Over the past few years, Florida has been overhauling its virtual education system to create what’s known as “course access” — policies that let students select courses from a menu of different options.
Among other things, it provides an extra layer of educational choice. In addition to picking their schools, students can pick individual courses.
Florida’s policies saw a major overhaul in 2013 legislation. The state’s new course-choice system drew one additional virtual education provider into the mix, but students have other options available thanks to policies that let them take online courses across district lines.
A recent white paper from the Foundation for Excellence in Education breaks down how course access policies are playing out in school districts around the country. It spotlights efforts in two Florida districts, in Pasco and Palm Beach Counties.
A few highlights:
Students can access courses their districts don’t offer.
Pasco was uniquely positioned to provide certain courses based on staff, capacity and resources. In addition to expanding course options within the district, Pasco also saw an opportunity to provide them to students outside of the district. As a result, 200-300 out-of-district students in Florida now have access to courses like American Sign Language and German.
Parent involvement is key.
Palm Beach also engages parents in online learning programs. For K-5 students, parents serve as “learning coaches” and partner with the teacher to ensure their student is doing what they need to every day. While less active at the middle and high school levels, parents are still required to have periodic meetings and conference calls with teachers that may or may not involve the student. Palm Beach provides a variety of supplemental resources, including videos, online meetings and other resources to round out individual interactions with parents.
Virtual education can benefit from in-person consultation.
Parents enroll their students through the website and have an opportunity to meet with a school counselor and administrator to discuss their child’s options. Parents are also involved on orientation day and receive training on the learning management system used in the district. Once enrolled, parents and students receive regular updates on student progress.
More information, including the full report, can be found here.
