Florida Virtual School

Transforming education worldwide, even if it is one student at a time, might certainly be described, byany measure, as an insurmountable task to accomplish by the faint of heart. But that has never been a problem for Florida Virtual School (FLVS). For the past 16 years, highly qualified educators employed at the nation's largest and first online public school have managed to make a reality such a noble and monumental vision of changing the face of global education by focusing on individual students' needs.These certified teachers are the true heroes behind the remarkable record of nearly 1.3 million semester completions since 1997, when FLVS opened its doors to online education (FLVS, 2012c, 2013g; Groff, 2013). Public, private, charter, and home-schooled students from kindergarten to 12th grade, living in Florida's 67 districts, America's 49 other states, and more than 65 countries from all over the world, have truly benefitted from the teachings of these education professionals, which number about 1,500 in both part-time and fulltime positions (FLVS, 2013g; Gartner, 2013; McNally, 2012).The beauty of FLVS is that its courses, which must meet national and state standards as required by law, are offered free of charge to students living in Florida. Out-of-state and international students can also take diverse online courses once they have paid their tuition fees (FLVS, 2013f).In the late 1990s, the option of using the World Wide Web for educational purposes was largely reserved for remote locations in Western Canadian provinces. Here in America, there were limited online learning alternatives, plus no budget and no laws and regulations to support and sustain the effort (Johnson, 2007). Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Department of Education, awarded to the counties of Orange and Alachua in November 1996, a strong partnership emerged and a group of forward thinkers plowed ahead to create Florida High School in August 1997, after barely 6 months of planning and development and with only seven staff members (FLVS, 2013g). Baptized as Florida Online High School in the year 2000, and rechristened Florida Virtual School in 2001, this giant online education provider has succeeded thanks to its business management model and partnerships with renowned companies such as IBM, Jones Education, and UCompass (Gartner, 2013; Johnson, 2007). As a result, in the year 2010, FLVS was already considered the largest virtual school in America with state, national, and international students enrolled in over 200,000 different courses (McNally, 2012).School districts are lured by the oppor-tunity of establishing franchises with FLVS that must be certified first by the state's Commissioner of Education. These franchises started during the 2003-2004 school year with the goal of reaching out to a larger number of students via online courses. Thus, with the help of the FLVS system, districts have been capable of creating “individualized online courses for K-12 students attending public and private schools and enrolled in home schooling, as well as for public K-12 students receiving full-time virtual instruction” (Florida Department of Education, 2013; FLVS, 2013g).FLVS provides the virtual schools or franchises in the participating districts with the curriculum, all the indispensable educational materials, the learning man-agement system, the student information system, and training and mentoring for the teachers and administrators who will be running them. Due to the reputation and success of FLVS, during the 2013-2014 school year, 58 school districts and two uni-versity lab schools expressed their interest in operating franchises (FLVS, 2013f).Through this model, American full-time high school students can now graduate with a virtual diploma after taking all the required state assessments. Part-time students, on the other hand, get their earned credits transferred back to their original school so they can be counted toward their graduation requirement. This new virtual high-school diploma option began during the 2012-2013 school year (FLVS, 2013a, 2013f). For international students there is the Dual Diploma Program Option if they “want a diploma from an accredited United States high school in place of, or in addition to, a diploma from their home high school” (FLVSGlobal, 2013b). The Virtual Diploma Program is the result of a joint venture with The Cottage School, which “is accredited by the Southern Asso-ciation of Schools and Colleges (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS)” (FLVSGlobal, 2013c). FLVS received its own accreditation in 2001 from the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, which later became part of AdvancEd, an umbrella organization for all agencies in charge of accrediting learning institutions throughout the southern United States (FLVS-Global, 2013a).Enrolling in this program comes at a price for both out-of-state and international students, who must file an initial application and submit a down payment of $1,185.00. This money pays for the creation of a graduation plan curtailed to the particular student's needs and other administrative costs. Foreign students may incur in additional charges. Now, every highschool student participating in the Virtual Diploma Program is required to complete 23 Carnegie units of credit to meet graduation standards. These units cover language arts, science, math, social studies, modern foreign language, fine arts, physical education, health, and an elective course (FLVS, 2013e).The number of courses students can take at FLVS is simply staggering at 125, a figure that represents a 30% increase over the past five years (FLVS, 2012b). For high school, FLVS covers core subjects such as English (I, II, III, IV), mathematics (advanced algebra, Algebra I and II, calculus, and geometry), health and physical education, science (biology, chemistry, marine science, Earth space science), social studies (economics, global studies, U.S. government, U.S. history, world history), and world languages (Chinese, French, Latin, and Spanish). Elective courses include computer programming, foundations of web design, law studies, journalism, guitar, and creative photography, among others. There are also 16 Advanced Placement courses ranging from art history and biology to Spanish language and statistics (FLVS, 2013i).FLVS also serves middle school students who can take core subjects such as English, science, social studies, and mathematics. And the elective courses include business keyboarding, creative photography, guitar, Spanish, and business, to mention but a few (FLVS, 2013j).Through the fourth quarter of 2012, FLVS had over 339,000 course completions, out of which part-time students achieved more than 314,000. The course completion figures almost tripled those from the past previous years (FLVS, 2012b). During the 2011-2012 school year, FLVS served nearly 152,000 physical students, both part-time and full-time. Seventy percent of all these students originated from public and charter schools, 23% were home-schooled students, and the remaining 7% came from private schools. The top five districts furnishing students to the FLVS system were Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange, and Palm Beach (FLVS, 2012a).Students living in Florida do not have to pay a single dime to enroll at FLVS. Therefore, they must demonstrate compliance with any of the following criteria, as required by state statute 1002.455, to keep their studies free:After signing up for FLVS, students have the option of becoming either parttime or full-time students. The part-time option allows them plenty of flexibility and control over the time, manner, and place in which they decide to pursue their studies. The courses for Florida residents are, of course, free of charge, and students can take only one or several classes at once. It is really up to them, after careful consideration and analysis with councilors or faculty. Since this is just a part-time enrollment, the student still is answerable to his or her original school, which ultimately determines whether or not he or she has met the necessary graduation requirements (FLVS, 2013l). An additional bonus for these students is that they will thoroughly comply with the Digital Learning Now Act, passed by the Florida legislature in 2001, which requires graduate high school students to have taken at least one course in an online environment (Florida Department of Education, 2013; FLVS, 2013g).For full-time students the story is com-pletely different, because FLVS is their reg-ular school that will assign them grades and from which they will graduate with a diploma. They are required to take up to 12 courses during the 180-day long school calendar, which is divided into two semesters. From August to June of every school year, full-time students must attend their online courses, complete their assignments, and take standardized tests, just like any other regular student at any Florida brick-and-mortar high school institution. The differences between these two groups of students are that at FLVS pupils must be online for long hours and can only contact their teachers through chat rooms, text messages, e-mails, and over the phone. Other than that, they also comply with the Digital Learning Now Act in a much bigger way than any other brick-and-mortar student (FLVS, 2013g, 2013l).Since FLVS provides a digital learning advantage over all the other schools in the state, students also come to it for several other reasons that include improving a grade for a particular course, taking a course as a specific graduation requirement, accelerating the graduation time, and due to the fact that a certain course is not offered at the students' high schools (FLVS, 2013g).Other students choose FLVS as a personal preference because of the convenient 24/7 schedule it affords, meaning they can log in at any time of the day or night to complete their course assignments. Many of these students usually have sports practice or part-time jobs to attend to, which is why having the opportunity to sign in at any time to study is the perfect way to go. In fact, FLVS reports over 20,000 student logins during and after midnight. This figure slowly decreases till 6:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M., depending on the days of the week, only to pick up again, in full swing, between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. (FLVS, 2013g).However, there is more to FLVS than meets the eye. Collaboration is at its highest due to synchronous or live sessions where both teachers and students come together to interact and share knowledge, ideas, and discoveries. Working on group assignments is quite expeditious and effective this way. Therefore, peer-to-peer assistance takes a whole new level, with advanced learners “showing off” theirskills with those who need support (FLVS, 2013g).FLVS settles for nothing less than mastery learning, which is based on high or passing scores. Since the school's faculty takes the time to personalize the learning programs for the students, they can proceed at a comfortable pace so as to score high on any course or state assessments. At FLVS, learning really takes place at any time, at any place, at any path, and at any pace, which is basically its motto.Apart from the academic life, which is quite demanding in order to support its high achievement standards, FLVS offers its students a number of extra-curricular and enrichment activities. They are organized into three clusters: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. K-5 students can participate in math, envi-ronmental, book, chess, and robotics clubs. 6-8 grade students have some of those clubs plus broadcast, gaming and technology, science, theater arts, and debate clubs. They also can participate in the design of the student newspaper called The Monitor. New for the 2013-2014 school year FLVS put together a music club with monthly themes. For their part, 9-12 students are free to enjoy the activities organized by Earth Day, Future Business Leaders of America, Human Rights, Latin, and Model United Nations clubs, among others (FLVS, 2013c).With so much attention to academics and other supporting activities that enhance student enrichment, FLVS normally performs above the expectations of the state's educational authorities. The 2012 Advanced Placement Exam results revealed that 62% of FLVS students achieved qualifying scores. The figure is 2% higher than the national average (60%) and 14% higher than the state's average (48%). On top of this, on the end-of-course (EOC) exams, which comprise Algebra I, geometry, biology, and U.S. history, 74% of FLVS part-time students and 63% of FLVS full-time students scored between levels 3 and 5. Level 3 is a passing score, while levels 4 and 5 show student potential to meet College Readiness standards. For the state of Florida, the percentage of student mastery on the end of course exam stood at 59%, which clearly indicates why FLVS is a leader in the field of learning (FLVS, 2013g, 2013h).THE PEOPLE BEHIND FLVS' SUCCESS They are the teachers, of course—over 1,500 in all, holding adjunct and full-time positions and living throughout the state and even beyond its borders. All of them hold the appropriate Florida teaching certificates and had to undergo and pass a background screening to get a job at FLVS (FLVS, 2013f). School officials say they also consider teacher candidates who live outside Florida and are badly needed in critical need subjects such as math and language arts. Eventually, these teachers must get a Florida certificate to continue teaching at FLVS (FLVS, 2013k).Support for teachers at Florida Virtual School includes the assignment of an instructional leader who functions as nearly a school principal, a lead teacher for a group of 6-9 instructors, an assistant teacher to help with the grading process, literacy coaches to reach struggling students, ESE and curriculum specialists, and a Guidance Counselor who works together with teachers, students, and parents (FLVS, 2013k).Ongoing enrichment for teachers is highly encouraged at FLVS, where they can participate in numerous professional development workshops and become much more proficient at what they teach. As a result, 125 FLVS faculty members hold National Board Certification. These profes-sional development opportunities have also led instructors to attain higher degrees of education. A case in point is FLVS-Global, the international arm of Florida Virtual School, where 70% of the teachers have obtained advanced degrees, while 20% hold doctoral degrees (FLVS, 2013k; FLVSGlobal, 2013c).Student support comes from the teachers, who are available seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and are also accessible through the phone, text, e-mail, and IM. Teachers will do whatever it takes to ensure successful course completions. After all, FLVS funding is “based solely on course completions, and not on course enrollments” (McNally, 2012). If the school does not get paid, then teachers will not get a bonus for course completions either, and may not enjoy their full salaries, which can reach up to $75,000.00 a year, or up to $108,000.00 if they are appointed instruc-tional leaders and/or principals (FLVS, 2013b).AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE AT FLVS At present, the livelihood of teachers and the academic success of FLVS hangs in the balance, due to a highly controversial funding formula approved by the Florida House Education Appropriations Subcommittee in early 2013. State Representative Erick Fresen told the Miami Herald that the formula was necessary because FLVS “was receiving a disproportionately large share of state education dollars” (McGrory, 2013, para. 5).However, districts may not be strongly encouraging students to sign up for FLVS courses. The cause for this is that under the new formula school districts will be receiving less money than in 2012 for students who enroll in online courses. On top of this and for the past few years, many Florida school districts have been busy setting up their own virtual academic environments, perhaps in direct competition with FLVS (Gartner, 2013; McGrory, 2013).As a result of the House measure, 177 full-time instructors lost their jobs in early August 2013, which eliminated 10% of fulltime positions at FLVS. The job cuts were prompted by a 32% decrease in student pre-enrollment. Fortunately, 1,231 full-time instructors and instructional support staff were lucky enough to stay on their jobs. Earlier in the summer of 2013, 625 parttime instructors were also released due to the decrease. Only 36 remained in their positions (Gartner, 2013; McGrory, 2013). Eighty-four open positions will likely remain vacant because there will not be any money to pay their salaries. All in all, FLVS stands to loose about $40 million dollars in state revenue in 2013 as a result of reduced funding (Herold, 2013).Florida Virtual School had never experi-enced anything like this since its founding in 1997. So, the layoffs were a sad but historical event, as was the decrease in student enrollment. Even though FLVS has shown clear results in recent years in terms of course completions, the jury is still out on the effect of online education on K-12 student achievement. The U.S. Department of Education reviewed existing research and found a modest positive impact of online courses, but cautioned that the findings were mostly on results for postsecondary students. Emerging reports show a troubling overall picture of poor performance and low graduation rates for full-time online students (Barth, Hull, & St. Andrie, 2012).Apparently, legislators are not fully con-vinced about the success of online education, even though this type of learning continues to gain ground slowly but surely. On the other hand, it is not only about the different types of school legislation passed by politicians, but also about the fact that, of the 52 million students currently attending American public schools, only a small fraction actually takes online courses. By way of illustration, during the 2010-2011 school year about 250,000 American students were enrolled full-time in virtual schools (Barth et al., 2012). Besides, there seems to be a countrywide trend to provide students with a variety of online education providers rather than a single state virtual school (Herold, 2013).Course completion alone cannot be identified as the sole measure for student achievement. Unfortunately, not much is known about the effect(s) of online learning on student outcomes either. This is mostly due to sparse data and weak monitoring that to the true picture (Barth et al., 2012). Even the success of FLVS has on and prompted many institutions to and create their online learning 2013). After all, the of any time and learning cannot be and seems to be with the and of Only the will which way online education will and what FLVS will in the face of competition from Florida school districts and state budget

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