State-approved course lists

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (“Pearson OBL,” formerly known as Connections Education) offers rigorous K–12 curriculum which 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 either 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 OBL is an approved online provider with approved courses in many states. The list of approved courses varies by state and may include core, electives, Gifted and Talented, Honors, and Advanced Placement courses across different grade levels. Most core high school courses and many elective courses delivered via our proprietary education management system Connexus, 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 OBL regularly reviews our approved course lists, and may submit additional courses for approval. Occasionally, a course or courses may be removed from the list when the course is no longer available. Pearson OBL strives to make course additions/deletions at least annually to coincide with the approval and school year cycles whenever possible. 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 Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Education) 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.

To access the approved course list from the Arkansas Digital Learning Provider List page:

Under the ADE Approved Digital Providers, please click on Pearson Online & Blended Learning to view the course listing.

California

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Education) 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. Note that starting in the 2018-19 school year, three previously separate brand names (Connections Academy, Connections Advanced Academics, and Pearson Education (GradPoint)) have been consolidated into the new brand name Pearson Online & Blended Learning.

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 Online & Blended Learning is able to offer approved publisher courses with instruction by certified teachers through our accredited private school, International Connections Academy (iNaCA), which has been approved by the University of California (UC) to offer instruction for a-g approved courses. Clients partnering with Pearson OBL for approved courses with instruction will need to request iNaCA transcripts for their students for the courses taken.

To access the approved course lists from the A-G Guide website:

On the right hand side of the page, click A-G Course Lists.
On the left hand side of the Course List Search page, under Filter Results, check the Online Publisher box.
For the 2018/19 school year, scroll down and select Pearson Online & Blended Learning.

Florida

Connections Education of Florida, LLC is an Approved VIP Provider for grades K-12 in Florida.

Courses offered with teaching services require approval. Courses used as courseware and for credit recovery 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:

Click 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 Connections Education K-12 VIP Course List - PDF.

For more information on the FLDOE Virtual Instruction Program and its required disclosures, please click here.

Maryland

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Education) 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 COMAR rules as blended courses and do not require course approval and are not listed on the website.

To access the approved course list from the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards page:

On the right-hand sidebar, click Approved Online Student Courses.
A PDF document, Approved Student Online Courses will appear. Courses are listed by title, then provider (Connections Education).

Nevada

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Education) is an Approved Course Provider in Nevada for grades K-12.

Connections Education and Pearson Digital Learning (aka GradPoint) 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 State of Nevada Department of Education Distance Education page:

Scroll down to the Approved Course Provider List.
Select either Connections Education Approved Course List or Pearson Approved Course List.
Each list notes an “Approved Valid Until m/d/yyyy” at the top of the page. Only approved courses can be offered in Nevada, whether they are used with Connections teachers/instructional services, or sold as courseware (no teacher).

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 Online and Blended Learning 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. Approved courses remain approved until standards change.

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 Connections Education, Connections Learning, or Connections Academy as the course developer (found under title of course) to see what courses Connections Education (now known as Pearson Online and Blended Learning) 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.

Virginia

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Learning by Pearson) is an Approved Multi Division Online Provider (AMOP) for grades K-12.

Courses offered with teaching services require approval. Courseware may be sold to school districts who use their own teachers and are not required to be approved through the AMOPs process. Credit recovery courses are not available in Virginia.

To access a list of approved courses from the Virginia Department of Education Approved Multi Division Online Provider page:

Scroll down to the Provider Summary section.
Select Pearson (formerly known as Connections Education, LLC).
Click View PDF. A downloadable PDF with a list of courses is displayed. The most recent approval date/school year is listed at the top of the PDF. Courses are approved for three school years from the date of approval, including the school year (year of approval) at the top of the approved list.

Washington

Pearson’s Online and Blended Learning (OBL) division is approved as an online course provider by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) Alternative Learning Department (ALD). On the Online Course Providers Page, look for Pearson Online and Blended Learning, and select “Provider Information” for more details. The list of Pearson OBL courses that meet the 80% or better alignment to Washington standards is attached here and the list for which there are no Washington standards is found here. Please check with your sales representative to confirm 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.

Use of courses that have not been approved

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Education) recognizes that customers may wish to purchase online courses, with or without Pearson OBL instructional services, that may not be on our list of approved courses. Pearson OBL 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 also must be original credit (no credit recovery courses are accepted). The majority of Pearson OBL’s 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 and Blended Learning”, in the “High School Name” text box.

Districts and schools wishing to use their own teachers with the Pearson OBL curriculum may do so, but must contact the NCAA to determine whether their program, using the Pearson Online and Blended Learning curriculum and EMS, meets NCAA rules for non-traditional programs.

Advanced Placement (AP)

Pearson Online and Blended Learning (formerly Connections Education) offers many Advanced Placement courses. To find approved Advanced Placement courses, visit the Connections Academy High School Course List page and use the View More or View All Courses tools to locate the AP courses you are interested in. They are listed alphabetically along with other courses in each subject.