What Do You Know About Flvs
Florida Virtual School is a viable selection for homeschooling in Florida. It is a gratis, flexible, online education resource, with a wide selection of courses available, as well as educatee clubs that your child can participate in. The teachers conduct some live classes virtually using Blackboard software, also as individually over the phone.
FLVS offers pop electives such as Photography, Drivers Ed, and Personal Finance. They offering AP courses and Honors courses. Your child can take computer programming and get Microsoft certification, larn Chinese, and participate in clubs such equally Model United nations, History Club, and the FLVS' literary magazine.
There are a few drawbacks to FLVS. Showtime of all, the FLVS curriculum uses the Common-Core-based Florida Standards. Secondly, not all children thrive in a computer-based, virtual learning environment. Also, yous take to monitor your kid's progress, as well equally monitor their net usage so that they tin learn to manage their fourth dimension well.
WHAT SHOULD I Await?
If you feel that FLVS would be a adept fit for your child, then there are a few things you need to know going in. First of all, everything is online. There are no textbooks. Secondly, your child is required to stay on step in order to keep their seat in the grade. That means that they by and large take to complete a set amount of assignments per week. FLVS tin can exist very rigorous. In that location is a lot of time spent on the estimator, fifty-fifty for i course. That is important to keep in mind because you don't desire to overload your child with likewise much.
2 WAYS TO DO FLVS
Full Time
There are ii means to practice FLVS, which is essentially public school curriculum at home. FLVS is actually its own schoolhouse district in FL. They get state funding contingent on how many students are enrolled in their Total Time program, and how many students complete their courses. They are basically an online public school that offers courses to homeschoolers. This fact is key. The people that answer the phones when yous phone call are essentially sales people, trained to get you lot to sign upward your child in Total Fourth dimension. They are not trained to know homeschool law. If you phone call them, they will try to convince you that you lot need to sign your kid up for the Full Time program. That is a total course load, including the requirement to take the End of Course (EOC) exams, and the FSA/FCAT. If you don't want your child to take these exams, they can avoid doing that by choosing the FLEX plan.
The sales/customer service reps will tell yous that you need to sign upwardly your child for FLVS Full Fourth dimension in order for them to "get a diploma." What they exercise non tell yous is that you do non need FLVS to upshot your kid a diploma. FL Country police force is clear that the parent of a homeschooled child is the issuer of the child's diploma and transcripts, and co-ordinate to our state statutes, all Florida colleges and universities MUST accept them. Many parents worry that their kid won't get a diploma, or volition have to get a GED if they homeschool. That is not the case at all. But, some FLVS representatives (in my opinion) prey on the fears of parents and tell them that the only option is Full Time (if you desire a diploma).
FLEX (Formerly Office-Fourth dimension)
The other FLVS option is the FLEX homeschool option. Hither your kid enrolls for one or a few courses that yous desire them to take. Equally homeschoolers our children tin can accept up to 6 courses with FLVS FLEX, but I personally don't recommend that. Information technology is a huge clamper of time on the figurer, which can lead to burnout. Likewise, the teachers on the FOCUS and FLEX programs are different. They have different hours and schedules. The teachers on the FLEX program accept more flexible hours and are generally very easy to get in touch with. I have heard from parents who enrolled via FT, besides as from FLVS guidance counselors, that with the Full Time programme teachers are not as easy to get in touch with and have shorter daily hours.
READY TO SIGN Up FOR CLASSES?
HOMESCHOOL VERIFICATION
Commencement, yous will need to make sure that you sent a letter of intent to your canton, because the county will need to verify your child'due south homeschool status before they can be assigned to an online classroom.
FLVS OR COUNTY?
Secondly, in that location is a point in the application process where you have to choose whether you want your child to have classes through FLVS or your county virtual school. While the curriculum is the aforementioned, the canton virtual school teachers accept different hours and are not as easy to go a hold of on the telephone. Nosotros accept always used FLVS, not the county virtual school option, just we have heard from many parents that it tin can be very frustrating sometimes trying to become a hold of teachers in the canton virtual schools. Essentially, the county virtual school teachers are managed by a dissimilar company than the FLVS teachers, which accounts for these discrepancies.
GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ROCK
If yous have to speak with someone on the phone regarding FLVS enrollment, brand sure yous inquire to speak with a guidance advisor. As we mentioned above, the sales/customer service representatives are not trained to exist able to answer questions that have to exercise with FL laws on homeschooling, so they may non be able to inform y'all completely of your rights every bit a homeschooler. Even so, the guidance counselors do sympathise the laws better, and are much improve suited to answer specific questions. Remember, what is well-nigh of import is your child'due south educational needs, not what is best for the school or county school district. So, make sure they know that you desire your child in the FLEX plan and so they don't try to switch yous to Total Fourth dimension public virtual schoolhouse.
CHOOSE YOUR TEACHERS
Lastly, you can request teachers in the FLEX program! So, find out from other homeschooling parents which FLVS teachers did a skillful job teaching their children. Facebook groups are a wealth of information, and asking this type of question on Facebook is a peachy mode to find out which teachers are practiced, and which are better to avoid. As well, if the teacher your child gets ends upward non being a good fit, you tin asking to be switched out of a teacher'south classroom. We have done that twice without any repercussions at all.
TRANSCRIPTS
The grades that your high school-aged children earn through FLVS can exist plugged directly into their transcripts. Yous can as well use their FLVS unofficial transcripts to verify their GPA for dual-enrollment in your local state higher, to participate in sports at the local high school, and to apply for the Florida Bright Futures scholarships. You tin can download a PDF version of your child's unofficial transcript right from the FLVS Dashboard.
Our goal is inform parents equally much as possible so that they are equipped with all the information they need to make the best conclusion for their kid'due south education. Nosotros are very blessed to have free homeschooling curriculum options in Florida through Florida Virtual Schoolhouse and the county virtual schools. Delight experience free to enquire questions in the comments section of this article! If this article was helpful to you, please share it with your friends.
Source: http://www.homeschoolingflorida.com/blog/florida-virtual-school/
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