A digital learning advocacy group says Florida is one of 22 states that improved their policies over the past year.
Florida ranks second out of 50 states in Digital Learning Now’s latest annual report card, trailing only Utah. That’s where it stood last year, too, but several pieces of legislation passed in 2013 helped the state raise its score from a B-plus to an A-minus.
Overall, states passed 132 new digital-learning laws last year, according to the report. Florida accounted for seven of them.
They included SB 1514, a controversial overhaul of the funding formula for virtual courses that could eventually allow more online-course providers to receive state funding, and HB 7029, which among other things requires the Department of Education to create an online course catalog and lays the groundwork for more “course choice.”
“In Florida, we are trying to expand access for students, while helping to demystify digital learning for the public so that they are more comfortable with these new models of learning,” Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, is quoted as saying in the report.
The digital-learning group is backed by the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which is led by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
While Florida’s polices get good marks in most areas, its score suffers in the categories that measure access to Internet-connected devices for teachers and students, and the availability of high-speed broadband connections for schools.
Some lawmakers say they plan to address those issues this session by requiring school districts to draft long-term technology plans and setting aside more funding for technology needs.
