Taking an online course gives you the freedom to learn on your own terms—when, where, and how fast you want. This independence helps you build important skills like self-discipline, talking with teachers, and managing your time well. These skills aren't just useful for school; they're also essential for college, work, and life in general. 

While anyone can do great in an online course, some might need extra time, practice, and support to get the hang of it. WVS, as well as your local school, will support you throughout your learning experience with us. Talk to your Coach about enrolling in our free WVS Student Orientation if you would like additional practice with online learning skills.

All students taking a Wisconsin Virtual School course have a Coach who is from their local school (often your school counselor). Coaches help you get enrolled, choose your courses, and monitor your progress.

If you do not know who your district Coach is, contact whoever signed you up for the WVS course(s). 

Your school district Coach or school counselor will help you register for your online course(s).  The courses you are taking depend on your district’s graduation requirements. The courses you take depend on your district's graduation requirements and guidance from your local learning Coach. 

If you believe you are in the wrong course(s) or change your mind about your course, reach out to your local district coach as they are able to make changes to your WVS enrollments. 

View the K-5 or 6-12 WVS Overview Genius and Buzz video for a short tutorial regarding how to get started as a learner. 

WVS offers an optional (but highly recommended) Student Orientation for all new students. This course will help you become familiar with the platform and tools needed to participate in WVS online courses. Talk to your Coach about enrolling in Student Orientation if you would like to take advantage of this resource.

Some courses require a textbook or specific software/materials - typically AP or technology-related courses. This information can be found on the syllabus for the course (available within the WVS Courses tab) as well as in the Welcome/Start Here module of each course.

On the Wisconsin Virtual School (WVS) login page, click the "Forgot your Login and/or Password" link to have an email sent to your school email address with information on how to reset them.

If you don't know what your username is, your district Coach can give you that information.

Your online teacher will have their contact information included in several locations:

• In Genius (where you first log in to the WVS platform) under “Course Information”
• In Buzz within the Start Here folder of your course
• A welcome email from your teacher

WVS courses have rolling enrollments, with the exception of WVS Plus core content courses (K-8 synchronous). Rolling enrollments means learners can start anytime between mid-August and June 30th of that school year. Once enrolled, learners may have up to 5 months to complete a semester course. 

WVS Plus courses have specific start and end dates each year.

WVS sends a final grade report to your local coach for each course. Your local district will then award any grade or credit on your local school transcript for your WVS course(s).

If you have a unique enrollment situation, it is important to check ahead of time that your local school district will award grade/credit for the WVS course(s) that you would like to take.

WVS will request current IEP or 504 documentation from your local school district when you are enrolled in WVS courses. Your local school district is still in charge of your IEP or 504. WVS will support accommodations or modifications that are available in our online setting.

If you have additional questions, reach out to your district coach who will communicate that with the WVS Special Populations Associate Director.

Most WVS courses have final exams, but some have final projects instead. Final exams have access codes. Your WVS teacher will provide the access code to your local coach, who will help you access the exam when you are ready. Make sure you know your local school's expectations for completing final exams.

At WVS, we foster a growth mindset among learners. Retries are essential tools that enhance the online learning experience and empower students to take ownership of their learning journey. Students are encouraged to request retries on any course assignment or assessment they wish to improve their learning/understanding on. To ask for a retry, students should email their WVS teacher and local school coach. Please see our WVS Retry Guidelines document for more information.

Most computers (PCs, Macs, Chromebooks) are compatible with WVS courses. iPads and other tablets may need additional support from your local Information Technology (IT) department or local coach. Similarly, a few classes (such as Computer Science courses) require specific software downloads which are not available for tablets, phones, or Chromebooks.

Your coach has access to the WVS Technology Readiness document and can help you with any concerns or issues. You will have the opportunity to check your device's readiness in our optional Student Orientation course. 

You can use Google Docs as a way to submit work within WVS courses.

• If you have a school Google account, you can review the Google Doc guide for information on how to share and how to open other file types too.
• If you do not have access to Google Docs, you can use any word-processing tool for assignments. Please review our guide for submitting other document types.

You will also have the opportunity to practice submitting documents and other assignment types in our optional Student Orientation course!

Contact your district Coach or your school's IT/Tech Support for help with tech issues and needs. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• access blocked to your course
• course is not loading completely
• browser or school web filter block
• email
• plug-ins or downloads needed
• problems with your device

All learners can benefit from the flexibility of "anytime, anywhere" learning through WVS, including those who:

• Thrive in an online learning environment
• Have shown potential in brick and mortar, yet would benefit from another path to success
• Experience social anxiety, bullying, split residency, etc
• Balance therapy or medical appointments in their schedule
• Participate in student athletics (See WVS's NCAA-approved courses)
• Carry additional responsibilities such as a job, family care, etc

Talk with your child's school counselor or principal about taking courses through WVS. If you are not working with your local school to enroll your child, please review the unique enrollment situations page. For additional questions, please contact WVS at 715-453-1953 or wvshelpdesk@cesa9.org.

Parents/guardians are copied on progress reports about their child's WVS courses. You might also receive additional reports from the online Coach who is supporting your child locally.

If your child’s Coach has set up Guardian Accounts in the WVS system for you, additional monitoring access is available, including the ability to view your child's WVS courses. The Monitoring Student Progress Guide has additional information for using your Guardian Account to monitor and support your child's online learning!

Not sure if you have a Guardian Account?

• Look for an "account creation" email - check your Spam folder as well.
• Use the "Forgot your Login and/or Password" on the Wisconsin Virtual School (WVS) login page to have the information re-sent to your email address.
• Contact your child's local Coach if neither of the above approaches works. 

Wisconsin Virtual School (WVS) strives to provide the highest quality educational opportunities to partnering school districts and to private-pay homeschool families.  If interested in enrolling, discuss your options with your resident school district first to see if they already partner with WVS.   

If you still want to enroll your learner directly with WVS, visit our unique enrollment situations page for more information on how to enroll your learner and make a payment.