Finding Success with Florida Virtual School

This post was written by Tangela Walker-Craft, parent of a FLVS Flex student and graduate.

I attended traditional public schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Homeschooling was not something that I ever planned to do when I became a mom. I even taught at traditional public schools for several years before I had my daughter. I knew nothing about homeschooling.

During that time, when I was teaching high school, many of my best students shared with me that they had been homeschooled at some point during their lives.

Homeschooling Allowed Emari to Excel

When I had my daughter, Emari, I started working with her at home and saw that she was progressing well academically, so her father and I decided we should give homeschooling a try. When she reached middle school age, I was not sure that I was adequately equipped to teach her subjects like math and science. I did not want her to miss out on important academic content. After doing some research I discovered Florida Virtual School (FLVS).

Emari was enrolled in Florida Virtual School from 7th through 11th grade. All of her End-of-Course (EOC) assessments that were required for her to be eligible to receive a traditional diploma were completed while she was an FLVS student. Thanks to FLVS, Emari’s scores were consistently high. She earned 5’s on most of her EOC assessments. She earned a 5 out of a possible 5 on her Biology EOC when she was in the 8th grade. Biology is traditionally taken when a student is in the 10th grade. Emari was the only 8th grader who took the exam at her testing site. She also earned college credits for an Advanced Placement English course that she took with FLVS. I credit the FLVS curriculum for her high test scores.

Accelerated Learning Provided New Opportunities

Emari was admitted as an early admissions student at Polk State College during her senior year. She was able to earn her final high school credits and credits towards her freshmen year of college simultaneously. She chose to receive her high school diploma from my high school alma mater for the sake of tradition, but much of the credit for her academic success in middle and high school is due to the education that she received from Florida Virtual School.

Working online proved to be an advantage for Emari. She was able to accept casting calls to do print and video modeling because of the flexibility of her online FLVS classes. She booked several jobs for Disney. Once she began her early admissions courses at Polk State College, she was able to complete many of her courses online without the need to adjust to online learning.

Emari’s final weighted GPA was a 4.45. She applied to four colleges and universities and was accepted to all four. She was even accepted to a fifth university without submitting an application. So far, she has been awarded six scholarships.

As a parent, I am so grateful for Florida Virtual School and all that FLVS did to provide my daughter a quality education. If you’re interested in homeschooling your child, visit www.flvs.net/HomeschoolTogether.



6 comments on “Finding Success with Florida Virtual School

  1. Karen Doyle

    I am curious. How was she able to get a diploma from your alma mater if she was in FLVS Flex? My son sounds very much like your daughter in his academic excellence. He has also continued to take all of the EOCs. I would love for him to be able to get a diploma from our local high school while dual enrolling for all of his senior year classes.

    Reply
    1. FLVSFLVS

      Hi Karen. Students enrolled in high school can take FLVS Flex courses. Your local school counselor or one of ours can help assess his academic options!

      Reply
      1. KAREN BUTLERSNELL

        My daughter needs a math and an English to complete 11th grade then also start her senior classes. Can someone please contact me so we can get her going.

        Reply
  2. Robyn

    I’d really love to praise FLVS as both my sons attended last year. One is a 3rd grader and 1 is a sophomore. However implementing the new rule of proof of residency, and the time it took FLVS to approve our documentation. My oldest child had no issues and is currently attending but my 3rd grader was completely forgotten about, and because of so many others are now attending, ( I was concerned and was assured he would still have his spot in the classes) that by the time they approved my POR, I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO LONGER ROOM FOR HIM IN THE CLASSES. I am furious and after repeated phone calls I am homeschooling him myself.

    Reply
    1. FLVSFLVS

      Hi Robyn. Thank you for sharing your experience. We have shared your message with the elementary team and someone should be reaching out. We completely understand your frustration and appreciate your understanding as we look to improve our communications and reopen our elementary enrollment.

      Reply

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