“Education for Everyone!”
Think online learning is too difficult for students with unique abilities and needs? Think again.
Florida Virtual School has been a proud provider in education for students with unique abilities and needs for many years. Our teachers are trained to work with students and help them succeed and the data is showing just that…success!
Let’s take a look at the State funded Personalized Learning Scholarship Accounts (PLSA) program, now known as the Gardiner Scholarship. It launched in fall 2014 and allows parents to personalize their child’s education based on the individual needs of each unique eligible child. The funds can be used for therapeutic resources, tuition, tutoring, and even virtual school. During the 2014-15 school year, FLVS had 215 successfully completed courses from students with a PLSA. Of these courses, 99 percent were completed with a grade of A B, or C. A special thanks to the legislature and Governor Scott for expanding this program effective July 2016 through SB 672.
Need more proof? Let’s look at another scholarship for students with unique abilities. We’ve been serving students on the McKay Scholarship program for many years now as well. The data there looks just as good! In 2014-15, 95 percent of their courses were completed with a grade of A, B, or C.
Both groups have grades just as good as students without disabilities.
It seems clear that the success students with unique abilities and needs are having at FLVS has to do with competency-based learning – an education method to which FLVS subscribes. Students work their way through their courses at a pace that works for them, allowing them to master the content and move on when they are ready, giving each student the opportunity to learn all of the content with lessons tailored to their needs.
Please support SB 830/HB 7029, and SB 1088/HB 837 to remove eligibility and funding restrictions so more students can take advantage of virtual opportunities.
Post by Holly Sagues, Former Executive Director of Governmental Affairs & Strategic Solutions