PartnerUP FAQs

We encourage district teachers to begin training at least one semester prior to teaching students in the online setting. However, the self-paced, flexible training dates adjust according to district/school needs.

PartnerUP schools who are most successful in our program complete the Growing with Canvas Course, an online professional development course designed to help teachers effectively navigate the Canvas learning management system in blended and online environments. We estimate this self-paced course to take 3-5 hours to complete.
The program recommends teachers complete a FERPA Training course (1 hour) and the first of the Georgia Virtual Professional Learning series of Effective Online Teaching, Professional Responsibilities (3 hours).

Following teachers’ initial semester teaching in PartnerUP, we encourage them to extend professional learning through our extensive catalog of self-paced, online courses. View the offerings afforded to PartnerUP districts in our professional learning catalog to learn more.

PartnerUP schools should anticipate having an active relationship with the PartnerUP support staff and trainers. Schools who maintain consistent and effective communication with our GaVL team and stay resolute in promoting teacher training become most successful with our program.

With GaVL’s commitment to providing high-quality digital content to Georgia public school educators, please use this form to report any errors you find in our content. This includes spelling or grammar mistakes. You may also use this form to make recommendations for future revisions to the course resources. We welcome your feedback!​

For more information, please fill out the information request form. The program’s team will follow up within two days of submitting.

Contact Us: Contact Us (gavirtuallearning.org)

Georgia Virtual School (GaVS), a program of the Georgia Department of Education, is a supplementary, accredited, fully online organization that has partnered with Georgia public schools over the last 15+ years. GaVS trains and hires their own teachers who utilize GaVS-created content aligned to Georgia standards using the Canvas learning management system platform. GaVS instructors teach students from many different districts who are enrolled on an individual basis and approved by their schools.

PartnerUP leverages the content and Canvas learning management system with district teachers and their students. PartnerUP supplies support to schools for their specific needs including teacher and administration training, technical support, and collaboration among participating schools. Participating schools will receive personalized professional development designed to train teachers in online and blended learning in addition to free access to all courses in the Georgia Virtual Professional Learning course catalog.

The program offers a cost-effective solution for districts, schools, and programs to have access to the technological tools, quality content/curriculum, and expertise both in the pedagogy of online/blended learning and the technical administration of the platforms.

The PartnerUP program supports a variety of delivery models according to each school’s online learning needs. Among the many options, schools may consider:

• Providing blended content to supplement face-to-face instruction at your school
• Offering fully online courses for students to extend learning beyond their brick-and-mortar schedule
• Launching an online academy or program to facilitate a hybrid or full-time online learning model for your district or school
• Preparing for emergency or elective digital learning days
• Hybridizing instruction to address the technology needs of your students offering blended face-to-face instruction while integrating remote, online learning days into their schedule

The opportunities for program specific delivery models in this program are endless!

GaVL provides curriculum developed for 130+ Georgia standards-aligned courses containing learning content, interactives, resources, formative and summative assessments, assignments, and discussions for grades 6-12. PartnerUP delivers elementary teachers a grade-level resource template course, created in partnership with NEGA RESA, and training in basic authoring tools for creating their own virtual content and resources within the Canvas learning management system.

For participating schools, GaVL provides access to Canvas for teachers and students, supporting technology integration through district rostering systems, and district branding with school logos and colors. Schools can access over 130 Georgia standards-aligned courses for grades 6-12, ready for immediate use with assessments and course content. Additionally, elementary teachers benefit from NEGA RESA’s K-5 content and gain access to authoring tools for creating virtual resources. Schools also receive personalized professional learning to train teachers in online and blended learning, along with ongoing support from GaVL instructional coaches. PartnerUP delivers grade-level resource templates for elementary teachers and training in creating their own content using Canvas.

If you have additional questions, one of our support team members will be happy to assist. Please complete the Contact Us form. A team member will get back to you within 24 school hours.