in the “High School Name” text box.
- Click on the school’s link under the “High School Name” column. .
Districts and schools wishing to use their own teachers with the Pearson Virtual Schools curriculum may do so, but must first contact the NCAA to determine whether their program, using the Pearson Virtual Schools curriculum and EMS, meets NCAA rules for non-traditional programs.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Pearson Virtual Schools (formerly Connections Education) offers many Advanced Placement courses. To find approved Advanced Placement courses on your local Connections Academy site:
- Navigate to your state’s Connections Academy site via the Select a State dropdown
- Select Visit School
- From Academics at the top of the page, select Curriculum.
- Select High School from the grade level drop-down menu.
- The list of approved AP courses can be found within the content area drop-down menus.
Accreditation
Pearson Online Academy is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools (MSA) . Pearson Online Academy is also accredited by Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), which are accrediting divisions of Cognia.