Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit in Aliquippa, PA | Children`s and Teens` Education | Pennsylvania Catalog

Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit

Intermediate units are regional educational service agencies providing programs and resources to Commonwealth schools.
Intermediate units' instructional and related services benefit more than 2 million students. Instructional materials and professional development services for educators, as well as training and career counseling, aid millions of adults.
Through cooperation and collaboration among school districts and community agencies, intermediate units work to provide innovative, responsive and cost-effective programs.
Some services needed by children, teachers, and administrators cannot be provided as effectively and economically by individual school districts. Through a service agency like the BVIU, specialized staff and services are made available to school districts with maximum cost effectiveness.
BVIU operations are conducted under approval of a 15 member Board of Directors elected by the 135 local school board members. No more than one director from a school district may serve on the Intermediate Unit Board at one one time. An Advisory Council comprised of the 15 local district superintendents meets monthly to review programs and services.
The Regional Choice Initiative is changing the way we view education. By providing students with more choices and utilizing the latest advances in educational technology, this unique consortium of 16 Pennsylvania school districts is paving new paths in public education and serving as the educational model for the future.
The Regional Choice Initiative creates a collaborative partnership that strengthens the academic infrastructure and increases overall student achievement. It does this by offering cost-effective, high-quality programs and services that meet the individual needs of all students through collaboration among member-districts.
Our goal is to develop, implement, and evaluate a school choice program that will:
- Provide parents with a varied menu of greater academic options
- Create a collaborative partnership of school districts
- Provide a replicable, inter-district, public school choice model
The Regional Choice Initiative is funded by the United States Department of Education's Voluntary Public School Choice Grant and is coordinated by the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit on behalf of the participating school districts.
Regional Choice Initiative I: Open Seats
Open Seats is a regional cooperative agreement allowing students (grades 7-12) from each district to take courses in other districts that are not currently available in their home district. In this program, not only can a student take classes not currently offered in his/her school district, but he/she can also take classes in a participating district if the class happens to be full in his/her home district. Students can access the various course offerings for both year-long and semester-long courses in other participating districts by visiting their district Guidance Office.
The Regional Choice Initiative's Open Seats program meets all graduation requirements for each participating district. All transportation costs associated with Open Seats are covered by the program. Students taking part in Open Seats participate in extracurricular activities at and remain on the enrollment list of their home district. In the near future, state-of-the-art technology will allow districts to offer Open Seat courses via interactive video conferencing.
Regional Choice Initiative II: Dual Enrollment
Dual Enrollment enables high school students (grades 10-12) to take college courses before graduating for transferable credits. All tuition costs and course textbooks will be paid for through the Regional Choice Initiative's Voluntary Public School Grant. Dual Enrollment classes may be held at the university/college campus or at a designated central location. Courses in the Dual Enrollment program may be offered during evening hours, on Saturdays, and may also be offered during the summer.